first multi-pitch lead in red rocks

Had myself a day climbing at Red Spring in Calico Basin last week. I feel like all of the indoor climbing I've been doing has paid off. I'm probably not 100% healthy in my fingers as I've been progressively trying to climb higher grades with very thin holds, but in general, my body feels stronger and my technique overall feels better. My footwork also feels better these days and I've been more comfortable flagging and smearing as needed.

I started getting a bad feeling about the weather forecast, as it kept changing throughout the week. It only rains a few days per year in the desert, but it rained the night before I was supposed to be out climbing. Sandstone is delicate and cannot be climbed when it's wet, so this was a big deal. Fortunately for me, my guide is very experienced and was able to pivot to Plan B. We were originally going to try to go for a classic multi-pitch in the Canyons, but with weather being so iffy, it's not smart, because many of the routes lack fixed anchors so you can't easily bail if the weather turns. Also, many of the approaches into the canyons are close to an hour of hiking in just to get to the base of the climb. Thomas suggested that we go check out a climbing area in Red Springs, Calico Basin instead. He had a secret parking spot that allowed for an approach of less than 20 minutes of hiking, so if it started to rain, we could run back to the car. I had to decide if we wanted to start the day and risk it raining. I figured, I'd at least risk half a day of climbing since I had flown across the country to be there (even though I was also there for a trade show).

Threatening skies as we walked to the base of Physical Graffiti

It turned out to be one of the best days of climbing I've ever experienced. As we drove in, there was rain, but when we parked the car, the ground was dry. Because Thomas was willing to start early, we were hiking in at about 7:30AM and probably started climbing at 8AM. There was no one out yet, so we were able to get on Physical Graffiti right away.

First pitch of Physical Graffiti

Sun came out as I was climbing Physical Graffiti

This is a 5.6 trad route, but Thomas warned me that the second pitch up the crack was probably one of the hardest 5.6s in Red Rocks. It ended up being pretty challenging, but I made it up somehow and then with a quick scramble, it was so cool to be able to get to the summit, about 300 ft off of the ground with an awesome view of all of the canyons. In the rush to get us on the route, Thomas forgot to tell me to bring my sneakers with me, so I had to walk off in my climbing shoes. It was a bit of a walk down, but I've definitely experienced more complicated walk-offs.

At the summit of Physical Graffiti with a view of the canyons

We heard another party hiking up, so when we got to the base, Thomas quickly threw the rope down to claim our spot on Big Bad Wolf, a 5.9 sport route. As we were walking down from Physical Graffiti, he had asked me if I felt strong on steeper terrain. I found out why, as I headed up the first pitch on Big Bad Wolf. The first pitch is very sustained and slightly over-hanging. I managed well enough and at one point had to re-position so that I could more easily remove a quick draw. I don't have enough experience with sport climbing. It's definitely something I want to work on more at the gym. Thomas had linked up the first and second pitches, so it was a long pitch until I reached him at the anchor. There wasn't much to stand on, so my feet got pretty tired as we were re-organizing to continue climbing. The rest of the climbing was pretty slabby with not great hand holds, but the sandstone has such great friction, that it was super fun climbing. I still can't imagine having to lead it though. When I got to the top of the climb, Thomas offered to lower me down so that I could get in a bonus pitch. I think that it might have been part of Town Dogs and Coyotes, but I'm not sure. I thought it was pretty hard, but it might have been because I hadn't had time to rest between pitches. Also, standing on the thin belay ledge made the balls of my feet hurt a bit.

Making my way up Big Bad Wolf

Tiny belay ledge at the top of the second pitch

Top of Big Bad Wolf

We ended up rappelling down to another climb with no name. It was a beautiful polished black wall- another sport route that Thomas led. I lowered him and then he belayed me from below. That was one of my favorite pitches. Apparently, it barely gets climbed though because it's not as easy to access. The rappel coming off of the climb isn't straight-forward.

Topping out on the unnamed climb up polished black rock

Awkward rappel, but it was better than having to walk off

Busy as we were leaving the base of Riding Hood Wall

We got to the base, had a snack and then I was ready for more. Thomas suggested that we try to hike to a climbing area closer to the car, because there was still a chance of rain. He gave me a few options, but ultimately, I decided that I wanted to try leading my first multi-pitch sport climb. He chose a very easy 2 pitch 5.4/5.5 climb and walked me through all of the needed skills while we were still on the ground. Leading went great and it felt so good to get to the top of the second pitch. Learning how to belay from above and also how to get secure and set up the rappel were all new for me. I've watched the leader do these things many times, but there are nuances and everyone does it a bit different. When I had to toss the rope from the first rappel point, I made a mess of the rope. Rope-management has to be one of the most important skills to learn. Thomas helped me butterfly coil and saddle-bag the rope for the next rappel so that I had less rope to deal with initially and an easier time managing the rope as I was rappelling to the ground. Still, there was a lot to think about- I had to remember where the first anchor was when I was tossing the rope and also had to really pay attention and keep making sure that the rope didn't get hung up on features in the rock.

At the top of the second unnamed pitch

In total, we climbed 10 pitches- over 1,000 ft of elevation gain for the day. I couldn't have asked for a better day. Post-climb, I had a lot of time to kill before my red-eye flight, so I made the most of it with the most delicious Dan Dan knife cut noodles I've ever had at Magic Noodle and then caught "Everest: The Other Side" on it's opening day in a theater just a quick drive from the airport. Can't wait to make it out for another trip climbing in beautiful Red Rock Canyon.

Knife-cut noodles with Dan Dan sauce