Archive for the “Climbing AZ” Category
Entries regarding rock climbing in Arizona.
At 5 this morning I shot up and was wide awake. Might have something to do with going to bed a little after 8 last night. What can I tell you? I was tired.
I gave Sadira a call early on to see if she’d like to go out to Promised Land. I wanted to get further in this morning, take photos, and GPS the area. She said sure and popped over about 45 minutes after I got in touch.

While the ride there is less than 25 miles it sure takes a while to get in. Deep washes, cut away chunks of road (especially close to the parking area). The Titan fortunately handles it with ease. By the time we reached the broken windmill I knew we’d only have 5 or 10 more minutes.

We parked the truck and started our walk into the canyon well before 8 a.m. Yes, an early start indeed. As we approached the dry river bed we both heard something. Flowing water, and lots of it. Last week the river was dry, and this week there was actually a flow strong enough to hear it a way off. Wow!
Walking in wasn’t as easy as the trip that I took with Andy & Brooke. There were many water filled areas. And hopping across the rocks here isn’t as easy as other places. The stones in the river bed are worn smooth, and even Vibram soles don’t stick easily.

We reached the first climbing area after sloshing through water and scrambling over the smooth stones only to find you couldn’t even stand under the cliff. A heavy flow of water was rolling through. Nobody could belay that climb today!
Finally, we found we really couldn’t “hike” further in. If I’d worn my Chacos today we could have progressed on (through the water), but for once I was wearing real hiking shoes instead of my sandals. Go figure!
With our path for forward progress blocked we made our way out of the canyon and back to the truck. We took our time, as it’s an interesting walk along the river bed, and even more interesting with the water flow.

Along the way I came across a wonderful little lizard who allowed me to take many photos. The lizard really blends in well with the rocks though. Pretty hard to see at first.

After snapping away at the little reptile I decided to take a few flower photos. That’s when I noticed a bee. Or maybe not a bee. Striped back end, but a green face. Well, not sure what type of insect it really is, but it was fun trying a few more macro shots.
If you can’t tell, I have been working on my macro shots lately. I think this little insect came out well. You should see the original version at full resolution! I never put up full photos here, as it would take forever to upload, and to download for readers.
There’s the wrap for this morning. Our hiking adventure was over before 10 a.m., but keep in mind the wakeup time!
Ah, and here’s one more of my recent practice macro shots. Hope you enjoy it!

Don’t forget, I’m now posting more photos at my flickr site as well. 
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Guess we’ve got a little ritual going now. Saturday morning climbs. Oh, wait, last Saturday we drove around trying to find the Promised Land…..hmmmm…. Well, Saturday mornings have something to do with climbing.

We set up on our regular climb in the Granite Dells. The “Time Zone Wall.” After last week’s jitters we were ready to try out the tougher spots on the wall again. We played around Time Slot and Nick of time, so back and forth between a 5.8 - 5.9. For not climbing in a while we all did well.

Of course, we cheated here and there on the route. Andy went up first. I watched closely, and saw a few moves he missed. It reminded me how we figured this one out last time, and made it easier on me to deal with the “hard part”. Too bad I found new hard parts and let myself off to hang on the rope! Whoops.

Brooke got right back on the rock easily too. I’ll tell you, 1.5 months of no climbing really shows through for each of us. I tired easily, we found bigger holds here and there, the works. But still, we’ll all get back to it in no time!

Andy wanted to make sure readers know, he’s an A+ belayer. As you can see from the photo he has his special (key word, special) belay hat and glasses. Oh, and we’ve got some other great photos of Andy, but they’ll wait for a special (there’s that word again) post all about Andy……

There were even a few photos of me today. The shot above is of me starting Nick of Time (5.8-.9). I ended up moving off to the right, and sticking closer to the 5.8 side of it, but still, nice to be back out.

After several climbs each I unclipped the quick draws from a pair of bolts at the top of the climbs, and then went up and over the edge. Below Andy & Brooke wrapped up the rope, and packed up. We weren’t done for the day though.

Once I walked off we headed down to Watson Lake. In the guide there was another neat spot with 3 sport climbs right near the water. We headed down to find it.

The new spot was Blue Heron Point. A 5.8, 5.10, and 5.11. They’re all short, so they just might be doable in the near future. We’ll have to see. Oh, and the photo above isn’t of Andy with his favorite picture book, rather he’s looking at the guide regarding the climbs.
Finally we took a walk over to Comic Cliff & Thor’s Wall. Some pretty crazy stuff in there. 10’s, 11’s, and 12’s. I’m sure Andy will be ready to solo all of them next week. I’ll just stand back and watch.

That’s it for today’s report. Really hot out, and I’m tired…….
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Given the lack of maps or guides to the Promised Land I decided to take another ride out with the GPS and mark all the turns. It’s not the easiest place to find, but now that I know where it is, getting there wasn’t so hard.

One of the keys to getting back in was finding Forest Service Road 638. Once you get on Haystack Rd (off of Perkinsville Road) you basically head in toward Little Thumb Butte. When you hit 638 bear left, and then bear left once more. Go through a set of white gate markers, and then the next major left follow again (really cryptic stuff here, eh). Don’t worry, I’m working on a map.

The ride in was ROUGH. Last week it was pretty tough getting in as well, but after the recent rains the roads were in worse shape. A lot of erosion has occurred. If you’re looking to go climb in there, go in a raised truck or Jeep.

After arriving at the canyon I didn’t walk too far in. Heading into really unknown territory alone isn’t the best idea. This weekend Brooke, Andy, & I will probably head back in and really look for all the climbs. The camera will be with me of course, and I’ll try to document the area as best I can.

While in the parking area I took several photos of the “fused rocks”. Pretty cool area, and the rock here is like nothing I’ve ever climbed. Oh, and you should see the rocks in the river bed! Really amazing, and I’ll make sure to shoot more of those too!

The ride out was as rough as the ride in. 22.5 miles back to Point of Rocks Campground. As I was leaving I noticed the monsoon clouds forming. Several stops were made, and I shot the clouds as they built. Very cool indeed!

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Another early day. Andy popped over at 8:30 to do some climbing out in the Dells again. No driving around all morning, no searching for the cool spot. Just a short walk into the Dells.
Oh, and we will return to the Promised land. There’s supposed to be some amazing climbs in there, and we want to see them….
Our first stop was the Perfect Idiot again. But quickly we decided not to climb there. The rains of the past few weeks brought out a ton of mosquitoes. And the start of the climb is in a very shaded canyon. Therefore the mosquitoes were all over me!
Andy and I moved to an area with sun, and the mosquito situation was much better. Better to not be swatting while belaying I say.
The climbing was funny. Neither of us had been out in a while, so we both had to get comfortable on the rock again. My first two climbs were sloppy, and I stuck to the bigger holds and spots to stand. Hmmm….a backslide in my climbing. It’ll be short lived. Andy felt the same way too. But by the third climb we were settling in again.
After our climbs Andy called Brooke. They decided to bring the pups down to the park on Watson Lake. The lake looks much better now since the rains. So Brooke and Andy’s mom popped over with 3 pups in tow. We had lunch (salad for me), and they headed off to the lake.
The afternoon was quiet….no big reports.
Last evening I tried to sit up for the meteor shower. Made it to 10:30, but that was it. No good shots of shooting stars. I do have many itchy spots from mosquito bites though! 
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Today I headed up to Chino Valley bright & early. 8:00 a.m. pickup at Andy & Brooke’s house. They called the other day and we arranged to do an early climbing day. Something different this time. “The Promised Land.”

The guides I currently have with me don’t cover Promised Land. But apparently it’s a pretty good sport climbing area outside of Chino Valley. And it’s not too far off from Sullivan Canyon, but it’s far enough! We had a little trouble finding the spot (understatement). Ah, Brooke & Andy are having a giggle reading this one.

We headed out along Perkinsville Road, and went in search of our “left turns”. Apparently you’re just supposed to keep going left (to a point). First we went too far towards Perkinsville, and had to turn back. Fortunately, the ride was pretty, and there were many “postcard” scenes along our route.

After getting back near the start of the road Brooke placed a call to Granite Mountain Outfitters. They carry a map of the area, and the map leads to Promised Land. We didn’t have a map (I should have searched for it yesterday). We drove and drove, went over rocks, ruts, and through a few washes. Glad to have a 4×4 Titan!

Finally we turned around. We knew we were close, but just couldn’t find the right spot. Fortunately on our ride back we ran across another truck heading in, and asked the driver if he knew about the climbing area. He did, and pointed us back toward one of the roads we tried. We were apparently close.

Finally, after many hours we found the parking area, and made our way into the canyon to see what’s what. We found that there were in fact a few obvious climbs. But we didn’t get too far in (we’d spent a long time just finding the place).

While walking in I kept looking around. The fellow who directed us in followed us in to the parking area a few minutes later. Brooke & Andy had walked a little way ahead, and I was near the truck and talked to the guy. He rolled his window down and advised me there was a mountain lion in the area. He’d seen it recently dragging a fawn near the canyon. Interesting. The other interesting item was the bolt action rifle in his front seat…..a little spooky.

Our walk in was interesting. The canyon area still had water here and there. And a few tadpoles to boot. The rocks were very “different” to say the least. For the first time ever my Chacos didn’t stick well to the rocks. Hmmm. Special rocks indeed. According to the quick note I read in the guide book (there is a quick note) the rocks are horizontally banded quartzite. Whatever the rocks were, they were slick under my chacos.

So, there’s the story today. No climbing in the end…..More than 4 hours out, 3 hours in the truck, and a warning from a fellow with a bolt action rifle in the passenger seat. Still, a nice day, great to hang out with Brooke & Andy again. Maybe we’ll climb tomorrow. Or maybe we’ll drive for hours on end again…..nah, no more long drives for me.

Oh, and if you’d like to see more pictures, click the Flickr link in the right column.
Hey, Andy, I put the picture of you pointing aimlessly off somewhere! 
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This is going to be a very long post. Adding to it throughout the day, and I’ll pop it up tonight!
Morning Report
Well, this morning I’m getting organized and ready to roll once more. The Airstream hasn’t moved a great distance in more than 4 months (yesterday was 4 months here).
Laundry got finished early, and that’s good. It’s hot in the laundry room, and as the sun climbs it will only become warmer.
I popped by the office here at Point of Rocks Campground and let Pat (one of the managers here) know I’d be heading out tomorrow. She gave me a refund for the days I wouldn’t be here. Wow! No campground does that, but they did here. Very nice of them.
This park has been wonderful. Yes, I’m now completely plugging Point of Rocks. They don’t offer cable, there’s no swimming pool here, and lots of the “RV Resort” amenities aren’t here. So what! Point of Rocks offers a beautiful setting, really nice office managers, extremely pleasant owners, and views from the Dells that you can only imagine. And the park staff (the photos are of my friend Jim) is fantastic, but a little camera shy at first.
So, if you’re ever in Arizona and you’re looking for a wonder, scenic, quiet, family oriented park, stop by Point of Rocks in Prescott. If you’re like me, you might end up staying for months!
I’ll be updating more shortly, and you won’t see this post until it’s totally done. So, take 5 minutes, get a cup of coffee, and pretend you’re waiting for my next update. Then return and read on!
For the afternoon
With a few errands done for the morning I decided to take a ride out to Andy & Brooke’s. Emma & Riley were there too of course! Cute pups.
Initially we were going to do a climb this morning, but we didn’t get to. That’s ok, I’m a little run down this week, so a missed climb is ok.
We chatted about the new job opportunity, Colorado, and house prices there (I’ve been checking). Next time I return we’ll have to do another climb. I still need to go out to Waves of Rock!
After our visit I returned to the trailer and basically relaxed for a good part of the afternoon. Sadira popped by, and we watched some anime. Always nice to watch cartoons.
Sadira likes Airstreams too. So, I gave her the quick low down on breaking down camp, hitching up the trailer, and leaving the rig hitched up for the evening. If you really want to head out early, hooking up the night before always helps.
I’ve rechecked everything, and I’m good to go for tomorrow.

This evening we took another walk into the Dells. Every time I go out there I’m still wowed by the formations. It truly is a wonderful spot!


Clouds threatened once again today, but we didn’t get any rain. What we did get was another gorgeous sunset. So, I got some more wonderful photos from the Dells. I’m willing to bet Sadira got a few great ones too!
The day I arrived in Prescott I took what I thought would be a quick walk into the rocks behind this park. As I made my way out I realized that the formations stretched and stretched for quite a distance. I decided not to go too far, but save the bigger walk for the next day when I’d remember my Garmin GPS. Then I wouldn’t get lost among the rocks.
Today I know most of the Dells very well. Bouncing between rocks, scrambling up to the next view, and climbing the bigger walls are old hat. Even knowing the area so well, I’m still excited to explore further.
So, what now?
Well, tomorrow I’ll begin the trip to Colorado. The plan is to head for Santa Fe and camp there tomorrow night. Monday I’ll get into Colorado and visit with my cousin.
Next week I’ll do the in person interview, and see where it goes. I’m hoping it goes the right way, the job sounds interesting and like something I would do well at. So, cross your fingers.
Prescott
For all I know, I’ll be back in Prescott 2 weeks from now. :) Or I’ll have a new career in Colorado. We’ll see. Can’t rule anything out.
What I’m sure of is that my time in Prescott has been wonderful. Great town, great activities, and above all else, great people. For everyone I’ve come to know here, Thank You! You’ve all made this place feel like home so quickly! And it’s a hard place to leave, even if it’s only a short journey.
Well, I guess that’s all for tonight. I’m having a hard time tearing myself away from this town in Arizona. But there might be something interesting around the next bend once more! And hey, the Airstream gets a little more road time. Maybe Dashboard Cam will even come out for the ride….you just never know.
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On days when I’m stuck inside due to one thing or another I need to find something to do with myself! While living in the Airstream is fine, staying in it all day can get a little tedious. So, today I’ve decided to write up more on climbing in the Prescott Arizona area. You’ve seen my quick posts, photos, and podcasts, but how about some details on what Prescott Climbing offers?
Prescott, AZ.
Prescott is located mid-way between Phoenix & Flagstaff Arizona. While it’s a growing community, it still has a fantastic small town feel to it. One of the first features to catch any outdoor enthusiast’s eye is the quantity of recreational opportunities across the town. For this author, the climbing here really got my attention. If you’re not a climber, you’re in luck too….there’s still mountain biking, hiking, water sports on several lakes, and wild life viewing.

Traveling under 10 miles from the center of town, a person can find one of many climbing areas. Granite Basin, Groom Creek, the Granite Dells, and Thumb Butte are all under 10 miles from the center of town. Each area offers something a little different for climbs, and each is worth investigating. In addition to those major spots, there are many in town bouldering areas as well, making Prescott a great destination for climbers of all levels!
Once you hit Prescott, stop by Granite Mountain Outfitters, or Manzanita Outdoors and pick up two handy books. “A Climber’s Guide to Prescott, AZ,” by Mike Smith, and “Prescott Bouldering,” by Bill Cramer are both in my pack every time I head out. Actually, both books are now a little abused, and could use replacing soon!
Depending on what you’re looking to climb, you may focus on certain areas in Prescott. If you’re an avid bouldering type, Groom Creek, Wolf Creek, and some areas in Granite Basin will be of interest. If you’d like to top rope some interesting rock, Granite Basin & the Granite Dells will be of interest. And finally, if you’re interested in sport climbing or lead climbing you’ll have plenty to chose from at Granite Basin, Thumb Butte, and the Granite Dells.
Finally, if you’re willing to travel a distance out of town you can always consider Sullivan Canyon and the Promised Land in the Paulden / Chino Valley area, less than 30 miles from Prescott. Plenty of lead climbing opportunities in Sullivan Canyon, and it’s not on granite (basalt climbing here). Of course, climbers can also make a larger trip, and enjoy the climbs offered in the Flagstaff area as well!
Granite Basin
From downtown Prescott Granite Basin is a mere 8.7 miles to the main parking areas (only 4.7 miles to the entrance). All visitors to Prescott won’t be able to miss Granite Mountain, it seems to be in the background often while traveling the town.
You should note before setting out to Granite Basin that the rock here is not like other granite you might have climbed. It’s extremely rough and coarse (like the Granite Dells as well). Putting your hand into a crack at Granite Basin almost guarantees you some scrapes and cuts, and maybe a few interesting scars.
Certain sections of Granite Basin are closed Spring - July for Peregrine Falcon nesting. Be sure to check the signs and warnings before heading off to any climbing spots.
Parking at the Metate Trail head parking area puts climbers mere minutes from a fantastic bouldering / top roping area. “Boulderlands” is a short hike from the parking area, and an easy spot to setup multiple top ropes. Climbs are rated from 5.4 - 5.11 are available, and just about all can be top roped. There are multiple bolted anchors on top of Boulderlands, and there’s easy access to the anchors without having to solo (at least 8 sets of anchors cover the climbs).
Once you’re warmed up with Boulderlands there are plenty of other climbing opportunities in Granite Basin.
If you’re looking for multi-pitch routes, Granite Basin has you covered. With Waves of Rock, Lizard Head, Seal Smasher Wall, and the Main Wall (closed seasonally as noted above) there’s plenty to do.
Climbing in Granite Basin requires a full rack. You’ll be looking to have cams, off width protection, stoppers, slings, potentially 2 ropes, and quick draws as well. I’d strongly suggest rounding up Mike Smith’s book prior to heading out to any of the above mentioned areas in Granite Basin, and getting familiar with what you’re looking to climb before making you way out there!
In addition to all the climbing in Granite Basin, you should also know there are many other recreational opportunities. The area has a campground, and I believe up to 25 foot trailers are acceptable. Mountain Biking, hiking, horse back riding, and lots of wild life viewing are all features of the park. I’d suggest getting the latest National Forest Pass, as daily parking is $2.00 per day, and you could spend a good bit of time in the park!
Groom Creek & Wolf Creek Bouldering Areas
6 miles from downtown Prescott lies Groom Creek, a fantastic spot for bouldering enthusiasts! Groom Creek is a bouldering play ground, with too much to cover in one day.
The type of bouldering at both Groom Creek and Wolf Creek can leave some folks feeling like they might want a little protection. Boulder problems range from a few feet off the ground to back hanging climbs that get you a good distance off the ground. Crash pads and partners spotting you are recommended!
Climbers will note the granite in this area is very different from the granite in the Dells or Granite Basin. Smoother, kinder to your skin, it’s a completely different style of climbing from other areas around Prescott. Each spot is definitely unique!
Granite Dells
6.2 miles from the center of town climbers can find the Granite Dells (and the author to boot). This is where I’ve been staying for some time now at Point of Rocks RV Park.
The Granite Dells are a definite site to behold when traveling up Route 89! With Watson Lake right next to the granite mounds the area makes for a wonderful photo.
Like Granite Basin, the rocks in this area are coarse. Apparently they’re in the range of 1.4 Billion years old, give or take a year or two. Scrapes and cuts are easy to find on climbs in the Granite Dells. Unlike Granite Basin there’s not a large availability of major crack climbs, so taping your hands won’t be as necessary (from my personal experience).
Similar to the other areas around Prescott, the Granite Dells contains more climbs then you’ll know what to do with. So, pace yourself and set some time aside.
Climbs in the Dells range from 5.4 - 5.12. Bouldering, Top Roping, Sport Climbing (with bolts in place) and unprotected lead climbing are all available in the Dells, like Granite Basin. A small rack with plenty of quick draws will due with all of the bolted routes, and for other leads I’d suggest checking out “Prescott Bouldering” by Bill Cramer for advice on gear to bring along.
More information to follow
As I spend more time in the area I’ll provide some more detail on Thumb Butte, Sullivan Canyon, & Promised Land. I haven’t spent any time climbing in Thumb Butte or Promised Land. And with only one day in Sullivan Canyon I don’t have much to say other than the hike in was “odd”.
The contents of this post will be added to some static pages on each of the climbing areas in the near future. For other folks who climb around here, I’d love to get your comments and input, and really make an informative static page on each area including photos and route recommendations.
As always, check the previous posts if you’d like to know about climbs that I’ve done with Andy, Brooke, & Bob. There are a few video podcasts available from climbs, and many entries that you can search on here with the Blog search tool in the upper right corner of this page.
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This morning found Kesley and I heading out early with Andy and Brooke. 8:30 climbing time. Nothing like an 8:30 T time mind you. After last weekend we learned that setting out to climb at 10:00 is a bad idea. Too much heat when you’re wrapping up. We didn’t need to get wasted by the sun!

Kes got to play designated photographer today. She was looking to try out the Canon EOS 10D, as she’d been pondering a digital SLR camera. For some reason, I thought she already owned one. Since I’ve know Kes she’s always taken amazing photos that stop me in my tracks. So I was a little surprised to find out this weekend she still has her film camera, and one smaller Nikon digital (very nice by the way). Since she wasn’t planning on climbing quite yet, so she became our paparazzi for the day. The big instruction…….minimize the butt shots (have you noticed, all the climbing photos lately are from underneath the climber). Hey, you try getting super cool climbing shots (I’ll take all volunteers).

Glad to say, having our newly designated photographer worked out well. Kes found a great perch to shoot mid-way up the climbs. A few were over exposed (playing with speed and aperture), but hey, first day working with my camera. Glad the big camera got some good use today.


While Kes watched on, Brooke, Andy, & I proceeded to do several fun climbs near Watson Lake. We threw in several new climbs, including a 5.8, and a 5.9. All of us were cooking along, and we even cooked along with the 5.8 climb. It’s the 5.9 that brought this author to a grinding halt (more about that tragedy shortly).
All the climbs were great today. Nice breeze, reasonable temperatures, terrible jokes at a constant pace, and Andy showing off several amazing acting abilities that I never knew he had. I’ll work on a small award/statue for him this week. He’s earned it! LOL. Andy is now scratching his head as he reads this!
I’ll have to say, a lot of this post will be photos, so be prepared when the text drops away gang!
Late in our climbing we set up on a 5.8 and 5.9 that we’ve never done before. Moved the clips over to a new set of bolts, and got ready for some new fun. We found it!


The 5.8 crack climb was a blast. It was easier than it looked, and all three of us breezed up it with little trouble. Still, it was challenging and interesting too! No real slips, blips, or bloopers. But definitely work!
Then we moved on to the 5.9, mere feet away from the 5.8. Suddenly, things got serious. From the ground, what looks to be a simple jaunt up a rock turns into a quest to find where you’re going next. Everyone had issues, but I took the prize when I finally leaned back and said my arms were burned out, let me down! Ah well, it happens.
See, there’s a 10 - 15 foot section in the middle that really leaves you puzzling. Kes said to me later that it was interesting to watch all of us. We got to a certain point, and then started feeling around everywhere with our hands for the next good spot. When it didn’t come, you improvise. Basically, palming, sort of holding a bad spot, or in my case, digging your nails in to a non-existent hold (I do that a lot, and my nails show it).

When I got to the middle area first go round I lost it. While belaying Andy I saw his legs shaking, arms too, but he bull dogged through. Same with Brooke. But man, my left arm burned out big as I hung in too long, and finally gave up and let go. Second go round was the charm, and all was forgiven. But wow, tiring final climbs for sure. Fun too!
Tomorrow I’ll wrap up on Kesley’s visit in another post. In short, it was great! Good to see my old friend. We’ve both been through a ton this year, so visiting in person for the weekend was fantastic! Great to see you Kes!!!!
Now I’m ready to sleep. Tired from climbs, hikes, drives, and generally being a busy guy! Until tomorrow……enjoy the photos! 
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I’ve got the tour down cold now. Several friends have been in town, and I try to cover all the neat spots in the area. Tony, Rich, Eleanor, Emma, Lynn, and now Kesley have all gotten to see a good bit of Prescott in a short period of time. What’s standard on the tour?

- The Raven Cafe. Hit that yesterday morning.
- Granite Basin. Also popped by there yesterday morning.
- Groom Creek & Wolf Creek. An afternoon stop.
- Time in the Granite Dells.
- Downtown Prescott as well.
In addition to the standard tour, we did a little extra wandering, including wandering into Murphy’s for dinner. Great place which we both enjoyed.

Of course, no day in Prescott is complete without wandering into the Dell’s for some sunset photos, and watching the landscape change as the sun goes down! We did that too!

This morning we’ll be heading into the Dells once again with Andy & Brooke. A little early morning climbing. After the heat of last weekend we’ve learned…..GO EARLY! When the rope gets hot from the sun, you know it is too hot!
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