The Last Hoorah: Part Four

...We took 4 days and skied, ice climbed, rock climbed, canyoneered, hiked, searched for shooting stars in the desert and drove 1,093 miles - welcome to a Marissa planned excursion....

Part Four: Castleton Tower, Utah

A quote by Kurt Vonnegut sums up my experience of our fourth day: "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration and exhaustion.  I myself prefer to laugh, since there's less cleaning up to do afterward."  I wish I could say with integrity that the day was filled only with laughter.  Although, we are laughing about it now - a lot!

Because I tortured Brandon with hikes to arches, our final day in the desert was his choice.  Because we were in the area, and climbing a desert tower seemed like a geographically appropriate thing to do, that's what we did.  We set out to climb the classic Kor-Ingalls route up Castleton Tower in Castle Valley outside of Moab, Utah.  

Castleton Tower From Afar

We began the slog of a hike to the route.  It begins with a jaunt up a sandy wash and quickly becomes an uphill haul to the base of the tower.  Once over the scree slopes and to the base there's some 5th class moves with high consequence falls.

This is where I should confess that I have a fear of heights.  Well, I really have a fear of falling from heights.  Well, I really have a fear of falling period - heights just exacerbates the issue.  This fear has a tendency to cripple me whenever I look down.  Brandon scurried up to the base of Castleton while I precariously worked my way through the boulders.

Beginning the Slog

My ego prevents me from sharing all of the details of this exchange, however according to Brandon his intention included a rope for me - although this was lost in translation.  When we got through this section, we realized we were at the base of the North Chimney Route instead of our intended K.I. route.  We decided for several reasons to do the North Chimney: a.) It was in the shade,  b.) We were at its base and I had experienced trauma getting to it,  c.) I hate cracks and am poor at climbing them,  d.) There were other parties on the K.I route, and the North Chimney was available.

Brandon Starting the First Pitch of North Chimney

I find myself often honored by Brandon's assessment of my abilities.  There have been many times in the past where he has accurately assessed my athleticism and pushed me beyond my comfort level to reveal amazing results.  Previous adventures have left me fulfilled with personal pride and accomplishment, moments where I overcame my mental blocks and excelled in ways that surprised both of us.  This was not one of those adventures.

I struggled up this tower.  Something about the physical nature of crack climbing simply does not mesh with my body.  Embarrassing and miserable are the first of many terms that come to mind as I think how to describe this experience.  But, Brandon loved it and led it well.  We did manage to reach the top and it was beautiful and well worth the effort.

View of Mountains from Top of Castleton Tower

Reaching the top resulted in a great sense of accomplishment, and respect for Brandon's climbing ability.  It was a beautiful place to eat lunch and we had the top to ourselves.  But now that we're at the top, we have to get back down to the earth.  2 significant rappels got us there -  and provided another excellent opportunity for me to battle those fears of falling from high places. 

At the Top.  Getting Ready to Rappel Down

We marched our way out of the area and once at the car we experienced the fascinating phenomenon of Horse and Barn syndrome - a desperate need to get home.  Pizza was devoured at Pablo's Pizza in downtown Grand Junction and then we made a mad dash for home, a lengthy shower was indeed a necessity and our own bed a nice perk.

The Last Hoorah: Part Three

...We took 4 days and skied, ice climbed, rock climbed, canyoneered, hiked, searched for shooting stars in the desert and drove 1,093 miles - welcome to a Marissa planned excursion...

Part Three: Arches National Park, Utah

The desert stars in Escalante were unbelievable.  We feel lucky to live far enough outside of the city that we can see the stars, however getting out into the desert rekindles an understanding of just how spectacular and massive the heavens are.  Our original intention was to  stay in Escalante and canyoneer the Neon Canyon.  However, we deemed our success questionable due to my lack of a wetsuit.  This was compounded by the local guiding company having no advice on the route, as there had not been an attempt yet this season.  We decided to return to the Moab area for some hiking in Arches National Park instead.

Park Avenue in Arches National Park

There is something that happens in children and my spouse when it comes to doing things they don't love.  I am convinced that the energy we muster is directly correlated to the desire we have for the activity.  You tell a small child to walk to the end of the block and you often hear whines, whimpers and the shuffling of feet.  However, you inform this same child that there may be ice cream at the end of this street and skipping and giggles often follow.   Likewise, you tell Brandon that at the end of a 4 hour huff to the top of the mountain there may be an ice formation he's excited about and he'll make it there in record time.  I tell him that there is a neat arch at the end of the 0.6 mile trail and I get this:

Actually, Brandon is a real trooper, he's just never seen much point in just hiking.  This continues to be a discussion point in our marriage, as I love to hike and he likes to beeline it to the activity we are planning to enjoy.

Brandon Admiring the North Window Arch

So, we had a day for me - a day of hiking, and there really wasn't too much whining, whimpering or shuffling of feet.  We wandered to all the touristy spots, and enjoyed afternoon strolls.

Landscape Arch

We ended the day with the sunset at Delicate Arch. 

Marissa in Front of Delicate Arch.  La Sal Mountains in the Background

It was stunning to watch the colors of the desert become increasingly vibrant with the setting sun. 

Delicate Arch with La Sal Mountains and Desert Behind at Sunset

The hike out was equally amazing with awesome lighting. 

Brandon Walking Back to the Car

Overall, it was a fun and mellow day.  Great to see a little more of the desert and spend some time with each other.  We splurged with a burger and a beer at the local brewery in Moab and returned to our campsite to rest up for our next big day.

The Last Hoorah: Part Two

...We took 4 days and skied, ice climbed, rock climbed, canyoneered, hiked, searched for shooting stars in the desert and drove 1,093 miles - welcome to a Marissa planned excursion...  

Part Two: Escalante, Utah

Being vertically challenged generally presents more challenges than perks.  Reaching shelving often requires a stool, climbing feats or help.  People often describe one as "cute," a challenging descriptor especially to a woman who is striving to be professional, mature or sexy.  Brandon and I have gotten used to the terms, little people, short and hobbits and have even embraced them as our own self-descriptors (a means to self preservation).  However,  there is a distinct advantage to the small people of the world in the slot canyons around Escalante.  Brandon and I decided to take the afternoon and explore several of the slots.  In short we left astounded, water is an incredible element deserving of awe as a master sculptor.

Slot in Spooky Gulch

We explored both Peekaboo Gulch and Spooky Gulch, the most popular and least technical slot canyons in the area.  It's easy to create a loop out of these two slots, traveling up Peekaboo until it ends then crossing the desert for 1/2 mile to the east and drop into the top of spooky wash.  It's an awesome trip. 

Looking up at the Blue Sky

Peekaboo begins with steps carved into the rock and a couple of holes that have water in them (at least at this time of year).  We were able to negotiate around the holes without getting our feet wet - although I had some help from my friend.

Climbing the Steps into Peekaboo Gulch

 Spooky Gulch is much narrower, with some boulder jams to navigate in order to drop into the slot from the top.  There are some tummy-tuckers through this canyon!

Brandon Squeezing Through

Overall, a must-do!  Add it to the bucket list!

Slot Canyon with Sandy Floor

 

The Last Hoorah: Part One

Brandon and I decided to take a little road trip before he begins his position as Director of Youth Ministries at Crossroads Church.  This will mark a serious reduction in our hedonistic adventures and a welcoming to the new kind of adventures that lie ahead.  

We took 4 days and skied, ice climbed, rock climbed, canyoneered, hiked, searched for shooting stars in the desert and drove 1,093 miles - welcome to a Marissa planned excursion.  

Part One: Vail Colorado

We started our adventure in Vail.  A beautiful day with 12 inches of fresh powder for us in the back bowls.  I was excited to get a good day of tele skiing in before the end of the season, there is something magical about dropping a knee into that fluffy white stuff.  Brandon waited patiently for me as I learned to negotiate the deeper stuff.  This means more than one would expect as Brandon's mantra is "no friends on powder days".  I was well prepared for us to spend the day doing separate runs.  However, his mantra has been modified: "no friends on powder days, but always the wifey".  I appreciate the addendum.

Our agreement was that we would spend several hours skiing in exchange for a late afternoon/evening ice climbing session.  So we bid Vail goodbye and headed toward the Rigid Designator area.  We were hoping to climb an ice formation called The Fang, but it was not in shape to be a safe climb.  

The Fang

However, its artichoke-esque formation and beautiful color were stunning. 

The Bottom Looks Like an Artichoke

Brandon led his first mixed line, a M5+ route and then top-roped a M7, no falls. 

Brandon "Sussing-out" the Route

Brandon has so much grace when he climbs, he's strong, makes precise placements - a feat I have not yet grasped.  I hang awkwardly, scraping the rock with my crampons and flail with sharp extensions coming from all appendages - imagine a spasmodic Wolverine.

Brandon Getting to the Ice on Mixed Climb

We finished the day as the sun went to bed.  2 gentlemen who were climbing allowed us to use their rope to set up a climb on the Designator, a long, steep ice formation.  We were grateful for their generosity (thanks Randy and Chris).  To me, it seemed The Designator should be renamed  Energizer.....it kept going and going.  Brandon was able to do several laps before we called it a day.  

Marissa on The Designator

We slid our way down to our car (literally, making slides through the snow) and ate some burritos before hitting the road.  We pulled over outside of Grand Junction and spent the night in Ralph.  There is something contradictory in sleeping, and, parked on the side of the road in the back of your car.  Those two terms seem to be mutually exclusive, but none-the-less what we did.