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.