moab rocks!

we are climbing at indian creek now and the splitter cracks are stunning. we love it here. should be staying around the area, possibly climbing some desert towers, etc. bad news now: my laptop is refusing to turn on so i can't upload any pics. i am currently at a timed library computer and this may be the last entry for a while. haven't seen any mac repair shops since we left vegas so it doesn't look good for online communication for a while!

molar the van is... ugh, but red rock nv is superb

well, molar required more work than we could have imagined.  she's back in running order, but we're nervous to take her on the back-country roads we were destined for.  climbed a day near prescott AZ on some short basalt cracks (no pics) and then continued on up back to red rocks  NV where the weather is stable enough for April and the auto shop is always close at hand.  

for easter we climbed the 'eagle dance' on eagle wall in oak creek canyon.  after a treacherous approach the climb is over 1000 feet of mixed trad and bolts on redpink sandstone.  my thighs are so sore from the descent that i may honestly not be able to get out of this chair after posting this message.  when closing time comes i don't know what they'll do with me.  soreness aside, the climb was exciting and the sun felt lovely.  can't think of a better way to spend easter... although i did have some mental images of the annual feast at grandmas while cramming a granola bar down my throat mid-wall.  

the pics are:  angelo on lead about halfway up the wall with orange/black rock and perfect skies, me stemming up a cruxy section, me on top trying to wash my hands in one of the last patches of snow on summit.

road hazards.

we ran away from utah to avoid a series of storms.  made it safely to cochise stronghold in southern AZ where the weather is flawless.  i got seriously sandbagged on some routes the first day.  on day two of cochise we were driving down a dirt 'forest road' toward a 6 pitch dome climb when molar the van died.  AAA covered the tow, but NOT the forest road section.  ouch.  we are now in a military town motel6 while a new fuel pump is installed.  ouch again.  stay tuned for more cochise climbing, then up towards flagstaff for some crack climbing and maybe fundraising!

topping out on moonlight buttress

this is me coming over the top rim of the climb just in time to catch the sunset and other pic is angelo on the descent trail with 'angel's landing' in the background.  

ZION utah, Moonlight Buttress

We've been in zion the last 10 days; angelo dusting off his aid climbing skills, and me trying to grasp the basics.  I have also been trying to overcome my fear of sandstone.  Here it is more sand than stone.  Very creepy.  After some practice days around the park we decided on 'moonlight buttress' for a wall climb.  the climb goes straight up the protrusion in the pic about 300 meters.  The day was a bit cool and windy, but the climbing was spectacular and the already striking views of the park amplified with each pitch.  this is truly an incredible place. the pictures are all of this route. 

Next-

Not sure of our next stop.  Perhaps the moab area.  We need some free climbing now(zion is mostly aid climbing where you use the gear to move up the wall, not just for protections) and maybe some desert towers.  Stay tuned.