LOCALadk Magazine

LOCALadk 31 The first climb we did was Gargoyle, a hand crack that reminded me of Seven Ounces at the Beer Walls in Chapel Pond Pass. Both are about 40 feet long, both lean to the left. Gargoyle is rated a little easier, but I found it harder than Seven Ounces. The foot jams were so unrelenting and painful that I had to rest on the rope halfway up. Poor technique and unfamiliarity with the route probably accounted for my difficulty, but Tiowa took pride in that I deemed a Joshua Tree 5.6 harder than an Adirondack 5.7. We did another 5.6 route, New Toy, that I found less painful and more en- joyable. Given the late hour, that was all we had time for. Tiowa and I went the following afternoon to Hidden Valley, a popular climbing area with lots of routes. He led two J-Tree classics, Fote Hog and Sailing Away. He described the first as "a 5.6 route with a 5.9 move." The crux requires pulling over a roof by grabbing huge knobs called chicken heads. We did a variation of the normal route that on the second pitch features a simi- lar move, though easier. Sailing Away is a 5.8 finger/hand crack that leads to the top of Hidden Tower. Given my experience the day before on Gargoyle, I was apprehensive, but I loved this climb. It begins with a thoughtful traverse to gain the crack. The first part of the crack is easy, but it steepens at the crux, where the few available footholds on the adjoining face are thin. With Tiowa's encouragement, I pulled past the crux to a rest and then made an exhilarating, leg-stretching step left to finish. Selfies from the summit attest to our satisfac- tion. The next day I drove back to L . A . with no regrets for having visited Joshua Tree in the dead of summer. The wedding was great, too. t

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