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Not the best trip.

We lucked out on Saturday, and met some locals that let us hith a ride on their ropes, and climbed some really fun stuff in Echo Cove. I realize today that we imposed on the locals more than we needed to. They were moving much faster than we were, and I could see they wanted to tear down and move, but chilled for another half our or so that all of us could have a crack at both of the routes they set up. If I ever find them again, I'll find a way to return the favor. I felt bad at the time, but didn't think there was much I could do without holding everyone up while I went around and found the walk-up. But today I realize I could easily have switched out their anchor and rope for mine, and let them move on. Next time I'll do just that.

Sunday in Real Hidden Valley was pretty much a bust. We found that even areas that are "easily and commonly toproped" require very sketchy walk-ups if you want to set toprop anchors. The locals kind of shrugged, but they were scary enough that even Timbo didn't want to try. The story was the same on both the Sports Challenge Wall and Thin Wall. And since we needed to hit the road by 1pm, we just ran out of time. (And by that time I'd scrambled half way up Sports Challenge, and half way up Thin Wall four times. (First time, I grabbed the wrong pack. Second time, right pack, but tried a different way. Then tried the first way again.) We called it a day, and headed into town for lunch. Good food helped everyone's state of mind, but it was still a disappointing day.

So yeah, the trip was a disappointment. Partly, it was because I got in over my head. I usually don't mind being the one to do the logistical work and set anchors. But I just couldn't manage it on this trip. I don't know the territory well enough. And being the only one able to set anchors meant that when I hit my limit trying to get to the top of Thin Wall, everyone's day was sunk. I feel bad that I couldn't come through for everyone, but I stand by my choice.

And really, Joshua Tree isn't the spot for moderate toproping. Next time, I'll be used to leading, and we'll bring gear for it. With both Tim and me leading sport routes, we'll be able to TR climbs that have bad walk-ups, and get more of what JT has to offer.

But tonight I've got to plan out everything for Yosemite. Tomorrow is opening day for September reservations, and they go fast. So, no time to pause just yet.

Update: Just wanted to note what we climbed. We got to do Fun Stuff (5.8) and The Sound of One Shoe Tapping (5.8) in Echo Cove.