Mother Nature plays some cruel tricks in the desert. The fall rains held off a couple of extra weeks in the Pacific Northwest, but by the end of October they had finally rolled in, and Kristin and I were looking forward to some warm crack climbing during our upcoming trip to Joshua Tree. Each day we would pull up the weather report and each day we would see endless days of sunshine and highs in the 70s.
We flew into San Diego on Sunday evening and spent the night with our friends Keith and Beth, who provided us with camping gear for the rental car and a morning tour of Ocean Beach. Monday morning, we drove out to Jtree in the Ford Focus, pulling in to find the glorious weather we had dreamed of. We grabbed a site at Hidden Valley and pulled out the gear for a quick romp up the Eye.
The next morning, we woke up to wind - lots of wind. Not to be deterred, we headed out to Lost Horse and Bird on a Wire. Great climb! Cold as hell. We forced our way up the 300 ft of climbing in sustained 20-30 mph winds saved only by the fleeting warmth of the desert sun.
That afternoon, the clouds moved in, and it blew like hell for the next three days. Gusts to 40, periodic clouds, highs in the mid-50s - brrrrr. We managed to climb a few pitches each day.
Wonderland of Rocks (Mental Physics and Room to Shroom)
Real Hidden Valley (Loose Lady and Illusion Dweller)
And despite the wind, we still enjoyed the scenery of JTree.
And when we left? Well, the hands tell the story. We still managed to get in some pitches.
Yeah, we wish the weather had cooperated a bit more, but you take what you get in the desert. JTree's a great place for a Fall escape, and it was kind of like alpine climbing without the mountains, commitment, approaches, descents and exposure.
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