The Elusive Catalina Butterfly

Another blistering hot Tucson Tuesday with only one route for escape - drive fast and high up Catalina Highway. Todays destination was the Butterfly Wall on Mount Bigelow, with a cool elevation of over 8000 feet and the ability to chase shade. Routes range from 9+ to 12+ on stellar rock that is pretty unusual by Lemmon standards.

Standard first disclaimer for people going to the Butterfly Wall - THE HIKE IS A MISERABLE, ULTRA-STEEP, THIGH BURNING, HEART EXPLODING SLOG.

Standard second disclaimer for people going to the Butterfly Wall - MAKE THE HIKE, YOU WON'T REGRET IT - THE CLIMBING IS THAT GOOD.

I first heard of the Butterfly Wall last summer from our local guidebook author/prolific FAist, who plainly stated that it might be the best wall on the mountain. High praise, indeed, so I was excited to finally get to check the place out this month.

Towers on top of Mt. Bigelow:

From the top of Mt. Bigelow, you descend the ridgeline following ever steepening switchbacks, trying to use the expansive views as a good distraction from the pain your thighs feel as you hike. While looking out at the summit of Mt. Lemmon to the east and distant ranges to the north, you pass through stands of pines that were ravaged by the 2002 forest fire.

Life is resilient, however, and wildflowers and wildlife are abundant.

Bear scat:

Besides the physical toll the approach takes on your body, there is another side effect of this hike. The trail is composed of very loose and fine grained soil which is easily kicked up into cloud of dark dust. Let's go ahead and call the end result the Butterfly Tanline:

After about 30 minutes of downhilling, you are rewarded with this sight:

The left arete is Firefly, 12c, and to the left is Iron Butterfly, 12a. You cannot tell from this picture how steep they are (especially the arete!), but they are certainly as tall as they seem. Even with a 70 m rope, it requires some trickery to reach the ground when lowering from these climbs. Both are about as good as sport climbing gets. The pinnacle poking over the trees in the bottom left of the picture is also home to some amazing and unique climbing.

The pocketed face of Trundle Pinnacle:

The leftmost line of pockets is 5.10 (and a solid contender for best 5.10 on Mt. Lemmon), a little left-of-center is 11-, in the middle is a 10+ trad route, and the pocketed face on the right is 11+. All are excellent climbs, especially considering they are the only routes with true pockets in the Catalina Mountains.

Looking up at Firefly:

This classic endurance climb starts off with some fun, tricky slab climbing up to a good rest. From there you have about 90 feet of hard climbing to clip the anchors, getting progressively harder and steeper all the way to the final bulge. This climb requires the full package of skills: power, technique, endurance, a cool head, and lots of will power to keep hanging on. If you are lacking in any of these on your attempts, you will be thwarted (this day I was lacking in most of those areas).

A peregrine falcon, who wasn't too excited about our presence:

After three 5.11's and on go on Firefly, I was beat and ready to go. I won't go on and on whining about the hike out the Butterfly. Sure, it's tough, but by then you are a solid believer in the second disclaimer - Hell yeah, the climbing is worth it!

P.S. - Big thanks to Chris P. and Brent S. for rediscovering this area and all their effort in establishing both the trail and the great climbs.

P.P.S. - Clayton - I have about 5 of your draws, and they've been used at some cool places the last week.

P.P.S. - It's Orifice season! Screw you falcons, let's go climb!

How To Celebrate Father's Day

This Father's Day my parents decided to spend some time in Sedona, meaning two things for me. First, that I'd be taking a much needed road trip with my dog, and secondly, that I would get to boulder at either Kelly Canyon or the Anvils. Plus, having to drive through Phoenix on the way meant I would get to crimp on the dense, dark granite of my old stomping grounds, Beardsley Boulder Pile. And, although I didn't know it when I left, I would also get to boulder in Prescott at Groom Creek and night-climb a slab 5.11b dihedral in Oak Creek Canyon. Overall I didn't climb that much, but it was a healthy sample of Arizona rock, and the drive itself was worth every minute.

SUNDAY: Beardsley Boulder Pile

We went out late, around 5:00 pm, good thing too because the boulders get shade around 3:30 but are still hot as frying pans 'till at least 4:00. Nevertheless, by 8:00 our tips were raw and torn, and with little light left we walked back to the car, deciding on Indian food for dinner.

I sent several problems I had never tried before, including the following Dyno and V4 slab, and made some progress on a layback V5 (not pictured), which had thwarted every one of my previous attempts.

Jared and Shane on Double Clutch, V3, Dyno



Megan and Shane on an unnamed, hard, V1 on the Monkey Lust Boulder

Shane on Pencil Thin Left, V4

MONDAY: Groom Creek

I decided, at the suggestion of my brother, to take the long way up to Sedona, through Wickenburg and Yarnell, and then into Prescott. The drive was amazing, really awesome, but also took a lot longer than I thought. I was left with an hour and a half to check out the granite of Groom Creek; simply not enough time. My day went something like this: Find V2, barely make it up in three tries. Find V0's, gain confidence. Search out V6 to finish up on, find V6, lose confidence upon sight. Find V5, fail, lose confidence. Find V3, fail, lose confidence. Finally resort to nearby V2, get spanked, cry, tear off shoes, pack up. Then, on my walk of shame back to my car, I decided to attempt yet another V2. This is the first one pictured below and is pretty scary when your climbing sans spot. I made it, surprisingly, and hurried back to my car, 3o minutes later than I'd planned.

Fingery, high-crux, layback V2s.

V2 Arete

V3

V1's

TUESDAY: Kelly Canyon

The climbing in Kelly Canyon is spectacular. Great quality sandstone in a beautiful location make it one of my favorite destinations, and considering this was only my second time, and both times I've gone with just my dog, that's saying a lot. This time, however, I met two flagstaff climbers named Evan and Dave who seemed happy enough to have another spot. This place is awesome, there isn't too much more I can say about it, I'll leave you with the pictures and hope they can do it justice.

Triangle Arete, v3

Sadly, although they look kinda like lichen,
those are paint splats from little, soulless, bastards.
V3

V7 or V9, depending on the top-out

Pictures by me (dp).

Check Mate

Mount Lemmon is generous with its gifts. Every time I meet a new wall on the mountain I'm thoroughly charmed, and it was no different Tuesday when Joe introduced me to the Chessmen.
"The approach is short, but it's steep," he said. That's generally a trade I'm willing to make and I'm trying to say 'yes' more in life and climbing so we grabbed some draws and a skinny pitbull and went out to get pumped.
I didn't take long either-- warming up on a couple of low-angle 10's in the shade of the first formation we came to after a slog up the hill. The warm-ups, that I'm lazily not even going to look up the names of, got the pumps primed with some tricky slabs run through with fingertip flake-cracks, little roofs and a flaring chimney where you can cool your heels and enjoy the view.
The real juice, though, is Two Kings and a Pawn- 5.11- which Joe touted as maybe the best 11 on the mountain.

                                             Pete on Two Kings and a Pawn

I don't disagree with Joe's assessment, either-- the route is an unstoppable good time.  The first crux involves high feet, a middle-finger mono sidepull and reaching for a flake.  The second crux involves a blind reach-to-match on a wee, little crimp and then dancing your feet out from under a roof and onto a sexy little arete.  Taken all together the climb is about as much fun as an orgasm at Chuck E. Cheese's.
 Chasing shade at the Chessmen is fairly easy, too-- just warm up on the slabs, climb the best 5.11 on the mountain then mosey around a little higher up and find yourself on a sick belay ledge with shady, sick views of Bear Canyon and a clutch of shady sick sick sick sick routes including Serfs Up 5.12- which starts on an even shadier even sicker belay ledge!!!

                                               Joe and Pete on the Serfs Up sick belay ledge

                                             The other Joe giving Pete a sick-ass belay



I didn't work Serfs Up-- by the time I'd pulled on Two Kings and a Pawn, the warm up climbs and another juggy 5.10 on the shady-sick belay ledge I was cashed.  I limped up a second, blocky, cracky, sickly awesome 5.11 on top rope and folded my cards for the day.  But Serfs Up has now officially been added to my long list of must-do climbs-- along with Demolition Derby at the Helmet, Delirious at Middle Earth and Hard Day at the Orifice at the Orifice (ha!). 
From the looks of the list I'll be logging lots of airtime this summer.
 I can't wait.

What It Takes

Joe's got what it takes-- Ian, too. Here's a look at them putting in the requisite mileage on No Climb For Old Men a week before Joe snagged the FA of this 5.13a beast at The Helmet.

Arizona Blackwater Bucket Jumpers

I met up with Reggie Vasquez and Regal McNutt of the Arizona Blackwater Bucket Jumpers the other day at an undisclosed desert oasis. These guys make it their business to find the sleekest, sexiest swimmin' holes in Arizona and jump into them. I don't usually endorse non-climbing activities, but after watching these guys work I cannot deny they are on a noble quest. Enjoy.

Summer in the Arid Zone

The days are heating up, which means that dry, cold, Arizona friction is fading away. I can only hope that the monsoon season kicks in soon. Even though rain certainly wont help with friction, it'll make the summer more bearable and even enjoyable. Climbing in Arizona is possible no matter how hot the forecasted temps are for Phoenix or Tucson. Us Tucsonians have it best I believe, with the 30 minute drive required to reach nearly 9000 feet of elevation, 75 degree weather and the refuge of Mount Lemmon climbing. And during the winter months we can stay at the bottom of the mountain and chase the desert sun; the best of both worlds. Flagstaffers don't have it bad either, with sport crags and boulders of excellent quality sandstone and limestone, and basalt crack climbing as well, all within 30-minute's drive. This summer, between Kelly Canyon and Middle Earth alone, I shall have no shortage of projects.

For most of May and June Team Tuesday has been climbing at the Helmet. Practically grid-bolted with chain-draws, it's not the cleanest of the crags Lemmon has to offer, but the climbing is also of a pretty unusual style for the mountain; steep, horizontal actually, and juggy. A few weeks ago Joe sent No Climb For Old Men, a year-long project and, assuming the grade of 13a, his hardest send(?). Ian Evans is close to making a send also and linked every move to the crux, a large cross pictured below, before falling. (For more on No Climb see Joe's post: Ian on No Climb) Meanwhile, Clayton and I have been working on Demolition Derby, 12a. In sending this route I finally got over, at least partially, my irrational fear of lead falls, and have since been climbing with a lot more confidence. This was my first clean 5.12 lead. Clayton is also making quick progress this season and is poised for a red point attempt next Tuesday.

And finally, one more thing to mention. Southpark and Middle Earth are F*@king amazing! That I had gone over a year, almost two, of climbing on Mt. Lemmon and not spent one day at either of these two crags is absolutely ridiculous. To be honest I'm kind of ashamed. Unfortunately, for now I have only one picture of both of these crags. Many more to come, I assure you.

Photos by Dustin Payne (dp) and Joe Kriedel.

Pumphouse Wash, Oak Creek Canyon

Joe on No Climb For Old Men

Demolition Derby





Ian on No Climb For Old Men

SCS On-Sight Regionals at Rocks and Ropes

Southpark

Delirious 12a, at Middle Earth