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grayhghost
Jan 3, 2006, 6:16 PM
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Registered: May 21, 2002
Posts: 444
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http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...5a59d75e73ba532-.jpg Christmas is a time for giving, and what better present to give yourself than a nice, healthy tan. With the weather report showing above average temperatures in Las Vegas I decided to pack up the Honda and pursue the American Dream with the GF. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...baa5626c0cf672f-.jpghttp://grayhghost.zoto.com/...f02186b515b7e8d-.jpg The first day was spent jaunting up a classic Redrocks warm-up. With easy stemming and face climbing around monster chimneys, Tunnel Vision is fun for everyone, except the person carrying the pack. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...47a696e962bca9b-.jpg One of the endless chimneys of Tunnel Vision, on the Angel Food Wall. The highlight of the route comes on pitch five where you stem and squeeze your way behind a gigantic flake for 150 feet. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...d1cf585de0b7dde-.jpg The namesake “Tunnel” of pitch 5. Christmas eve dinner consisted of kick-ass burritos and Corona followed by after-dinner drinks in the reading room (car) due to the high winds. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...6f88d7a0a84dc52-.jpg After-Climb Goodness Day two took on a more serious air and we set off for Black Velvet Canyon early in the morning, engaging in The Honda Civic Off-Road Challenge at dawn. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...55a3529ef41fe337.jpg The entrance to Black Velvet Canyon at dawn. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...e4af4d433f3578c-.jpg Dream of Wild Turkeys, 9 Pitches, ***** (a team on Prince of Darkness is circled) http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...2107b042586c194-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...1b1eb4329f28cb8-.jpg Rachel on one of the crux, thin-edging traverses of Dream of Wild Turkeys. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...ff1e9e2de3f52ed-.jpg Rachel with a bit of air below her. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...af124fe0e283eba-.jpg Rachel on the killer finger crack of pitch seven Day three was spent in a more casual manner, cragging at the Dog Wall and the Black Corridor. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...609e07d0c4e8e42-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...9e2f41eb4f58f65-.jpg Grayhghost at the Dog Wall and Rachel at the Black Corridor That morning we had found a vagrant squatting in the parking lot of the campground. Reeking of cheap whiskey, the vagrant turned out to be none other than Ben, a friend I had met on a Vision Quest in the Nevada desert. We took Ben along during the cragging day and he turned out to know the area well. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...5448bb85e741c95-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...c338431896e4e60-.jpg Grayhghost and Ben on a sweet hueco route in the Black Corridor Rachel had to head home to attend to a job, a concept foreign to both Ben and I, but I was able to stay for a few more days of sunshine and Corona. Day four found Ben and I warming up on Meister’s Edge, a classic arête down in the wash below the Second Pullout. We met another vagabond, Ryan, lurking under this classic line. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...7fd9b556fbde153-.jpg Ryan on Meister’s Edge. We then headed up to The Trophy Wall where we picked up another character in our traveling caravan of debauchery, Jonathan. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...37202f3c7ef2a2c-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...b356f33c26d647a-.jpg Jonathan busting out the steep lower section of The Trophy http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...a4c886a4fa01267-.jpg Jonathan getting an unorthodox rest on The Trophy http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...afef0538106f7fc-.jpg Jonathan resting and taking in the beauty of Redrocks on The Trophy with Ryan belaying Day five started with a garbled voicemail from Jonathan raving about Calico Hills and a new area called the Winter Heat Wall. We headed out into the hills, stopping to do some bouldering as a warm-up. It's a bit hard to explain bouldering to a pair of hard-cores who wanted nothing more than to suffer up a gapping offwidth, but they eventually came around and sent some sweet lines. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...9de7c530689dc91-.jpg Ben and Jonathan, confused without a rope. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...702b862dae5da1b-.jpg Ben cranks on some black edges http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...f61235d8de0ddd0-.jpg Ben on the classic The Pearl After hiking up a techno-color wash and listening to Jonathan’s stories of teenage hijinks (he grew up in Las Vegas) we ended up at the Winter Heat Wall, a striking piece of pure patina. http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...2e7ffde4cc9d1e9-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...a6ba59123f1e3eb-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...6e4b23642206a53-.jpg Ben on the namesake Winter Heat http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...11068ee5f3d4c75-.jpg http://grayhghost.zoto.com/...d3be0193bfb2719-.jpg Jonathan on Strip Tease, a mixed gear and bolt route I caught a ride back to the old SLC with Jonathan the next day and have been skiing ever since, but those pictures are for another day. . .
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vegastradguy
Jan 3, 2006, 6:35 PM
Post #2 of 6
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Registered: Aug 28, 2002
Posts: 5919
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nice report, but you lose some adventure points for not doing the upper pitches of Turkeys (which you can easily rappel), and who ever that is liebacking Plumbers Crack (a nice 5.10 OW) loses serious style points! overall, a 8.5/10! (and a trophy for ya!)
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chossmonkey
Jan 3, 2006, 6:38 PM
Post #3 of 6
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Registered: Feb 1, 2003
Posts: 28414
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This kinda seems like it should be in the Trip Reports section. Nice work regardless. Trophy for you. :righton:
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kyote321
Jan 9, 2006, 5:50 PM
Post #4 of 6
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Registered: Apr 24, 2005
Posts: 636
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some of your photos are better than the ones in the mags
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crackmd
Jan 9, 2006, 5:56 PM
Post #5 of 6
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Registered: Mar 24, 2002
Posts: 444
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Boy do I want to go to RR after that TR. Great job. Those photos are awesome!
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grayhghost
Jan 9, 2006, 6:27 PM
Post #6 of 6
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Registered: May 21, 2002
Posts: 444
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I have posted some in the PHOTOS section of the site. Vote for them and they could be on the front page. Thanks for the feedback!
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