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andre.gr
Jan 29, 2013, 11:42 AM
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hi guys, i am planning a usa climbing road trip on august.i love cracks and i would like to go to indian creek.i know that it is toooo hot...but the same i read for yosemite but when i went ,for me it was ok.i live in greece so am used to it.is it possible to climb for 3-4 hours in the morning?i just want to climb 3-4 days there.Any beta would be useful for anything...climbing-camping-sightseeing etc thnx
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vinnie83
Jan 29, 2013, 12:15 PM
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Hot in yosemite and hot in indian creek during the summer are two different things. I do know people that have climbed there during the warmer months, but you have to chase the shade. I've made several trips to yosemite during the summer and although the weather isn't quite as nice as in the fall I probably will again. I doubt that i will ever make a trip to IC that time of year. That being said you won't have to worry about any crowds.
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camhead
Jan 29, 2013, 5:57 PM
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I climbed at Indian Creek quite a bit in the summer, when I was living nearby. It is definitely an acquired taste, and is really hard to stay motivated. Although dry desert heat is usually better than humid heat, I can honestly say that, when you factor in approaches, it is way easier to climb in the Deep South during summer than it is to climb at the Creek. The obvious points are, chase shade and take way more water and electrolytes than you think you'll need (1.5 gallons of water, and gatorade powder to mix it with). Very few (if any) crags at the Creek get all-day shade, so you'll usually have to go one place in the morning, and one place in the afternoon. No matter how you cut it, you'll probably wind up doing a hard approach in direct, 100+ degree sunlight, with very heavy packs full of water and gear. What we would usually do would be a two-day trip: find an area with afternoon shade, hike slowly up to it around 1-2pm. Climb until 9 or 10 at night. Come down, and camp in a miserable night of gnats, dehydrated twitching, and heat. Get up at 5am, do a dawn approach to a morning shade spot, and climb until about noon. After that, we would usually give up and go swim in the Colorado or something. So, obviously, I can say that I definitely would NOT make a special out-of-my-way trip to climb there in August. There are many other areas that have enjoyable summer crack cragging (although not as pure, concentrated, or abundant as the Creek). Vedauwoo, Tahoe area, the Eastside of the Sierras, Index, and Squamish would all be awesome in August. Even Yosemite, City of Rocks, or Paradise Forks, AZ would be nicer than the Creek.
(This post was edited by camhead on Jan 29, 2013, 6:20 PM)
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marc801
Jan 29, 2013, 6:04 PM
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Every year I am still surprised at the folks that think climbing in IC or Moab is a reasonable thing to do in July and August. They may be from warm/hot areas, but that first experience with full sun, over 100F, steep approaches, and heavy packs is a shocker. It's also surprising how difficult it is to recover from that when the nights aren't particularly cool. Likewise, the number who think that because it's the desert, it will be warm enough to be a January destination trip. Last week, Moab was consistently below 0F nights and no more than 15F for a daytime high.
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stoneguy
Jan 29, 2013, 10:14 PM
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How about first week of May. Any suggestions for Moab and Sedona area of a "moderate " nature.
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andre.gr
Jan 30, 2013, 8:16 AM
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first of all ...thnx for answering !! i know that is very hot and i was passing by the area last year and the schedule was to go as fast as we can to yosemite valley BUT we saw the cracks and said we definitely we have to come back.we just want to climb 7-8 routes and then go somewhere cooler.our thought is to climb 6am-11? i don't know..for 2 or 3 days climb same CLASSICS and then go.... for you that you leave to the states it is easy to say not to go in august. ask us ....only pictures we watch!!!
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hyhuu
Jan 30, 2013, 3:59 PM
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camhead wrote: I climbed at Indian Creek quite a bit in the summer, when I was living nearby. It is definitely an acquired taste, and is really hard to stay motivated. Although dry desert heat is usually better than humid heat, I can honestly say that, when you factor in approaches, it is way easier to climb in the Deep South during summer than it is to climb at the Creek. The obvious points are, chase shade and take way more water and electrolytes than you think you'll need (1.5 gallons of water, and gatorade powder to mix it with). Very few (if any) crags at the Creek get all-day shade, so you'll usually have to go one place in the morning, and one place in the afternoon. No matter how you cut it, you'll probably wind up doing a hard approach in direct, 100+ degree sunlight, with very heavy packs full of water and gear. What we would usually do would be a two-day trip: find an area with afternoon shade, hike slowly up to it around 1-2pm. Climb until 9 or 10 at night. Come down, and camp in a miserable night of gnats, dehydrated twitching, and heat. Get up at 5am, do a dawn approach to a morning shade spot, and climb until about noon. After that, we would usually give up and go swim in the Colorado or something. Goodness. That sounds like a nightmare, worse than Big Wall climbing.
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marc801
Jan 30, 2013, 4:24 PM
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andre.gr wrote: i know that is very hot and i was passing by the area last year and the schedule was to go as fast as we can to yosemite valley BUT we saw the cracks and said we definitely we have to come back.we just want to climb 7-8 routes and then go somewhere cooler.our thought is to climb 6am-11? i don't know..for 2 or 3 days climb same CLASSICS and then go.... Please carefully reread Camhead's post. Then read up on the long term effects of heat stroke. Right now it sounds like you asked for advice, got it, didn't like it, and will ignore it.
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budman
Jan 30, 2013, 6:23 PM
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Registered: Nov 10, 2004
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Yo! Plenty of free camping at Indian Creek. Ck mountainproject.com for info. Like the Pasture camping for easy access. Climb there all summer usually in the morning till about 1 p.m. Drink a lot of water and eat good. If really hot hit the mountains in the evening to keep cool. Peace Tree cafe in Monticello has good coffee and eats. Bud
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