Nevada - Red Rocks - Thanksgiving 1987

With Dan Nguyen, Nancy, Phyllis, and Michael Lehner.

(from email to Bob Palais, 12/1/1987)

Bob,

Most of the good climbs are in the shade, and it's too chilly to
do them.  Dan and I did Dream of Wild Turkeys (1st 8) with a belay
parka, but harder stuff would be tough.  Phyllis spent 1.5 hours
leading the 1st pitch of Rock Warrior due to chilliness, and of course
in the meantime the belayers froze.

Sunny climbs:  Levitation 29 (but 2 hour approach hike), Pine Creek
area (described in Rock and Ice topos), Desert Reality.

We camped for free at the end of the gravel road for Black Velvet
Canyon.  The Oak Creek Road, described by Harlin, is crowded and a
much worse surface.

Levitation 29.
1. 5.10a (sustained but no real hard moves).
2. 5.11a pinch/lieback move at roof (mostly 5.9).
3. 5.8 nice.
4. 5.10a short crux, 5.8 crack at end.
5. 5.11b/c sustained.  crux at roof is a palms up jam with right
   hand to reach finger lock.  sustained face climbing left of bolts
   above.  rest near end of pitch by reaching left to jam flake.
6. 5.10c long reach to clip bolt. (our high point).
5.10+ pitch is said to involve trusting creaking flakes (like reaching
the fist jam on pitch 5).

Pine Creek Canyon.  R to L:
1. American Ninja 5.10c left-facing corner with thin pro.  We didn't
   try this.
2. Out of Control 5.10c crack from fingers to short offwidth section,
   including roof at end (***).
3. Topless Twins 5.8 (**) -- not 5.10b (topo guide).
4. Mushroom People 5.11b (*) not 5.10+ -- have to remove TCU pro
   at crux to use foothold.
5. 5.11b face w/ 3 bolts (*).
6. Straight Shooter 5.10a (***) not 5.9.  Nice finger crack with one
   hard crank.
The Rock and Ice topos can be bought at the Visitor Center, as can
the Urioste Guide.

Desert Reality can be seen from the end of the Black Velvet Canyon
approach road.  It's to the right of Black Velvet Canyon, on the
leftmost of two orange rock dihedrals above red crumbly outcrops.
The 15' roof crack is wide hands, and 4 #3 Friends are recommended
(along with a 2.5 and 3.5 plus anchors).  We did a 50' approach
pitch from the gully on the left (5.7 some suspect rock but
reasonable protection) -- diagonal right on steep face to arrive
at a belay above the rotten cracks.  Two 1/4" bolts lead right on
aid to reach the crack, or you can do a 15' 5.12c (Desert Crack --
fingers to thin hand).  We gave it only a wimpy attempt.