Darren, Olivia, and I are most likely in our last moments here in SoCal, so we are trying to go on all the adventures we can to places we've never been in the area before we leave. On the top of Olivia and I's list was the Needles. The Needles is a super classic climbing area and is often found in climbing magazines, recognizable by its distinctive yellow and green lichen covered granite. Although it was near the end of the season, we decided to give the place a whirl and scale some of its cracks. We were not disappointed. The Needles is one the most gorgeous climbing areas I have even seen. Beyond the lichen, there were granite spires, forests, and 360 degree views of the Sierra. From the top our our route "Igor Unchained" we could clearly see Mount Whitney.
There were mammoth pine cones strewn across the forest floor.
Darren and I on a little jaunt past the Fire Tower. We were sad Maggie (I think that is her name), the forest ranger who lives in the tower, has already left for the season. Apparently she gives cookies to climbers who visit on Sundays. She'll sometimes also have a scope from which she watches climbers scale the granite cracks.
The walkway from the Fire Tower
My own personal ninja
Igor Unchained! The climb was a sustained 3-4 pitch 5.9+ --and I don't think I've heard any of us collectively be so vocal until this route. There was lots of "ug's," yelps, and various other noises and words proclaimed. The first pitch was hand jam heavy, while the others were varied, challenging, and fun. On the second or third pitch there was a cluster of bees hovering around the crack, but thankfully they did not bother us. The fourth pitch had a fun transition move over an arete and ended with some delicate moves.
Next weekend is halloween, so it was fitting the the spire we climbed on is called the "Witch."
The picture in the background is the "Warlock."
0 comments:
Post a Comment