Leave the Mud Behind.

By Graham Hubner.

There is nothing like planning your next road trip to a rock that you have only seen in your dreams, or on paper.

During the long, white winter or the even longer rainy season in New England I am always ready to spend my savings to get an early fix and a little relief from the weather. Being an Eastern climber, I rarely get the chance to climb during our darker months of the winter so November has become a ceremonial month to plan for our Winter and Spring road trips. This year, it was a very special planning time for me. These trips were all going to be with my future bride and relatively new climber (although at times she is much better at this sport than I am). So guys and gals, these trips are great when you go with anyone, but if you're so inclined, these trips also get the two thumbs up for romance and rock.

If you are anything like myself, the process of planning your next climbing trip can be incredibly exciting. For me, it always starts by throwing the atlas on my desk and tearing through the pages of the Southwestern U.S. Once I've picked my Destination State (usually consisting of AZ, NV, TX, CA, NM and sometimes CO) it's time to start pouring through back issues of the climbing mags, the internet and other climber's brains to get all the beta I can about the particular area I'm planning for. Once I've compiled enough info to maximize your days on the rock, I order my guide books (if there are any) which can be enough to make me drool with anticipation for my trip. For winter/spring 2000 we finally settled on the remote climbs of the Catalina's and the Cochise Stronghold in Southern AZ for our February trip; and later, For mud season, it was Joshua Tree and Tahquitz.

Now the tricky part; money. OK, we are all stuck with how to fund our climbing trips so included in this article are a few tips along to help even the poorest climbers succeed in getting to their destinations. Due to time constraints, I personally have to buy plane tickets and a rental car to make it out of the East in the winter and Spring. This can put some serious strain on funds. However, after extensive research I found that cheap travelling can be done thanks to Southwest and Budget. This year, due in part to a strong promotion by Southwest, one can purchase a one-way ticket anywhere in the US for $99 or less (by the way this is still going on). I eagerly booked all my trips in November. Next, I was informed by a family-member that Budget was renting Ford Rangers for $19.99 a day. I couldn't believe it but it was true. A car with high clearance and great gear storage at $140.00 for the week. It doesn't get any better than that. All that was left, camping-fees and food. I guess everyone's on their own there.

With all of the logistics laid out, I poured through the guide books, gathered suggestions from other climbers and planned what routes I might attempt in these new destinations. Yes, I couldn't wait. Our trip in February to the Cochise Stronghold was everything I imagined and more. On our hike to the Cochise Dome, location of the classic "What's My Line", we saw no one. We had a vast quantity of rock to ourselves. The only time we encountered people was in the West Stronghold on Trad. Rock (the name is quite ironic due to the fact that all these climbs are bolted in Sport style). There a few groups of climbers were working on the many 5.10's and 5.11's that are well protected and very easily accessible. Most of the climbs in the Cochise consist of long approaches and difficult route finding. Sometimes the crux is just figuring out where a climb starts. A great trip for the adventurous climber!

We returned unscathed and I was already anticipating April 16th; the day we would leave for Joshua Tree. I have to be honest here and note that originally Tahquitz was not part of the plan. I wasn't really sure how far Josh and Tahqitz were apart. I also knew that the weather in Tahquitz this time of year would be questionable and I almost wrote it off. Then I saw Gary Valle's web page (http://www.sierraphotography.com/) of Tahquitz climbing and I didn't care what the weather was like, I was going. We planned to climb the first four days in Joshua Tree and end the trip climbing in Tahquitz for one or two days depending on wear and tear. As we left for Joshua Tree we heard that it had just dumped about 8 inches of fresh snow in Tahquitz. We were beginning to think that staying at Josh may be the ticket.

Ariving at mid-day in Josh is always a good plan this time of year. You might actually find a campsite as we did just below the Blob formation in the Hidden Valley campground. The crowds combined with weather can make visiting Josh in April a hit or miss trip. It was raining and windy the entire drive from L.A., until we passed Palm Springs. Then, it was like someone parted the clouds and said, "Welcome, enjoy your climbing!" We didn't waist any time. We got on the rock after setting up camp. We choose to start with some moderates right in the campground called the Bong (5.5 named for obvious reasons) and (Mike's Books 5.8 variation) both climbs were excellent.

The 5.8 variation to Mike's Books was a hard enough move high over pro to get the blood flowing and put me in the state of total concentration that I would say most climbers enjoy. Finishing this pitch as the sun set over The Blob was a highlight of the trip! We found out from the many climbers in the Hidden Valley campground that we had arrived just in time. For two straight days before we arrived the wind had howled and it had poured rain. A lot of people had left, which is why we found an open site. I wasn't sure what the weather would bring at this point or even whether to consider Tahquitz with the fresh snow from earlier in the week, but I guess the only way to go is with the flow, which is what we settled on.

The next few days were very kind to us. Bright sunshine and 70 degrees made me forget that back home in Vermont it was flooding and they thought Mud season may not end until June. We hit all the classic moderates that we had read about. Stitcher Quits (5.8), Double Dip (5.6), and Walk on the Wild Side (a three pitch face climb on Saddle Rocks that goes at 5.8+). I would recommend Walk on the Wilds Side for climbers at any level. The first pitch is a thrilling, rather steep face climb with some airy space between bolts.

Another party of climbers informed us that if we missed climbing Mental Physics (5.7) while in Josh, it would be a crying shame. Heavy words...so we decided on this climb and some others around it the next day. Mental Physics is located deep in the Wonderland of Rocks and one of the best parts of this climb is the approach. You can't believe the amount of rock formations that look like they're living things. Aliens, crocodiles, whales and other creatures seemed to come alive in vibrant rock all around us. We finally arrived at Mental Physics after 45 minutes or so and set off to climb a beautiful hand crack that ended about one hundred feet up the rock. From there it was anyone's guess. The crack is easy with options of fist and hand jams or face hold for the leader. I would recommend this route for anyone moving up to the 5.7 level of leading. The Second pitch is just as good with face moves leading to one bolt about twenty feet above the belay station. This is the only bolt that will protect you in the next thirty feet after that but remember it is only 5.7 and it gets easier as you go. The top off is both rewarding and spectacular. A birds-eye view of the Wonderland! I suggest you bring lunch up this climb!

We tackled some other climbs in Josh like Overhang Bypass and Heart and Soul, yet the number of climbs to add to my tick list just kept growing. There is simply too many great climbs in Josh. You could stay there for years and never get bored. I was itching for some big wall granite, though and it seemed that Tahquitz had been getting the same dose of great weather as Josh. We decided to give it a try.

We left Josh in the afternoon and we were in Idyllwild (the town at the base of Tahquitz) by dinner. It was dark so we couldn't see the conditions above until morning. We were surprised when we woke up to find the cliff mostly clear of snow. We met up with a local climber Med Dyer who had previously offered to hook up with us and give us the history of Tahquitz along with what beta he knew about climbs and the infamous friction decent (the scene of many novice climbers' epics).

We opted to hit the South side of the rock because there are many Royal Robbins classics here and it has the greatest amount of sun exposure. The left Ski Track (5.6+) was a climb we had all read about and Med had seconded previously. I thought that this would be a fun route for everyone to do and it looked clear of any water. I roped up and was pleasantly surprised by the climbing. Although easy, this climb has it all. The first pitch climbs huge chicken heads and jugs to a belay. The second and most demanding pitch is full of great jams and includes an airy exposed crux move out and around a roof. The Third Pitch includes an awkward double crack that may take any climber a few minutes to figure out. I won't give it away; half the fun is the problem. The fourth and final pitch is an easy traverse left about 450 feet off the deck. Incredible views and exposure make these moves fun although easy. All in all, Royal is the man. Another timeless climb! Luckily, we had Med to show us the way down.

The Friction Descent is hard to find and difficult to follow. Get as much beta as possible for the descent if you've never been there. As we ventured down the climber's trail I eyed the climbs of another day. The famed Open Book (5.9, the first ever in the county), Traitor's Horn and others will await my return.

Joshua Tree and Tahquitz really were the perfect fix for the climber's down time. Those lucky enough to have climbing year around aren't forced to dream of climbing four months of the year. But for those that do, I highly recommend this combination. There are few places in the county that you can combine desert rock and alpine rock in the same trip with only an hour and a half of driving time. The weather and crowds will always be a factor but a small one at that. Josh never sees a lot of rain and you can almost count on having a few days of climbing throughout the winter and spring and if the weather at Tahquitz is bad just stay at Josh.

Go Climb!

Graham Hubner