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The Prep
Warpaint.
So we have 10 days off in a row and a severe itch to get out of the rain. Where do we go? A month ago, the answer would’ve been simple: Moab. But that was then. We have not climbed in that time at all practically as the weather’s been shitty at Smith. My love of beer has left me fat and the skin on Shirley’s hands reverted back to being soft. We’re not up for the real classics that we thought about a month ago. Let’s go further south and see what develops.
The Grade V Drive
West Face of Argon Tower.
I pack the truck with all the climbing and aid pile we can think of including 5 ropes (no bull: twins, 60m thick, 70m thick, 300 foot thick static…) and more cams than our local REI stocks at any one time for fear of being robbed. Throw in some sleeping pads and bags… and a couple of home-comfort sleeping paraphernalia like 3 pillows and a blanket. Some camp chairs. A selection of audio books and music cd’s (though we end up listening to only a handful of those – you know, the favorites that refuse to leave your head). A bin full of food, a box full of guide books, and cooler full of beer. Throw in our big fat dog and off we go out of work at 4pm. Nine hours later we pull off the interstate in southern Idaho into the “usual” rest area and pass out (after agreeing that yet another Dean Koontz novel sucked…..that’s 2 out of 3 – no more Koontz). In the morning we pass through Salt Lake City and are in northern Arizona as the sun is setting. We celebrate Christmas Eve at the only open eatery in Flagstaff: Essence Of China and its “famous” buffet. No permanent harm done this time.
The Filling
Warpaint.
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