Lighthouse Tower

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January 1st: Lonely Vigil on Lighthouse Tower

Looking down the “stem box” near top of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil.

Lonely Vigil route rated 5.10- was going to be our confidence re-builder. Mid sized tower is about 20 minutes outside of Moab on the River Road. The approach looks like it’ll take 15 minutes but ends up taking (us) about an hour (trying to boulder hop on shifting boulders to avoid trampling crypto soil as much as we could). One short approach pitch to access the backside of the tower and off we go. I take the first pitch rated 10-. It’s good – bouldery bulges followed by good rest stances. Shirley wants pitch #2 rated 5.9. She flies up the lower half of the pitch (5.9 thin hands to fingers and some wide stuff higher) but does not feel up to leading the stem box higher up. She belays me at an optional (well bolted too) hanging belay just below the “stem box”. Indeed, the stem box is wide – even for me. You place a good piece and then have to commit to 10 feet of solid, crotch stretching exercises ending with a mantle onto a small ledge. Then the crux hits – a hard 8-foot dihedral w/o a crack in the corner puts you on a nice ledge between the false summit and the main summit block.

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Looking up the Colorado River from high on Lonely Vigil.

The next pitch starts with a leftward traverse on an easy ledge followed by 20 feet of (good bolt) of 5.7 face that brings you to the base of the 15-foot summit “boulder” (no 5.9 terrain on this pitch despite guidebooks). The boulder (rated variously 5.8 to 5.9) moves are what give this route an “R” or “S” rating qualifier – short but protection is shit. The moves are easier (5.8) if you’re tall and harder if you’re short. At the top however, there are no fixed anchors and so you need to downclimb the boulder – which, with the rope flaked over the other side of the block, is pretty straightforward. I don’t really have much confidence in the rope running over the summit and Shirley forgoes tagging the top of the boulder. We rap, hike, and the 14-hour drive home begins. We’re greeted by sheets of rain which would not let up for 2 weeks.

Shit

Shirley from Lighthouse Tower.

Our love of the desert and the reality of living in Oregon might have something to do with the transmission on our truck beginning to show signs of aging. The jerky shifting I’ve been hearing more and more often following this latest outing might prove to be a $3K kind of fun. Hard pill to swallow. The climbing sure was fun though and as we’re making plans to return, alternative means of getting there have to be considered.

Photos

Dolomite (left) and Lighthouse Towers above the Colorado River.

Dolomite Spire & Lighthouse Tower as seen from the riverside approach hike (Jan. 1, 2006).

Shirley & Blondie on the approach hike to the base of Lighthouse Tower (Jan. 1, 2006).

Lighthouse Tower as seen from the riverside approach hike (Jan. 1, 2006).

Prepping for our climb of Lonely Vigil on Lighthouse Tower with the The Bend area on the Colorado visible below.

Leading the short approach pitch to the notch between Lighthouse Tower (left) and parent cliff (January 1, 2006).

Beginning the first pitch of Lonely Vigil. The stem box of the upper half of pitch 2 is visible near top (January 1, 2006).

Leading the first pitch of Lonely Vigil (5.10-) on the Lighthouse Tower. Dolomite Spire is on the right.

Shirley nearing the top of pitch 1 of Lonely Vigil – last bulge before the belay ledge (January 1, 2006).

Shirley beginning the lead of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil – thin hands to fingers in a dihedral followed by some wide stemming fun (January 1, 2006).

Shirley entering the wide stem box section on upper portion of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil. Optional belay (nice bolts) is on the left wall level with Shirley’s position (January 1, 2006).

Following lower half of P2 of Lonely Vigil – thin hands in dihedral turning to fingers (5.9-ish; January 1, 2006).

Looking down the “stem box” near top of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil. Shirley is belaying from bolts atop pitch 1.5. Photo was taken from just above the stem box and at the base of the hard, short dihedral marking top of P2. This is not a great belay since you risk falling onto your belayer should you rip in the stem box – there’s no crack on the wall where the belay is (January 1, 2005).

Shirley near the top of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil. This final dihedral section is short but hard (no real crack in corner)….fortunately there’s a piece of red mystery tat to preclip (January 1, 2005).

Cool belay perch atop pitch 2 (our 3) of Lonely Vigil.

Shirley in the notch between a sub-summit block and the real deal atop pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil . Looking down from just below the summit block (January 1, 2005).

View up from top of pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil toward the summit block (pointy thing in upper right of photo – not to be confused with the other pointy, big thing on left – i.e. my big a.. nose; January 1, 2005).

Looking up the Colorado River from the top of the 2nd (our 3rd) pitch of Lonely Vigil. Dolomite Spire frames the right side (Jan. 1, 2006).

Shirley in the notch between a sub-summit block and the real deal atop pitch 2 of Lonely Vigil . Looking down from just below the summit block (January 1, 2005).

Leading the final short boulder pitch on the Lonely Vigil route of Lighthouse Tower (Jan. 1, 2006).

Shirley belaying me on the final pitch (boulder problem) of Lonely Vigil.

Yours truly on the tippy-top summit of Lighthouse Tower after our climb of Lonely Vigil Route…a short boulder problem that needs to be downclimbed (Jan. 1, 2006).

Shirley on the final rap from Lighthouse Tower. Pitch one of Lonely Vigil follows crack system on the right (January 1, 2006).

Shirley on the final rap down (the approach pitch) from Lighthouse Tower (Jan. 1, 2006).

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