Go back to Central Mexico Quickie.
Go back to Aculco The Town.
At the top of the climbs.
Crack of dawn, 10am start the following day and we were in Aculco (the climbing area) 20 minutes later. A 10 minute hike takes you to the bottom of the gorge where a high density of quality crack climbs await. Though it’s not basalt it very much looks like a basalt crack climbing area (eg. Smith’s Lower Gorge). Carlos would suggest a route and we’d climb it. The grades were pretty stiff (think Tieton vs. Vantage) and we did a handful of 9s and 10-s. One of our chosen routes involved a 10 foot section of unprotected, mossy and shitty rock in order to access the quality splitter above. After palming my way up a couple moves, I finally reached a positive pocket and pulled. To my surprise the pocket, along with about 10lbs of shitty rock, came out and I went down. My only cam blew out the rock and I tumbled down onto a ledge and then the momentum carried me off the ledge and to the ground. Sounds dramatic but I was really no more than a handful of feet up and so was unhurt. One more route and we were tossing down some cold beers in a mini super right at the edge of the gorge. Afterwards, we followed Carlos to Bernal (he had a guiding gig there the following day) where we had dinner together and consumed many margaritas. Climbing talk is always funnest with a few drinks.
Photos
Though we initially agreed to meet at 9am, no breakfast place opened till 9 or 9:30 (Dec. 2018).
Heading down into the Aculco Canyon for a day of cragging with Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Starting up Punos del 11 route (5.7) in Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Higher on Punos del 11 (Dec. 2018).
Views from the edge of the rim at Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Shirley on Punos del 11 (Dec. 2018).
Punos del 11 (Dec. 2018).
Punos del 11 (Dec. 2018).
At the top of the climbs. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Racking up for Psicosis. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Starting up Psicosis (5.10a; Dec. 2018).
Psicosis. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Psicosis. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Psicosis below the crux (Dec. 2018).
Making progress on Psicosis (5.10a; Dec. 2018).
Making progress on Psicosis (Dec. 2018).
At the crux of Psicosis. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
…and past the crux (Dec. 2018).
Pretty splitter on the upper half of Psicosis (Dec. 2018).
Psicosis. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Shirley starting up Psicosis (Dec. 2018).
Views from the rim (Dec. 2018).
More Shirley in action on Psicosis (Dec. 2018).
Shirley topping out on Psicosis (Dec. 2018).
Arriving on the rim (Dec. 2018).
Shirley heading back down into the canyon for more climbing (Dec. 2018).
Starting up El Libro de la Solemnidad (5.10a; Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
Topping out on El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
In the beautiful splitter section of El Libro de la Solemnidad (5.10a; Dec. 2018).
Aculco (Dec. 2018).
The pretty waterfall in Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Shirley enjoying the thin hands splitter on El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
El Libro de la Solemnidad. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Belaying Shirley atop El Libro de la Solemnidad (Dec. 2018).
Back down into the canyon (Dec. 2018).
Aculco gorge (Dec. 2018).
The little oasis that is the bottom of the gorge in Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Starting up Marionetas Nocturnas (5.8). Just as I got my left hand to the start of good rock and a nice pocket, the whole thing pulled out and I went down ripping out my one 0.75 from some shitty rock. Here Shirley is standing on a ledge about 1 meter above the bottom. I hit the ledge and kept rolling down. No damage though (Dec. 2018).
Starting the lead of Cascarita de Limon (5.9). Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Low on Cascarita de Limon (Dec. 2015).
Higher on Cascarita de Limon (Dec. 2018).
Fun cracks on Cascarita de Limon. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Above the first roof. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
A sloping ledge on Cascarita de Limon (Dec. 2018).
Finishing double cracks on Cascarita de Limon. Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Shirley Cascarita de Limon belayed by yours truly and photographed by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Shirley at the crux of Cascarita de Limon (5.9). Photo by Carlos (Dec. 2018).
Shirley on the upper half of the very nice Cascarita de Limon (5.9; Dec. 2018).
Cascarita de Limon (Dec. 2018).
Shirley topping out on Cascarita de Limon (5.9; Dec. 2018).
Shirley and I on the rim. Photo by Carlos taken from canyon bottom (Dec. 2018).
Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Back down for more fun (Dec. 2018).
Views of the waterfall in Aculco (Dec. 2018).
Done with climbing and heading over to the beer (Dec. 2018).
Celebrator beers with Carlos (right at the rim of the canyon in Aculco; Dec. 2018).
Starting out our drive from Aculco to Bernal (Dec. 2018).
Relocating from Aculco to Bernal (Dec. 2018).
Grabbing our dinner with Carlos in Bernal (Dec. 2018).
Go to Filo Noroccidental.
Go back to Central Mexico Quickie.