Welcome to El Potrero Chico…Parque Recreativo.Back in October after a 13 hour drive we were somewhere east of Ely, NV when the “check engine” light went on in our old pick up. We were about to turn off the highway and head into the desert in hopes of climbing some back-country, multi-pitch American limestone. A short but vigorous debate on the shoulder of highway 93 ensued: “yes, it could just be a faulty oxygen sensor”…”no I can’t miss the Monday morning meeting at work”…”yes, it could be the transmission”…”yes, we need more vacation time.” We made a u-turn and headed back for Portland. By the time we passed Boise, our last-minute Thanksgiving plans were finalized.
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Off The Couch.Our fourth visit to the beautiful El Potrero Chico was a brief and a somewhat lazy one. We had three days to do some climbing and without fail could not manage to wake up before 9…alpine starts. We climbed Off The Couch (7P, 5.10d) on the front side (an excellent crimping route!!), Las Chimuelas (3P, 5.8) to Jungle Fever (2P, 5.10a…stiff) on the Jungle Wall, tried Ed’s new route called Time Loves A Hero (a handsome line even if it doesn’t look it from below) but bailed after looking up at the hard crux and finished off the trip with the classic Will The Wolf Survive (4P, 5.10a…super fun climbing). It was good to see Ed again but we also concluded that – much like a bottle of good tequila – EPC is more fun when shared with some friends as we had in January of 2014…hopefully we can talk them into going back there in 2015. Also, we both feel an itch for another climbing road trip through that beautiful country… we need more vacation time.
Video Haikus
Will The Wolf Survive.
Uno: Hiking through the Potrero and looking up The Jungle Wall (Space Boyz route).
Dos: Rapping Will The Wolf Survive in the late afternoon.
Photos
The girls taking a lunch break on the side of some highway in the middle of nowhere, NV (Oct. 2014). Three EPC essentials: 70 meter cords, 20 QDs and a fifth (per 3 days…YMMV) of tequila (Nov. 2014). Welcome to El Potrero Chico…Parque Recreativo (Nov. 2014). Shirley leading pitch 1 of Off The Couch which is shared with Satori (Nov. 2014). A party on Satori as seen from Off The Couch next door (Nov. 2014). Shirley leading pitch 3 of Off The Couch – the crimping fun starts on the next pitch (Nov. 2014). Starting the upper half of Off The Couch (smile fucker!). Beautiful limestone on Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Shirley topping out on pitch 4 of Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Pitch 6 of Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Shirley & I on somewhere high up on Off The Couch. Photo credit by Drew Smith – taken from Satori next door (thank you very much Drew!!). Pitch 6 of Off The Couch with El Bobo visible below (Nov. 2014). Climbers from St. George climbing Satori next door to us (Nov. 2014). Off The Couch – crisp limestone crimping to glory (Nov. 2014). Shirley topping out on pitch 6 of Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Starting up the final and crux pitch of Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Views from Off The Couch route (Nov. 2014). Shirley nearing the top of Off The Couch (pitch 7). A couple from St. George rapping Satori (Nov. 2014). Shirley Off The Couch (Nov. 2014). Virgin Canyon as seen from the top of Off The Couch route (Nov. 2014). Yeah the fireplace in the casita did not suck on the cold nights in an uninsulated structure (Nov. 2014). Starting up Las Chimuelas (3 pitch, 5.8) on the far left side of Jungle Wall (Nov. 2014). Shirley on pitch 1 of Las Chimuelas (Nov. 2014). Fun stuff atop pitch 3 of Las Chimuelas (Nov. 2014). Topping out on Las Chimuelas (Nov. 2014). Shirley hiking the scree field in the bowl above Las Chimuelas/Jungle Mountaineering (Nov. 2014). Pitch 1 of Jungle Fever (Nov. 2014). Looking back at Shirley from just above the crux of Jungle Fever (pitch 2). The Spires as seen from the top of Jungle Fever route on The Jungle Wall (Nov. 2014). Shirley topping out on pitch 2 of Jungle Fever route (Nov. 2014). Ed’s van and a gang of cute mutts (Nov. 2014). El Potrero Chico (Nov. 2014). Hiking into EPC – once again – at the ass crack of dawn (10ish). The front (north) faces of the EPC formations. Shirley leading pitches 1 and 2 of Time Loves A Hero. It might not look it but it really is some fun climbing here (Nov. 2014). Following pitch 2 of Time Loves A Hero (Shirley linked 1 & 2). Our airport shuttle mates climbing Treasure Of The Sierra Madre (Nov. 2014). Starting up pitch 3 variation of Time Loves A Hero (Nov. 2014). Shirley on the variation of pitch 3 of Time Loves A Hero (Nov. 2014). Nearing the top of pitch 3 of Time Loves A Hero…this is where the easier/right variation rejoins the line proper for a final kick-in-the-nuts exit move to the belay (Nov. 2014). A free soloist on Time Loves A Hero (Nov. 2014). Shirley on the hard exit atop pitch 3 of Time Loves A Hero…like A0 hard for us (Nov. 2014). Welcome to the zona de peligro! Enjoying some pizza and margaritas from Edgardo’s trailer in the canyon. The margaritas tasted like lime juice until you tried to stand up. It was fun to climb the first pitches of Wolf with a good buzz…man, I love the Potrero (Nov. 2014).
Well, will he? Starting up Will The Wolf Survive – we linked the first 2 pitches (Nov. 2014). Shirley starting up Will The Wolf Survive (Nov. 2014). Two riders entering The Potrero as seen from Will The Wolf Survive route (Nov. 2014). Shirley topping out on pitch 2 of Will The Wolf Survive (Nov. 2014). Afternoon views towards Hidalgo from Will The Wolf Survive route (Nov. 2014). Shirley following the wonderful pitch 3 of Will The Wolf Survive (Nov. 2014). Palm tree ledge atop pitch 3 of Will The Wolf Survive (Nov. 2014). Leading the 4th/money pitch of Will The Wolf Survive (Nov. 2014). Shirley topping out on the very fun (if small) Will The Wolf Survive (4 pitches, 10a). Senorita enjoying our cozy casita (Nov. 2014). Some rental casitas come with kittens, other come with baby tarantulas (?). Hiking to Hidalgo (Nov. 2014). Hidalgo. Hidalgo railroad structure (Nov. 2014). Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon (Nov. 2014). Walking the streets of Hidalgo (Nov. 2014). Best tamales in Hidalgo according to Ed (they were good; Nov. 2014). The blue collar Hidalgo with its cement plant (Nov. 2014). El Potrero Chico (Nov. 2014). The Mini Super in Hidalgo closest to EPC (Nov. 2014). The short road between Hidalgo and EPC is now lined with fixed-in-place exercise equipment (Nov. 2014). New billboard at the entrance to Hidalgo…wait a minute – who’s that in the rightmost photo?? December 2013: Shirley starting up pitch 6 of Snott Girlz. Packing perfection purely based on feel (Nov. 2014).
Go back to Mexico.
