Moab Utah

Meca: "The biggest, best thing. The most mega." (Urban Dictionary) There are few locations that can truly be described as the meca for their sport. Moab is one of those location, and is most definitely the rock climbing meca.




The reddish colored sandstone walls and towers loom in the distance as you approach, and they only get bigger, bigger, and bigger. There is an endless amount of climbing to be done, so be prepared and don't let it overwhelm you.

My recommendation for camping is to take a left on Hwy 128 just after you cross the Colorado on your way into Moab. Roughly 7 miles up the road will be Big Bend Campground. It is a BLM maintained camp ground and is very nice as well as reasonably priced $10/night. It is conveniently located in the middle of the majority of climbing locations. Castleton Tower is about 10 miles further up the river, and Wall Street is about 10 miles the other direction. The added bonus to Big Bend Campground is the bouldering (Big Bend Boulders in the guide books) is right across the street. Big Bend Boulders is a phenomenal place to bolder and following suite to all of Moab has some very challenging routes.







For climbing there isn't a much cooler place the Wall Street (aka Potash Road). It also offers an assortment of climbing level's including a few top-rope options. All the belaying could be done from the roof of you Winnebago with the tunes bumping. Just make sure you don't deck out on the hood. Beyond Wall Street, if you can climb 5.12 and have a lot of gear then you will be in heaven because the options are almost endless and only stifled by your physical ability and gear budget.




Water! It is the dessert after all, so you will need and consume a lot of water. There is a natural spring on the right hand side of the Hwy 128 when you turn off for Big Bend. It's the water that all the outfitters and who's-who's use. Drink at your own risk and if your paranoid filter it.



While your in town there is a nice laundromat, grocery store, and hostel (lazy lizard) if you don't want to camp. Also, be sure to go into Pagan Mountaineering while your there. The staff is a great resource, and they carry some pretty cool stuff too.



Whatever you do, do not poach camping. The area is patrolled heavily, and they will issue you or your group a ticket. Which, speaking from experience, is not the best way to start your morning.

Lost Rocks

Stemming from the inspiration of my last post about Lost Rocks and the fact that I hadn't been there in a couple years a crew of us adventured back to the epic land of boulders. There is something completely awesome about climbing on the beach. I don't know if it is the salt in the air, the gigantic waves crashing on the beach, rotting sea life carcasses, or the insanely good bouldering problems that makes this my favorite bouldering spot.



This trip we ended up camping in a turnout the first night. It was a perfect little campsite, and we quickly worked through setting up and eating so we could get some rest. We were up early so again we made quick work of eating and tearing down camp. We were hiking into the bouldering area by 9 am.



There beach has changed a lot in the 3 years since I was there, and a problem that I had been eager to work on again was no longer climbable. Which was a little disappointing, but also forced me to explore more climbs. We climbed hard for the morning and around lunch time decided to hike out so we could eat and get our camping equipment and camp on the beach.



Night two was an awesome night camping right on the beach, watching the sunset, playing card games, campfire, and meeting new friends. We were not moving nearly as quickly the next morning though. The long day left us stiff and tired. After slowly getting out of our sleeping bags, eating breakfast, and stretching we set out for some more climbing. One route in particular that Mimi and I had been working on was at the top of the list.





After making quick work of the problem that had eluded us the day before we decided to leave on a high note. Milkshakes were on our minds and we stopped as quickly as we could to indulge cravings. We ended up gorging ourselves before waddling back into the car and voyaging home. Luckily we made it home just in time for dinner!








A few lagistical updates: #1 The drive from Ashland takes almost exactly 3 hours no matter how you roll the dice. #2 The turnout on the right that has the trail head is the Flint Ridge Trail head. The Flint Ridge trail is on the left of the road, follow the trail down the beach. #3 Wear proper shoes. Fling hike in and scramble along the beach will be made much easier with a good pair of approach shoes.