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| Pausing before launching into the upper headwall of There Will Be Blood photo Blake McCord |
Our individual development and
progression as climbers is shaped by a number of experiences; road trips to new
areas, influential partners, and challenging and memorable routes. Perhaps more important than any milestone
route or long-anticipated climbing trip to the development of a climber is the
area in which the climber learns, the home crag.
My home crag is not where I learned
to climb or the most convenient or popular local hangout or after-work outdoor
gym. Rather it is the area that formed
me as the climber, where I developed and tested my sense of ethics, cultured my
climbing style, and built my confidence.
This crag is home to snakes, hornets, and poison ivy. It may hold the title as the rockfall capitol
of Arizona. My home crag is the Oak
Creek Waterfall.
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| Matt Swartz considering his options on Walking Far From Home photo Joel Unema |
The volume of wild and
life-directing experiences I personally have had at the Waterfall is more than
enough for several blog posts, and more accounts of what I have learned from
this beautiful place are in the works.
At the moment, I am reflecting on the beauty and depth of that place
after achieving one of my major climbing goals in Flagstaff .
Last week Friday I made one more hike up to the Waterfall and repeated
two routes, the last two on the long list of established routes at the
Waterfall. After three seasons climbing
at the Waterfall, I had climbed every established route, somewhere around 100
total including around 40 5.11’s, 30 5.12’s, and two 5.13’s. In the last year I had the privilege of
adding a few of my own routes to the area, although my first foray into new
routes may have been an Accident.
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| Carrie, somehow putting up with my poor choices in f |
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| Darren took the 2:30am shift on my birthday challenge in 2012. A truly special morning with a great friend. |
Ever since I really sunk my teeth
into the meat of the climbing at the Waterfall, the back of my mind was occupied
by the thought that maybe I could climb everything there! The last major hurdle in my path to finishing
each climb was the unrepeated and much-discussed Sweet Dreams. Established by Dan Foster and attempted by a
few very gifted and bold climbers, this 115 foot overhung stemming problem had
somehow eluded its suitors. Rumors
circulated about the tiny gear, the insecure climbing, and the difficulty of
the moves, especially for tall climbers.
Earlier this spring Dave Bloom and I decided to see what all the talk
was about. We managed to traverse in and
hang a rope over the climb. While I had
stuck with a ground-up ethic in repeating all other routes here, the lack of
traffic and quality of the gear led us to inspect the climb from the top. It was plenty dirty, and the gear was thin,
but the climbing was exceptional and the tiny gear better than advertised. After working out the moves, digging dirt out
of lowe-ball placements, and dialing in the rack, I managed to wiggle in the
00’s, sliders, and 000’s that protected the entire 40’ crux section and send on
my first lead attempt. Sweet Dreams
posed a unique challenge among the climbs I had repeated, a mental challenge,
and it was a beautiful climb to mark the consummation of my relationship with
the Waterfall.
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| Alex K on the FA of Walking Far From Home photo Joel Unema |
There are many people to thank for
making the Waterfall the world-class crag that it is today. Tim Toula, John Gault, Darren Singer, Daniel Miller,
Jason Keith, Dan Foster, and Eric Meundt all played a part in the early phases
of development, before I ever climbed at the Waterfall. JJ
Schlick, Wade Forrest, James Q Martin, David Bloom, Matt Swartz, and John
Crawley picked up the baton and made it into the exceptional crag it is today.
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| Joel Unema stemming the low crux on the FFA of Walking Far From Home photo Alex Kirkpatrick |
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