Trip Report: Rock Climb - City of Rocks
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Rock Climb - City of Rocks By Steph Stamm |
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| CLIMBING | 08/07/2025 | MOD- |
| Many folks questioned the wisdom of an early August trip to the City of Rocks as Salt Lake was still seeing 100 degree temperatures. Thankfully, the weather gods took pity on us and delivered surprisingly cooler temps, dry skies, and climbing conditions so good it almost felt suspicious. The fire ban, however, meant no campfires - and since many of us had left our warmer layers at home, evenings ended early despite Paul G heroically hauling in what seemed like a cord of cherry wood (and then hauling it all back out again). The climbing gods were equally generous, blessing us with astoundingly empty crags. On Friday, a crew headed to Castle Rocks to sample the main attraction: Big Time, a multi-pitch sport route with so many bolts and anchors that you can choose your own adventure on how to pitch out the climb.Afterward, we refueled at Rock City with pizza and beer as wescoured Mountain Project for our next send. We then capped off the day at Elephant Rock, ticking off ultra-classics like Wheat Thin, Rye Crisp, and Strawberry Fields. Meanwhile, another group made for Flaming Rock on Thursday, where Rain Dance and Tribal Boundaries went down in style. Saturday saw a split mission. One team ventured to the far-flung Steinfell's Dome to take on Sinocranium, while others tore it up at Decadent Wall on Carol's Crack and Adolescent Homo before wandering to Bloody Fingers Corridor. There, we staged a siege on Bloody Fingers withNathan putting in the opening effort, Steph finishing it off, and Lawrence casually flashing the whole thing like it was a warm-up. Back at camp for the potluck, Chuck and Michael saved the fire-free night by breaking out their camper oven to reheat pre-cooked ribs. So many ribs, in fact, that the dogs got their share too. The potluck turned into a feast of pork, delicious sides, and copious adult beverages. A meteor shower was promised that night, but with a big full moon overhead, most of us saw more moonlight than meteors. On Sunday, we made one last push. Some headed back to Steinfell's for another round with Sinocranium, while others ran up Cruel Shoes on Stripe Rock. It was the perfect capstone on a weekend of great sends in the City. In the end, we had just the right mix of folks, stoke, and ability levels. Everyone got a chance to push themselves, cheer each other on, and walk away a little stronger. |
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