We awoke to much cooler temperatures and a beautiful morning. The breeze was still blowing, and I wasn’t drenched in sweat. We loaded up to try to beat the crowds to the crag. I guess the heat scared everyone away. If you look in the lower lefthand corner of the picture below, you will see PB&J all alone beside the outhouse.
I forgot to mention Newspaper Rock yesterday. As you enter Bear’s Ears National Monument, which includes Indian Creek, you pass Newspaper Rock. The petroglyphs are cool to look at. It’s a shame that bozos in our day have added their graffiti.
Maddie had chosen to climb at one of the most popular areas at Indian Creek: the Super Crack Buttress. Most of the climbing in this area falls into the traditional climbing discipline. The Wingate sandstone has splitter cracks that can run a few hundred feet without changing width much. The wall surrounding the cracks is smooth and mostly void of deformities. To climb here, you must jam both your hands and feet in the crack.
No, that’s not a metal skirt that Maddie has on. The cracks here are parallel, and you need several of the same size cams to protect the climbs.
Here are a few pictures of Maddie on a climb called: Twin Cracks.
Before the sun hit the crag and baked us, we decided to go to Canyonlands National Park. To enter the southeast third of the Park which is called the Needles area, you have to drive through Indian Creek. This area isn’t visited as much as the northern third of the Park which is called the Island in the Sky. Just like in the other parts of this Park, there are cool rock formations all over the place.
By the time we made it to the park, the temperature had risen to the high nineties. We hiked in a couple of spots before deciding that we had had enough of the heat. We didn’t have the ten-mile round trip hike to the confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers in us. I encourage you to look for a picture of this on the internet. It is really cool to see the green water and the brown water run side by side before forming one river.
We had enough of the 100+ degree heat, so we headed to Ouray, Colorado. There are a few things that we want to do in the area. Ouray is a bustling little town in the middle of steep mountains. I can’t emphasize enough how steep things are around here. They call the area the Switzerland of America. People were everywhere. Main Street was full, but Maddie was able to find a parking spot. We hit a few shops before heading up the mountain.
We plan to do a tough hike in the morning, so we drove up an off-road trail that takes us to the trailhead. We couldn’t camp there, but we wanted to make sure the road was in good condition before heading up early in the morning.
This place is amazing! After driving through several snowmelt streams that crossed the trail, we made it to the trailhead. We expect it to be full in the morning with it being Saturday. We headed back down to find a campsite. Being the weekend, everything was full.
I decided to ask the campground attendant if he had any suggestions before I drove thirty to forty minutes across town to the dispersed camping areas. I knocked on his camper and said, “I’m sorry to bother you.” He opened the door and asked where he knew me from. I said that I’m from South Carolina. He said, “That’s strange; you look familiar.” After chatting for a few minutes, I told him our dilemma. He said that we could break/bend the rules for one night. He allowed us to park the Jeep in front of his campsite. The picture below was our view from the back of the Jeep.
The water in one of our dromedary bags was still warm from our time in Utah, so I hung it from an Aspen tree and had a quick shower before bed. Cars were parked everywhere as night fell.
God has been so good to us on this trip. He has kept us safe. He has placed wonderful people in our path. I pray that those we have come in contact with have recognized Him living in and through us for His glory.
Proverbs 4:25-27 25 Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. 26 Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. 27 Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil.
I wish that I could say that these verses always describe me. When we seek to please God with all that we have, this includes our thoughts, our speech, our actions, and reactions, we will see and act differently. We will be more patient and have more love for others than when we are focused on ourselves. Please pray that I will not be selfish on this trip.
Because He Calls, Old Climbing Dad
oldclimbingdad.com 
One response to “Time to Move Again”
So glad you guys are out of that terrible heat in Utah. Enjoy God’s artistry in the splendor of the Colorado mountains – and the cooler temperature. Praying God’s blessings on you both 💗.
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