[TR] Rouge Rox - The Vernal Voyage 4/8/2017

[ivan]

Trip: Rouge Rox - The Vernal Voyage

 

Date: 4/8/2017

 

Trip Report:

friday night frazzled as the work suddenly was set to reverse and i rambled towards the airport drunk as a lord and heavy-set to suss something out of this civilized existence before babylon burns down to the ground

 

geoff n' the great big gawdamn gut-laff for the whole week - busting loose w/ bullshit at all hours - the desert well after dawn most days - the afghan death-loop at serious tortoise-killing speed - the dance of the drones near dark by icebox canyon

 

crushed by sun, we seek the balm of the dark and sometimes find it - a regular pattern set, wake up n' binge a bit on the way in, searching all along for coffee n' breakfast n' what-not - do the thing, then saunter on back for more beers n' bad-tv n' a needlessly sultry thermostat

 

day 1 - group therapy - getting our desert feet wet, we stumble-fuck down the long incline n' tangle w/ the new-fangled forest of the wasteland - fun n' games this day, until reaching the squeeze chimney near the top and rue the packs we bore - back in town we banter w/ the air b'n'b folk n' booze n' enjoy the High Life

 

day 2 - cookie monster - the sun scorched me this day, indifferent as i was to my bastard status as the son of the north-west, wandering inadvisably out w/o sunscreen - we spent a good long while hem'n n' haw'n trying to sort out the start of the route, but get it figured in the end - a fun route, really, though it seemed improbable at first - we top out after some drama n' shoot down the cat n' the hat, me cowering in the shade wherever i can - back in town i glow w/ desert heat, even as we soak in the hot tub to return marrow to the bones

 

day 3 - dark shadows - shockingly burnt, i bespoke meself in true lawrence of arabia style n' shamble out along the short trail to suck up the shade in the depths of pine canyon - a long conga line already established, we linger n' drink beers n' smoke all kinds of things n' enjoy the ducks n' general dimness - later on pitch 3 i lament like a little bitch at my lack of double cams (and general climbing skillz), crying n' cussing - then on p4 the skies open and it hails n' rains n' ruins everything, though geoff soldiers through and i manage to follow even as the storm surges - back on the ground the sun comes back n' we banter w/ cornell scientists w/ curious conversational styles - i reckon i gotta understand ferra-dynamics better if i'm gonna hold up my end in the future

 

day 4 - bitch-slapped by the disappearing buttress - we wandered off the beaten path, out into the true desert, well off the afghan death-loop, seeking solace from the crowds and feeling capable of taking on the sun once more - a weird walk across the cactus clustered wasteland, cursing at every species of fuck-you our lord n' father saw fit to construct - eventually on route, things quickly soured, as the lack of crowds means the lack of a chalk highway, n' after a pitch n' a half it got shitty-shitty n' we felt compelled to call it all off n' go cruise the strip, sucking down beers n' chuckling at the electric-sensimilla suppurating through the heartland of donald trump's amerikkka - fukit, at least i got some white castles out of it

 

day 5 - hop route n' fold out - my first venture into the icebox canyon, once again shade-bound - geoff gets the fun-ness of the first pitch of the hop route, n' later i get the goodness of the 2nd pitch of fold-out - a geriatric crew of true impressives comes up in the midst of it all - we binge on fawk'n baja-fresh this eve, n' bath in the hot-wash n' holler at the waxing moon

 

day 6 - spiderline n' ragged edges - another new area for me, that being willow springs - our intent was a sleep-in n' a slow start (5 minute approaches also featured big-league into the scenario) - we start on the outhouse wall n' i whine at the wackiness of the 2nd part, later savoring the shade n' bouldering a bit back in the sunless parts - then we wander across the way n' get involved in the crazy crowds at the base of ragged edges before bounding up the route, me ballyhooing once again in my fear on the 2nd pitch - binge n' purged on panda express this evening and had another good soak

 

day 7 - dodgeball - our last day in the desert, we seek something a bit bigger in the first creek canyon - raging wind just after dawn, we doubt our wisdom, loitering badly by the trailhead n' trying to pretend this shit ain't happening - doomed we doodle on down the way, though of course we must get good n' lost here and there before arriving at the right place - a fun climb this one, w/ a fun descent as well - i holler n' hell-yeah here and there - down before dark, we savor a windy shuffle out through the desert at dusk, soaking up the sin of the week n' preparing to accept the awfulness of a 4 a.m. wakeup the next morning

 

chapped, cut, bruised and blown, i babble n' bluster and return home to my humble hovel half-past 8 a.m., determined to drink out the tail-end of this vernal vacation n' hope my wounded bits recover before the rude journey to june kicks off

 

sure would be nice to have them thare red rox in my own backyard...

 

[geoff]

Good times at Kamila's air bnb in Summerlin and Hamo's Ford Escape on Turo was a good rental vehicle for the trip.

 

A couple of days living with Sickboy had us thinking about T2 and Begbie quotes.

 

Theme song for the trip.

 

Can't miss Cappos for some great Italian food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[OlympicMtnBoy]

Wait, I didn't think those were aid routes? You weren't tryin to free climb now were ya? Hehe! ;-)

[ivan]

oh, i think our aid-climbing experience got used a bit too...

[geoff]

Hey, those routes were tbh man.