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[TR] Sea of Cortez - Bird Doop 1/5/2016


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Trip: Sea of Cortez - Bird Doop

 

Date: 1/5/2016

 

Trip Report:

There is an island about a mile and a half from the beach I'm on. It is about 300 yards long and 100 yards wide. I left in my Kayak for a different destination further out. I had to piss and there was some annoying trash at the top of the island. So I say to myself; Self, you can beach the kayak, take a piss and clean up the trash. It sounds like the right thing to do!

 

This island is sea beaten. It has a small cliff all the way around it with one small rock beach on the West side and a tiny sand beach on the East side. I approach from the East. I beach the boat. The tide is coming in, But I am not going to be here for long so I don't pull the boat up very far. Take my piss, take off my life vest and look at the twenty five foot wall in front of me. I assume the rock is loose the landing is sub-optimal but I see a stairway. Some what over hanging in parts but it looks like 5.3 - loose. I want to clean up the trash at the top. It seems like the right thing to do!

 

I start up in in my Teva's. It was loose, about what I expected. What I did not factor was all of the bird poop. It is some greasy shit!!! Slime like you would not believe. So I am going to have to rate this Bird Doop 5.10b-d+. I get to the top throw the trash off of the cliff to my kayak and start pondering the decent. My Teva's were so coated by this point that I had slipped on the top, not paying attention, and bruised my right palm as a consequence. I am thinking that the decent might be above my skill set. I walk all around the island.The west side has an easy approach to the water. I decide to just "Man Up" and down climb to my boat. It seems like the only choice. I decide that the best decision is to go au natural and I toss my Teva's down so that I can start with clean feet. That was the wrong thing to do!

 

I twist around and lower my feet onto a couple of marginal holds, lean out a bit to look for the next move and my main hand hold pulls free! I scramble back up and realize that Even with all of the times I have survived Yosimite, the Cascades and the Andes; I could actually die here. I am over a mile from shore, the tide will take my boat soon, my water and food are in the boat, if I jump it will hurt and I will probably break something. What now??? Dear prudence says don't down climb the cliff. So, bare foot, I cross the island, get into the water and semi traverse climb and semi wade over sharp rocks around the island. Tortured feet, crashing waves and lurking sea urchins. I was so happy to see my boat still beached.

 

Here is the island https://www.google.com/maps/place/83040+San+Carlos+Nuevo+Guaymas,+Sonora,+Mexico/@27.9341815,-110.9919372,360m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x86ce85bbf683a47f:0x6572657d71023c5

 

How was your day?

 

Gear Notes:

none to speak of

 

Approach Notes:

water

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just did an ocean adventure and was wondering if the cascade climber overlords would look down on a write-up - reckon i've got less of an excuse not to now :)

 

good to see yer still alive and drawing breath, ole boy - ain't much to choose between frozen cold fuck'n mountains n' sunny n' warm water, eh? :)

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well, part of it involves getting clocked in the head by a main-sail yard about as hard as a human bean can get hit w/o dying forth-with, so frankly i'm having a bit of a hard-time trying to recollect any of the details - gotta give it a few days and see what can emerge from the grey-fog :)

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You need to start wearing a gopro when doing that stuff buddy, we'd all like to ride along! Glad to see you survived and came to tell us a story! I made an ascent of Los Tetas de Cabra in that vicinity about a brazillian years ago, pretty striking area, but not noted for rock quality.

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"Los Tetas de Cabra" .....Goat tits! TeteKawa; I think is the given name if we are talking about the same bump.

 

Hey brother, I have been up it a few times. I've never been to the top of the finger spike. I did not have gear and I don't know if there is a rappel anchor at the top.

 

Did you climb the spike? It looks like 5.6/7 (wide fist jamb, about 30 feet with a very bad landing) if I remember correctly.

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/San+Carlos+Nuevo+Guaymas,+Sonora,+Mexico/@27.952265,-111.044947,3a,75y,90t/data=!3m8!1e2!3m6!1s75637624!2e1!3e10!6s%2F%2Flh4.googleusercontent.com%2Fproxy%2FqFOFLo2aG223oCmDes2GgEAP5D3Cz610TMep8tQdFTqAo0BD7NkxgbStvEBQyHJIPQWB0pifF3ysbGd-gIaNJWuWQQo5lQ%3Dw203-h134!7i3008!8i2000!4m2!3m1!1s0x86ce85bbf683a47f:0x6572657d71023c5

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