We woke up a little later than usual on our last morning and headed back into the park. Luckily, we did not have any problems getting a parking spot still. We got our lunch and gear and hopped on the shuttle to the Zion Lodge. We planned to climb a small tower just behind the lodge. We kind of had to bushwhack it over to the tower as there were no real discernible trails going to where we needed to go except some overgrown game trails that climbers sometimes used. As we got into the undergrowth, we happened upon exactly four walking sticks lying in the dirt just waiting for us. We assumed that it was left by some foreign tourists who used them while visiting the park and abandoned them when they were done. We found them very useful and were thankful for them as we headed up through the bushes into the rocky, uneven terrain.
Our first Zion climb was to be up a nondescript tower on a route called Lodge Tower (5.5). Initially, it looked a little sketchy because although there was a bolt near the start, there was no hanger and it was not easy to find places to put initial pieces of protection. But it ended up to be pretty fun, if a little short.
When we were done, Christian wanted to try something a bit more challenging. We headed over to find a climb called Carol's Crack (5.7+). It took a lot of big gear and at some point, we ran out. Christian had ran out the pitch but still could not finish the route with what gear we brought and since there was a difficult off width up there, he was pretty exhausted. He had to come back down. When we tried to pull the rope, it got stuck on a piece of gear and Christian had to climb back up using the other end of the rope (as we had only brought one rope). He then had to go find the descent route and work his way up that, get to the top, fix an anchor and rappel back down to clean his gear so that we would not have to leave any gear behind.
The descent route was pretty sketchy. Then, as he was cleaning his gear, one of the pieces got stuck and he had a hard time retrieving it but we were able to recover all our pieces in the end. It was quite an ordeal. After all that, he had to climb back up the descent route once again to clean his anchor. On his way back down, he stepped onto a huge slab which started sliding precariously down the hill as if it was perched on thousands of marbles. Luckily, the rope he was carrying got snagged on some shrubs which kept him from falling to his death on the slab. We were back at the belay area, none the wiser. We did not hear or see anything. It was probably the scariest experience we have had rock climbing thus far...except we were not exactly even climbing at the time!
It was scorching hot and we were sufficiently traumatized to want to head directly home. On our way out of Utah, we stopped by for dinner at an Albertos. I swear it was one of the best tasting burritos that we have ever have. When you are out climbing, your body wants a lot of protein. When we are out camping for a while, any hot meal is pretty satisfying so the giant carne asada burritos felt like they were heaven sent.
We drove home into the night as usual and arrived home safe and sound in the wee hours of the morning, ready for a nice cleansing shower and a soft bed.
The descent route was pretty sketchy. Then, as he was cleaning his gear, one of the pieces got stuck and he had a hard time retrieving it but we were able to recover all our pieces in the end. It was quite an ordeal. After all that, he had to climb back up the descent route once again to clean his anchor. On his way back down, he stepped onto a huge slab which started sliding precariously down the hill as if it was perched on thousands of marbles. Luckily, the rope he was carrying got snagged on some shrubs which kept him from falling to his death on the slab. We were back at the belay area, none the wiser. We did not hear or see anything. It was probably the scariest experience we have had rock climbing thus far...except we were not exactly even climbing at the time!
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