I have a cold and my nose is running like a faucet, but our friend Justin wants to climb again, and somehow a few routes at Chuckawalla still sound good. Justin leads his first climb after a practice run on toprope and we move our rope left to toprope the next three. Ann and I are relieved when Justin finally falls on the last route – we were starting to wonder if he might just be too good for us out of the gate. Some guys with curly hair, reflective shades, jeans, and no shirts lend a 70’s vibe to the scene. My nose feels better while we’re climbing, then starts running again as soon as we head back to the truck.

Groovin at Chuckawalla