Mark and Kate pull in after dark, and in the morning we haul our gear up Little Horse Mesa for some warm, sunny, blissful late summer climbing. I lead all the routes we climbed on toprope on our last trip here, and a couple more. It all feels easy and good, and it’s great hanging…

It’s our first visit to this small climbing area in Carson National Forest. We find a nice place to park the camper among some aspen by the Comales Canyon trailhead. The canyon has a number of quartz-rich granite walls on the east side, of which one small steep and easily accessed wall has been developed…

We had neglected this area in the back of our book, so we decide to go investigate it. Not sure how much time we have, we go for the main crag right on the road. I’m surprised how good this little granite playground is! Routes: Rejuvenating Facial 5.9+ A slopey lieback right off the ground…

Sean is here! We’re eager to show him some picturesque desert climbing, so we take him to the Gallow’s Edge (friendlier than it sounds!), a cliff overlooking the Rio Grande outside of White Rock. It’s a clear day, just a little too hot in the sun. We find the climbing is fine if we can…

The forecast is for a 50-60% chance of rain all weekend, so we do our best to start early when see clear skies in the morning. This is our first time to the traditional area at El Rito. It appears to be used far more lightly than the sport area. The approach from the forest…