After four days in Santa Fe, we put our new lifestyle to the test by taking our home up into the hills for a long weekend of climbing. We leave Thursday evening when Ann gets off work. The drive in with the camper turns out to be pretty stressful due to many low tree branches.…

The first order of business this weekend is to get our home moved to Santa Fe, but we figure we can mix in a little climbing too. I meet Ann on the night of my last day of work at Cedar Rail RV Park & Campground, where the owners have fed Ann dinner while she…

Sean pulls himself out of bed at an unspeakable hour to make a 7:30 (make that 7:45) am meeting with Doug and myself. Liz is attending a wedding in New Hampshire, but has left us men a giant carrot cake packed with goodies that helps to fortify lonesome souls for a day of climbing. Clare…

Clare and Dennis come up for Clare’s birthday, and accompany me to Vedauwoo on a warm bluebird Sunday for some big crack climbing. The Holy Saturday formation provides the goods. We only hit two climbs, but they provide plenty of material: Hideaway Chimney 5.5 is nice and long, incredibly varied, and holds plenty of surprises…

A group of climbing friends and acquaintances enjoy a day of Vedauwoo adventure together at the Jurassic Park wall. The day’s routes: Lawyer on the Toilet 5.8 – my only lead, one or two good offwidth moves. Get Up That Tree 5.8 – climb the scary chockstones. Rowdy Joe Bad 11b – cranky slab on…

Ann has been in Sante Fe a month now. I’ve spent much of that month looking forward to meeting her this weekend in Penitente Canyon. It takes about 3 seconds after I arrive Saturday morning to sink into a blissful reunion. We spend some hiking and climbing in cool but pleasant weather, and the next…

I join Kate, Mark, and Sean at Buttonrock for the mostly blissfully warm and sunny climbing day so far this season. A day out that is warm and sunny all day long. BLISS. My routes: Green Slab 5.9+ I try to warm up on this, and take a pretty good fall! A reminder that the…

For our last day we decide to try a few more routes at Potash Road. The most exciting part of the day comes just after parking. We’re between the river and the road, and as I’m leaving the camper, T-Rex darts out. I panic, yell at Ann to grab him, she panics, dives, skins her…

Today we leave the Needles district, get a Moab climbing guidebook, and decide to check out Potash Road. It’s the perfect place to find a little gentle introduction to climbing on Navajo sandstone. After a fun, warm exploration we continue to the Island in the Sky district to spend the night. Slides: Our routes: She-la…

The forecast has been promising temps up to 70°F for days, and we join a small horde of sun-greedy climbers looking for warm moves at The Palace. The first move is the river crossing, as always. We find it still frozen, although the size of the ice bridge has decreased significantly since my last visit.…