On Tuesday (March 19, 2024), we went ice climbing. Or rather, we tried to go ice climbing. We hiked up the creek towards Step Right Up, a climb near Banff we’ve done in prior years. Usually, the creek is so frozen over and covered with snow, that it’s hard to tell if any water is running underneath.

This day, the creek was exposed and swollen with spring melt water. We should have guessed that the ice wouldn’t be climbable.

But we needed to be sure. We didn’t want to miss out on a potential ice climbing day so we hiked all the way in.

The ice climb had a waterfall running through the middle of it and not enough ice left on either side to convince us it would be safe to climb. We realized the ice season was on the decline.

Other south-facing climbs were already gone and we noticed a lot of running water coming down from the south faces.  We figured the south-facing climbs on our list were fading away to the point where we would not want to climb them anymore.

There were still some north-facing climbs that were in, according to the Facebook folks.  However, we believed that our chances of hiking in to a successful ice climb were diminishing.  It was time to switch to rock climbing.

Alas, the weather was turning cold and there was a heavy snowfall warning in effect for the area.  The forecast cold would not be enough to help the decaying ice and the snow would just bury the problems. 

Rock climbing is not fun when the holds are full of snow. 

No good options.

What to do?  Leave, of course.  There are places in the world where it is warm enough and pleasant enough to climb rock.  But where to go?

Joshua Tree, California

How about a return to Joshua Tree?  That area of California is done with winter and fully into spring weather.  Climbing will be nice there.  

Also, I have a lot of unfinished business in Joshua Tree.  I had struggles and challenges during our 2023 trip there which were never resolved.

At home, we logged in to Expedia and VRBO and quickly booked our trip. By Friday afternoon (March 22, 2024) we were in Joshua Tree, having a beer at the saloon, planning our first climbing day.

I will post beta from our climbs and descriptions of our adventures. I am excited to practice leading on trad gear and I will share all of this on the Joshua Tree Rock Climbing page.