It was Thursday which is usually a work day for Dan. We had planned to take a rest day but his meetings were done early and he had time for an afternoon climb.
We decided to try a route we had looked at the day we climbed at Bear Island.
Mustang Ranch is a climbing area near Bear Island. It is a popular place for people who cannot lead and want to set up top ropes. You can scramble up fairly easily from the side.
We had our eye on a 5.6 called Chicken Ranch. It looked pretty straightforward and I wanted to lead it without trying it on top rope first.
But today was Dan’s turn for first lead.
We parked at the Boy Scout Trail trailhead parking lot and hiked the trail to the turn-off for Mustang Ranch. It takes about 15 – 20 minutes to hike to the climb.
This is the approach trail coming from Boy Scout Trail.
Mustang Ranch is the rock formation on the left.
The walk-up is accessed from the trail just a bit further in, through the big boulders.
The climbs are around the corner further down the trail on the rock wall on the left.
I was happy to see there was no one there. We got set up at the bottom and Dan planned his lead.
He led smoothly although in places it was challenging to find good holds. At the top, he built an anchor and then I lowered him.
My Climb – First Attempt
I was excited to try it. But after I got up a little way and placed the first piece of gear, I was stumped. I could not see any good footholds and I didn’t feel like my hands could hold me if I tried to walk up the rock face (smear).
I stood there, stuck. Dan suggested I try to place another piece, a bit higher, and then I might feel a bit more protected to try a daring move.
I decided to try it. I got up a bit further but there still seemed to be a big blank space in front of me. I couldn’t see how I would climb it. I asked Dan to lower me.
On the ground, Dan asked if I wanted him to walk around and set up a top rope so I could try the moves on top rope. I said yes.
I was a bit frustrated but I was still mentally tired from my big lead of Lava Lamp the day before. I decided to cut myself some slack and just climb on top rope.
But before I untied from the rope, I looked up at the climb again. I could see some holds that perhaps I had overlooked in nervous moments while I was up there. I decided to try it again and I asked Dan to put me back on belay.
My Climb – Second Attempt
I climbed the bottom part more easily, having done it before and having two pieces already clipped above me.
When I got to the difficult part, I was more calm and rested. I moved my left foot out onto a flake of rock behind me that I hadn’t thought to use before. This gave me the stability to move up.
I got past the difficult section and then I found my rhythm. It wasn’t easy climbing but I was able to relax and allow my body to find the holds and the movements to get me up the climb.
The climbs at Mustang Ranch are shorter but it felt like enough. I was happy to be on top and even though I didn’t lead it as confidently as I would have liked, I ended up leading to the top. I counted it as a victory.
At the top, I checked out Dan’s anchor. There was a large boulder and a gap in the rock near it. He created a solid anchor by slinging cordelette around the boulder and through the gap. I lowered and cleaned my gear.
Dan hiked up and cleaned the anchor and we called it a day.
It was the hardest climb either of us had led so far and I felt really good that I had eventually made it to the top on lead.
Beta:
- Mustang Ranch is just off the Boy Scout Trail. There is a sign on the main trail pointing out the side trail to Mustang Ranch. The climb is on the first rock formation you come to. A smaller formation is on the right. Walk between the two rock formations to find the climb on your left, on the higher wall.
- It takes about 15 – 20 minutes to walk to the climb.
- There are no bolts, you must place gear and build a natural feature anchor.
- There is a good boulder at the top to build an anchor.
- You can walk up to set up top ropes. The walk-up is pretty easy by Joshua Tree standards. Little scrambling, mostly walking.
Return to Joshua Tree
Find more moderate trad climbs or plan your trip
Leave a Reply