We decided to try some moderate climbs out at the Indian Cove Campground. Last year, we drove around the campground, looking at all the climbing areas, but it was so busy there, we couldn’t get on any climbs.

This year, we chose a week day, not a weekend, to go to this area.

We drove first to Hodge Podge Wall in the group camping area. The campsite in front of the wall was full of people.  Also, there was a climber on the wall already so we decided to try our back-up, Morbid Mound.

The parking for Morbid Mound is along the side of the road at the turn-off for the group campground.  There were no other cars there so we parked, optimistic that we would get to climb there.

It’s a short walk from the road to the rock formation.  The trail is wide and well-defined. We were lucky to get a blue sky day with little wind. The sun was hot already as we approached the rock.

The climbs are located around the side to the right. They get lots of sunshine most of the day. When we came around the formation, we were happy to see that no one was there. We had the entire place to ourselves.

The sun in Joshua Tree seems more intense than it is at home in the Canadian Rockies.  As we unpacked and set up, I could feel the sun heating up the skin on my bare arms. I was glad I had a long-sleeved shirt to put on.

Hillside Strangler – 5.4

I moved up a bit but there were not a lot of hand or footholds.  It was confusing. A 5.4 with no holds.  I felt like I was missing something.  Try as I might, I could not find the holds I needed to move up.

I removed the cam and climbed back down.

I told Dan I didn’t want to lead it.  He decided to give it a try.  He tied in and was soon moving up the chimney.  It was a struggle but he managed to place gear and safely climb to the top.

He made a top rope anchor using a boulder at the top.

I climbed it on top rope and I was happy I had decided not to lead it.  The moves were awkward and it was so hard to find good holds.

Flies on the Wound – 5.7

When I got to the top of the 5.4 chimney, I shifted the anchor around so it hung down the top of the 5.7.  I lowered over the 5.7, looking at the climb as I descended.  I was excited to try it.  

Dan got on the 5.7 first and enjoyed the movement.  I tried it next and I was surprised that it felt a bit overhanging at the crux.  I hadn’t noticed how steep it was before I started climbing.

It is a short climb and there are only a few strenuous moves at the 5.7 grade.  The rest flows nicely up through the plates.

Be Wary – 5.3

This time, I got a good start and placed a couple of pieces of gear before I ran into trouble.  A lack of holds was not as problematic on this climb because most of it was not as steep. 

Near the top, the climb got steeper and I had a moment where my foot was stuck in the crack.  Being on lead, I didn’t want to jerk back too hard and risk coming off.  I tried wiggling the foot forward and back, side to side.  I struggled to find a way to take the weight completely off the stuck foot so I could free it safely.

By the time I finally worked my foot out of the crack, I was very frustrated .  I made it to the top and sat down for a few minutes to take some deep breaths and let my mind settle down. 

Then I started to think about building an anchor to rappel down.  There was a large boulder near the top on a ledge to the right.  I had enough gear to build a new anchor there but I wasn’t too far from the anchor we had set up earlier above the 5.4 chimney.  

I decided to extend the existing anchor, attaching slings and cordelettes to bring it over to the top of my climb.

This all seemed to take a very long time.  I think my mind was tired from the climb and the battle with the crack and I double checked and triple checked everything I did at the top.

Finally, I lowered down and cleaned my gear.  Dan went up on lead and made it look much easier.  

Flies on the Wound – 5.7

He decided he wanted to climb the 5.7 again and I thought that was a great idea.  Of the three climbs we had done at that crag, I enjoyed the 5.7 the most.

Dan swung the anchor back over so that it hung down above the 5.7.  As I lowered him, he stopped to place gear around the crux section of the 5.7.  When he got to the ground, he pulled the rope and climbed on lead, clipping the pre-placed gear so he was confident he could climb safely through the crux.

Then he brought me up and I cleaned the gear.  It was even more enjoyable to climb the 5.7 the second time.  I struggled to remove the gear while holding on with one hand in the crux section but I enjoyed the challenge.

At the top, we removed the anchor, tossed the rope down and walked off the back. 

As we drove back to the house, we discussed the day.  At first I was disappointed with how I had climbed.  I wasn’t able to lead the first chimney and the 5.3 was such a struggle for me.  I thought I should have climbed it a lot more easily.

How could the 5.4 and the 5.3 be rated so much easier than the 5.7 which I felt was the more straightforward climb?  

When we got back to the house, we put on some YouTube videos about how to climb cracks.  I started to learn about how to place your feet in cracks and use the crack for solid foot placements so you don’t need footholds.  Also how to place them so that they don’t get stuck!

I learned different ways to jam – hands, fingers, fists.  There are so many different ways to configure your hand to fit solidly into a crack.  No need for handholds.  This was a big eye-opener for me. 

I was excited to go crack climbing again and try out these techniques.