ONSIGHT NORTH AMERICA
After 8,593 miles, 3 months, 2 countries, 9 states,
14 CRAGs, and 222 pitches, we’re DONE!
Here I find myself. Age 25. After a nine year hiatus, listening to blink-182 again. AND thinking it RULES. What is happening to me? Whatever it may be, I think I’m into it. Anyone know when and where the next Warped Tour is? Will’s thinking about going.
One more for the road. Twin Peaks Dudes.
The Fins, 3.5 hours north of Salt Lake City, 6 hours northwest of Lander, WY. 45 sport climbs, .11a to hard .14, with most routes occupying the .12-.13 spectrum. Rural Idaho. Closest town is Howe (no gas station) and closest major city is Pocatello. You view a 100 mile radius of farmland, plains, mountains, and faraway thunderstorms from belays at the Head Wall. The gravel road to the CRAGs and desirable camping is brutally steep, rutted, loose gravel. Ingrid’s 4 cylinder stalled a couple hundred feet into the final 1.5 miles of our ascent up-canyon… Forcing a reverse-gear-retreat down-canyon at 1 A.M. and type-2-fun hike to the CRAGs the following afternoon. After which, the benevolent Jonathan Siegrist politely greeted us, explained there was an alternate (read: shorter, less shitty) approach trail, and offerred beta for any of the area’s pitches.
Below, Will approaches Discovery Wall and its rope-stretching 42 meters of limestone glory.
Here at CRAGCATION, when we’re not clipping bolts, we’re knee-deep in field research. “What differentiates good camping from bad?”, you ask.
Empirically speaking, bad camping means there are, a.) plenty of insects/critters to terrorize you, b.) a severe lack of shade… For instance, the moment morning sun hits your tent, you feel as if you’re inside an oven, your sleeping bag is a foil packet, and you’re a filet of Alaskan Salmon, and c.) wind. Lots of wind. Ideally the kind that lifts your tent from its stakes and places it against a barbed-wire fence.
Good camping, in contrast, means a.) shade by way of trees, b.) fire rings, c.) lack of insects/critters, and d.) a water source.