A couple of months ago my wife and regular climbing partner announced she would be going to the East Coast to visit family in mid June and that we couldnt afford a plane ticket for me. Instead, she continued, I should find some dude to go to the City and Castle rocks with for some guy time. I had to find a partner, and hopefully a good one.

I called the usuals. Weeg, the ST Dirt Bag Poet, had family obligations, JK from Bend had a photo shoot, and local climber JH was noncommittal. This was gonna be my guy time! I needed a committed, party friendly, mellow Bro to share the sharp end with.

Enter Jonah from Northern ID. An avid backcountry skiier, mountain biker, mountaineer, and rock climber, Jonah is super chill, fun to talk to, and, most importantly, super psyched. Cooler still, he lives out of his van citing free rent and the occasional construction job as his means to outdoor adventure.



After a three hour drive to Almo, ID, arriving at Castle Rocks at 3:00pm, we set our sites on Brackseicks Pillar, a 200 ft tower hosting many classic trad and sport lines.

We started with the two pitch Coo Coo Cachoo. After a classic slabby double arete pitch, Coo Coo Cachoo takes on a steep wall with gigantic knobs and an even steeper crux finish. After rapping to the ground we immediately set off on the slightly harder Alpinista Sista. Though the guide book gives Coo Coo Cachoo two stars and Alpinista three, I would switch this as Alpinista's last pitch is wild but short and a bit dirty.


Reaching the ground with four pitches down, I decided to check out the adjacent Sailor Wall which sports mixed routes from 5.8 to 5.10d. We climbed Sirens of Almo, a classic mixed line with technical edging leading to an improbable crux that felt hard for the grade.

Five mostly bolted pitches down, and feeling well warmed up, we decided on a healthy dose of adventure. After 45 minutes of bush whacking we found the Smoking Room Crag and the Kind Crack.


An off balance right leaning fingers to tight hands crack, the Kind splits a smooth slab.


With light fading we decended to my truck, nicknamed Grandpa Grey, and set off to find free camping, on BLM land, at the unofficial Climbers Camp. Arriving at ten pm, most of the lower sites were taken and we drove up the bumpy rut infested dirt road much higher than I had ever been before, eventually finding a site.



I awoke sore and tired on day two. While I was previously concerned about a finger injury, I now had much more to focus on. My knee hurt when standing and my back was sore, but this was my guy time. I had to seize the day.

Wanting to spend time in the City of Rocks we decided on the Circle Creek Area. We headed first to the Tahitian Wall which sports five classic sport climbs ranging from 5.8 to 5.10b.

Not wanting to push my aching body, I gave Jonah the first lead of Bora Bora, a steep, peculiarly bolted 5.9. Bora Bora is well bolted in its entirety, except
for a runout crux above lower angled rock. The runout didnt seem to bother Jonah and soon I lowered him to the base. While gearing up to follow, I heard the rope fall to the ground. To my dismay, Jonah had pulled the rope. I wasnt gonna get outta the sharp end. I set off on the lead, focusing on the task at hand with the runout at the crux in the back of my mind. Arriving at the rest before the crux I could see that, sure enough, it was a mantle well above the last bolt. Where Mantles are solid to most climbers, they are the bane of my 6 foot 6 inch existence. I was scarred. I moved up to the crux, then down to the rest. After a rediculuos amount of chalking I went up again, then back to the rest. I was really scarred now and looking for a way out. As I slung a knob above my head so that I could bail out left, Jonah proclaimed, "I wish
I would have thought of that. Now you are totally protected." His energy and belief in my abilities encouraged me to try again. With the added pro, I cruised the crux and quickly made it to the anchors.


We climbed yet another classic 5.8 and proceeded to Site 18 where we quickly dispatched two more moderates, a steep 5.7 and a technical 5.8. After a little lunch we climbed Stripe Rock's three pitch classic Cruel Shoes. Although bolted in his everyman style, Kevin Pogues Cruel Shoes is a must do for any climber. The rock is perfect knobby granite and steep for the grade.






On top of Stripe Rock I noticed a small crag with many left diagonalling cracks. The aptly named Slash Rock has five to seven slashes and one recorded route, a 5.9. Feeling adventurous after so much bolt clipping we decided to check it out. The sole recorded route was dirty and looked runout. To the right was a classic looking crack/flake ranging in size from thin to wide. I decided to give a go.

A fixed pin protected the thin moves gaining the crack, the crux. Stemming from a poor smear into the crack, very flared and dirty at this point, I had to clean off a small crimp giving just enough purchase to gain a stance in the crack. Luckily the crack became splitter, albeit wide, at this point and I was able to fiddle in a perfect #10 hex. The second crux, an offwidth lie above. After a few chickenwings and good small feet the major difficulties were over, but the fun was just beginning.


Not really a flake, not really a splitter crack, not really a dihedral, not really an arete, but having properties shared by all these standard features, this feature offered over 130 feet of interesting climbing. After gaining the crack and dispatching the OW I found myself climbing runout face next to the crack, then stemming to it, and eventually climbing on top of it leaving the crack again. Eventually reaching the poot slings at the top I knew I wasnt the first to climb this incredible line, but Im sure I was the first in quite some time.

Hiking back to Grandpa Grey, realizing that we had done eight pitches, I proposed that we do two more making the count for the day a nice round 10. Fueled by PBR, we headed to the popular Breadloaves where we climbed Fred Rassmussan and Twist and Crawl, both classic 5.8s, the former a handcrack, the latter an arete. Finishing in the dark with headlamps, I felt as though I was a vampire fiending on the blood of life...passionate and deliberate.


Day three I awoke very sore. Still, if we did four more pitches that would up the count to 20. We had a goal.

We headed to Hostess Gully, a massive 300 foot wall littered with solid Josh like patina. I wanted Jonah to do Between Heaven and Earth, a long, 15 bolt, 5.9 on perfect golden stone. It was sunday and the climb already had a party of five at the base.

Seeking shade and solitude we settled on The Sword and the Stone, a two pitch mixed 10a with 5 bolts to supplement the discontinuous thin to hands cracks. Super psyched, Jonah set off on his, in my opinion, best lead of the trip. The first, and crux, pitch climbs a steep slab that eventually gains a steepening thin crack with a crux highstep next to a fat bolt. We both thought that the real crux was a runout between bolts three and four and I was glad that I didnt have to lead it. The second pitch followed a steep hands to fist crack in a corner. Like so many other climbs here, when the crack got wide, amazing holds, in this case big rails, appeared on the outside corner above my
head. Instead of awkward, the climbing was pleasant and stimulating.



With only two more pitches needed to reach our goal, soreness, fatigue, and the heat of the day was starting to set in. We needed shade and inspiration. Cruising over to the Wedding Wall, which sports more classic moderate sport routes, we met more hot sun. Unsure of where we were actually going, led by our need for more sendage and shade, we happened upon the unstarred Sleeper.


The guide calls Sleeper an OW, but it was clear that the crux was overhanging hands and the OW was easier. Personally, I give Sleeper three stars. Although short, only 40+ feet, the climb sports sweet jamming and, just as the OW begins, patina plates appear to right of the crack. I was able to use OW technique with my lower body and sport climbing techniques, pulling, with my upper body.

19 down, one to go. Back to the Wedding wall, we found shade. I got on To Have and To Hold with the notion that I was climbing to achieve a total of 20 pitches. Within the first five feet I forgot that this was number 2 as the moves were so fun. After lowering and belaying Jonah, all but forgetting the shear amount of our exploits, I was having so much fun that I couldnt resist the urge to climb Groom with a View. A short, pleasant patina pull on, again, perfect gold rock.




We packed up and cruized to the lot. We stopped at Rock City, known for their excellent pizza and massive beer selection, for some brews. After hitting the PBR all weekend, I settled into a sweet Abbey ale and followed with a Belgo...perhaps my favorite beer.