Alabama Hills—The Walnut
Climb Review
As a part of the lead climbing class (organized by Coalition Crag), I ended up climbing four routes (just like day one). These routes were awesome in the morning, as they had great shade. By the afternoon though, they were totally exposed to the sun and energy draining.
Just like the rest of Alabama Hills, the rock was granite. And throughout the day, I didn’t slip at any point where I would’ve been injured if I were on lead.
Nut ’n’ Honey (5.7; The Walnut)—I climbed this route first and was able to do a test fall after the second or the third bolt. The route itself was fun as I just assumed that I’d have to go directly on the arete, but instead, it meanders to the left and right of the arete with pretty good holds throughout.
Macadamia (5.7; The Walnut)—I did this route right after being lowered from Honey Bunny and found it to be easier than Honey Bunny. Maybe it’s because I was warmed up, but it was all bomber holds all the way through.
Honey Bunny (5.6; The Walnut)—I did this route right after finishing lunch and I thought it was a nice cruiser. I’d totally lead this cold, no problemo.
Nothing, Honey (5.9; The Walnut)—This route was the highlight of the day and probably the weekend. I really enjoyed the first section of the climb where I solved it as a lieback that led into an arete into a small insecure reach to get under the bolt line. The rock shape allowed a variation from most of the climbs from the weekend where it was almost all crimps and toe holds. It was also super cool to see others solve the first section of the climb, as everyone in our group solved it differently. Some crack climbed it, some did gastons, and others did a mix of everything.
What I Learned
I had a blast photographing rock climbers. This cemented my desire to get into jugging so that I could shoot even cooler photos of my friends climbing.
I was worried about how tall the 5.9 route was, but even after the halfway point, I was surprised that I was able to just focus on the climb and not be pinned to the rock due to my fear of heights. It’s pretty cool to feel how far I’ve com with my fear of heights since I started climbing.
I ate a more substantial lunch compared to the first day and it helped me keep my energy level up for the whole time at the crag.
I drank 2 liters of water in less than 7 hours (with most of it standing around). I had extra water in the car, but it’s a good data point for me on how much water I need in desert climates, especially now that it is summer.
Friends
I climbed with Marina, Jerry, Sarah, Shari, Mike, Kimberly, Sydney, Mariah, and Louie.
Although more than half of the others were strangers to me before this weekend, I just loved climbing with literally everyone listed above—I learned from and appreciated every single person. I have to call out Jerry though, as he was extra gracious to me in belaying me right after he finished his lunch—just a generous gentleman. He also took tons of perfect pictures while I was climbing—he never told me he was a skilled photographer!
Our instructors were Ting and Hannah.
Much like the first day, I was really impressed with Ting and Hannah’s patience and grace. They made sure each and every student got to climb all the routes they wanted (even though that meant the class running longer than scheduled); they also made sure everyone was as comfortable as they could be. I could keep going with the positives, but basically, I have no notes on how they could have improved the experience.
What Happened?
This was the second day of the lead climbing class and we headed over to The Walnut, another north facing rock that would give us some respite from the sun—at least in the morning.
On this day, we practiced mock lead climbing, lead falling, catching lead falls, and anchor cleaning. For me (and a few others), it was more of a review than learning something brand new, but at least I had a fantastic time making sure that my climbing knowledge was bomber.
At the end of class, I wanted to stop by The Shark’s Fin (and I think we could have as there were only two cars in the parking lot), but I decided to skip it as I was pretty tired by the time we finished class, and I didn’t want to get home past midnight, as I had a 7 hr drive ahead of me. But it’s good—I now have a climb I’m looking forward to the next time, as I feel confident about leading a 5.7 on granite.