Goat Rock
Climb Review
I returned to the first place I rock climbed (https://www.theweeklycamper.com/climbing/goat-rock) and climbed the route that I had zero memory of.
Unlike the last time I was here, someone placed bolts at the anchor point for the Swiss Cheese route—I didn’t have to use the static line that I had humped all the way here.
Swiss Cheese (5.4; Goat Rock)—The first time I was here, I was so scared out of my wits that I have no memory of this climb. As I climbed, I wondered if things would come back, but nothing did. This time, I was much more comfortable on the rock—the holds were so positive and huge that it was easy. So easy that I got cocky and got lost until I realized I was far left of the route (after the shelf). I ran it out and topped out, but next time I really should go more right. Still, the views are gorgeous and the rock is fantastic. I’d love to do it again.
What I Learned
I really enjoy climbing in evenings even if it means hiking in the dark, so am definitely planning on doing this again. Especially since Elinor is game for it.
There were so many mosquitos! I killed about 15, but still got bit in 10 or so places. Next time, I really need to wear my permethrin fused clothing.
I had set an alarm to start heading back at 8:30pm, as I had a meeting to run at 10pm. Well, it wasn’t enough time. We hauled ass—we quickly cleaned up and hurried back to the car (with me carrying Elinor’s pack at one point) and I made it back home with 5 minutes to spare.... but Elinor had to call an uber as I didn’t have time to drop her off. Next time, I should allocate at least two hours and probably not climb on a night where I have to run a meeting. If it weren’t for the meeting, I would have loved to climb at least one more route—it would have been my first night climb.
Friends
Elinor came with me and I really enjoyed her company. She’s always full of stoke for climbing and it’s infectious—it’s my favorite thing about climbing with her. She’s also awesome at appreciating nature and opening my eyes to things that I take for granted (like the beauty of the trail to Goat Rock).
What Happened?
I picked Elinor up and we headed off to Castle Rock State park after work. We parked outside, and started the 1 or so mile hike to Goat Rock.
There was only a few people on the trail to Goat Rock and I forget what we talked about, but I know the conversation was good since the hike in felt super short. We then got to the top of Goat Rock, setup the anchor, and rappelled down to start climbing.
Elinor climbed the route twice with me climbing the route once. I was getting eaten alive by the mosquitos, but the view was amazing and the rock just felt great. On the way down from my climb, I couldn’t help but gawk at the fog rolling in from the coast, and the Santa Cruz mountain range stretching to infinity. My alarm brought me back to reality and from there, everything I remember is as if things were fast forwarded.
Elinor climbed up to clean the anchor and as soon as she was off-belay, I hiked up in haste to help clean up. We packed everything as fast as we could and Elinor went down the top of the Goat Rock boulder (it’s like a VB bouldering route) first. She kind of slipped and ended up sliding down 6 ft or so. She was fortunately unhurt (at least not too bad in the moment) and I was able to get down without too much drama.
We hiked back to the car as fast as we could, then I drove down the mountain at a safe and reasonable speed.
Thanks to Elinor for this photo!