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Conclusion WTF? What the FEISTY
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DATE OF CLIMB: JANUARY 26, 2020
WALLS HIT TODAY: 1 (Gold Digger) NUMBER OF CLIMBS TODAY: 1 NUMBER OF PITCHES TODAY: 2 VERTICAL 5.7 FEET CLIMBED TODAY: 170' NUMBER OF FALLS TODAY: 0 TAKES TODAY: 0 DIRTY UNDERWEAR ENCOUNTERED TODAY: 0 |
TOTAL CLIMBS SO FAR: 86
TOTAL PITCHES SO FAR: 110 TOTAL 5.7 VERTICAL FEET ON THE TOUR SO FAR: 8,655' NUMBER OF CLIMBS REMAINING: 151 (out of 237 - although we may redo Pre-Skool) VERTICAL FEET REMAINING: ~41,642 FALLS SO FAR: 0 TAKES ON LEAD SO FAR:
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AT PARKING LOT: 9:30 a.m.
AT BASE OF CLIMB: 10:30 a.m. BEGAN CLIMBING: 11 a.m. TOPPED OUT: 12:30 p.m. BACK AT BASE OF CLIMB: 1:00 p.m. (ate some lunch) BACK AT CAR: 2:30 p.m. |
Gold Digger start
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Rick, start of Gold Digger
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From belay, went up face instead of up slick corner
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Gold Digger is a one-off climb off by its lonesome near the end of the canyon that goes past Mossy Ledges. It's a strenuous approach boulder hopping up the wash for an hour. The best way to access the wall is to keep going up the wash past the wall and then cut up. If you cut up too soon, there are loose rocks and soil on steep terrain (an ass kicker plus it screws up the slopes.) Easier, less loose ground is a bit farther.
This climb is for those who want isolation and enjoy long approaches with comparatively little climbing for the effort. (I'd forget about this climb if you can't access the wash due to running water - vegetation is a bitch on the sides of the wash.)
Despite no one ever climbing it (there are zero stars and zero tick marks), the climb itself is decent, with a slick feisty start that 6-foot-tall Rick mini-dynoed to get to a hold that looked good but actually wasn't. 5'4" Stef grunted and used micro-holds to avoid dynoing. It was challenging, but then got easier.
We broke the climb into 2 pitches to ease up rope drag from the angles in the climb. We belayed on a ledge right below the slick corner. After some initial explorations and frustrations in the corner, we ended up blowing off the corner and going onto the face - which was protectable (so perhaps one could argue, we didn't do the "actual climb" - oh well... the face was fun.)
The description says runout at the top, but it's not really an issue. All in all Gold Digger is a fun climb with a couple feisty moves (and maybe more feisty if you choose to stay in the corner).