Guadalupe Bouldering

As I mentioned before in the Outdoor Club Adventure, Part 1: Guadalupe Mountains, a group of us forged out from camp during some down time in the afternoon for some rock climbing. I've climbed on a lot of limestone since coming down south for school in Texas. Lake Brownwood (Abilene's closest destination), Camp Eagle on the Nueces River, Reimer's Ranch near Austin, and even the world renowned Hueco Tanks are all limestone formations of varying form and quality. The limestone boulder that we found near camp was once a part of the Capitan Reef that I have mentioned in other posts, maybe even rolling from the summit of Guadalupe Peak eons ago to its current place of residence. I imagine if it could speak, it could tell of some crazy events in earth's past. But I don't really see a future in translating rock dialects, so we'll just have to speculate.

I've perused the internet quite a bit for any mention of rock climbing in the Guadalupe area and nothing has revealed itself. Some sources (namely the NPS) cite the poor quality of the rock dissuading people from establishing much of a climbing destination. Looking at the cliffs around, I don't know if I entirely believe that, but it would be beyond my ability to tackle some of the huge walls found on the side of Guadalupe Peak and El Capitan. From what I've seen though it has a lot of potential for being good bouldering alternative to the more crowded and more regulated Hueco Tanks. There is just something about being in a wilderness setting away from a load of people, climbing without pressure, not trying to prove yourself, just scaling the rock because you feel compelled to reach the top by the most difficult means your body can handle.

Me standing next to Martyr's Ladder, which moves from the nasty bush bottom center through the darker water mark and tops out in the "book" between chossy bulges.

That being said, for aspiring First Ascentionists like ourselves, the potentially virgin boulder just begged to be climbed. We quickly established three new climbs on the Northwestern side of the rock: Stage Left (FA myself), Exit Cactus Left (FA Alex Wann), and La Buena Vista (FA Wann). Then we saw a beautiful arete on the North East corner. The line was there, curving up and to the right through a gap in the upper lip of the boulder, but the start was a little questionable. We had discovered by that time that most living things in a desert area like the one we were in are "out to get you" and there was a monstrous thorn bush guarding the entrance at the base of the route. After pulling the bush out of the way to gain access to the rock, I was able to pull into the upper reaches of the problem. The crux move was near the top, 12 feet off the deck, making a potential fall pretty hazardous. I hung on and thrashed my way to the top, avoiding almost certain death by way of man-eating plant. We then dubbed the climb the Martyr's Ladder, referencing St. Perpetua's vision of her martyrdom: climbing a ladder with weapons on all sides and a dragon at the bottom. Appropriate, eh?

Our session didn't last an extremely long time, nor was the climbing itself extraordinarily difficult. Yet climbing in that mountainous setting with a group of solid friends sparked a fire of exploration and adventure within us all and will continue to burn, leaving us psyched for the next epic.