So, we decided to take a little trip before the snow semi-permanently hindered us from climbing real rock, and limiting us mainly to plastic. That being said, this post comes about a month to late, however late is better than never.

So me and a few friends after having a good long season on routes decided to finish off the season with a little strength training. We took a trip down to Joe’s Valley. We mainly stayed in New Joe’s, but we sort of wandered. We spent the last few days of October leaving a little flesh behind on each boulder we crossed. We had a blast although i would have preferred to not freeze to death, but it was easily worth it in my opinion. We did in the end come across snow and cold weather, but heres a few photos of the time we spent.

On the outside of Zion’s famous Mount Carmel Tunnel stands one of the most legit traditional climbs, at least in my book. Okay, so it was my first time climbing the crack, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a good one. And maybe I didn’t make it all the way up by myself, but again, it was intense.

The first pitch (picture shown) is rated a 5.9+ in the crack climbing world; an equivalent of a 5.11 ish in the sport climbing world. (See, I told you it was legit). I attempted the route a number of times, making it a grand total of about 15 ft above the ground. It was a little frustrating for one who has to finish what she has started, but it was certainly an adventure to remember (I’ve even got myself some sweet scars to last a lifetime). Lucky for me, I was able to “cheat” my way up with the use of ascenders–something I hadn’t done before–and still experience the grandeur of the Great Arch to the east and East Temple to the north.

Zion is a beautiful place. One of my favorites to date. If you’ve got any sort of knack for adventure–whether it be trad climbing, canyoneering, or good ole hiking–I’d recommend Zion in a heartbeat.

Give Headache a try and let me know how YOU do.