Arizona Part 1

I hoped to write a few posts while on my climbing trip to Arizona, but alas, I was too busy having a great time! So, I'll provide a few posts retroactively.

Day 1: After arriving in Arizona the day before, Eric Hörst, Jim Sullivan and I headed out to Mt. Lemmon. After a quick warm-up on a very good 5.11a -- Just Do It -- we headed over to Arizona Flyways 5.11d, a hyper-classic line. 80+ feet of slightly overhanging crips ascend the only line on the wall (Eric Hörst pictured at right). I climbed a little off-route, but onsighted the route none-the-less. From there EH gave Honker 5.12c a valiant effort, but came up short on the onsight, and I blew the onsight of Holey Moley 5.12a. Oh well, the routes are so good it was great to just get on them! After that, we called it a day and went home for a dip in the hot tub and feast prepared by Jim's wife Sara.

Day 2: Off to Millegrossa at the base of Mt. Lemmon. This is one of the outlying crags at Mt. Lemmon and is found at much lower elevation than, say, Windy Point, and thus is a good bit warmer. The canyon boasts climbing on both sides, though you must commit to one or the other at the start. We stayed right and wound our way deep into the cleft. After passing many fine looking routes, we were at the base of a waterfall. Scrambling over ledges surmounted the obstacle and revealed the namesake of oru desired cliff -- the Oasis. Ranging from 60 to 80 feet in height, the Oasis consists of a slew of 5.11 routes and a 5.12 climb. We started on the far right and proceeded to tick off routes moving left one at a time. After onsighting two 11a routes, a 11b route, an 11c route, and another 11a route, I jumped on the 12a Midnight at the Oasis. And, it crushed me. The moves are not hard, but the route is long and hits you with a second crux in the last 10 feet. Can you say gassed? What a good route though!

Look for Part 2 soon. Cheers!