The Meemohive, III 5.9+ C2 Monument Basin, Canyonlands National Park, Utah In Search of Suds, III 5.10 Washerwoman Arch, Island in the Sky, Canyonlands National Park, Utah Dave Hoven (‘06)
J
oel Irby (‘06) and I drove deep into Canyonlands National Park on a Friday night to kick-off a full desert style Memorial Day adventure. We had originally planned to try and climb both Monster Tower and Washerwoman Arch in one day, so we threw down our bags near the approach for those towers and grabbed a few winks of sleep. The wind howled all night, and early the next morning we decided to bail on our original plans and climb in a place too deep and dark for those high plateau winds to reach us. We fixed a line off White Rim and made a full 200 ft. rappel to the top of a large talus cone that would lead us down into the mysterious yet majestic Monument Basin. A quick scramble down the talus cone and a short hike put us right at the base of the Meemohive formation with shoes full of dark red sand. Joel headed up the first pitch, which was a fun and awkward 5.9 chimney, which was as sandy as any route either of us had ever climbed. Every piece of gear was wedged between hollow sounding mud cakes in suspect crevices amongst stacked columns of soft Cutler stones. I linked the next two pitches, which included two or three C2 moves directly above a large ledge, to a crumbly 5.9 overhang. Joel led us up to the summit via a fun hand and fist crack over another bulgy roof, followed by run-out face climbing over more bulges. The summit provided amazing views of the surrounding formations, and an ideal setting for indulging in a couple tins of sardines. The first rap off of the summit was less than optimal; I would strongly suggest that any party that plans to climb the route bring a good 30 ft. of extra cord to sling around the large wobbly block that serves as an anchor atop the tower. We eventually made it safely to the bottom of the basin and jugged our way back up to the White Rim as the sun set over the park. The next day we headed up to Washerwoman and climbed In Search of Suds, which is a stellar free-route up beautiful crack systems to an amazing summit on relatively bullet-proof rock. After a couple of great climbs, we capped the Memorial weekend off with a few requisite Busch Lights and a nice swim in the Green River to wash off the lingering red dust of Monument Basin.
[This page] Dave Hoven pondering if he’s dirty enough yet on the summit ridge of Washerwoman, Monster Tower stands across from him. Joel Irby
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