Seven Pitches at Lost City

Sunday, Margaret and I got out for the afternoon to do some top-roping at Lost City. When we got to the parking lot we saw some fellow climbing buddies and we decided we would climb together, sharing top-ropes. This of course, facilitated many pitches and easy setups.

The beauty of the TRs in Lost City is that they are generally in the shade. The area we went to called the Chasm is particularly shady, as it is, as the name suggests, a chasm -- i.e., all day shade. We started the day with Texas Flake, a stellar 5.10c on an overhanging wall with a long reach for a crux. Margaret went first and with only the slightest of hesitations, crushed it. I followed and left the rope up for our buddies.

We then moved over to the left and climbed Golden Streaks (5.11a) and Caffeine and Nicotine (5.12b). Caffeine and Nicotine is a superb climb. Very very crimpy with multiple hard sections. I only hung once on my on-sight TR attempt! Woot woot.

After that we moved back into the chasm and climbed the steep and relentless Forbidden Zone (5.11b). It's another awesome awesome awesome route that starts with some hard crimpy moves, and just stays on for the next 70 feet. It's good enough to do twice...which is exactly what I did.

After cleaning up that route, we moved over to the right and did Black Crack (5.10d), which our buddies had set up. I'd done it a couple of months ago, and it's also quite good -- deceptively steep and deceptively hard.

To finish out the day I did one final lap on Brave New World (5.11a), just to make sure I was good and pumped, which I most definitely was.

In terms of a fitness day, you couldn't really ask for anything better.