[Gimpilator]

Bob Burd invited me to join his group for an ascent in Red Rock Canyon. Mr. Burd is well known among the desert peakbagging communities and especially so in the high Sierras. He founded the Sierra Challenge in 2001. If you haven’t heard of that, check it out. The man has done over 4000 ascents, which demands some serious respect. I was pretty excited to finally meet him.

The plan was to do the Cleaver Crack route on Wilson as a group of 9. Bob had 6 friends along, and I had Dustin with me. We hiked the first part of the approach and then Bob’s long-time hiking companion Tom called for a group conscience. He pitched hard to change our goal to the southeast direct route up Rainbow Peak. The first vote for the change lost 3 against 2 with 4 abstains, but then somebody was convinced to change sides and so it was settled.

I looked up at the steep walls and chimneys rising above our heads, various colored layers of sandstone. I swallowed hard and then followed the group up. After the first 4th class crux, it came to my attention that several people were carrying ropes and almost everyone had a harness, except Dustin and I. After coming home from a pretty long day in the mountains, the late night email exchange I had with Bob went something like this. “We’re going to be in your area tomorrow, you want to join us?” “Yeah, are you cragging or hiking?” “Scrambling”

Dustin

Wilson

I didn’t ask many questions because I was just happy to get the invite. The route itself is much too complex for me to describe in detail, step by step. There are a lot of hand-lines in place, but fewer than there used to be, apparently from reading some older reports, after the fact. The Southeast Direct was first showed to Bob by Courtney Purcell, the guy who wrote the scramble guidebook for Nevada. Courtney told Bob that it was the best route at Red Rock, but this route doesn’t appear on Summipost or in the guidebook either.

without belay

I’ve come to understand over time that there are two rating systems, the old YDS and the new. The new grades are much softer and the old grades can be pretty stiff. This is a class 4 route, but much of what we climbed felt like low 5th and a couple of overhanging sections felt harder. In the report from that first trip with Courtney, Bob rated it as ranging between class 3 and 5, so my estimation is not out of line.

the squeeze

There were two spots where half the group took belays. Dustin set up both stations and the guys teased him a little bit since he’s a guide by trade. I was able to free climb the first one, but I was very happy to get a belay with a borrowed harness for the second one. Overall, this is one of the most challenging and committing routes I have ever done. In the areas with the most heavy exposure, I was only able to appreciate it fully for myself, because I didn’t dare use one of my hands to grab my camera.

topping out with Rainbow Mountain and Rainbow Wall in the background

Rainbow Peak summit

After we topped out and signed the register, we scrambled over Rainbow Mountain on the way to Rainbow Wall. It’s a strange naming scheme because Rainbow Wall is the only one with significant prominence. On the way down Bob stopped us and asked who was up for one more bonus peak. We all agreed and made a short traverse over to Terrace Canyon Peak.

After the final summit, Bob suggested that we scramble down an alternate route for more “fun” and then hike out Pine Creek Canyon instead of Oak Creek Canyon. We took another group conscience and I was relieved to find that I wasn’t the only one who was ready for some easier terrain. The group split in half. Four guys went down the harder way and five of us descended slippery slabs and huge boulders in Oak Creek Canyon. Colorful layering in the slabs was somehow soothing and peaceful.

looking back at Rainbow Peak, the southeast direct goes up left of center

[puzzlr]

That looks like quite the route, especially with some "surprise" 4th or 5th class, and one you'd never know about without the local connections. The pictures you did take seem like it was also a lot of fun scrambling.

[awilsondc]

Crazy! Kind of reminds me of your chimney rock report. Maybe not quite as intense, but with a bit more drama. I hate being unprepared in the mountains. Random unexpected route with no personal knowledge of the beta, inadequate equipment, group members wanting to change the itinerary mid trip with odd group voting... Bizarre... Looks like it worked out ok though, and looks like fun! Awesome you were able to meet Bob, he's a legend!

[xuanxier]

Looks like a trip I would like to be part of. Good work. Haven't done many desert trips but from the few peaks I did in Sedona, Grand Canyon, Red Rocks and Zion NP I've learnt to give those "3rd/4th class" routes respect.. 3rd class less so, but 4th class good to have a rope and/or rock shoes unless you're familiar with the local system. Must be pumped to climb with a legend!

[cascadeclimber]