From Joe’s Valley we drove about 3 hours to Moab Utah. Brian, our friend we climbed with in Tensleep was also in Moab so we met up. Brian was living out of his Subaru and camping on BLM land. We camped along with him and the next day we went to Wall Street for a day of climbing. Wall street has rock climbs literally alongside the road. A few routes are a little too close to the road for comfort. Brian had never climbed here before so Kyle and I treated him to our favorite routes. El Cracko Diablo, classic try hard grunt climb, 30 Seconds Over Potash, fun cruiser crack climb with a distinct crux and Nervous in Suburbia which will test your edging, reach and nerve. The sun was out and blazing so we headed into town and had lunch at the Food Truck Park. While eating a MN climber friend called to tell us they were getting into Moab in the next few hours. Immediately we made plans to meet at Wall Street. Kyle and I climbed maybe one or two routes, but mostly chatted and caught up with Susan. It was such a fun surprise to see MN friends out on the road!
Stormy Night
That evening we stayed on BLM land, parked next to Brian’s Subaru. There was a big storm that evening, the winds were shaking the van and we were a little nervous we would knock into Brian’s car. We survived the night, but awoke to a flooded road. There were two rivers perpendicular to the dirt road we took in. Luckily Kyle was driving and was able to ford us out of our campsite quite easily. Jay and Andrea, a rad couple we met in the Black Hills, who live in Castle Valley Utah had invited us to their place if we were ever in the area. With the recent rain, rock climbing was out of the question for the next few days. (Sandstone is very porous and very dangerous after rainfall). It was the perfect time to go and visit them. We made our way out to Castle Valley, enjoying “new” waterfall sightings from the road on our way. Jay and Andrea welcomed us into their home and cooked us a spectacular dinner. Over dinner we caught up and traded stories since we hadn’t seen each other since September.
Unexpected Adventures
The next day, Jay offered to take Kyle and I up Parriott Mesa via the Cowboy Route, an offer we couldn’t resist. He drove us out to the parking area and then the hiking began, up, up and around to the base of the mesa. There were a few cable and fixed rope sections that we ascended carefully until we were at the top. Spectacular 360 views of Castle Valley greeted us. We explored a bit of the top of the Mesa and enjoyed a snack before heading back down.
After we had our fill of views, Kyle and I followed Jay back down to the truck. I had no prior knowledge of this Mesa or of this route and it was such a delight. I’m so thankful Jay was willing to share this little piece of his backyard with us. Once back down, Kyle and I headed into Moab to meet up with Brian as it was his 21st birthday. We had dinner at the Moab Brewery and found a place to camp off Potash Road. Peaceful evening to cap off a wonderful day.