"Red Rocks "
Dan met me at my house, Friday, March 27 at about 4 PM. We loaded the car and took off down the 15 toward Las Vegas to climb the classic Crimson Chrysalis in Red Rocks.
Crimson Chrysalis is one of the most popular big routes in Red Rocks. It requires a hike of roughly three miles to reach its base, so Dan and I wanted an early crack at it. By 6:00 AM we were parked at the gate to Red Rocks, sorting gear and getting organized. But our quest to be the first on the rock that morning was hampered when Dan left his climbing shoes in the car and had to head back for them. We ended up as the fourth party in line. It would be after 11 AM before we would begin our climb.
Crimson Chrysalis is a nine pitch climb, first sent in the mid 70’s. The climb is nearly 1000 feet up the left buttress of Cloud Tower. The base of the climb is 300 feet off the valley floor, situated atop a long pyramid shaped ramp. All this combines to make Crimson Chrysalis spectacularly exposed. The climb feels big and airy. The rock is uniquely textured sandstone and a breeze to protect. The climb is consistent, and the pitches range in difficulty from 5.7 to 5.9. Each belay is established with bomber triple bolt anchors with rap rings. The climb finishes with four pitches of amazing face climbing on the polished red cap of the tower.
Due to our late start, we had to hustle for the summit. At about pitch seven we encountered the last two parties on their way down. The sun was dropping below the mountains, but Dan and I made the decision to finish the climb.
The view from the top was amazing – but I couldn’t enjoy it long. We to rappel quickly as the sun had set and at least half of our descent was to be in the dark. On our third rappel, Dan swung off route, and couldn’t find the anchors in the dark. After a long delay he called out he was off rappel, and I rapped down, searching the rock for the elusive station.
I never found it and swung over to find Dan atop a 3’ wide ledge, busily tying a sling through two sketchy quarter inch bolts that must have been 20-25 years old. Dutifully, he backed them up with a nut. Dan didn’t want to prusik up to the last rap station, and thought we could reach the next station from this anchor.
We never got the chance. Crimson Chrysalis is a notorious rope eater with lots of knobs and cracks to catch falling ropes. When we pulled the rope, it looped around some unseen formation and locked in place.
This left us three options. We could lead the pitch to the stuck rope on unclimbed, unknown rock, off route and in the dark. We could try to rap down on one rope. Or we could spend the night on our little ledge in the desert. We chose option three. Thankfully we had a ledge – it’s just as likely we could have ended up at some hanging belay.
Dan reached into his pack and pulled out wind pants, gloves, socks, a wind proof jacket and an emergency bag. He’s like Batman. I had the fleece I was wearing, my hat, my emergency blanket and 8% body fat.
Emergency blankets are nifty little packages of reflective foil – like you would use to wrap a Christmas present – designed to keep you insulated in an emergency bivy. But they tear as easily as wrapping paper. With every gust of wind I had a new streamer of orange foil flapping off my body. I eventually just tore strips of foil and stuffed them in my pants, jacket and under my hat tied around my chin. Dan found the same happening to his emergency bag and came to the same conclusion. I wrapped my legs in the rope and stuck my feet in Dan’s backpack with two hand warmer packets stuffed in my climbing shoes.
What a sight we must have been. Dan was bundled up in a bright blue windbreaker with bright yellow pants, blue socks and tin foil sticking out from his cuffs. He looked like the victim of an accident on the space shuttle – a deranged, exhausted astronaut.
And that’s how we spent the night. Shivering on a ledge, 500 feet above the ground judging the passing time by how far the mountain’s shadows spread out over valley and how much traffic could be seen on the I15. I shook like a Yugo doing 80, and tried my best to get some sleep. I was never so thankful to see the sunrise.
In the morning we found the rope stuck 90' up on a knob right next to the elusive belay anchors, and we began our uneventful rappel to the ground.
We sucked down our remaining water and ate a couple granola bars, packed up and headed toward the car. After a day of climbing and 24 hours without sleep and little sustenance, my legs had the consistency of Jello. and occasionally shook like a drunk Elvis impersonator.
We made it to the car by 11 AM. Only to be greeted by a $50 illegal overnight parking ticket. On that note, it was time to go home
