Climbing: Oh, one thing I read, was that to the left of your route, the Kor-Ingalls route, that there is a roof right there and that on the under-side of the roof there are dinosaur prints.

Ingalls: Really? Oh no, I didn’t know that. That’s something new. No kidding!

Climbing: So I’m trying to find a picture of it.

Ingalls: I had no idea. That’s really something. You know, there are dinosaur tracks down the river from Moab, about a couple hundred feet up the side. There they are. It’s where the rock has split open like a book and on one side there is the imprint of the print, and on the other side there is the raised up portion.

[eating again…]

Climbing: So, have you ever climbed your route again? The Kor-Ingalls route?

Ingalls: No, I never did. Layton climbed it once. And that was it. He had been away for a long time and he went down there and then climbed it in two hours.

Climbing: Did you go back and climb any of your first ascents?

Ingalls: No.

Climbing: Why is that?

Ingalls: Um…it’s a matter of having a limited amount of time and you want to move on to new things. But I wouldn’t have minded doing it again. It’s such a beautiful climb. Have you seen it? Just one of the best views I’ve ever seen from the summit, you know, the top. You’ve got the rest of the towers over here and the Colorado River over here and uh, and the rest of the mountains over there and uh, just the best.

Climbing: So, I guess one of my biggest questions for you is, what makes desert climbing so special to you?

Ingalls: First of all, the extraordinary summits. You have summits there that you don’t find anywhere else. They are, um, mysterious, and inspiring, and they are scary, all at once. And the other thing, especially for Layton, was that we had it all to ourselves. This was an area that we had all to ourselves, that was the main thing. There was nobody else around. And we had the old, fantastic tower, just like a fantasy, all to ourselves.

Climbing: Have you felt that way anywhere else? About any other climbs, rock, towers, etc?

Ingalls: No I think that was specific. You know, look there [points to picture on the wall], I took that picture.

Climbing: So do you do photography as well?

Ingalls: That was taken at the foot of Standing Rock. In fact, you see, look at the shadow there. That is the shadow of Standing Rock.

Climbing: How tall is Standing Rock?

Ingalls: It’s 305 feet, but only 40 feet wide.

Climbing: Do you remember the heights and widths for every climb that you’ve done?

Ingalls: Pretty much. Castleton is 400 feet high, North Six-Shooter is only about 250 feet and it’s got good rock, except for the last pitch.

Climbing: Can you tell me what you remember of each pitch on Castleton?

Ingalls: What I remember, you mean for each part of the climb? Well, the first part is easy, maybe some 5.4 to 5.5. Barely even need a rope. The second pitch is, uh, is pretty tough. It’s 5.8. the third pitch is that offwidth chimney and getting into the chimney was the hardest part. Once you get into there, it’s not so bad. You just wiggle your way up. The last pitch was a great big stretch across, there were rocks you had to stem and stretch across. So how did it go, I’d say the first one would be 5.4, the second one 5.8, the third one 5.9 and the final one about 5.6. Can you hear me over the background noise?

Climbing: Yes, it’s not too bad. So, what do you think of Castleton being included in the 50 Classic Climbs?

Ingalls: Yes, it’s flattering, but it’s classic in the sense of being a beauty and being unique and outstanding, so yes, I could see it being there. It is a pretty wonderful climb. One good thing about it, is that it’s hard enough so you feel like you’ve done something, but easy enough so you get to the top.

Climbing: Did you ever climb something that you had reservations about?

Ingalls: Oh yeah, the one I had the most reservations about was an over-hanging cliff [in Glenwood Springs] that was all limestone. The darn thing overhung 70 degrees, I measured it you know. That thing was awful. So yeah, I had a lot of reservations about that one.

Climbing: Did you have reservations about Castleton?

Ingalls: No. Not at all. Just like at Standing Rock, I didn’t have reservations, but I had the feeling that was a combination of attraction and dread at the same time.