Cloud Tower

Rob claims to be endowed with a unique cop-detecting sixth sense.  As I redline the Jeep Southbound on I-15 at 100mph I can only hope that he has recently calibrated his reception. Thankfully his mental radar detector works just fine and we roll into the Oak Creek parking lot at Red Rocks around 3:00.  We have actually called ahead and arranged for a late exit pass, so for once we’re not going to receive a ticket. Lady Luck continues to smile on us as a large bank of clouds rolls in over Juniper Canyon, shielding our tender, pasty, white flesh from the 92 degree sun. Unlike Zion, Red Rocks is the home of long bushwhacking approaches.

After a very long hour we finally reach the base of the wall. Cloud Tower starts with 3 pitches of entertaining moderate climbing followed by the business pitch. We simulclimb the easy stuff in about 10 minutes and arrive at the crux pitch just as it fully goes into the sun. Rob is not super psyched about the 5.12 stemming that awaits him in the rubber-melting heat.  Because I’m too much of a wuss to lead it, though, he heads up and gingerly places micro nuts and #00 TCU’s as he works his way along the overhanging corner. Just as he is about to reach the key finger lock, Rob’s right foot blows out and he’s off for a ride. Luckily the thin gear holds and after lowering to the start of the pitch, he fires it clean next go. 

The 5^th and 6^th pitches of Cloud Tower are classic wide hands with large scoops on either side of the crack to stand in. They can be run together for an excellent pitch of 5.10 cruising topped off by a grovel through a chimney to the opposite side of Cloud Tower, making for a truly unique 200 feet of climbing. The last pitch is right out of Indian Creek. It’s a textbook hand crack corner that climbs through 3 progressively larger roofs.  Even though it's rated 5.11+, it climbs quite a bit easier if you’ve got big mitts like I do. Easy as it may be, by the time he reaches the chains, Rob is so smoked that he can barely hold his head up.  He has definitely given everything he’s got for the free ascent.  We carefully work our way back to the ground and plod towards the car which we finally get to just after dark. Robbie G has gotten some great pictures but I think he is beginning to question the intelligence of hooking up with us, and it’s only day one.  Once we put down some much needed food, gas, and caffeine, the two R’s pass out and I start the long drive to the Valley.  Astroman, here we come.