Really quick and really bad TR.... we went to New Jack City for the day. The usual crew, me, Will and Sooze. There may be a 50/50 ratio of broken glass to sand at the base of the routes, but this place is kinda ok.... So we do a warm-up....

Then we do another one, which seemed more like a warm-out.... I was already gassed...

The wind is whipping pretty good so we decide to eat sandwiches in the car, which thank God is close by... I think we might of had some beer too..... Then we make the 5 minute drive to a another crag that should be a bit warmer. This approach is not too bad and the distance to the crag is right in my comfort zone.

We decide to tick the entire cliff, and since they are all pretty easy, we actually have a chance this time.

Here is Will on something....

And Susan leading something that we thought was something else.... she thought it was a heavy gravity day until we found out she was on a harder route than planned... this happens out there. The guidebook is pretty darn sad, and most crag drawings look like a lump of mashed potatoes with a few lines drawn about the mound. But I digress....

Here is Will bouldering up to the first clip on something.. Susan is ready to spot him if a mishap occurs.... Will thinks she will save him... this theory is still unproven.

Susan just keeps on leading these things while we watch her clip away and listen to Barstow radio, which is better than you would think if you are old like us. Nuthin' but classic rock with a hard edge to it... We decided the rockin' tunes were worth at least 3 letter grades in pure power and psyche.

Susan on the sharp end again leading the big meanie of the entire cliff....

She makes us all lead these damn things, so Will goes next..... I'm giving the usual belay.

Then will decides to get sketched out since there are basically ZERO holds up top... and he takes a whistler.... and clangs back into the underside of the overhang and does some sorta damage to his patella.... In the trade I think they call it "blunt force trauma". We quickly get him a beer, as we carry no first aid kit. Here he is moments before he pitched.

The only good thing to come out of Wills ripper was the massive enhancement that my package received from my harness. It was so grand, that I had Susan snap a pic just in case Ron Jeremy ever retires.

Ok... the crag is now ticked according to the guidebook... and it's getting late. But, there are two more routes down at the scabby end of the cliff that are not in the guide, but for some reason we must do... Sooze leads them up in about 3 minutes flat.

True to New Jack form, I was shot and nearly killed just as we were coiling the ropes and waxing our draws...

And then the next day.... Will is still dust. The booze, ice, and pills we gave him when we got back to Casa del Pescado could not overcome the patella situation. That did not get me off the hook though... Sooze made me go into the Monument (that would be Joshua Tree National Park for you young'uns) to do more routes.

We pick a nice sunny crag and start ticking them off.... Sooze gets the 3 star 5.9.

She also gets its easier twin right next door, which is basically the same route but with worse rock. It was sort of an adventure. Now it is my turn to lead. I get something a fair bit harder, with no stars, some loose rock, suspect pro, and on Mountain Project a local guide said something like "sketchy pro, good luck bro..." in the description. I can hardly wait....


It did not disappoint. I pretty much moan the whole way up and all the hype was true.... Rock was loose... pro was sorta ok.... seemed harder than the rating.... bad anchor.... rap from a slung horn.... NBD.
For anyone visiting the area, this thing is a "must do".... When we got home I went directly to Mountain Project and added stars to this beauty! I wonder what we will do next week?