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pictures and with binoculars this section on the remote Brownstone
Wall looked awesome. The wall is steep and smooth, with well
defined features, and the line of Hourglass Diversion stands
out. So, we dreamed about this one for years, peering at it
from the highway to and fro other adventures.
We were told by various sources that the approach was among
the more involved and strenuous in Red Rocks. One party, deemed
as a particularly reliable source, stated 3 hrs one way to
reach neighboring Black Dagger. The longest walks we had done
were still in the sub 2 hr realm, like Jubilant Song and Rainbow
Buttress, and those seemed stout.
But this year we ended up in Red Rocks during the annual
Easter/Spring Break chaos, and needed several positively remote
routes with built-in solitude. Community Pillar was a success,
and we figured the Brownstone Wall would be another good choice.
This proved to be true. On Easter Saturday there were just
one other party up there, doing Cat Scratch. Across the canyon
Crimson was the usual mess, but here it was quiet.
The reason for this could be the hardy rumors about the arduous
approach. But, let me start out by debunking this myth, which
for purely egotistical reasons may be a big mistake: Lugging
the standard heavy packs of the trade, and therefore not in
any particular hurry, we walked from the Pine Creek pullout
to the base of the route in 1 hour 25 minutes. Pleasant surprise.
We even experienced the usual confusion in the maze of paths
below Rose Tower! Primarily because of the well marked and
maintained trail in Juniper Canyon proper the whole day took
9 hrs car to car, which for us average folks seems pretty
decent.
A note on temperatures. Easter weekend 2007 was hot for the
season, very hot indeed. Especially for us, freshly arrived
from winter back home in the Cascades. The day we did this
route the highs in downtown Vegas was 92 degrees. Most of
the climbing was done in full sunlight, with only a light
breeze from the south.This sounds like a perfect recipe for
some serious suffering, yet we were alright. It can be at
lot cooler up there at the head of the those deep canyons,
and sometimes this works to your advantage.
After such a wordy distraction it is now time to evaluate
the climbing. Of a mere 5 pitches Hourglass Diversion is not
overly long, but makes up for lack of bulk with quality. The
rock on the Brownstone Wall is some of the best in the entire
escarpment, and this route goes through an especially fine
section. Bullet hard varnish and clean cracks are the features.
But this IS sandstone, so you will find hollow holds and exfoliating
flakes.
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