Trip Report
The Overlook / The Pit
Flagstaff, AZ
August 2nd-3rd, 2008

Susan was in town for the weekend, and that sorta led to heading out of town for the weekend to climb. Due to some complications with no gear climbing last weekend, we started out at the Overlook on Saturday and then finished up with climbing at The Pit on Sunday before heading back to Phoenix. We headed north in the morning and met up with Mr. X, Sandy and Susan cliffside. As we rolled into the parking lot, we spotted Mr. X hoofing across the road from his off-property parking spot. I rigged a rap line and headed to the base of the rock. We did a couple of nice warmup routes and then Mr. X fires up Magumba's Corner (5.10), a nice crack to an overhanging jug finish. Somewhere around that time, Sooze and Sandy arrived and racked up. Susan warmed up on Ginger Bread (5.7), that heads from this corner (see pic below) into a nice stemming and jamming double-crack system. She floated it.

The heat was already setting in by the time we finished up on Magumba's and it was going to be a cooker until the sun moved on around far enough to put the cliff in shade. Felicia said something about wanting to do Orange Out Direct (5.9+), so I led that and everyone grabbed a lap for fun. As always, it isn't particularly hard, but the airy finish puts a nice pucker in your day.

Picture of Mr. X cruising up to the overhang and finish. No rope drag on this belay!

Sooze goofing off at the top of Orange Out. She nearly lost her goggles coming up the overhang!

Saggy puppy trying to grab a few minutes of shuteye.

After that, we moved down to the left and Mr. X and Sooze took a lap up the area classic, Isaiah (5.9).
The shot below is Mr. X pulling through on the 5.10 start to the route (left of the regular start).

Below: Mr. X just past the crux of Isaiah and getting into the nice jamming.

I was pretty hot and took a nice break while Felicia led Angel's Delight (5.7) with Sandy belaying and following.
She did a nice job and had no problem cruising the route in fine style. The shot below is Felicia nearing the top.

Left: Nora happy style!

Below Left: A shot of Sandy belaying at the base of the route.
Below Right: Riley woke up. He was trying to sack out at the base of Angel's Delight.

Sooze got all fired up after that and jumped on the Middle Trinity Crack (thin hands, 5.10).
It was a battle royale! Below: Sooze getting busy on the Middle Trinity.

After this, it was past 5pm, the time when they say you're supposed to be out of the Overlook parking lot. We grabbed our stuff, and sped back to the lot to find that there were about 30 vehicles still in the lot and more people still driving in off 89. We packed it up and drove up the road and found a campsite for the night, amidst the leftover camper garbage and target shooters on every side.

Sunday morning, we managed to finally get around and over to The Pit. By the time we hiked on down to the rock, it was already promising to be another hot day. Shot below of the view as you hike down into The Pit.

I was taking a close up shot of this thistle on the way down to the crag, when this bee just sort of appeared and posed up for me.

We sort of wandered around once we got down to the crag. Seemed like a lot of the moderate warm ups were swarming with climbers already. We finally settled down in the shade on the north side of the Swiss Tower, and got a couple routes done. I was already feeling pretty bagged and energy-less, but Sooze was just getting started, so she hopped right on True Value (5.11a).

Below: Sooze climbing True Value, above the opening pocket moves, headed for the crux roof above.

Below: It's a bird, it's a plane! It's a Soozybird!! Lowering off True Value.

Felicia jumped on True Value after I took a lap with a nice ratchet-belay from Sooze. That friggin' roof just wasn't made for out-of-shape top-heavy fat boyz.

Below: Felicia firing the roof of True Value (11a), Swiss Tower.

Below: The peanut gallery (Sandy, Sooze, and Nora) hugging the last vestiges of shade off the north side of the Swiss Tower.

I was pretty close to cooked, but Susan and Felicia headed over and climbed Mordor (10d/11a). This route jumped a grade in difficulty the last couple years when a block fell off the start and wiped out some of the decent footholds that used to get you past the overhang Susan is on in the picture below.

Below: Susan pulling the crux (maybe not anymore?) bulge of Mordor.
And going straight up, which is harder than going to the left!

Felicia also took a lap on Mordor after Susan. That's her in the picture below. The guy hanging around on the left is on one of the really tough routes on the White Wall, probably The Joker, or Total Recall (hard 12's).

After that, we crossed back over to Son Tower and Sandy and I did one last route, Sunshine Daydream (7) before the heavy clouds piled in, the thunder and lightning started and it was time to head for Dodge. It was sprinkling on us as we hiked up the trail to the parking lot, and shortly after we started the drive into town, it came down in buckets. Beautiful timing on our part!!!

Another good weekend.
If we keep this pace up, I might actually figure out how to climb again!!

G.