I’m getting married next weekend, and it’s tradition for the groom to go do some guy stuff right before the wedding. So, Rick and I drove his monster-truck van way out into the desert, climbed a tower, and drank some Whiskey.
The White Rim is an incredible place. Around every corner is another formation that’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. Drop below the White Rim into Monument Valley, and everything you see looks absolutely impossible. It’s like Willy Wonka’s version of what rock formation should look like. The towers that I love the most are the ones that look like they may not be there for long. Standing Rock looks like it should not be there right now.
At 300′ tall and 50′ wide (in the thick spots), it resembles a giant stack of pancakes that stays upright only from dumb luck and positive thinking. I’ve wanted to climb it from the second I saw a photo. When you see it in person, however, you realize that the photos don’t do justice to just how tall and skinny this thing is. Rick and I had a blast the whole day, and finished off the celebration with Whiskey and steak after we spent a couple hours driving out of the park.
The next day Rick carried the rack and rope, while I carried my hangover. My pack was much heavier. We toned down the objective quite a bit—really, about as far as you can and still be climbing in the desert. For Sunday’s climb we picked the Super Ball. An improbable looking stack of car-size rocks that for a small tower on top of the rim above the Colorado River. While the climbing itself isn’t that impressive, the approach is actually one of the most fun and unique I have done. All in all, it was a much better way to spend my pre-wedding weekend than going to a strip club.
