September Devil's Tower with Derek

 

I flew to Rapid City, SD on September 7, 2023 and met Derek at the airport. After spending the night in Rapid City, we drove to Devil's Tower the following morning and got on Durrance around lunchtime.

Durrance (5.7+) truly was classic. Derek led the approach pitch. I climbed pitches one and two together as a single pitch. Derek led pitches three, four, and five. All of the pitches on this climb were extremely short. I don't really understand why there are so many intermediate anchors. From the end of the fifth pitch I led the Bailey variation to get us to the top. The crux for me on Durrance was near the top of pitch two, making a tricky move from the left wall to the right. This definitely felt harder than 5.7.

We wandered around a bit enjoying the top and laughing at the sign before rapping down.

We had some daylight left, so we wandered farther east to Soler (5.9). This felt like one of the longest and most sustained routes I've done. I led it in a single pitch, and it was just endless hand and finger jams for 250 feet. Just from an endurance perspective I almost fell two thirds of the way up. 

The next day we set out with El Matador (5.10d) as our objective. Clouds were already starting to threaten us as Derek got onto the first pitch, and has he neared a tricky mantle move near the top the skies completely opened up, drenching the rock. We quickly decided to abandon this project as he lost all traction on the wet lichen, and I lowered him back down.

Dejected, we debated heading to the airport a day early, but decided to at least try climbing a pitch on the eastern (sunnier) side that we hoped would be drier. We decided on Walt Bailey Memorial (5.9). I hung two thirds of the way up when the finger crack started to thin out. It was all there, but I needed to steel my nerves. So after this initial take, I sent the route to the top. I ended up placing eight nuts on this route, probably more than I have ever placed on a route before! It is a long and sustained finger crack to hand crack the entire way. My ankles were on fire. We wandered across the meadow and rapped down the Durrance rap line. 

Thinking we would cross our fingers and hope for continued fine weather on the east side, we made our way to New Wave (5.10a). Derek led this, also as a single pitch. It is a fun and exciting 10a with many 5.8 moves, one or two 5.9 moves, and one VERY exciting traverse crux at a bolt. My beta was to reach around right of the arete and kind of lie back on it, but the feet below are pure friction, and they're not to your right. So it feels totally insecure.

From the top of New Wave we moved over slightly left and I led Assembly Line (5.9). This was yet another long, continuous pitch of 5.8/5.9 hand crack for 110 feet followed by an easier wider section. My ankles were screaming on this route as I foot jammed, placing gear over and over. It just seemed to go on forever. With both of us finally at the top, we rapped using the Beal Escaper to the top of New Wave, then did a single rap without the Escaper to the mid point of New Wave (the rope didn't really reach, so I had to reach down to clip the bolts and down climb a few feet). Then we used the Escaper one last time to get down. 

We finished by walking all the way around the tower base. As we got back to our car, it started to rain again. So we had timed things perfectly. What a spectacular day! 

Assembly Line on Devil's Tower