2. 2006

Sedona and Wupatki, AZ

A couple climbs in Sedona and some Indian ruins.
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Kelsey stands on top of Bell Tower as the sun goes down and paints things a little more red.
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Kelsey stands on top of Bell Tower as the sun goes down and paints things a little more red.

ArizonaSedonaRock ClimbingKelsey Gray2006

  • Kelsey's grandparents' house is surrounded by red rocks and green trees in Sedona, Arizona. We rolled in and welcomed some rest in their peaceful surroundings.
  • It's haircut time. Personal grooming is often abandoned on a road trip, but eventually something needs to be done!
  • An evening hike and search led us to a route up Bell Tower, a prominent piece of the landscape in Sedona.
  • Kelsey stands on top of Bell Tower as the sun goes down and paints things a little more red.
  • Prickly pear blooms all alone on the summit of Bell Tower.
  • Kelsey chimps his pics in the sunset.
  • Forest fire activity in the area caused a bit of a haze which was great for sunset color, but not so great for visibility in the direction of the fires.
  • Kelsey takes to the sky at Grasshopper Point, over Oak Creek.
  • Slide Rock is a local tourist attraction with a natural waterslide through a sandstone chute, as well as a few high cliffs over some deeper water. Here's Kelsey taking a drop.
  • Our main goal in Sedona was to climb the Mace, a sandstone tower with some very cool and unique climbing. The route climbs among the cluster of towers to the left of the big gap.
  • Kelsey slides and scrapes his way upward. We were brutally mauled by this 5.9- offwidth flaring style of crack climbing, and eventually abandoned style and french-freed the top half of the route to drag our sorry bleeding selves to the summit. We got schooled, but we made it! Welcome to the desert.
  • The sun went down as we sat at the top of the Mace, and we had a bird's eye view of Sedona, with the Chapel of the Holy Cross visible in the distance.
  • Kelsey and the view from the summit.
  • The last moves on The Mace involved leaning across a gaping chasm and spanning the gap with our bodies to find holds and move the last few feet to the summit. On the way back down we simply jumped the gap, myself first and Kelsey after. Light was fading, but there's still a touch of fire in the sky.
  • Our rappel and walk back to the car were made in darkness, with scorpions and other odd bugs wandering around our feet, and a brief sighting of a rattlesnake to add to the excitement.
  • After bidding adieu to Kelsey's family, we headed north and stopped off at the Wupatki indian ruins for a few hours of exploration and education before again moving on.
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