Highlights of the El Potrero Chico climbing trip

We climbed 6 of 9 days. This included 2 travel days + one rest day. We worked out a sitter for Julia on 3 of those days so we could do some longer routes. We were constrained a bit, of course. We couldn't do any bivies. Also we didn't want to stick the rope on rappel and get back too late to pick up Julia.

Most exciting climb: Aguja Cela Rey. Two pitches of 5.10. It is described as classic but we forgot that "classic" is really a code word for run out. The 2nd pitch was really EXPOSED. Aguja Cela Rey climbs the thinner spire on right (in picture). Here's a pic of Mia on top.


Best of week: Pancho Villa Rides Again (topo on photo). This was 5 pitches of 5.10. The last time we did a climb this hard was on the Diamond (Mountain Project site) and before my accident. We were pretty proud at the end of the day. To the left, is Mia finishing off the 1st pitch.

The best single pitch climb was Selam in Virgin Canyon. Although it was "only" rated 5.10a, I'd say this was a bit of a sandbag. The crux for me was clipping the bolt at the crux and avoiding the 25' fall. Since my foot popped at the crux, I almost took the dive. This was a real pitch. A 140 foot pitch. A beautiful route but I'm bring a stiff draw for the crux clip next time.

Another high point was the excellent food. We ate mostly at the Posado but Checo's was just as good. One thing I don't understand is why Mexican food in the US has cheese. Ain't no cheese in Mexico .. except for quesadillas.

Our rest day seemed to have some magic going on. There was a breeze ruffling the trees. The air seemed vibrant. I don't know what was going on but we liked it. I spent a good part of the day reading in a hammock. Some of that time Julia was on top of me talking & playing. I loved it.

We met a lot of good people. It was hard not to. The climbers walk the same road, eat in the same places and the camps are so close. Julia seemed to know everyone. At least she talked to everyone. One of her conversations somehow leaned to how we (Mia & I) met. Of course, Julia knew it all - Papa came to Germany on a climbing trip and met Mama at a party. Mama said to Papa: You are mine! What a laugh ...

This was a fantastic trip! We'll be back - hopefully next year.

The El Potrero Chico ... custom car show ?

As we walked towards the canyon, we were passed by a line of VW beetles. We looked at each other and shrugged. We were soon to find out ... about the El Potrero Custom Car Show. Actually, we heard it before we saw it. The music ranged from an elongated boooom to mariachi. Almost every car had it's stereo blasting. Maybe it was a sound contest instead of a car show? There were some pretty wild customizations for a sound contest though, as evidenced by this and this.

Eventually, we made it to mini super wall and did a few easier 1 pitch routes to get a feel for the area. The melange of music didn't take long to drive us back out of the park. It was beer o'clock anyway.

Welcome to El Potrero Chico, Mexico

The roosters bring in the morning. The wind opens the curtains, pushes the beer cans down the canyon road and makes the palm fronds wave proudly up on the cliff walls. The indigenous are friendly .. very friendly. We are in the land of aftermarket mufflers ... Mexico.

We wake up Sunday morning after a big travel day yesterday. My luggage made it. Mia's and Julia's didn't. We opened the door to see where were were. Lemon and fig trees surrounded our casita. We were staying at the Posado, a ten minute walk from the climbing at El Potrero Chico (wikipedia). There was no snow on the ground. This was a good start .. and very different than Saturday morning in Boulder.

While waiting for our luggage, we explored (pic of the hike in) the canyon's climbing areas and went to town to pick up food. We planned to walk to the store in town but it was not to be. We got about 200 feet before a Ford pickup stopped and asked us for a ride. Nice guys. A bit drunk but nice ... They made it clear that they loved the U.S. They didn't talk to Mia. They talked to me - even though I only know my numbers, in Spanish, to 10. Mia is much better in Spanish but it appears men only talk to men. This was the case in the food store also. They re-appeared after we were almost done shopping to drive us back. By the time we arrived back at the Posada, I was their brother. I mean it! One guy was almost in tears. We thanked them profusely.

Then we found that our luggage had arrived. Time to climb!