We made it here in two days, after a ridiculously long drive. I bet it feels longer to do this drive in the winter, since more than half the time we were driving in the dark. We rolled into camp late on Wednesday and explored the nearest shopping area for groceries. It is called Charleston Road and it is insane. There are three lanes on either side and massive shopping centers, random mini-casinos, resorts, and housing developments lining the road. Driving here is nuts!
Now, onto Red Rock. The landscape is gorgeous. Everything here (the visitor's center, hiking, climbing, etc.) is accessed through a 13-mile, one way (!!!) Scenic Drive. Every time you enter the park, you have to drive the whole thing. So it pays to plan out where you want to climb for the day. Yesterday was our first day in the park and it was really awesome to do the drive. I wonder how we'll feel in a week's time...13 miles one way! Hah. Here is a map of the drive:
Yesterday we climbed at the Black Corridor, which is off of the Second Pullout. Here is the approach:
Here is some climbing.
After climbing, I took the following photos from our parking spot on the scenic drive.
As we were hiking out, a helicopter was hovering above the outcrop pictured below. There were also a couple ambulances lining the drive. We watched as a rescue took place and a person was lifted into the helicopter off of a precarious looking ledge. Whoa. Later we found out that the hiker had fallen about 25 feet and sprained both ankles. Nothing says "be careful" more than that. Helicopter rescue, no thanks.
Today is Friday and we're waiting out some light rain which will hopefully let up soon. There are so many places to climb here, so many little canyons and walls and different areas, you could be here a long time and go to a new place pretty consistently. It's like a big natural playground for hikers, climbers, and photographers. Okay, that's all for now. Sending good vibes from the natural park next to Vegas. Jenna
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