San Rafael Swell offwidth boulder camp?
|
I was in the swell around the beginning of june last summer with my girlfriend, the first night out at the start of our summer climbing trip. We pulled off the road into a canyon with a cattle gate crossing the road. A short way down the road there was a huge split boulder approx 25 feet tall with a huge offwidth splitting it in two. It was our first time in the swell and we camped at the base of this boulder. After setting up camp I pulled out the binoculars and started scanning the walls for cracks and anchors, after scoping it out we grabbed our packs and headed up the slope to the base of the cliffs. We ended up doing a really short handcrack climb at the top of which I effortlessly pulled out a piton that was tied into the anchor with a sling. After this climb we traversed the base of the wall to find an really fun crack with a roof near the top, probably 5.9 or 5.10. We climbed several more cracks on this wall before returning to camp to cook dinner, watching an incredibl sunset wash the walls of the canyon. Can any of you swell afficionados help me out as to which camp we were in and what wall we were on? Also, the same night it was a full moon, and we heared some eerie blood curdling screams that continued throught the night, seemingly following the the moon down the riverbed! spooky. Thanks! |
|
|
|
Looks like a killer spot, sorry I can't help with any info. |
|
pine creek canyon |
|
|
|
thanks for looking into it, It may be pine canyon but I dont think that it was rabid muslim or anchors from hell, though that was an anchor from hell |
|
I would guess that if you were along Buckhorn Wash..... |
|
well, ha yeah i think your right, it was calf canyon, my girlfriend just walked in and I asked her if she remembered and she said it was Calf Canyon. I guess she wins this one. haha. the screaming though, that is another mystery. |
|
I will scream a little bit too |
|
As for the screaming, you might have been hearing a mountain lion. I've heard this twice while in the desert. When a mountain lion screams at you, it sounds like one of the scariest things you'll ever hear. Imagine a crazed, rabid women, screaming with the intent of ripping your arms off. That's kind of what it sounds like. I'm sure the web has audio samples that you could compare, but that would be my bet. |
|
ok, I looked up screaming mountain lions, and that was not what we were hearing, honestly it gives me goose bumps thinking about it, I am only 19 but in that many years I have been raised in the wild and i dont really fear much as far as sounds at night, I have heard a lot. This sounded like you would think a woman being attacked by someone or something would sound, but it went all night long. I have never felt the need to carry a gun in the wilderness, and it took me a month on the road climbing, and camping in extremely wild, and secluded places after hearing this to finally buy one. (granted for other reasons than this) You may think awww any 19 year old would probably get spooked in very wild places. I dont get spooked easily. These screams made the hair stand up on your neck like nothing I have ever heard. |
|
the wall I am referring to is to the left of the upper left hand corner of the picture in the link. |
|
It could have been a Skinwalker messin with ya. |
|
second the mountain lion thing. they sound terrible. |
|
That is Skinwalker country. |
|
yeah good thing I didnt look it in the eyes ! |
|
CalmAdrenaline wrote:the wall I am referring to is to the left of the upper left hand corner of the picture in the link.Oh. The Pine Wall is up and to the right of the boulder you camped by. |
|
CalmAdrenaline wrote:ok, I looked up screaming mountain lions, and that was not what we were hearingReally? Did you look up just roaring mountain lions or the mountain lion mating call? I tried to find sounds of the mating call but couldn't find any. Here's some info from various websites: "Its mating call is a harsh scream." "The Mountain Lions bloodcurdling mating call has been likened to a womans scream. " "The mating call is a harsh scream which has earned the mountain lion several of its various other names." "Although the voice of the mountain lion is like that of a domestic cat, only louder, its mating call is a harsh scream." Sounds like what you described. -Tristan |
|
Tristan, I think you are probably right, I found this clip of the sound and it is what it sounded like minus the jungle noises in the background. |
|
portercassidy wrote:It could have been a Skinwalker messin with ya.Now that is worse than any animal. |
|
Wow. I heard that before climbing mount shasta last spring and it scared the crap out of me. Had no clue what I had heard until now. |