This free-standing pinnacle currently has 3 bolted face routes. Maybe 25 feet tall, the rock's west face has a distinctive reddish patina which gives the formation its name.
The obelisk is steep on all sides and overhanging on its north side, where it is very undercut and rotten. Definitely a candidate for most likely to topple in the next earthquake!
The easiest way up is via the 5.10b route The Red Obelisk (AKA "Boogers on a Lampshade" in the Bartlett guide). Two new routes have recently been put up on this rock: a 3-bolt route ascending the arete to the left of Boogers, and a traversing 5 bolt route on the south face to the right of Boogers.
We thought the new arete route was 5.11+, maybe harder. The new route on the south face involved so much loose grain that we didn't finish it. The Boogers route is very fun and worth doing, however.
Rap chains on top get you off.
Getting There
The trailhead for this rock is the dirt parking lot for Uncle Willie's Health Food Store. There are really good maps in the Vogel guide p. 281 and 296, which will get you right to the rock. Following is a rough description of the approach:
Drive past the turnoff to Barker Dam and take the next left on the dirt road. Park at the lot at the end of this road, and start walking up an old dirt road which has a wire blocking vehicle access. A few hundred feet up this road there is an obvious trail to the left - take this trail. After this turn you walk up a wash, passing Uncle Willie's (a ruined brick building), and continue almost directly north for about a mile. You will pass many climbs on either side of the wash, and the Astro Domes will soon become obvious to your left.
After you pass the Freak Brothers Dome (very obvious - long dome with 3 obvious rounded aretes facing west) you turn right into another big wash and head straight east. The Red Dihedral will soon come into view. The walk takes about 45 minutes from the car.
I climbed all three routes in late December (2002). The arete (3 bolts) was definitely the most difficult. In the New Route information binder for the Wonderland area at Nomad Adventures it is listed as 5.11+ / 5.12- on TR. The five bolt serpentine route (5.10+ / 5.11-) that passed through two large huecos on the southeast face was engaging. More ascents would help to remove some of the loose granules on both of the new routes. There was also a register in a metal box at the top near the anchor in late December.
I have walked by this stone many times recently, and I can't help but to feel thoroughly disGusted by the blatant bolting of the SE face. This route is an absolute F@#%$ing eyesore. Not only did the first ascentionist NOT use rock colored hangers, but they beat 3 to 4 inch circular scars around each bolt. Plus there is 5 bolts in about 20 ft. of climbing. Tactics like this can only help to support the wilderness bolting ban. Hell, I have a right mind to turn them in myself!!
I've not been out there in a while but the thought of that rock with all those bolts...it sounds like a pincushion. Why more bolted routes on this small piece of rock when there are still large formations nearby with potential for longer more worthwhile routes? Perhaps the bolts on the two new routes should go...
The 2 new routes were put up recently by visiting German climbers. They were unaware of the prohibition on new bolted routes in Wilderness. However, since the routes are there (and the rock scarred), removing the bolts will not make the crag look any better, but someone could paint the hangers.
Huh - I wonder if they were the same visitors who put up the route on Little Route Candy Mountain. Glue in eye bolts make for an interesting choice. I think they were camo'd though, so that's a plus.
No offense intended, but I think visiting Euros should all receive a lecture about american climbing practices. The fact that this was bolted in such a way by visiting German climbers does not surprise me one bit. I know many routes around the country and in my local area (Squamish) that could be equally described as "F*&_$ing eyesores". I have placed bolts in J-Tree and elsewhere, but I think routes like the ones on the obelisk should be chopped and the rock returned to as natural state as possible so that people are not encouraged to climb such destructive routes and perhaps even be motivated to add one of their own of such a "quality". And seriously, I think there ought the climbing community needs to be better informed of the consequences of such routes, just look at Cave Rock.
I can imagine that its only a matter of time before someone bolts one of the many proud backcountry boulder problems.
PLEASE ask around before bolting anything that could potentially have been bouldered. Many tall problems have been established in remote areas of JTree.
The new routes on the Red Obelisk should not have been established in the J-Tree Wilderness. However, they now exist and, admittedly, were fun to lead. There wasn't a superfluous bolt placed on the arete. The fifth bolt on the southeast face route that traverses right and then left before topping out was probably unecessary (for me on lead).
Should the bolts on these new routes be chopped because they were drilled into a formation where bolting is banned (apparently unknown to the first ascentionists) or because some climbers perceive them as an eyesore?
Though I live far from J-Tree (so you needn't listen to my opinion), I would suggest to chop 'em. It simply encourages other hyper-zealous climbers to conveniently "not know" about the regulation, or at least use it as a defense of their actions.
Maybe visiting climbers -- wherever they may be from -- should stay long enough to climb some established routes and get the feel for the culture and ethic of a place before immediately spraying a bunch of bolts all over the place. It's not like there was a terrible shortage of things to climb in JT before these two routes went up ...
And maybe this little mini-thread should be moved into the "bolt wars" discussion area?
Finally got a look at the new routes, and the traversing one through the huecos really is an eyesore. I don't know the name, but "Drilling with Parkinson's" comes to mind. Unfortunately, the scarring is unreparable. I'm also extremely upset that the summit register is gone! How am I suppose to get my Joshua Tree Peaks patch w/o it?
The new routes are certainly an eyesore. Is the uproar over these routes due to them being of poor quality and established in a poor fashion, or is it because they were established by Euros? Remember, the newer Bond Boulders routes have a similar "pincushion" appearance and were established "illegally"-- but were established by locals.
I have yet to see the rock in it's present condition, but agree that at this point perhaps painting the bolts to match the rock is the way to go as opposed to "Chopping" them. Apparently the climbs are enjoyable to most that have done them and I am interested in giving them a shot as well. Unfortunate that everything is not alway as all wish it would be. But making the best of a givin situation is not a bad idea either. Brian is right saying there are many other climbs, Eric is correct that we "Locals" climb areas illegally bolted and have not complained about them, CM is probably right that they appear as "Pincushions", the Germans were ignorant to the rules..... A mess! But start chopping and where will that in itself stop? Who chooses?
In response to Erik's comment about the newish routes at Bond boulders; I believe using words like pincushion, illigal, locals, etc., is usually not a good idea and in the best interests of climbers at Joshua Tree. This is the kind of stuff that , true or not, once it is in print, can come back to haunt us. This is the stuff that the Park service, Nature Conservancy, Sierra Club, or anyone else that wants to give climbers a bad name or hard time,...they stick this stuff in our face, and it usually is bad for climbers.. Climbers, for the most part, love the park, take damn good care of it ( especially compared to other users), are usually enviromentally correct, pick up their trash (and others), and want to be thought of in a positive way by the public, the Park service, other user groups, the media, and amongst themselves. Look towards the good, the positive, and make sure others know that climbers are kind, caring, considerate, law-abiding citizens (for the most part). It's good for business.
Great point Todd. Let's hope it does not go any further and does not backfire on us all. And it is totally true that climbers in general take much better care of the enviornment than many visitors. I do think that whenever possible, bolts should be colored to match the rock and in areas traveled by the masses maybe slowly but surely we could paint them, thus showing our concern??? I certainly am willing.
AJ, I agree with most of your comment. I have climbed the routes in question. They are a bit of an eyesore, but climb as well as many other 30 foot bolted climbs in the park. I just thought it was interesting to come down so hard on these routes in particular. One man's treasure is another man's trash. Best discussed over beer.
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