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GPS: |
42.5698, -107.7807 Google Map · Climbing Area Map |
Page Views: | 6,122 total · 38/month |
Shared By: | bob branscomb on Nov 2, 2010 |
Admins: | Mike Snyder, Taylor Spiegelberg, Jake Dickerson |
Access Issue: Sticky situation
Details
This place is desolate and dangerous WYO desert with very few amenities nearby, and zero assistance should you find your pretty-little-self in a bind.
The people are ornery and the land is mean. I don't recommend coming here at all. If the rednecks, miners, roughnecks vagabonds or land doesn't get ya, some dehydrated whacked-out windblown sunbeaten climber just might. . . . Sweetwater Rocks and adjacent areas require LOW-profiles and LOTS of respect and consideration. Keep all fences/gates as you found them. Do not build fires. Adhere to all posted signs. Do not drive off of existing paths (roads). Do not let your dog run around (chances are great that it'll be shot, bitten, trampled or fed upon). Do not take anything from this land. . . and do not leave anything. Good BLM quads are essential (make sure they're up to date). Granite Mtns (Sweetwater) area closures are adjustable and are done so via ranchers and BLM officiales. Great tracts of this area are privately owned; meaning that they are always closed. For example: Lankin Dome BLM as of last year was closed 04-30 thru 06-31 for public AND private lands; between 03-01 thru 04-31 it was closed on private land. So, sometimes private easements are opened, and sometimes they aren't. . . same with public lands; oh, and mining claims too! Pay particular attention to any signage and postings.
The people are ornery and the land is mean. I don't recommend coming here at all. If the rednecks, miners, roughnecks vagabonds or land doesn't get ya, some dehydrated whacked-out windblown sunbeaten climber just might. . . . Sweetwater Rocks and adjacent areas require LOW-profiles and LOTS of respect and consideration. Keep all fences/gates as you found them. Do not build fires. Adhere to all posted signs. Do not drive off of existing paths (roads). Do not let your dog run around (chances are great that it'll be shot, bitten, trampled or fed upon). Do not take anything from this land. . . and do not leave anything. Good BLM quads are essential (make sure they're up to date). Granite Mtns (Sweetwater) area closures are adjustable and are done so via ranchers and BLM officiales. Great tracts of this area are privately owned; meaning that they are always closed. For example: Lankin Dome BLM as of last year was closed 04-30 thru 06-31 for public AND private lands; between 03-01 thru 04-31 it was closed on private land. So, sometimes private easements are opened, and sometimes they aren't. . . same with public lands; oh, and mining claims too! Pay particular attention to any signage and postings.
Description
This is perhaps the most accessable formation in the Sweetwater Rocks. It is quite obvious east of Agate Flat Road at the turn off at the second cattle grate past the Sweetwater River, where you start into Hampi Boulders and the north side of Lankin Dome.
Most people have blown it off as a choss pile, but Ed and Mark and I have established seven very nice routes to date. You have to see it in the right light to appreciate it.
Route 1 on the topo goes to the top and you have to do a long walk off to the SE to a talus gulley. We found a couple of fixed pins on our ascent of this, so perhaps NOLS was here before. Routes 2,3,4,7 need only one 60m rope. There are Fixx ring anchors at 30m on these routes. On Route 4 (Mad Knowledge of Self), the second pitch goes to the rim where there is a Fixx ring anchor set. Again, this is a 30m pitch. Route 5 and 6 are 60m long, end at a Fixx anchor set and need 2-60m ropes to rappel the routes.
Routes 2,3 4, and 7 are especially high quality for movement and great rock. Plan on bringing a rack to this place, because placements are needed, even on the routes with bolts. This is a great little place to climb, wonderful views of the Winds and the desert, easily accessable. Ed and I originally came here one spring when we were chased out of Moonstone by ol' Rancher Dan, who had the grazing lease. Not wanting to go back to town empty handed, we went to this place and established Rancher Avoidance Procedure. Cool place, dig it.
Most people have blown it off as a choss pile, but Ed and Mark and I have established seven very nice routes to date. You have to see it in the right light to appreciate it.
Route 1 on the topo goes to the top and you have to do a long walk off to the SE to a talus gulley. We found a couple of fixed pins on our ascent of this, so perhaps NOLS was here before. Routes 2,3,4,7 need only one 60m rope. There are Fixx ring anchors at 30m on these routes. On Route 4 (Mad Knowledge of Self), the second pitch goes to the rim where there is a Fixx ring anchor set. Again, this is a 30m pitch. Route 5 and 6 are 60m long, end at a Fixx anchor set and need 2-60m ropes to rappel the routes.
Routes 2,3 4, and 7 are especially high quality for movement and great rock. Plan on bringing a rack to this place, because placements are needed, even on the routes with bolts. This is a great little place to climb, wonderful views of the Winds and the desert, easily accessable. Ed and I originally came here one spring when we were chased out of Moonstone by ol' Rancher Dan, who had the grazing lease. Not wanting to go back to town empty handed, we went to this place and established Rancher Avoidance Procedure. Cool place, dig it.
Getting There
Turn north off the highway east of Jeffrey City onto Agate Flat Road. Drive to the second cattlegrate past the bridge over the Sweetwater River. Immediately turn right and follow a sandy road along the fence line. Where the main road turns left, continue along the fence line on a fainter track going straight to the rock above. Park behind a boulder just below the rock. To approach routes 1,2,3,4, and 7, walk up to some slabs right of a brushy gulley, scramble a bit up to a long ramp leading right. This puts you on a nice bench below the center of the face, above which is route 1 on the topo. Scrambling up and right a bit brings you to a cool alcove behind a large tree where route 2,3,4, and 7 on the topo are found. To get to routes 5 and 6, cross the fence by the car and walk up a faint ridge paralleling the face until you get to a little meadow below a slabby area. Scramble up ledges for 50 feet or so to a bench. Routes 5 and 6 are above.
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