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.
Facing the Moonstone Slab, behind the cabin, there is an obvious bolt route following the deepest, bright white, water runnel at the left edge of the face. It's further left than anything listed in Lander Rocks.
Don't be deceived by angle of the slab. This is not a "sport route" and requires 2 double rope rap's to descend.
Look for a very high first bolt, next to the runnel, and slab up to it, 2 more bolts will get you to an anchor station, maybe 5.4. It's an optical illusion, but from here, you're about 150' off the ground, needing 2 ropes to descend.
Pitch 2: Continue up the steeper runnel, over more difficult climbing w/ a few more (6) bolts to a 2nd anchor station, maybe 5.7.
2 double rope raps will get you to the ground.
Location
The furthest L route on the Moonstone "Slab" proper.
Bumping just to see if anyone knows the name, FA, or rating.
By Thomas Williams From: Lakewood, Colorado Apr 15, 2008 rating: 5.6
Hello. My wife (at the time) and I put this route up during the summer of 2002. It is called Stargazer. We rated it 5.6+. I was working for BLM in Rawlins when we put it up. My wife was pregnant at the time, but still wanted to climb some easy routes. Thus, we created Stargazer. I drilled it on lead, from the ground up. As I recall, I used some hardware store variety un-welded shuts for the belay anchors. I meant to replace those, but never got around to it. I plan to make it back up there this Summer to Do Lankin Dome again, I'll replace those shuts with something better if they are still there. I'm pretty sure I used Rawl/Powers 5 pc bolts w/Metoleus and Fixe hangers everywhere else.
We used to spend a fair amount of time out there in Miller Pocket and at the Miller Cabin. Very peaceful area with lots of "adventure" climbing.
I put up a few other trad routes that go anywhere beteween 5.8 and 5.10+ on another rock massive visible from the Highway. This crag would be on your left, with Lankin behind and on your right as you head back out across the Sweetwater River towards highway.
Best to keep a low-profile out here, wave to the ranchers, and leave all gates as found.
Thomas Williams & Angela Williams Lakewood, Colorado
RSS Feed
Slideshow
