Bolt the Creek? [SERIOUS]

I've read plenty of posts about how bolting cracks is "wrong" and that bolts permanently alter the rock, make climbs more accessible to the masses, how cams have less impact, etc etc.

For the Creek specifically, I would advocate bolting classic routes. Thousands of people are coming to the creek each year. Routes like Incredible Hand Crack are so blown out that they will become unclimbable in just a couple decades. Routes like Sig Sauer have an even worse problem-- people falling on or aiding on cams has caused the inside of the crack to blow out. The correct size cam will not fit in the front of the crack, but will be tipped out once inside. These routes will not be protectable by cams in the near future. Newer climbers will fall and aid their way up the 12s until they are blown out no matter what, so why not add some bolts?

Glue-ins, specifically, will last for hundreds of years, have very low visual impact, and would preserve the inside of the most traveled sandstone cracks from the destruction caused by metal cams.

If you are advocating for conservation of the Creek, I would say that either advocating for glue-ins, or for banning climbing entirely is the correct approach rather than climbing routes on cams.

https://enormocast.com/2025/03/enormocast-302-last-rites-2025-fka-taps-dont-side-eye-the-trad-dad-edition/ 

Maybe someone else can find the timestamp, but bolting the Creek was discussed in this year's TAPS.

For better or worse one of the unique aspects of climbing on Wingate is that you can often place a cam basically wherever you want. Bolts next to a crack won't change that, so you're still going to get people both projecting and climbing above their pay grade and placing, bumping, taking, and whipping on cams in between the bolts. People will place gear literally every 2-3 feet up a climb; nobody who climbs at the Creek is immune from this, we've all been that person on various climbs and at various points in our climbing paths. So if you ask me, a bunch of bolts next to a climb won't have a substantial change on the actual erosion.

That said I do think there's plenty of climbs where a judicious bolt or two would drastically reduce the amount of rope grooves and/or stuck pieces.

As to the point of Sig Sauer and similar routes having the inside blown out, I think it's important to practice, when bumping cams especially, to pull a cam out and re-place it rather than sliding it along the inside of a crack.

Maybe IHC is blown out because its choss? Supercrack gets more traffic and the wear on that seems like it is more from people climbing it than from the cams.

Yup climbers once again have ruined a great area.

How about quota system?  Could limit climbers and set a number per day per state.   Maybe a fee box?  Permits payable on your smartphone?  Pay extra for premium access to jump the line.   

Once I overcame my visceral abhorrence to OP's suggestion, I considered it on its merits.

Unfortunately, I fear that in attempting to preserve the Wingate, the additional traffic would increase the environmental impact on the Creek in every other way. 

Better to "lose" IHC and have Luxury Liner turn into a flaring offwidth than accelerate the timeline on the entire area.

Let's say that you add bolts to most of the popular routes there. Do you have to show your notarized tic-list to the crag police to prove you have finally advanced enough to climb routes with cams?

What if I get caught being a bad and scared climber on a route that hasn't been bolted (yet). Lifetime ban? 10 demerits on my international ranking? Drink from the stream?

It was probably 20 years ago when I felt like I was close on the Optimator, even then, it was getting butt cracked out vs the footage of the same route on (bad memory here) Return to Sender? IHC was blown out 30 years ago, when we were camping at Newspaper rock. So was Super Crack, I ran out of 3.5 friends and placed some large tricams my buddy had.

The last time I was at the Creek, I still got to experience a silence that made my ears ring. Not alone, but an emptiness that you can only get in the desert. It's been a long time, and I read of how the crowds have killed the place, and I'm a little bit sad. 

Maybe routes will start having a pull cord through the anchor so people can set up top ropes without leading. I think there’s a crag in Hawaii like this. If the main problem is the cams then find a way to promote top roping as much as possible? 

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsionwrote:

The last time I was at the Creek, I still got to experience a silence that made my ears ring. Not alone, but an emptiness that you can only get in the desert.

This is the type of lyric prose I would expect to encounter in the Zine. As with everything you contribute here, much appreciated.

It's been a long time, and I read of how the crowds have killed the place, and I'm a little bit sad. 

It's been a couple years for me, but there were still pockets of peace and striations of solitude to be unearthed for those willing to wander.

And, if we tread lightly, for generations to come.

Julian Callinwrote:

Glue-ins, specifically, will last for hundreds of years, have very low visual impact, and would preserve the inside of the most traveled sandstone cracks from the destruction caused by metal cams.

I understand your perspective, but consider one simple fact - this would create huge visual impact on the rock. Not from the bolts, which could be very low profile and camouflaged, but from the "windshield wiper effect" of the draws rubbing on the rock. Every bolt would get a light colored windshield wiper gouge going underneath it. It would look horrible.

Thanks for chiming in everyone.

My opinion has shifted a bit after reading everyone's thoughts... I think that certain spots on classics might still benefit from a glue-in but Greg brought up the really good point of the "windshield wiper effect" with draws. That would definitely suck and look horrible but might be a compromise on particular routes that will be unclimbable soon?

Encouraging top-roping and pull cords sounds like a good solution as well.

Unfortunately, I fear that in attempting to preserve the Wingate, the additional traffic would increase the environmental impact on the Creek in every other way. 

Better to "lose" IHC and have Luxury Liner turn into a flaring offwidth than accelerate the timeline on the entire area.

Totally agree with this one though!

Overall, bolts probably aren't worth it.

The last time I was at the Creek, I still got to experience a silence that made my ears ring. Not alone, but an emptiness that you can only get in the desert. It's been a long time, and I read of how the crowds have killed the place, and I'm a little bit sad.

This still exists in the Creek and I'm very grateful for it. Additional bolts would probably kill the place even faster. I just got out of the Creek for the season-- there are NO crowds once May hits besides a few weekenders over the holiday. Plenty of solitude and silence to be found!

Naaah. . . they'd get shot if they did. . . 

Shuffling jams with tape gloves and bodies scraping against the wall is more damaging than cams.  There is no solution other than climbing there less.  I just consider Indian Creek a sacrifice zone that keeps the beaters from ruining the rest of the desert,

I have actually discussed this before with some friends. The idea is not an original one. The issue wasn’t about preserving the whole climb, but putting a bolt on Scarface so the cracks stops getting wider on the inside than the outside from people skating cams.

Greg’s point is a good one on the windshield wiper. While it’s typical at anchors it would be bad to have it in the middle of climbs, and a bolt might actually encourage more people to climb the route.

I was just thinking maybe it goes like this:

1. Route is established
2. Classic status is achieved
3. Route is climbed a bunch
4. Route gets harder to protect because it hollows out
5. People stop climbing route because it’s scary and flared either inside or outside
6. Route is only climbable by those that don’t mind sparse protection
7. Route is climbed less