Desperate for Lovin'

Desperate for Lovin’ is an awesome route; and with one of the shortest, easiest approaches on the South Fork thrown in too! This is a true gem for a shorter day out, or it can easily be combined with Stringer for a longer day. It consists of 2 to 3 pitches that are quite attractive. The first pitch consists of some tight climbing out of a chimney which leads to a nice pillar, which can be thin, and might include some rock moves at the top in order to clear a bulge. If the first pitch is not in, the rest of the route is not worth doing. From the top of the first pitch, continue up the gully for a couple of hundred feet past some ice bulges and chock-stones to reach the upper section of the route, which is a short, steep step followed by a flat section leading to the final curtain. The curtain is worth going to the top of the route for, though it might be better to break this section into 2 pitches. Look for a tree to the left of the top of the final curtain to rappel from, though this tree can be kind of a pain to get to. Look out for pulling rocks down on top of yourself when pulling ropes from the tree. You will probably want to have 2 ropes in order to clear both the curtain and the step below it. From the top of the first pitch, use a V-thread for a rappel. This might be a difficult anchor to get in if the ice is thin. Joe Josephson’s Winter Dance also makes reference to a possible walk-off from the top of the first pitch. Look for a slope above a constriction in the drainage above the first pitch, and traverse right (east towards the road) across the slope, apparently following some game trails back down some obscure ledges; follow the trail of poop!

Park approximately 1.6 miles past the Ishawooa Mesa trail. Start hiking across the sage prairie aiming for the obvious drainage. You can see the top of the second/third pitch clearly from the road, and the first pitch too if you know where to look. Just as you enter the drainage itself, look for a way to walk uphill to the left of the drainage in order to reach the base of the route.

2 ropes and a rack of screws are all that are needed for the climb; you might want to bring some webbing for the rappels.