5.11b,
Sport, 50 ft (15 m),
Avg: 2.2 from 26
votes
FA: Jim Stone, Summer 1996
Utah
> Northeast Utah
> Uinta Mountains
> Ruth Lake
> Good Medicine Area
A
Vision Quest is a Native American
rite of passage carried out by older children in order to find themselves and further their steps to joining adulthood. This quest is done alone in the wild and continues until the child finds personal direction and returns home. The quest's intention is to gain a spiritual connection by enduring hallucinations and overcoming feats associated with starvation and sensory deprivation.
Hop on this route too soon after warming-up and you too will feel like you're on a
vision quest. This route begins steep with a highly sequential set of difficult and unrelenting moves over edges, side pulls, slopers, and poor feet. Choose the wrong path and suffer a sense of abandonment and solitude.
Start steep off the ground and power through a trio of tough, steepening bulges, passing four bolts. Move right-up-left-up and over some very difficult and pumpy terrain (this will also earn you 30 free guys on
Contra). Surpass this
journey and
graduate to an easier, more
directed path. Surviving this stunt allows passage over a quick and easy scramble to gain the ridge. The
trek home begins here as you climb the sharp arete passing positive and sometimes awkward holds to the anchor. Conquer this achievement and feel entitled to
advance to tougher, more
mature routes at the wall.
While
Vision Quest won't win any awards for being ultra-classic, it is still a worthwhile undertaking. An early crux is nice and allows a enjoyable finish.
Vision Quest sits on the farthest left end of the face at the
Good Medicine Wall. It lies just left of
Sacred Hoop and is easily recognized by the upper, left-most, sharp arete that marks it's final stretch.
Nine bolts to a chain anchor. (A long sling or two draws on the first bolt past the scramble will help eliminates drag)