Moab IV - Day 3
Parriott Mesa
Like Sunday, blue skies greeted us Monday
morning and so we set off towards the Castle Valley area to try an easy
climb/scramble up Parriott Mesa. By definition a mesa is a flat-topped plateau,
surrounded by steep walls. Such is the case for Parriott, except for a weakness
in the north side, where the steep walls of rock give way to “less imposing”
terrain, as described in the route information I found on the internet.
The approach to the mesa was easy and
awe-inspiring, the clean, vertical walls of beautiful sandstone giving us much
to ogle at. So was following a good trail and string of cairns around to the
north side of the mesa.
The fun begins at this point. The highlights of
this ascent route are: 1. An airy traverse across a rock face that is
thankfully protected by a cable; 2. The 5.6 chimney at the end of the traverse;
3. A 4th class scramble up a section of beautifully pocketed rock; 4. A
tricky little section right before the plateau; 5. The summit view. The good
news was that 2 and 4 were rope assisted and so no climbing gear was required –
just a little arm strength to pull yourself up (good thing they were short
sections, given the size (ie. lack thereof) of my arms!). We both thoroughly
enjoyed each of the mountain’s little features and agreed it had been one of
our most unique ascents to date.
The descent required two airy, but short
rappels (three for me as a rappelled the 4th class section) and then a super
easy and fast hike back to the car. The imposing form of Castleton Tower across
the valley caught our attention throughout. We had toyed with the idea of
attempting the classic Kor/Ingalls route (5.9) up the tower, during our stay in
Moab, but one look at it was enough for us to consider otherwise – it is not
the trivial route the grade may imply.
A totally fun mountain (mesa)!
Had to stop en route to the trail-head to photograph this beautiful scene
Not the best lighting. Striking Castleton Tower at the right. The excellent trail to Parriott Mesa diagonals up the scree slope
Dan starts the hike to the base. Parriott Mesa in the centre
On the ridge and heading towards the objective. Of course the 5.6 ascent route is NOT on this side of the mesa.
The walls of
the east side of the mesa are super impressive and super vertical. Dan
(small figure at the lower right) is dwarfed by them.
Looking up the walls
The terrain gets steeper as we work our way around to the north side
...and even more interesting
Having a good time! (photo by Dan)
Dan starts the cable traverse
The exposure here is fairly intense but the cable makes the traverse safe and fun
My turn (photo by Dan)
Dan at the end of the traverse and ready to ascend the chimney above
He checks out the great views first
Dan ascends the technical crux of the ascent, once again made easier; this time by several ropes that you can grab onto
My turn again (photo by Dan)
The super fun and interesting ascent up a section of pocketed rock. Great hand holds!
The last technical section also has a thick rope for assistance
Great, vertiginous hike to the summit
The rock was remarkably sheer
Speaking of vertiginous!
The variety of colours is staggering
Dan at the summit of Parriott Mesa
Dan prepares for the first rappel
Dan rappels the crux
Easy and scenic hike back
Castleton Tower and The Rectory look much better later in the day
The La Sal mountains are also visible (photo by Dan)
What a sweet pile of rock!
Closer look at the imposing form of Castleton Tower
Last few minutes of the trip
Different view of Castleton Tower from down the road
For the evening’s entertainment we went to Wall
Street where Dan successfully took on “Nervous in Suburbia” (10a) and Androids
(10c). Quite satiated from Parriott Mesa, I was happy to just belay Dan and
enjoy the surroundings.
