I’ve learned something about road trips after 13 years of climbing. The trip could be only a few days to weeks or even months; the longer you climb the more mishaps/epics will plague your adventures.

My wife and I took a few days off at the end of August and headed to Devil’s Tower, Spearfish Canyon and Fremont Canyon for some rock climbing. The trip would be her first voyage on multi pitch climbs. I thought to mix it up we would go from the Tower to Spearfish Canyon for some relaxing sport climbs and then finally to Fremont Canyon to either multi-pitch again or just goof off and top rope some of the great trad climbing the canyon had to offer.

We left Lander early that Friday and neither one of us had to work until the next Thursday. We hit the road around 4p.m. that afternoon to travel and visit three great areas, a buffet of sorts if you will. From the title of this you can probably guess or imagine some snags.

Only 10 miles out of town and we hit mishap number one. A semi towing the largest thing I’ve ever seen on a small Wyoming state road. The object in tow must have been a lane and a half wide and the back to a giant coal dump truck you may have seen on a “Super Machine” television show. Our patience was tested for a good 40 miles or more with speeds of only 50mph or less. I like to travel fast when I start a road trip and this was rapidly eating into our vacation time. After what seemed like hours my wife made an aggressive driving maneuver ala NASCAR and passed the culprit.

A few hours later we made it to the mighty Devil’s Tower. If you have never been I cannot put into words how amazing this formation is to a climber or non-climber. Go, go, go! Lots of energy, aesthetics, and proud climbin lines abound.

Day 1 was a rain out. Not a downpour, but, just enough drizzle to make climbing much too challenging or dangerous. We tried to psyche up on the south shoulder and set some top ropes up, not happening though. Once we arrived back at camp the rain stopped. The daylight was fast fading so we went to a presentation by a Lakota elder. We watched his performance of traditional hoop dancing and listened to his explanation of the symbolism and importance of the hoop(s). The crowd was invited to join in and even though I’m normally quite terrified of public dancing my

wife and I joined and ended up feeling quite rejuvenated.

The hoop dancing the night before was a great experience. I like to think now that the dancing made for a good weather omen.  Day 2 was clear and the temps perfect for Jen’s first day of multi pitch climbing.

We arrived at the base by 7:30a.am. and I took the lead by 8 a.m. We agreed that I would lead the trad routes seeing as Jen had not previously led any traditional leads herself. The Durrance route is the classic first route when visiting the Tower and maybe a little hard for a first multi pitch adventure. The climbing at Devil's Tower is always a little physical and sustained. Despite this being Jen’s first tower route the climb went very well and we moved along quickly. We topped out around 1 p.m. and were able to casually eat some lunch and mingle with a few other climbing groups.

The descent started around 2 p.m. and I thought to myself how well it was all going; my confidence in that thought inevitably jinxed us shortly thereafter. Multiple time the ropes got stuck during the rappels ( notorious tower event); I had to free solo back up at least twice to retrieve ropes and to get a piece of gear I placed going up once before. The three hours that ensued were a frustrating end to such a perfect day and of course a blow to my fragile ego feeling somewhat confident in my climbing ability.

The hike back to the car was fairly quiet. I unlocked the car and when the pack was off I headed to the bathroom to wash up. As I walked back to the car after cleaning up I finally felt relaxed. The parking lot was emptying and daylight starting to darken. I walked with a tired gait and head hung low and just about twenty feet from the car, looking down at my feet I noticed movement on the pavement. RATTLE SNAKE!!! I jumped back like some sort of younger James Brown and narrowly avoided the strike. Once back in the car I handed over the keys and I opened a soda immediately. Jen began the drive to Spearfish and I satisfied my thirst from an epic day.  I fell asleep shortly thereafter.

The drive over and setting up camp was much to my delight free of any mishaps and we both looked forward to a fresh start on the Spearfish limestone the next day. The drive in that night I could not help but notice the beauty of the Canyon.

Day 3 was not to be. Again the rain put a damper on any plans of climbing or even hiking. On the drive out I again admired the canyon and all it had to offer. I vow to return, it looks like great rock climbing. We threw ourselves and the whole camp wet into the vehicle and headed towards Mt. Rushmore. A cheap pancake breakfast picked up our spirits and we made it to the monument just in time for me to see it for my first time before the rain picked up and the clouds covered all views.

Time is always a concern for me when on a road trip. I want to make the most of my vacation;  I'm fairly obsessed with climbing and I'm always in a rush to attend to my never decreasing tick list of climbs. We started the drive to Casper and Fremont Canyon later that day and I did not notice one of the rear tires was quite low. The rain on I-90 was horrendous and I was white knuckled with fear from all the hydro planning the car was doing. Once in Casper we blew off camping in Fremont for the night and treated ourselves to a plush motel room. A motel room after a few days of mishap is always a treat and we enjoyed the shower, cooking with our stove in the room and the guilty pleasure of cable.

Day 4 was quick in arriving the next morning and the weather looked to be sunny and perfect after two days of rain on this trip. We stopped by a friend’s house and grabbed the copy of the guidebook from his mailbox as originally agreed and then headed out to the amazing Fremont Canyon. Today was our last day so I wanted to do something a little bigger/harder, a classic Fremont Canyon route that’s been on the tick list for years: “Hondo”. The route is on the south facing Power Tower wall and is three pitches long on some of the best granite in the canyon.

Gearing up at the car and eating an early lunch we were surprised to see our friends who loaned us the guidebook pull up. The usual b.s. session ensued and after some beta for the hike in we started up the steepening hill. We arrived after about thirty minutes and immediately were struck by the position we were now in. The views were amazing and the weather calm and sunny. Fremont Canyon is also a quite intimidating place for a first time visitor. The canyon is dead quiet, giving a feel of solitude. Climbers must rappel in if they plan to lead climb and rappelling in and then pulling your ropes is always a committing and butterfly inducing experience.

The rappel in was fine and no major mishaps occurred. The climbing itself was not to be the same. By now our leisurely start in the morning, hike in and rappel had lead to the mid day heat. I’m not a big fan of the heat and my light complexion does not mix well with the intensity of mid day sun.

The first pitch felt warm and I climbed quite sloppy feeling like I could have spilled off a couple of times. The route is all equipped with bolts, but, don’t let the bolts fool ya.  “Hondo” is quite sporty and I felt engaged all three pitches. Jen made it with a little struggling of her own and then the crux pitch lay above us. I started out fine, feeling the flow I always try to climb with (mental and physical) and quickly arrived at the crux. I rested and looked at the moves ahead, figured out a sequence and then cast off.  I arrived at the curx, but I jumbled the sequence and a foot blew.  FALLING!  I was above the bolt and when I fell off it was quite the ride, 30 feet or more I would guess. A soft catch for me, but, a nasty upward pull for Jen locked into the anchors. I lowered down re-stacked all the ropes and cast off again. FALLING! I hit the end of the rope again in disbelief. I climbed through the crux, lowered into it and top roped the moves. I lowered back to the belay a second time and the look on my wife’s face matched mine.

The sun, the fatigue of the trip and the mishaps the days before were adding up to royal ass whip on last day of the trip. Jen’s expression and my fatigue let me know this would be my last lead attempt of the day on this pitch; we needed to get to the top and start heading home.  I just had this one last chance.

I pulled the rope and cast off a third time on the second pitch. I held on with a much more aggressive mindset and lead the pitch clean. No fall.  At the belay I was just exhausted and watched as Jen nearly flashed the pitch. Inspiring considering all the time hanging out at the last belay. The last pitch is rated the easiest; I managed not to fall, but, I’m glad I decided to check one hand hold before I put full body weight to it. I touched and tap tested the hold and sure enough off the wall ripped the hold. My stance was good so I was able to hold the broken piece and toss it off well behind us. The climb was over for me and Jen would have a little more trouble on this last pitch. The fatigue had finally set in and our voices echoed off the canyon walls with frustration and encouragement. Once on top we had to relax and fuel up on water and snacks before hiking out.

The arrival at the car again would bring a mishap and change that mellow feeling to frustration. A flat tire waited for us. End of the day, end of the trip and a flat tire to top it all off. The tire quickly changed I handed the keys to Jen and settled in the passenger's seat for a soda eventual nap. On the drive home I wondered when the next trip with mishaps/epics might be.