The original reason for the trip was to go to the Black Hills and support Liz in her efforts with the Cairn Project, but with the weather in the Rushmore area hovering around 30 and the snow dumping, we called an audible: a day at Sandstone taking in the Minnesota scene then crossing the border into Wisconsin and heading to Necedah. Jelly took the lead as the honorable rope gun on Friday, putting everything up for us to play on.
We started on Eagle Rare, topping out on Y Crack Wall above Coyote Spire giving a surprisingly lovely view of the area. This was also a great opportunity to get back out on rock plugging gear and slinging trees since it had been nearly a 6 month lull in climbing outside.
Ezra Brooks was next, followed by another scenario (reminiscent of Potrero) where I quickly look at the guidebook, see an easy 5.6 that is supposed to be on gear but looks like it could have been retro-bolted, and have Jelly start up the route. Thinking we were on Foreplay, we moved pretty slow off the second bolt making a real committing move for a 5.6. From there it was cruiser to the chains, but upon getting back to the ground we came to the realization it was Post Coital Snuggles at 5.9, making way more sense for at least that single move.
We ended Friday on Glass Balls, a 5.8 that follows a low angle ramp but provides an absolutely gorgeous top out, especially with that golden hour lighting.
After a Swiney's classic Miller Lite and burger combo we settled into the camp sight with Partner Dave already having a fire roaring. By Saturday morning our group had grown, so we split up so as to not hoard any one wall in particular. Jelly and I started on Pancake Crack, and after topping it out I remained there to snap some photos of everyone on River Boat Gambler. Partner Dave did a killer job putting up the route so everyone else could enjoy those jugs up over the roof.
From RBG the group split up again, with the majority enjoying Anthrax. I don't know if it was the bougie water or being cold from chilling on top of Pancake Crack but I was good to lock in some moderate trad routes next.
Whilst another party was finishing Air, I brushed up on my Elvis leg technique on Mr. Canoehead, plugging more gear and loving that you could reach the chains on a 5.7 with a knee bar. Jelly was done cleaning pretty much as soon as the other group was off the wall, so without swapping shoes she started up the route. From the ground and in the guidebook it puts off bolt vibes similar to Linville, where they're few and far between, but with some red river-esque holds and places for gear the route sees a lot of traffic.
The chains of Air put you at the "summit" registry, but with just a little scrambling you have the opportunity for another beautiful top out. Although there was some initial commiserating over not being able to maximize a trip to the Black Hills, Necedah certainly exceeded all of my expectations and I'll be looking forward to a return visit. #gopackers #broughtoyoubyarcteryx #marissatran.com #christmasisbackon
