After an unsatisfying breakfast of instant oatmeal and pop tarts, Ethan and I headed out for a day of climbing. Roger and Bob were ready for a rest day and figured they go into Hidalgo because it was Market Day, and shop for some fresh food. The walk supposedly takes only 10-15 minutes down the road. The sun was shining, most of the canyon was still in shade, the sky was a deep blue, the cliffs were majestic, I was very excited! Definitely bring a long sleeve layer - in the morning and late afternoon in the shade, it was definitely cool out. But in the sun it's roasting! A tank top, long sleeve tshirt for shade and a light fleece for the walk back seemed to work well.
For the first climb, we decided to do a 3 pitch, "Las Chimuelas", on the Jungle Wall. Pitches are 5.8, 5.9 and 5.8. Ethan took the first pitch, I swung the second, and he took the third. Climb was nice but nothing to write home about, but a good and easy introduction to the rock.
Second climb was on the Spires (Las Agujas). The route was "Aguja Celo Rey", 2 pitches, 5.10c, 5.10c. Ethan already climbed them (not on lead) the day before - but it was such a classic must-do climb that he led both pitches so I could climb it. The guidebooks vary on the ratings, but one book said the 2nd pitch was harder. I thought the 1st pitch was harder, with some tricky layback maneuvers. The belay stance is in the saddle between the two spires, and there was a window/cave between the spires as well, where you could see limestone flowstone coming out of the ceiling, like in a cave. The 2nd pitch was very exposed, thin sneaky moves on the arete of the spire, but I felt the moves were all straight forward and not difficult. It felt great to be on that exposed arete, and luckily, it wasn't that windy at that moment. But the sun was very hot, Ethan was toasting, so I sat on the top, we took a couple of quick pictures and headed down before he self-combusted. For more details on the route, see Ethan's route report on The Spires.
That seemed to be enough for my first day, so we headed back, and stopped at the mini-super on the way. Everywhere you look are mini-supers - like tiny quick marts, stocked with just the essentials. In this case, cold beer and chips. Essential Mexico vocabulary: cervesas = beer. caguama = 40 oz beer. Mmmm, gracias. It's perfect - all day climbing in the hot sun, buy a cold beer on the way out, enjoy the cold refreshment all the way back.
We meet Roger and Bob at pavillion and walk to dinner at Checo's. But alas, Checo's is closed for Market Day! So we decide we have to walk into Hildalgo to get ourselves some food. The walk seems much farther than what we've been told. We're walking on the side of a road with large trucks whizzing past. Ethan is exhausted, he's probably dehydrated, and I am getting horrible blisters on my feet from my Tevas, which I wore because I was led to believe this was not a far walk. We get to a grocery store and buy some fresh vegetables, tortillas, cheese, salsa and beans to make our own burritos. Roger and Bob start walking first. Ethan and I decide to try to hitch a ride back because the blisters have now made it very difficult for me to walk. The first pickup truck that drives past picks us up. The driver is kind enough to pick up our amigos, Bob and Roger, on the way, and drops us off at our destination. The people here are so friendly and nice. I make yummy burritos with Roger, Bob eats Frosted Flakes, Ethan eats tuna fish, but it could be cat food. The homemade burritos were definitely the way to go.