As I watch the snow fall outside here in New Jersey it is with longing I write this route account. Memories of warm sun, blue skies, soaring rock and ice cold "caguamas" make my fingers yearn for the sharp rock and towering routes found at "El Potrero".
Thursday Feb 21 2002. Finally a long multipitch! Space Boyz is the most popular route at Potrero. 11 pitches. 5.8-5.9-5.9-5.9-5.10a-5.10d-5.10b-5.9-5.10a-5.9-5.9. Get it early! Because of loose rock it is unwise and unsafe to climb under a party on Space Boyz.
Bob a.k.a. "Sticky" (cause he never falls) and I arose at 6:00am, just a few moments before daybreak. I was so excited at the thought of 11 pitches that I had slept poorly the night before. I was up and ready when Bobs alarm buzzed at 6:00. Daybreak was beautiful in the desert! One small wispy cloud was brilliantly lit by the rising sun, I took this as an omen for a great day ahead. After a quick cup of coffee and a bowl of oatmeal, we checked our packs. 4 liters of water, cliffbars, windshells, 30 quickdraws, cameras, two 60 meter ropes, HELMETS, and we were off.
We got to the base of the climb about 7:00am and began at 7:15am. I took the first two pitches as one. We left a pack hanging about 50 feet off the deck. The local kids will help themselves to your belongings if you leave your packs on the ground. Bob took the next two pitches as one, so we did pitches 1 thru 4 as two pitches. We came up about 50 feet short at the top of pitch 4, here you simul-climb, or belay off a bolt. At the top of pitch 4 is a nice sized ledge. We stashed a rope, drank lots of water, and took a long break. Enjoy this ledge, it's semi-hanging belays the next seven pitches and gets rather uncomfortable. The next seven pitches we just took one rope, 2 liters of water and cameras. Bob set off on pitch 5, the crux pitch, 5.10d. It was basically 3 or 4 moves around a small roof. Very tricky! For some unknown reason I blew right thru it. I took pitch 6, considered by some to be a crux pitch though it is graded slightly less at 5.10b. This pitch had some ugly offwidth which I managed to avoid by doing some stemming and laybacking outside the offwidth. This pitch was pretty thin. Bob took pitch 7, I took 8 and so on to the top. I got the "summit pitch" complete with 2 death blocks, 400 pounders easy, that looked and felt like you could easily pull them out and let 'em drop 1000 feet. The summit spire is loose though the climbing is easy, it's kind of creepy. Finally.....the summit and a chance to rest, enjoy the view, and ..oh yeah!...bring Bob up! There is a box on the top, the register. We left a message on a MAC receipt, now if you want to know my wealth you need only to fly to Mexico and climb 1,100 feet. Also in the register box was a little stash, for those of you who may care for a smoke.
After a long rest and some photos we started rapping off. It takes 6 hours to climb and 2 hours to rappel, though the route has been climbed car to car in 2 hours! The rappels were uneventful, remember to rap off the left anchors at the top of pitch 5. Then down to the ledge atop pitch 4 and our stashed rope. From here...2, two rope rappels brought us back to the deck. Time for cervesas, cagumamas, por favor!