Idyllwild and Suicide Rocks June 2020

I was able to nab a campsite at Idyllwild County Park for the weekend of June 29th. I was psyched. I was feeling heavy trying to relate to my friends virtually and feeling itchy to get outdoors after a long pandemic of feeling stagnant and out of shape. I was missing those adventure friends that I didn’t have to cajole into long hikes on hot days. I also took this opportunity meet with those admirable lady friends I don’t get to see as much since they hail from LA. Idyllwild is a wonderful rendezvous point for almost-never-see friends that live in LA and Orange county when residing in even northern San Diego.

We left San Diego at 8am on Saturday morning with the intent to meet our friends at 10am at the Suicide Rocks trailhead. The trailhead rendezvous did not go perfectly. Suicide rocks requires parking along the street adjacent to the Tahquitz proper trailhead. The Tahquitz parking lot was so completely full that it had overflowed entirely toward the suicide rocks trailhead. Idyllwild was packed, trailhead to trailhead. I took this moment to brace myself about how busy the crag was going to be. A public health advisory that outdoor recreation was the least risky method to socialize during a still raging pandemic was possibly going to confine us shoulder to shoulder with (gasp) casual outdoor enthusiasts.

The 5 of us (and a brand new puppy, Gigi) parked our 4 cars in the distance, worked out which ropes to bring, and hit the trail at 10:45am. We didn’t see another soul on the trail. Very strange. We hit the end of the climbers trail and base of Suicide at 11:30am, moving a little slower because I resolved to carry our puppy up the strenuous trail about 50% of the time.  

We stop for a light lunch. We didn’t see climbers on the wall. No one was out climbing despite the ominously full parking lot. This was an anomaly for me. Certainly 100% of the climbers out there weren’t headed towards Tahquitz only. It seems the climbers got choked out by the fresh-air-seeking covid-avoiding hikers.  

That left more climbing for us on a day where we weren’t necessarily scoping out the best routes. We all felt out of shape. Our objectives weren’t to crush PRs. We just wanted to feel rock under our fingertips again. I decided when I booked the campsite that success would be more social this trip than athletic. I wanted to strengthen the friendships I wasn’t able to nurture while in quarantine, and connect with people in a way that only comes when you share an incredible experience together. I declared at the base of the rock at the end of the approach that I already had met my climbing objectives that day.  

Gigi, our crag puppy in training, did exceptionally well. She cuddled and napped at the base and even did some light slab climbing to approach the base of each new route. She even looked like she was having fun.

We set up shop and climbed the routes After the gold rush, Finger Lickin Good, and Rhino Skin.   

It felt fantastic to climb, but the grades felt unusually hard. It was especially dismaying when I realized that these were repeat climbs. I had led two of these routes before in my more practiced days. I remember standing there two years ago feeling high off of my leads, and resolving that I would lead the 5.10B/C route Rhino Skin the next time I came. I have fallen so far mentally. The bolts just looked so far from each other.  It is going to take some work to get my head back into this.

We finished climbing that evening around 5pm. We got to the campsite late, and started cooking late as well. Robin had an ambitious meal planned from our campfire cookbook. We were going to make Margherita Pizza Polenta bites and Dutch Oven Lasagna completed with salad, bread, with apple and walnut cobbler for dessert. It was a feast, and we stayed up until midnight cooking, eating, and drinking. We woke up the next morning in camp and did the same.

The gourmet camp cooking and the completely empty crag made this trip so different from previous trips, but my wonderful and supportive friends are what made this trip one to remember. I felt a swell of happiness at their accomplishments, and multiplied the joy. I remembered the appeal of this sport, and it wasn’t just long days in the sun. It was hanging out with your friends all day on a Saturday, and then having a sleepover. We are just big kids playing outside.