July 7 - Day 11 - Hunters Lodge to Minette Meadows

Hunters Lodge

We woke early.  Knowing we needed to make Cimarroncito Camp early, I pushed the boys pretty hard.  I set a target of 1 hour and quoted the time remaining as the time ticked by.  Surprisingly we were only a few minutes over.  We decided to eat breakfast on the move at which I heard some grumbling but regardless we were on trail early for the first time this trip.   As I reflect back, this was the only time where as an advisor, I feel I used my status to force a decision on the boys but today was a full day and we really needed some efficiency.

Cimarroncito Lodge

Cimarroncito

 We made Cimarroncito by 9:00 and signed up for the next session at climbing and repelling at 9:30.







We met up with our sister crew and finally were on the same schedule with them.  It was nice and everyone seemed to relax and re-bond as a troop.

We climbed this endless switch back to the rocky outcrop.  We were outfitted with helmet and climbing harnesses.   


 Another crew had a pressing schedule and those guys got to go first.

Dylan - No Touch Tree

Getting Connected

Finally our guys started the vertical climb with the choice of Turtle Head or No Touch Tree.  Dylan was the first to go and he was on the No Touch Tree climb.  Belayers were at the top of each route.  They managed the safety rope that would be securely fasted to the climbers harness.  As the climbers climbed they would take out the slack so that if the climber would slip the safety rope would step in.  

Zac

Brandon and belayer

Anthony

Scott

Jared

Curtis

 I choose the turtle head option.  Turtle head refers to a shape midway up that looked like a sea turtle.  I felt confident as I climbed up the rock until I was on the turtle.  I couldn't find any grip for my hands.  I hung on for about a minute.  I even asked the belayer if she had any advise but she gave none.  I tried a slight lunge but just slid back on the turtle.  Finally a gave a much bigger lunge which was just a leap of faith and I was able to hold my position.  A couple of moves and I was at the top.





 I was told to turn around, sit and enjoy the view.  I was then disconnected from the belay to connected to another line that wold securely help me up to a much high point on the peak.

Mike

Here we were gearing up for the repel.  For the repel the belay device is attached to your harness.  You are  100 percent in control of the descent.  We were told the best position was to hold the line just off the hip.  Further out would be a fast descent.  Putting the line behind your back would stop you.  During my descent, I was able to slow down, but didn't really get the stop as they described.  For the best experience, you are instructed to try to keep your body perpendicular like a T with the rock face.  The top was a gradual rounding rock but once over the edge, it was near a vertical drop.

This was a good event for both me and the crew.  It built self confidence and a sense of accomplishment.  At the same time it stressed the need for teamwork and the buddy system to man the safety systems.

Our next stop is the commissary at Ute Gulch Commissary.  Here we only picked up two meals, tonight's supper and our final breakfast.  Of course, we also received our flavored milk and piece of fruit.  We ate our snack but they asked us to hike about 30 minutes before stopping for lunch.

The rest of the day we endured a long slow climb with an occasional descent or a quick up and down set of switchbacks.

When we finally arrived at camp, our sister crew invited us to share camp with them.  The report is the there would be a zero chance of rain that night so we decided to leave the fly off.

After dinner, as we were talking and lounging around, we started to watch the stars coming out.  The sky was clear and dark and the details were unbelievable.  We counted numerous satellites.  As I headed to bed a few boys were wanting to watch a lot longer.

I didn't sleep well that night, but each time I would turn in my bag, I would take a few seconds to absorb the magnificent sky.  Spectacular!!!                    


Photo Highlights:

Fawn