Shut Down

Massive boulder several problems

One of the drawbacks to living in New Mexico, I've learned, is the increasingly severe drought that we are experiencing. There are so few days of rain, and when it does happen, it is typically for a very short period of time. This has left our beautiful forests, mountains, and bosques incredibly dry and ripe for wildfires. Because of this, there are several national forests across the state that have completely closed access to everything in their boundaries...and that includes nearly everything in the Albuquerque area. In this heat there are a few options to get out, such as San Ysidro Recreation Area and Box Canyon. Unfortunately, money's been tight lately and I haven't been able to afford the gas to get out. On the bright side, however, the foothills are mostly open, including the north side of Tijeras Canyon. This has allowed me to explore a bit farther out than the usual foothills bouldering areas. Of course almost everything out here has been climbed at some point, but it is all new to me!

Overhanging Knob Problem

Most of the rock out in this area is rather poor quality, but the few problems that do exist out here are really great! One area in particular has several boulders close together with high quality problems, primarily with cobbles and knobs for holds. Between the great holds are really grainy faces, but they are great problems regardless. Going back out to climb tomorrow, maybe explore some more of this huge area as well. There is extremely vast potential out in the canyons and on the ridges of this area, and I'm rather excited to see what's hiding! Time to put all the recent training in the gym to the test :)