Climbing Road Trip: January 2006

Hueco Tanks - El Paso, TX

1st stop, Hueco Tanks. Isolated in the desert about 30mi. from El Paso, Hueco Tanks offers up world class bouldering inside what is thought to be one of the oldest and most unusual art galleries in the southwest. The park exhibits three thousand five hundred paintings on clean dessert rock that offers rock climbers a lifetime of bouldering problems and traditional routes.

Hueco Tanks was formed some 35 million years ago from molten rock, or magma that welled up deep within the earth. Initially covered by warm seas, geological forces uplifted the ground as seas retreated. Erosion then stripped away the Limestone leaving behind the more resistant igneous rock with natural basins called "huecos" in Spanish. The formations left behind help to capture and preserve some of the scare (only 8 inches) annual rainfall. This resource has brought many different inhabitants to the tanks. Artifacts have proven human inhabitance from as for back as ten thousand years ago.

Links -

Reservations (make 'em in advance):
http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/hueco_tanks/

History:
http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/may/stories/hueco.html

Climbing:
http://www.huecotanks.com/
http://www.drtopo.com/

Accomodations:
http://www.huecorockranch.com/

Weather:
http://www.weather.com/outlook/travel/vacationplanner/local/USTX0413?from=search_city

Details:
I will be staying at the Rock Ranch from Feb. 15 - 23rd. I have reservations in the park for Feb 16-17 and 20-22.

Temporary Address (Feb 15 - 23):
Warren Harden
General Delivery
El Paso, TX 79910-9998

The Trip is ON!!

Well it is official, I am taking a road trip and the timing couldn't be better. The weather in TN sucks this time of year. I am working on a agenda but a rough version is below. I encourage anyone and everyone to join me whenever and/or wherever they'd like. My standing rule is that if you can get to within 2 1/2 hours of me, I'll pick you up and take you back for a 6-pack and a meal (a decent meal, nothing fancy just decent).

Feb 3rd, 2006 - Last day @ work
Fed 14th, 2006 - Depart TN
Feb 16th - Hueco Tanks, TX

From there -

Indian Creek - Feb / Mar http://www.mountainproject.com
Zion - March http://www.nps.gov/zion/
Red Rocks - March (March 24th-26th, Red Rocks Rendezvous) http://www.mgear.com/rr06/
Joshua Tree - April http://www.nps.gov/jotr/
Needles - April http://www.billandcori.com/california/needles.htm
Yosemite - April / May http://www.nps.gov/yose/
Smith Rock - May http://www.smithrock.com/
OR and WA Cascades - May / June http://www.nps.gov/noca/
Squamish - June / July http://www.squamishclimbing.com/
Bugaboos - July / August http://www.alpinist.com/climbing-notes/note/10139/
http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/explore/parkpgs/bugaboo.html

From there:
South - either back to CA or onto MT, ID and WY.

Back home for Thanksgiving.

Drop me an e-mail or make a post. I am looking forward to hearing from folks and making some plans.

warhar23@hotmail.com

Joshua Tree - Dec 2005

Latest Trip was with Chris Lewis to Joshua Tree, CA. Three days of awesome weather and all the 5 star routes you could climb. To see all of the pictures go to: http://www.climbnashville.com/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=Joshua-Tree

Warren on Toe Jam (5.7)