Climbing
the China Cave in Logan Canyon is not for the faint
of the heart
By Greg
Boyles
October 30, 2008 | I have my right leg stretched out
as far as my tendons will allow it with my left leg
turned in, pressed against cold, slick lime stone. Simultaneously
I am leaning backward, held only by my right hand, which
is clenching the inside of a deep pocket in the side
of the mountain. With my left hand I reach for the rope
between my legs and bring it up to my chest to clip
in to the already placed clips. I fumble with the clip,
unable to force the rope into it, when suddenly my right
leg slips off the watered down rock. I fall momentarily,
but am caught by the rope which sends me into a ten
foot swing 30 feet off the cold moist earth below.
This is just another day of climbing the China Cave
in Logan Canyon. The route described is known as the
Oboe, a 5.12 B that gives even the seasoned climber
a run for his money. The cave is tucked away at the
base of the mountain roughly 15 minutes into Logan Canyon.
While attending the cave you can expect to be shaded,
even in the afternoon, due to the monstrous overhand
bulging from the mountains base. At the foot of the
mountain is a small clearing surrounded by small boulders,
flourishing vegetation and a trickling creek.
The climbs available at this location are also something
to be marveled at. The Oboe, although not for beginners,
is one of the easier climbs available. You start by
walking to the top of a small boulder located at the
end of the clearing. From there you will see a quick
draw which is a piece of tightly woven material with
two clips on the end. The fist draw is easy because
you can simply reach it while standing safely on the
boulder. It's getting past this point that's tricky.
After you've successfully locked yourself into the
wall you will discover there is no where to put your
hands, or even your feet for that matter, forcing you
to winch start it, or pull up on the quick draw to reach
the first hold. The second draw is only three feet away,
and once you've gotten here you're already 10 feet in
the air.
Eventually you'll work your way up the wall using
deep pockets that appear to be crafted by God exclusively
for climbers. My only complaint for this route is the
vast amounts of left over chalk which sits stagnant
in the pockets, creating a slipperier experience than
before.
The fun part occurs after you've already clipped into
the first five draws and you're feeling especially confident
in your climbing abilities. You'll stop at clip number
five, resting for a moment while you try to locate your
next destination. It will take roughly 10 seconds until
you realize you have a massive run out until your next
clip which is over 10 horizontal feet away.
If you're brazen enough and have the appropriate
technical climbing experience you'll find the journey
onward is just as slick and even less friendly. Eventually
you're beautifully crafted pockets which could have
fit a small animal turn into notches in a wall hardly
big enough for two fingers.
By this point you are tired and slightly annoyed at
how your feet will not stick any where so you monkey
your way through a few more moves until you reach a
small rest area. Looking back you realize that if you
fall you're going to swing like carnival ride 30 feet
off the ground, so you hunker yourself into the wall
in position only witnessed in the Kama Sutra until you
feel confident that you can clip into the next draw
without plummeting.
If you accomplish this you've made it past the crux
and can venture upward over an overhang which appears
to be smothered in butter. But you'll make it over the
lip and clip into two more draws effectively completing
one of the most exciting climbs in Logan Canyon.
NW
MS |
