I never imagined myself sipping a beer while watching the sunrise, saying “this Thanksgiving, I’m thankful we didn’t die just now.” But life is an unpredictable thing. Thanksgiving 2017. My husband Serg and I decided to go to Red Rock Canyon, Nevada for the first time. We left our dog Hoobie with a sitter in Las Vegas and headed to the rocks. I wasn’t much into trad at the time, so we spent a few days climbing long sport routes. It was going well, I sent my first 5.11. The approaches were a bit long and confusing, but we really liked the area: lots of climbs, good, well-bolted sandstone, single and multi-track. We didn’t know that in a few hours we would be stuck against the wall. Alone. In the dark. 
After climbing for a few days, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect from the sport route ratings in the area, but since the ratings are usually area specific, we wanted to spend our last half day evaluating the notes of sports routes. We decided to try Dark Shadows, a traditional 5.8-10 pitch route (see Dark Shadows on Mountain Project) that culminates on the Mescalito formation with a rollover option after the 4th cast. We decided on a cutoff time, packed our fleeces, headlamps, phones, water, and snacks, and started the climb.
Climbing Dark Shadows (10 pitches 5.8 trad) in Red Rock, Nevada.
We climbed much faster than expected and found ourselves at the top of the field 4 pitches ahead of schedule. The climb was going well: good protection, no groups in front of us, generally smooth navigation, so without much hesitation we decided to go to the end. The next few pitches were easy and we made it through them with no problem. Near the summit we had some doubts about the route line, but by then it was mostly 4th class scrambling rather than climbing. We reached the summit around 3 p.m., which was a reasonable time to descend and pick up our pup on time, but we soon discovered that reaching the summit was the easy part.
We soon discovered that getting to the top was the easy part.
When we started the climb, we knew the easiest way to descend was to rappel down Cat in the Hat (see Cat in the Hat on Mountain Project), a classic 5.7 on the other side of the Mescalito formation and according to Mountain Project, the “most popular multi-pitch route at Red Rocks.” With a description like that, it was easy to assume that the route would be simple to find. But we all know what happens when we take responsibility for ourselves. 
To avoid taking the entire guide, Serg had taken a few photos of the route description before starting to climb. It seemed effective at the time, but at the top, after dissecting the images and descriptions, we were no closer to finding the top anchor. After what seemed like an eternity, we finally found a two-bolt anchor. Relieved, we began the descent with renewed optimism. One reminder, two reminders, everything is on track. We find ourselves near a tree with scarves. What we see is what we read on the small screen of our phone. This is where the descent requires 140 feet of exposed 3rd, 4th and 5th class scrambling. It seems doable, we start the descent, but something seems strange. The face is quite wide… do we rush more to the left or to the right? Why doesn’t the description mention it? Are those trees in the photos?
do we go more to the left or to the right? Why doesn’t the description mention it? Are those trees in the photos?
Sergey and Alena begin their descent in Red Rock, Nevada
We go down as far as possible before reaching a steep drop, and the trees on the ground still look like children’s toys. We wrap the rope around a decent pine tree and I go down to look for the bolts we think should be there. I swing left and right, up and down… and I see nothing. I get back up, Serg goes down to see if I missed anything while I rush off hoping we missed the obvious road line.
None of us find anything, and as we stand in front of an ambiguous outcropping and watch the twinkling lights of Las Vegas sparkle in the distance, the last rays of the sun disappear below the horizon. It’s not completely dark yet, we have our headlamps, our equipment and our rope. Serg’s phone battery is half full, mine is about 10%.
We still have water and a few protein bars. It’s late November, but the weather is nice and we’re wearing comfortable TC Pros (buy TC Pros here). We have our fleece jackets, our helmet liners and a small backpack. Overall, things don’t look too bleak. But as we look for a descent, things start to get worse. We think we may have headed too far to the left, so we simultaneously climb a few traverses with two pieces between us at all times.
It’s becoming increasingly apparent that with our headlights casting dancing shadows on the uneven rock walls, it will soon be impossible to find any bolts. As we move around and think about our plan, we come across a two-sling bail station. It’s very encouraging and we jump at the opportunity to do abseiling. We find the next station, it brings us a few ropes closer to the ground and we think it’s the final stretch, but then… there’s nothing. I’m heading back on my way.
We are considering our options. At that moment, there is no one there. We have no service and it’s Sunday evening of the long weekend, which means it’s unlikely anyone will climb here tomorrow. We evaluate the location. It is possible to sleep on the slab we are on, but Serg is wearing his contact lenses one day and will probably be blind without them the next day. We also see a good amount of shrubbery around which is encouraging for creating our own bail stations. So we decide to continue.
climbing in the dark in Red Rock, Nevada
The rest of the night consisted of uncertain rappels over small shrubs and rocks using a cord that we cut into 9 pieces and tied together with double fisherman’s knots. Each knot uses the absolute minimum amount of cord possible. We also leave behind two slings and a nut. Twice we call back only to go back to Prussia.
A rappel leaves the rope stuck in a crack and Serg ascends, releases, redirects and descends before we can finally pull the rope. This little number cost us almost two hours on a suspended relay made of two nuts and a cam. We have been on the wall for almost 20 hours now. Several times during this ordeal, I fell asleep for a few seconds at a time. We are both exhausted and dehydrated.
The first few times Serge loads the rope and the little rope anchor moves to adjust its position, the crackle of the rope against the rock terrifies me to the point of nausea. I reflexively grab the rope several times, but ultimately I’m more tired than scared. Twenty-two hours after getting our hands on the Mescalito, we arrive on the ground.
I can’t describe the relief I felt in that moment. All my problems seemed small in comparison. Exhaustion, thirst, and fear cleared my mind like no meditation ever had. We stumble over bushes and rocks to the beginning of Dark Shadows to our solitary backpacks, drink some water, and begin waddling back to the car. Our green beast of a pickup truck stands alone but proud in the parking lot, waiting patiently. We open two beers, count the last of our lucky stars in the sunrise sky, start the van and leave in silence.
So, what are the takeaways?
- All participants must study the route. Even if you follow strictly. In this case, I was oblivious to the details. I only knew the general direction of the route. This ended up costing us precious battery life on our phones as I tried to read details and images.
- Take the book. What we eventually realized was that we were missing a few pages of photographs and were trying to navigate the wrong images. The guide had the description and picture on different pages, so the photograph we were looking at next to the text was actually for a different section. Make photocopies of the entire route or area section and take them with you to avoid carrying the entire book.
- Always bring a headlamp. This is what we learned on a different adventure, but I can’t stress this enough. I also always bring extra batteries. Always. (See Moja Gear’s Sport Climbing Checklist)
- Ration at any time. Only eat and drink what you NEED, not always what you want. It’s important to stay hydrated, but it’s much more important to make it last.
- A cord and a knife won’t weigh you down much considering the weight of your rack. This is a great weight and monetary investment that will help you keep your cameras.
- Tell everyone your plan. Tell your friends, your neighbors, the rangers, strangers, their dogs and anyone who will listen. Just make sure someone knows your plan so they can come to you if something goes wrong.