Las Vegas and Red Rock Canyon.

After about a week of camping in the desert, we were ready to seek out some kind of civilization. Naturally enough, finding a good Hookah bar was critical.

That accomplished, we felt sufficiently strengthened to go and check out some climbing in Red Rock Canyon.

To warm up for a day of real (i.e. multipitch trad) climbing, we got to work clipping bolts on Panty Wall. Between us, we led our way up about half a dozen lovely sport routes on beautiful featured red sandstone in perfect October sunshine.

Feeling a little adrift from the real world, we drove into town to take in a movie. Scorcese's latest, The Departed, fitted the bill nicely, reminding us how unpleasant the real world actually is, and how nice it is to be camping in the desert. Or how nice it would be if the city planners of Las Vegas actually realized that there is some wilderness worth preserving that probably shouldn't be bulldozed for more housing developments. The city is getting closer and closer to Red Rock Canyon every year, and there doesn't seem to be any incentive for it to stop.

Now fully warmed up and ready to go, we headed out early next morning to climb a classic of the area, Cat in the Hat (5.6, 6 pitches). This route runs up the left hand side of the pyramid of rock shown here, just out of sight around the corner. The climbing was superb, all sorts of crack and face moves, leading on and on up the pyramid. Lots of other people were climbing this route, and since the descent involves rapping down the route itself, things got a little crowded at times. But when we were away from other climbers, the only other sound was the swishing of swallows in the air around us as they chased away a hawk.