Photos
SOME PHOTOS FROM CRAGGING AT LIME KILN CANYON
Dates: April 1&2&4&5, 2025 (Tue&Wed&Fri&Sat)
Partner: Nate Beckwith
Climbed at: The Grail
Routes (ordered by grade):
• I'm Not Dead Yet (to lower anchor) 5.10b, 100'
• Merely a Flesh Wound 5.10c, 70'
• The Inquistion (to lower anchor) 5.10d, 95'
• The Last Supper 5.11b, 70', toprope
• Homeostasis (to lower anchor) 5.11b, 95'
• Total Depravity (to lower anchor) 5.11b, 100'
• Naysayers (to lower anchor) 5.11c, 85'
• Khaleesi 5.11c, 115'
• The Serf (to lower anchor) 5.11d, 115'
• Village Idiot (to lower anchor) 5.12a, 90'
• Mesquiter 5.12a, 115'
• Naysayers (full) 5.12b, 155', didn't free 12b part
We drove from Zion on a rest day after climbing
Moonlight Buttress in Zion.
The first day of climbing we had a relaxing morning and hiked up in the afternoon. Because the cliff is shady it was still pretty chilly up there and I was glad we had not started earlier. I climbed while Nate belayed. I climbed three routes: Merely a Flesh Wound (5.10c, led and then toproped), The Last Supper (5.11b, 70', toproped twice), and Naysayers (5.11c for first half and 5.12b for second half, led first half clean). I was impressed with the quality of the climbing. It felt very Rifle-esque to me. A highlight of the day was when my Ikea bag (my rope bag) was swept away by the wind, caught an updraft, and disappeared over the top of the cliff. If I had not been mid-route at the time staring helplessly at my adventurous rope-bag, I would have gotten a video.
The second day of climbing was chilly and cold so we got another late start. We only managed to freeze our way up two 5.11 "warm-up" routes before it began to snow and rain on us. The first of these routes--Khaleesi (5.11c , 115', led and toproped by me, toproped by Nate), a highly-starred trade route on the wall--was on the left side of the wall and climbed the darker limestone. This darker limestone had a completely different character than the lighter limestone on the right side of the wall. The climbing was techy and the rock was sharp; with the cold conditions it was a bit unpleasant and injurious to bare skin and down puffies. For our second route--Homeostasis (5.11b, 95', led by both of us, toproped again by me), another highly-starred trade route on the wall--we moved to the lighter rock. The climbing was fun and juggy. We both led the route, despite the spitting rain. Cold and wet, we hiked out.
The next day was a forced rest day, since it snowed a bit overnight and Nate needed to do some work. Incapable of sitting around, I drove into Mesquite and got rid of our trash, picked up a few groceries and birthday cookies for Nate, stopped at the library to check out the free books, read for a couple of hours in the sun at a nearby park, went and played slots (allotted $20 to the potential price of entertainment, but ended up with $30), and went and spent my winnings on an entirely new outfit at the thrift store (I had left for the trip anticipating it to be 3 days, but it was already nearly 2 weeks, so some fresh lounging around clothes would be nice).
The third day of climbing we climbed three routes: Homeostasis (5.11b, 95', led by Nate, toproped twice by me), The Serf (5.11d, 115', led by both of us and toproped a few times each), and Village Idiot (5.12a, 90', led by Nate, toproped by me). With seven total pitches each, it was a good mileage day on 5.11-5.12 terrain. I was pscyhed to redpoint my first 11d of the trip (The Serf) and tronsight a 12a immediately afterward (Village Idiot).
The fourth and last day of climbing at The Grail, we climbed four routes, with a total of seven pitches of climbing for me and four for Nate: The Inquistion (5.10d, 95', led then toproped by both of us), I'm Not Dead Yet (5.10b, 100', led and toproped by me), Mesquiter (5.12a, 115', led by Nate, toproped by me), and Total Depravity (5.11b, 100', led then toproped by me). Nate onsighted a difficult 12a (Mesquiter), I tronsighted it becoming even more impressed by Nate's lead, and then I finished the day with leading an 11b, onsighting the crux, which was thrilling for me. Another great day of cragging at The Grail!
Dates: November 22, 2025 (Sat)
Partner: John Alcorn
Climbed at: Sacred Trust Wall, The Grail
Routes (ordered by grade):
• Office Party 5.10a, 5p, Sacred Trust Wall
• Secret Tryst 5.11b, 6p, Sacred Trust Wall
• Merely a Flesh Wound 5.10c, 70', The Grail
• The Last Supper 5.11b, 70', The Grail
• Homeostasis (to lower anchor) 5.11b, 95', The Grail
It had been a rare week of rain in Las Vegas, ruling out any plans for Red Rocks. So John and I headed east in search of dry limestone at Lime Kiln Canyon. We picked out a couple of fun-looking multipitch sport routes on the Sacred Trust Wall (just across from The Grail, where I had climbed earlier in the spring).
We ended up climbing two routes on Sacred Trust Wall. We arrived at the base at the same time as a large group, but they kindly let us jump ahead and get on Office Party (5.10a, 5p), one of the most popular lines on the wall thanks to its moderate grade and enjoyable climbing. By linking pitches, we climbed it in three pitches total and were able to climb and rappel the route in about an hour.
Next, we stepped things up and got on Secret Tryst (5.11b, 6p). We thought the lower two-thirds of the route were excellent—classic limestone: the harder it gets, the better it climbs. I led the 11b crux pitch, John led the 11a, but we both agreed the single hardest move of the entire day was actually on the 10c second pitch. We climbed and rappelled Secret Tryst in about two hours.
With plenty of daylight left, we wandered over to The Grail and added three single-pitch routes to the tally. We hiked out at dusk and were lucky enough to snag a ride back to our cars (parked about a mile down the rough road) from a friendly couple visiting from Seattle.
Despite the number of climbers out, everyone was friendly, and with so much rock around, we had no trouble hopping on routes.
Below are route overlays and pitch-by-pitch photos from the day. A great outing—14 guidebook pitches, 10 of them 5.10 or harder.
Route Overlays for Office Party (5.10a, 5p) and Secret Tryst (5.11b, 6p)
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos for Office Party (5.10a, 5p)
Approach
2nd
Approach as per The Grail, but just before the empty wag-bag station, break left at a pine tree and follow a trail to the base of the wall.
Descent
Rappel
Rap the route with a single rope.
Pitch-by-Pitch Photos for Secret Tryst (5.11b, 6p)
Descent
Rappel
Rap the route with a single rope.
Photos from The Grail
Peter Bradley says:
Hey! Just curious how the road is up until the last mile? Good enough for a Camry? Thanks!
Steph Abegg says:
Both my climbing partner (Sprinter) and I (RAV4) turned around on a steep section in the last mile and just walked the road for about a mile (there was a place to park about a mile out). But there were some Sprinter and RAV4 equivalents that made it to the trailhead, so it’s just a matter of how much you like taking your Camry on a rough road.