Tiffany Hensley

...we stumbled across the Iron Door, which was, coincidentally, just several feel away from a large scooped-out rock with two fingernail problems. The one on the left overhanging arete was simply ridiculous, so we settled into the slabbish traverse with much gusto and fingernail crimping. Several painful hours later, both my friend and I could declare victory over the Relic, V9.

The next day (yesterday, New Year's Eve) we high-tailed it out to Cap Rock to tie up some loose ends, and so sent Pumping Monzonite and All Washed Up, both on the second go. Then our group hopped over to Barker Dam to find this "Allister's Cave", which we knew held two good 8's and a 10 with several missing holds. With winds to take the last of our body heat and a long drop to the ground at our backs (we were some 30 or 40 feet up in this cave) the first attempt at Sex Magician proved fruitful-

Fingers lost their feeling in the cold, and so there was no way to tell whether we were placing them on the intended good holds or just some bump. The 35-foot traverse spanned from the left side of the cave to a crack that lead to several slight underclings with slightly chossy feet.

On the far right of the cave was a CRAZY AWESOME traverse with a handjam and two finger locks leading to good holds. With a little creativity and some fancy footwork, the very powerful and shoulder-wrenching moves can be simplified to moderate grunt work, all of it leading up to a gargantuan move to a sloper for the topout. Both traverses were amazing...

The picture? It's the door facing you when you're sitting at the bar at Crossroads after a frozen day in the cave, sipping a large cup of chai while bundled in comfortable hemp clothing from Sickle and armed with a stash of good new stories to tell.

BTW, Mojo bars are awesome. Thanks for the tip, Master Levin.