Until Next Year, Groom Creek
Posted by admin in Just For Fun on Oct 6th, 2007 | 0 comments
Labor Day has always been my symbolic last day of summer. In Oregon, the following Tuesday was always the first day of school. In Arizona, school starts in August and the summer heat lingers though September until one magic morning in October.
This morning might be that day. It’s a cool and breezy 60-something heading to a high of 85. I have a sweater on and have taken the scoot to my favorite coffee shop, Lux, for a morning of writing.
There is a lot to catch up on. Even if Labor Day isn’t the last day of summer in our desert, there is still a seasonal shift. Tourists come back, work picks up, and climbing moves from the north to east. Our final climb at Groom Creek on Sept. 8 was an all-star season finale.
For the second year Brian reserved the group campsite and organized a come-one-come-all gathering. More than 40 people spent a slightly cloudy, mild-temped day on the rocks. Prescott locals joined the Phoenicians, kids and dogs in tow, as we circuited our favorite routes and experimented in new spots. Josh’s climbing continued to improve as he and Dale jumped up new routes and he easily scaled Hug Arete, a climb he hadn’t mastered all year.
But the Groom Gathering wasn’t just about our last climbs on these routes for the year. As the sun set, we moved to the campground, got the grills started, tapped the keg and started new traditions. Shortly after everyone was filled with food and relaxed from the beer, an unsuspecting parking curb became the impetuous for the unofficial Groom Olympics. Boys challenged each other to see who could toss the curb the farthest over the volleyball net. Later others tried to mantle and balance on top of the nearly 5-foot post.
Next, a no-hands assent of a simple V0 route aptly named Drunk Tank. You were supposed to climb with beer in hand, but I had left my cup behind. I was given a branch and pinecone instead. I almost made it, except for a last minute pinecone tap as I reached the top. Finally, the keg was drained and quickly recruited in the final event – the keg toss.
The next morning, bedraggled climbers scrounged up breakfast, cleaned the grounds, and planned for next year. The rallying cry: Pancakes in 2008!
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