Once again, I woke up early Friday morning in anticipation of an early start for Red Butte. With the days getting shorter and winter snow flurries already occurring, I figured my days were numbered for summit attempts this year. Already driving along the Kolob Terrace section of Zion National Park, as the sun begins to break through the red rock formations, the rugged beauty of this area inspires me.
Parked and ready to hike, a GPS set, camera, batteries, and extra memory cards are prepared. From my attempt several weeks prior, I was fine-tuned to the fact my regular camera had stopped working after two pictures, and I had to rely solely on my phone camera. With the stunning views along the way, I wanted an extra backup for everything digital.
“Trail view of Burnt Mountain” copyright BrickBarnBlog2011
Moving comfortably along the trail, occasionally stopping to set up a cairn, I quickly moved through the plateau and up the first saddle. On this trip, there were no detours over and around the various cliff bands, thick scrub oak, sage, and manzanita, and I quickly arrived at my stopping point from the previous attempt. I had an opportunity to study some of my earlier pictures and gain a better perspective of how the rock cliff bands of Red Butte are laid out, and I feel better about my approach to the summit. I figured everyone was entitled to a bad day once in a while (when you solo climb, it's important to recognize when things aren't going well and call it quits).
“Red Butte hanging valley” copyright BrickBarnBlog2011
Moving down instead of up, I skirted my final mistake and found a nice chute to climb. At the top of this 4th class scramble, I found some webbing attached to a large bush and figured I was on the correct path. I faced a beautiful chimney climb with a few more twists and turns. Excellent holds, close walls; I soon leveraged myself up the chimney and hooked into the bolt. After a dozen pictures from this location, I scrambled the remaining 50' feet to the summit. What a beautiful view! Red Butte is everything a technical hike should be, not too much rope work, but just enough to keep it to yourself (most days)!
“Near the Summit (Smith Mesa in Background)” copyright BrickBarnBlog2011
Written October 28, 2011
Climbed October 28, 2011