On my last day in Red Rocks, Riley and I decided to head up Solar Slab, a 9 pitch 5.6 trad route that requires a multi-pitch approach. Riley and I chose to approach with the classic Johnny Vegas route (3 pitches of 5.7). I was excited for a long day of getting high up on a wall, while also anxious to do my first trad leads of the trip.
We camped out near the trailhead to ensure an early start and started hiking to the base of the wall right as the sun was coming up. When we arrived, we realized we weren't all that sure exactly where the route started. Riley pulled out the topo we had copied from the guidebook, and after 30min. of fumbling around, we finally figured it out. We still managed to be the first ones up the route, but only by a minute. Another group showed up right behind us and another started up a nearby shorter route, all of us gunning for Solar Slab.
 |
| Riley trying to find the climb |
 |
| Riley leading the first pitch of Johnny Vegas |
 |
| Me following up Johnny Vegas |
 |
| At the anchor |
After topping out on Johnny Vegas, we were now at the Solar Slab terrace. Unfortunately another group chose to approach with a shorter and easier route leaving us just behind them. We took the opportunity to have lunch and enjoy a nice break while waiting for them to complete the first pitch of Solar Slab.
 |
| Riley topping out from Johnny Vegas |
Eventually it was our turn and Riley and I began our way up the wall. Riley took the lead on the first pitch and besides some unprotected slab at the beginning, it was a nice climb up a fun crack.
 |
| Riley leads the first pitch of Solar Slab |
 |
| Me following on Solar Slab |
The next pitch was one that I got to lead which was very exciting for me. It was only 5.5 but there really is a different feeling when there's no rope above you and you're the one placing gear. It was an awkward route from a gear placement perspective, which forced me to get creative with my protection. I had to run out a couple spots, but overall it went great!
 |
| Me placing a cam on the second pitch of Solar Slab |
 |
| The team behind us coming up on the second pitch |
Riley and I decided to link up the third and fourth pitch, with Riley taking the lead again. There were a couple different anchors and rappel chains in place, making it a bit confusing to stay on route. Once we both got to the bottom of the fifth pitch, we realized that it was getting late in the day and probably time to turn around. Both other groups had already decided to turn back at this point. As I looked up at this beautiful crack that I really wanted to lead, Riley told me to go for it and he would skip it to save time.
The crack was just as fun as it looked. It was only 5.5, but for my fourth trad lead, it was definitely the most challenging route I'd led. I was so stoked to have had the experience to not just lead that route, but to get so high up off the valley floor. At that moment I realized I was really hooked on climbing. I rappelled down to Riley and we began our descent back to car.
 |
| Riley on the rappel |
Rappelling down the Solar Slab face definitely took longer than expected. We had hoped our 70m rope would allow us get down without two ropes, but we found that fairly difficult. Riley ended up having to do a couple jugs up the line that resulted in a few super short rappels that were very time consuming.
 |
| Having to down climb at dusk was less than ideal, but at least it was beautiful! |
We eventually made it back down to Solar Slap terrace at sunset. I took one last opportunity to take in the beauty of the area before we started our rappel into the Solar Slab gully, and also into the darkness.
 |
| Sunset view from the Solar Slab terrace |
Rappelling in the dark was interesting. It was the first time I had that experience, and I have to say that part of me really enjoyed it. At one point as I was coming down the rope I looked over to see two little eyes shining at me.
When we finally made it to the valley floor, we took an opportunity to grab some food and water we had stowed in our bags before starting our leisurely walk back to the trucks lit up beautifully by the almost full moon.
