360 degree panorama taken from within the Potrero

Potrero Chico at night

Tom's 2006 Potrero Chico Page

In February 2006, my plans were a little hazy, but I finished up with my duplex in College Station, and headed to Austin. There I met up with Steph to head down to El Potrero Chico near Monterrey in Mexico. I wasn't sure if they would let me drive my truck into Mexico, so I packed my backpack so I could grab it in case we had to take the bus from Laredo. This combined with Steph's Spanish probably helped us have no problem with getting the sticker for my truck. Things went smoothly, and Steph said that the place was practically empty. It pained my dirtbag sensibilities to have to pay 20 or 30 bucks each time I needed another piece of paper though (tourist card, truck pass, insurance, tolls...) The rest of the drive down was uneventful, although I did get the "red light" at a check point. They peeked in my truck but didn't make us unload it. We got extra lucky the first night with some leftover veggies and groceries from another climber departing the next day. Otherwise our diet wouldn't have been so nice until the market on Tuesday.

El Potrero Chico is an area formed from the erosion of a doubly plunging anticline. What that means in non geo-speak is that there are lots of near vertical fins of limestone and dolomite soaring up to a few thousand feet forming a large oblong ring of mountains with a canyon cut into it.

Potrero Chico sun rays

Most of the climbing is near this canyon. There is a swimming pool and picnic complex which is closed in the winter. The road into the Potrero was washed out by a flood, but they are working on rebuilding the bridge. Meanwhile you can drive on the cobbled dry stream bed. There is no reason to drive from where we were camped at La Posada though, it is a short walk. La Posada was one of the nicer places to stay. They had a camping area with grass, a number of rooms to rent, large bathrooms and showers, a cooking area with a mottley collection of cookware and burners, a mini restaurant, and wireless internet.

That night there was a glorious full moon, combined with the lights in the canyon, it made for a nice photo. A cold front had just moved through, and things were pretty cold the first night. Things warmed up to t-shirt weather at night before another front passed the last day.

We weren't setting any records in getting up early and out to the crags, but we usually made it out before noon. It didn't really matter, as we didn't have the endurance to climb all that long (neither of us had done much climbing in months, and I was still sore from bouldering in the gym). We managed to get tired enough before dark every day. Most of the days, we wanted to climb in the shade, where it was comfortably cool, as opposed to the full sun, which was hot. We mostly did 5 or 6 moderate climbs each day, which left us tired but not so tired that we couldn't do it again the next day. In fact, for the first few days, I felt better, not worse, but had I stayed much longer, a rest day would be in order.

Potrero Chico in the morning from La Posada

Steph at the market

On Tuesday, we went to the market. There were a number of fruit and vegetable stalls, which were our main interest, along with various foods, cds (titles like "rap vs hip-hop" with scantily clad women on the cover) and dvds, hardware, clothes, etc. There weren't as many interesting unidentifiable things as there were in the Asian markets though. I made Stephanie do all the talking, as I am a wimp. We were particularly pleased to get avocados for guacamole and sandwiches for the rest of the week. We also picked up some delicious barbecued chicken wings with tortillas and salsa for lunch. Needless to say, we didn't get out climbing very early that day.

One of the evening activities promoted by Jim was playing poker. I learned "Texas hold'em" which is the latest craze as seen on TV on the world series of poker or something like that. It was entertaining, at least until you lost all your chips. I mostly played rather conservatively, so it took a long time to lose my chips. I actually won the last night, mostly because I got enough good hands to win occasionally. They called me the "ice man" because the first night I never smiled, (because I never got any good hands).

Deb raises 2 dreaded green chips

Taking a siesta after cooking in the sun

Potrero Chico - el Toro

central scrutinizer buttress

Jim on the virgin wall

During this trip I was slowly recovering from the poison ivy I got on my side and back when cleaning up my duplex. The blisters were all healed, but it still itched like mad if I scratched it. Unfortunately, falling and hanging in my harness would scratch it too, so that wasn't so much fun. It did get noticeably better over the course of the week.

On the last climbing day, just about when the wall we were climbing on was going to go into the sun, clouds came up. This meant that it didn't get rediculously hot. In fact, with the wind, it was a little chilly. Later that day, it cooled off further, with more wind and some misty rain. Although this wasn't so pleasant, it did make leaving easier. Also the drive was much more pleasant than it would have been had it been 90 and sunny. The last morning, misty clouds were swirling below the peaks. I got a timelapse series that turned out pretty well showing how the clouds were forming as the wind blew up the cliffs.

The drive back was relatively uneventful, although we got off to a later start than we planned. We picked up a gallon of gas in Hidalgo, as I was just about at 1/2 a tank, and it wouldn't have done to run out. Traffic was a little nasty in Nuevo Laredo due to a market, but the border wait wasn't bad. We were a little apprehensive when we had to pull over to let them look in the back, but they didn't make us actually take anything out, and he even let me keep my ham sandwich (which at first they weren't even going to let me eat right there). Its good to know they can keep the country safe without depriving me of a little lunch.

Tom and Jim look at the cliffs and clouds (Steph's photo)

At the Hidalgo train station

Local transportation (Steph's photo)

Potrero Chico sunset

Time Wave Zero, the spires, and the Outrage Wall from the Mileski Wall

Take 2, Feb 24-March 31 2006

My first day I got back into the swing of things with a bunch of single pitch climbs. Then there was a cooler cloudy day that turned into a rest day when I didn't find a partner. Then I teamed up with Jimmy from Boulder, and we started ticking off the longer routes. Often making very good time by moving quickly and linking pitches where possible. Jimmy turned out to be a great partner for me, as he was a bit stronger climber, and dragged me up all sorts of stuff I probably would have been scared to try had I been the one choosing the climbs. The moderates were a lot of fun because we made such good time. The only real downside to climbing fast was the limited opportunity to take photos.

• Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches - 1.5 hours up) and
  Pancho Villa Rides again (5 pitches with 5.11 top pitch -2 hours? up) (double header)
• Estrellita (12 pitches with the 5.11 varitions - 1:45 up)
• Supernova (8 pitches - 1:10 up)
• Black Cat Bone (9 pitches - 1:50 up)
• Blind Faith
• Timewave Zero (23 pitches) ( about 5 hrs up, back at the cabin by 2:30 p.m.)
• The Shroud
• Ripped Wall
• 3 Stone Place (6 pitches)
• Yankee Clipper (15 pitches - 3:15 up)
• Land of the Free (10 pitches)
• Zapatista and Satori (double header, 5 and 7 pitches)
• Wheel of Time (7 pitches)
• Thunderkiss (9 pitches)

We had a mini epic when it took far longer than expected to climb the first 2 pitches of Pride. I was still wearing my sunglasses as it got dark, and it was quite an effort to get up the second pitch even when I was pulling on draws and hanging on the rope. Then when I rapped, the wind took the ropes out sideways and hooked them on a loose 2 by 2 foot flake I dislodged while flicking them off. It dropped into the dark and exploded on the ground 200 feet below. Then I ended up hanging in space about 8 feet out from the anchors. I guess it was more overhanging than I thought. I tried to get swinging, but had no luck. I started rapping down hoping to hit a lower anchor before I ran out of rope, but instead managed to get a toe onto the wall and start myself swinging. I hopped back up the rope while kicking out from the wall, and after many tries (thwarted by the wind) managed to get in to the anchors. From there we rapped down in the dark, and got out our headlamps.

By mid March spring breakers were descending on the Potrero, and by the 19th, the pool complex opened. The 21st was a holiday, and there were cars and trucks and people all over the place. Some days Homero's was practically deserted, and other times a crowd would be there. One Saturday night there was a University group from Monterrey who among other things did a bunch of barbecueing, drumming, and played buck-buck (burro bala)? which was pretty entertaining, especially for the gringos who had never seen it before (it is a game which really isn't popular in the states these days, probably due to accidents).

Near the end, we started doing more single pitch climbs. Jimmy managed to redpoint his first 5.13, Cyclops, on his second try. I got up it with much falling, hanging, and gnashing of teeth, but I didn't have the time or motivation to get the redpoint. He also nearly onsighted a 5.12c.

panorama taken from the top of Estrellita - gotta love the summit palm tree

Some of the things at the top of Estrellita

some of the hostile plant life

Javier got spiked too (his pic)

Jimmy follows the Zapatista Arete

Jimmy, Tom, Alisa, Stirling, and Javier at the cabin

Wolverine signs the Black Cat Bone summit register

Fox thing at the summit of Supernova

Buck Buck action at Homero's

One of the best climbers at the potrero

Milton cooks up something savory over a fire (on his birthday)

Super(wo)man Melissa boulders at Plutonia

I drove back to the states the 31st. The drive was uneventful, and I managed to find the place to cancel my truck pass without much trouble. Even the border crossing was relatively painless, although it was hot waiting on the bridge in my truck.

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