Trip Report: Red Rocksgiving 2021

After the longest hiatus since I began climbing in college, I went climbing with my partner for one small day at Red Rock in Las Vegas. Visitation was high, but in our little corner, there were only a few parties, and for much of the time we were there alone. The invigoration of being alone at a crag, listening to the sounds of the surrounding wildlife, was perhaps slightly less immersive. There is a trail below the crag that has become more and more popular, especially around holidays. The parking lot and other infrastructure was upgraded a few years ago, drawing more visitors. It’s heartwarming to see so many people, especially families, enjoying nature. Perhaps for loneliness, the likelihood is something like the square of the distance from the parking lot.

Characterizing performance isn’t easy, but for me it’s important. I like to separate my performance into two different but entirely interwoven categories: psychological and physical. Like so many people, my abilities relative to others and some of the resultant negative thoughts have been an easy and damaging trap to fall into, especially when trying hard and improving are aspirations, but performance is low. Though my physical performance was very low compared to a few years ago, my psychological performance was quite good. Overall, I felt really good. Perhaps I’ve matured—scary.

Red spring’s visitor area is well developed. The boardwalk lessens ecological impact while also increasing ease of access to the areas immediately adjacent to the large parking lot. Those glasses look terrible.