Climbing Portrero Chico - Trip Report

We elected to visit Potrero Chico for our winter break this year, despite my general lack of experience and ambition with sport climbing. It’s a wonderful winter destination and reasonably close to home in San Diego. We scored $250 tickets to Monterrey, were able to walk across the border, and take a domestic flight out of Tijuana to our international vacation.

It took the entire trip for me to transition to a sport climber. Through the 7 days of our vacation I went from trying to argue myself out of leading a too-vertical-for-a-5.7 5.7 to leading harder than I would placing my own gear.

Day 1: Los Lobos crag

El Cachorro (5.7) (led)

Sheeps clothing (5.9) (top rope)

Howling wolf (5.9, led)

Zombie Wolf (5.8+) (led)

Los Huevos Del Oro (5.10a, top rope)

The first climb of the trip for me was El Cachoroo, the easiest climb in the crag and on the very corner. I thought the walls were so vertical. I also couldn’t see the anchors from the ground. The pitch looked long, longer than I normally see in Joshua tree and definitely longer than what I would see in Woodson. I was scared. I know from experience that I scare myself on top rope so I insisted that my first climb in Portero Chico be on lead. The first bolt took more than two steps before I could clip it. The climbing style required lots of pulling and less balance than I was used to. In Joshua tree, on granite, you can usually rest on your feet. In Portero Chico on Limestone, it felt like even the very easy climbs were too vertical to do that. However, even the moderate climbs had good holds and incut hands. I had to trust my hands much more than I was used to. The hands were better than I remember even on limestone in Spain. It was a difference that made me feel like my years of experience on granite didn’t count. By the end of the pitch I was surprised by how scared I was on such an easy climb, but at least I didn’t lower. Robin congratulated me for pushing through.

Surprisingly, I didn’t feel more scared on the subsequent climbs of increased difficulty. I lead up to 5.9 the first day. It seemed like it wasn’t the difficulty of the moves that terrified me, it as just how vertical the wall was. I filed that one away for later.

The best pitch of day for me was actually Zombie Wolf. The pitch was incredibly long and brought me to the top of the ridge. I decided to belay this pitch from the top and brought Robin up with me to get a nice multipitch feeling with low commitment. The top of the fin gave me my first awe inspiring view of Potrero Chico of the trip.

Robin wanted to lead a 5.10c so he can get a feel for the local climbing style and rating/difficulty levels. He cruised it without falling. After leading Los Huevos del Oro he felt confident picking a 5.10c multipitch for us to climb. I don’t spend much time climbing sport with him, so I was pretty blown away by his confidence and skill.

Usually 5 pitches would be a lot for us on a regular Trad cragging day (sometimes we are lucky to get 3 in at Joshua Tree!), but I can tell that this is a low productivity date at Potrero Chico. I had a secret ambition to build up my endurance by the end of the week.

Day total: 5 pitches

Day 2: Treasure of the Sierra Madre (7 pitches, 5.10c)

I led even pitches – (5.10a, 5.10a, 5.9)

Unlike Robin, I did not get a 5.10a single pitch in to give me confidence in the grade before leading. For some reason multipitch feels different to me. Starting at the 2nd pitch makes me feel like I for sure won’t hit the ground if I fall, so I felt a little more bold on lead. I am glad I did because leading 5.10a felt doable (and satisfying!)

Robin enjoyed this multipitch because he got to rope gun the 5.10c crux. I had a hard time with the roof pull and fell when following, hurting my confidence that I should try harder than 10a on lead.

Day total: 7 Pitches

From the top of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Day 3 – Rest day

We stocked up on groceries, visited the El Buho Café, bought a ton of tamales, and visited a farmers market for fresh groceries. Despite our commitment to healthy eating, cooking, and fresh produce, I was disappointed with the choices and lamented that Hidalgo is a food desert. I was starting to feel sick and the salted meats and lard soaked tamales and tortillas were not making me feel better.

Day 4 – Will the Wolf Survive + Dihedral Wall

Will the Wolf Survive (4 pitches, 5.10a)

Dead man walking (1 long bolted crack, 5.9+)

Remember the Alamo (3 pitches, 5.9)

I had fun getting to the top of the fin in Las Lobos Canyon so we decided to go back with Will the Wolf Survive in Los Lobos Canyon as a primary day objective so we wouldn’t be caught waiting in line. It paid off because we were first on the wall at 9am.

I led pitches 1 and 3, getting to do a fun, pumpy, and long 5.9+ pitch. If I had known that the pitch was a pumpy 5.9+ I don’t think I would have offered to lead it, but now that I was surprised by it I am glad that I did it. My forearms burned so bad that I couldn’t do the crux of my pitch, and had to hang on a clip. I ended up downclimbing to my last clip instead of letting myself whip. That’s the trad climber in me. I realize that I am afraid of whipping. Robin even said things like “It’s a clean fall”!, and I would respond back, fighting tears, “what does that even mean?!” I just wouldn’t let myself whip. I am going to give myself Kudos for sticking with it instead of lowering, which (I guess) is the first step towards trusting falling while sport climbing.

We then did the long hike over to the dihedral wall so I could lead an iconic bolted double crack called “Dead mad walking”. I was highly enticed because I love climbing crack and loved the idea of trying a bolted one.

This crag was popping and we waited 2 hours in line for my route. Robin led a 5.11a while we waited called “All cracked up and no place to go”. I elected not to follow because I didn’t want to burn myself out before my big lead. I was getting intimidated looking at the 115ft pitch of near vertical crack. This 5.11a was the only time during the trip that Robin fell during the trip.

The wait for Dead Man Walking was worth it. The climb was highly memorable and very challenging for me. It was at this climb that I appreciated how spot on the grading was. The difficulty felt similar to Colorado Crack to me in Joshua tree, which I just led 2 weeks ago. I had to rest on my pieces twice, before both budging roof moves.

I decided that I wanted to be more ambitious than a 5 pitch day, and elected for us to climb an adjacent 3 pitch route “Remember the Alamo” as an end of our day. The first two pitches were not memorable, but the third pitch was a beautiful clean dihedral. There was a lot of spikey vegetation on the route that made the climbing extra spicy.

Day total: 8 pitches for me, 9 for Robin.

Day 5 –Aguja Celo Rey (5.10c) + hot springs

Aguja means spire in Spanish.

One advantage from hanging out at Dihedral wall all day was the networking. Our new friends there told us that their favorite climb of the their trip was on the Spires. I felt satisfied with leading Dead Man Walking so I agreed to follow both pitches of Aguja De Celo for Robin. It Is not so fun not to be able to lead, but I didn’t want to hold Robin back. It would have been a stiff 5.10c for me to lead a pitch on anyway since the bolts were so sparse with decking potential. I didn’t end up falling while on top rope. This had me double checking my decision. (Mental note: just to go for it next time!)

I started succumbing to a sinus infection and Robin was being enabling so we took the rest of the day off and went to the Terma de San Joaquin hot springs. I had a wonderful and relaxing time there. I finished reading the book Push by Tommy Caldwell. We ordered 20 more Tamales on the way back to Potrero Chico.

Day total: 2 pitches.

At the top of the first pitch of Aguja Celo Rey

Robin taking a selfie of the pass through on lead — Aguja Celo Rey

Day 6 – The Ivory Tower

Excalibur (5 pitches, 5.10c. I led odd pitches 1,3,5 up to 5.10a)

Off the Couch (7 pitches, 5.10d)

More networking had us choose the Ivory Tower area of Portero Chico for our last day. Crushers next to us at the Taco Loco told us that they linked up three multpitches in Ivory tower that day and recommended Off the Couch based on our experience and strength level. After reviewing the book and mountain project, I was selfish and choose Excalibur since it was shorter and more moderate.

The day started badly for me when I slipped and fell in the sand during the approach. I landed on a very spikey plant and cleanly lacerated an inch long gash in my left hand. I pulled about 15 splinters out of my left leg. The vegetation in Nuevo Leon is treacherous. I decided to suck it up, tape it up, and keep moving. Its our last day after all.

I had a ton of fun on Excalibur. The crux rated at 5.10c was on an even pitch so I got to lead most of the pitches. The first 5.9 pitch was mostly like a 4th class scramble with one move so that was nothing, but the other 2 10a pitches had me really working. We linked up the pitches in a funny way that made me do an awkward traverse mantle off the belay station. I was besides myself that I was able to lead it without falling. Robin followed it and agreed that It was at least a 5.10b move.

We rappelled and found that it was close to 1:30pm. We still had half a day left and I wanted to squeeze climbing as I could out of the our last day. Robin was ready to be enabling again and suggest we go back to the Cabin and start packing, but I remembered my ambition to climb more and suggest we do another route.

We started the approach and noticed that Satori and Off the Couch were empty. Robin was psyched on Off the couch since everyone we chatted with told us that this was the one to climb. I felt hesitant about starting a 7 pitch route at 2pm, but I didn’t want to burn daylight dwelling on it. I roped up and led the first pitch. To my chagrin, the bolts on the first 5.9 pitch were pretty spacy.

I linked two subsequent 5.8 pitches to save time. I am surprised that the book calls them separate pitches. Both pitches combined took 9 draws. Robin, always looking to one up me, decided that we should link the two pitches after that one. This would be a harder task. The next two pitches were a 5.10b and 5.10c respectively, it would take the full 70 meters, and it needed 20 draws and we only brought 17.

I looked up above and saw the wall lean just the smallest bit towards us. I asked Robin if he was sure. He said, yes, that it sounded fun. I called it his funeral and put him on belay. Robin then proceeded in blowing me away. The next 2-3 pitches were the hardest pitches of the entire trip. It was 300ft of crimps with poor, sparse feet. I could feel the high steps in my haunches days later. I still can not believe the confidence and skill required to skip bolts and run out pitches.

Robin observed that I didn’t fall even in the 10d pitch, that I could have led it. I don’t think that means I could have led it, but I suppose its thought processes like that that put Robin on the sharp end during the crux pitches.

We slowly ambled off the Ivory Tower at 6:30pm by headlamp at a snail like pace around shiv-like fauna.

Day total: 12 pitches (technically we did it in 10 but I’ll count it)

on Off the couch (5.10d) I am bundled up because it was very cold.

Trip Total 32 pitches

This week in Potrero Chico was so beautiful and memorable. It was a shame that I came down with something during the trip, but that did not detract too much from the months of strength training and preparation that brought me there. I felt strong. I pushed through my fears and led.

One day we will be back, but when we do, we will be swinging leads on 5.11s, carrying Bivy Gear, and stepping up to do Timewave Zero. We left with a renewed passion for our favorite sport, like a rekindled love in an old marriage.