The Intrigue of the Wichitas

This is Colter Lane logging on with a guest post...

For trad climbing enthusiasts living in Abilene, travel is inevitable. Enchanted Rock holds certain appeal with its relatively easy approach to all climbs and walking access to the summit of most for walk-offs and setting up top rope anchors. As such I have made the drive to Fredricksburg several times. However, it is also very popular with Boy Scout troops, hikers, and other outdoor enthusiasts in addition to us climbers. Being so open, sound seems to carry all the way across the park, so now matter where you are screams of small children and the tromp of hiking boots fills your ears.

Now I don’t want to set myself up for being an I-want-the-whole-area-to-myself elitist. There are just times when you want to be able to escape all that and climb in solitude: just you, your partner, and the rock. Thus every time I’ve heard rumors of a wilderness-type climbing area called the Wichitas, my ears perk up. And finally, after many plan-B’s and rescheduling, this Martin Luther King, Jr. extended weekend allowed me to finally experience Oklahoma climbing at its finest.

Alex Wann and I rolled out of A-town around 3:30 on Friday (January 15^th) after classes and drove the 4 hours to the Wichita Mountain Wildlife Refuge. Conditions were wet and rainy at first but then we punched through the storm to dry roads and smooth sailing. Whoops and whollers greeting the sign marking the border of Oklahoma, punctuating solid conversation: a necessity of any road trip. Our final destination of the evening was to be the City of Lawton Campground on Lake Lawtonka, but we wanted to make a pit stop at the Meers Restaurant. Internet searches for “climbing in the Wichitas” suggested the place as a must-visit for anyone and I would heartily second any such statement. From the old western general store front to the homemade food, the atmosphere was one that would be difficult to copy. We split a famous Seismic Burger: a 7 inch diameter fresh longhorn-beef burger topped with pepper jack cheese, jalapeños, red onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato, sweet relish, and bacon cut into 4 sections for easier consumption. Needless to say I was extremely satisfied and ready for bed. We slept well in the back of my pickup with dreams of crack climbs dancing in our heads.

We awoke to a chilly morning amidst a damp fog that covered everything in a sort of soggy blanket. Visibility was poor and the view we expected to see of Mt. Scott across the lake was obscured. It’s kind of tough to get the body going in the morning on a day like today but after a hot breakfast of brown sugar/raisin oatmeal we were ready to take on the world.

First stop was the visitor center where we geeked out about all kinds of things: from the history of the refuge to the flora and fauna, from rocks to prescribed burns. Pretty cool stuff! Then it was on to the Narrows for an area of climbing that was dense in moderate to easy trad climbing. We had a tough time finding the way at first but eventually crossed Cache Creek the correct amount of times, ran into Curt Howell and the Texas Tech Crew on their climbing trip leader training, and stumbled over to the Leaning Tower. On the menu for the day were No Name (5.6), Tightrope (5.6), and Arrowsmith (5.7). The final climb was a super classic 60-70 foot climb that we broke into 2 pitches. I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it weren’t for the anxiety of trying to getting done and out by dark. We sent off on the route, cutting it a little close to dark and we ended up booking it out to avoid a fine for being behind a gate after sunset! Thankfully we made it and no fine was assessed.

Then it was back to Medicine Park and our home away from home camping spot. We cooked Spaghetti-O’s and meatballs with brats, reflected on the day, and made plans for the next. We decided to drive to the summit of Mt. Scott.

Sunday morning, after waking to the now expected noise of geese on the lake and another good breakfast in the fog, we set our sights on the moderate route dense area of “Upper Mt. Scott Wall.” Arriving around 8:30, we found ourselves alone at the summit parking area with a view of the surrounding area that one might expect to see in Scotland or Wales: lakes surrounded by misty mountains which were themselves peppered by small clusters of houses.

We first tried to find (and eventually succeeded) the Dream Boat Annie Wall (DBA) with a classic 5.10c of the same name, another 5.8 and a 5.6. The Texas Tech crew arrived as we were leaving the parking lot and headed to the Upper Wall, well establishing themselves before we arrived. They left us a couple of good climbs: Atomic Knee Drop (5.6), which Alex and I both led in turn, and Pile Driver (5.6), a wide flake that should have been led with a #4 cam, but that I led without…pretty scary. I think the dampness of the rock and rustiness from not climbing for a while added up to be a rough morning for me. Alex was climbing really well and was pumped about leading some more around the corner. Unfortunately, the Tech Crew was having class and we decided to head back to DBA for some top roping to end the day.

We got lots of practice setting anchors on top of the climbs and both mock led the 5.8, Red Wine, which turned out to be a stellar vertical splitter that got both of our juices flowing with thought of Yosemite and Indian Creek! Then we topped the classic 5.10: again, amazing! I really started to get the feel for intense lie-back finger cracks by the end of the session. Neither one of us climbed it clean, but definitely see potential for getting better on steeper and more technical crack climbs. Alex top roped the nasty-wet off-width 5.6 and we clambered back to the truck amidst glorious views of the Wichitas at sunset. Then it was back to home base on the lake for more good food, hot showers (we were really roughing it, let me tell you…), and plentiful Z’s.

We felt like we wanted another piece of the Narrows Monday morning and trekked in to see the condition of Crazy Alice (5.8) and The Dihedral (5.6). Both looked pretty wet still and we decided against pursuing them. However, just around the corner, dry and in the sun, we spotted the 5.7 Yellow Corner. Alex graciously allowed me to lead what proved to be the awesome exclamation point of an already great trip. The 100 footer took us way above the canyon floor as it moved through a jumbled corner of rock. We were about 300+ feet above the creek and looking down on hikers that had no idea that anyone was above them.

We headed back to the truck and drove the 220 odd miles back to Abilene reflecting on how blessed we were to be able to experience something like this together that weekend. I don’t want to ever forget the bison, longhorns, and rock of the Witchita Mountains. Luckily, I don’t think they will let me.