Chameleon Pinnacle 5.5, Illusion Crags

Climbed on November 24, 2023. 

Fun Rating: More fun than you’d expect.

I find it a lot easier to write about my experiences on multi-pitch routes, I think for obvious reasons. There’s just a lot more experience to write about, for one, and the added requirements involved in a long day tend to leave a more varied impression. It’s much easier to find a specific story to tell when there’s so much to draw from. Single pitch climbs tend to fade away in my memory much more. Perhaps it’s the nature of getting into a flow state, or simply the brevity of the experience, but the actual retelling of a single pitch climb tends to be a much bigger challenge for me than I’d like it to be. 

The day we went out to the Illusion Crags was the weekend following Thanksgiving. We had a couple of friends in town from Oregon, my old main climbing buddy Colin and his partner Zoe. They’d just bought a farm up near Bend and had been doing chicken stuff for the last three months. The ambiance was very much one of delight to be outside and responsibility-free, but very low on climbing stoke or objectives.

Mood.

We’d been trying (and failing) to avoid the crowds all week, and so we decided to go for a crag we were sure no one else would be at. Funny enough, there was a pair racking up for Adam’s Rib at the pullout we stopped at, but no one else in sight. We had a brief conversation and wished them luck before we set off on our own journey. If you haven’t climbed in the southern outcrops before, the atmosphere is very different from the rest of Red Rock. Open, exposed, and with a long uphill approach, getting there requires some small effort. In addition, there was a fire some time ago in the region, and the plant life hasn’t fully recovered, which leads to a sort of blasted moonscape vibe as you slowly trudge up an endless loose dirt hill. 

As there are so few parties going to the crag, there are no real established trails outside of the few burro and sheep paths that make their faint way across the landscape. Dozens of cairns, in no discernable order or actual trail, dot the hill as well with encouragement to keep going up, as if you could really get lost. After making our way across 3 or 4 washes, we reached the last straightaway and trudged our way up. Once at Illusion Crags, you find yourself on a lovely hangout ledge. To the left end of the crag are the fantastic climbs French Bulges and Arm Forces, both climbs that would be classics if they were at a more approachable venue. To the right, the ridgeline continues out of the sun and down for a ways. The day was sunny but quite crisp, and we were planning on sticking in the sun as much as possible.

The pitch.

Having climbed the leftmost pitches before, and with no real desire from the rest of the group to climb…anything really…I racked up for Chameleon Pinnacle. From the ground it looked like a mostly unremarkable pitch of mixed rock quality, with a fun looking varnish section in the middle. I began climbing and was immediately met with a fun little boulder problem off the deck to get established. I think the easier way would have been to go to the left and climb closer to the arete, but the direct start was quite pleasant, if out of character with the rest of the route in terms of difficulty. The rock quality was great for the most part, and when I reached the varnish patch I was met with climbing reminiscent of and at the same quality as the star pitch on Armatron. Slanting, slick, and bomber varnish plates with climbing surprisingly steep for the casual grade. Once past this section, there was a blank steep bit to navigate and then some 30 feet of slab to runout to the webbing at the top.

I was struck by how similar I felt about this route as I did Tonto when I climbed that. For the grade of 5.5, there was a bevy of quality climbing, mixed with a bit of seriousness and weird gear for spice. I’d definitely climb this one again when I’m back at the crag, which isn’t something I say about many climbs of this grade. Additionally, just like Arm Forces and French Bulges, if this crag were in the first pullout I feel these would be fairly well known pitches. More fuel for the truth that you only need to deal with crowds in Red Rock if you don’t want to walk. With a bit of hiking you can find climbing of superb quality while still feeling as if you’re the only one in the canyon. 

The Pinnacle was the only thing we climbed that day. We spent some more time having a drink and hanging out in our coats on the ledge before we packed up and did the long walk out. I had time to reflect on the day and had a strange peace with the group’s absence of stoke. I love a day where everyone is on it and trying to get as much ground covered as possible, but it had been so peaceful and refreshing to just go out, hang out, climb one thing, and casually head home from there.

Time to go.

I think I’m getting old.