Split Mountain: BioVlog 179 of 384

I say to my sidekick, Jim, “Let’s head east to Split Mountain and do a little cliff climbing.” 

(The name Split Mountain was inspired by the shape of its double summit, which is comprised of two cliffs about one-hundred feet across and hundreds of feet high.)

I lead the way as we scale the towering cliffs. We work our way across to a large dome hundreds of feet above the ground. There is nothing but protruding rocks, little ledges, and then thin air between the dome and the desert floor far below. I ask, questioning my judgement “Is there a ledge on the other side of this dome?”

“Yeah,” Jim says worried by what he might hear, “about twenty feet across. But, Mister Rick, these are sedimentary rocks, which easily break loose, so, getting there doesn’t look too safe.”

“No way!” I say, “This looks like fun. We’ll get to the ledge by climbing diagonally across the curve of the dome. 

The Cheat, Protect Yourself, Stealing from the Bottom