Monkey Rock, AZ, near Colorado River

Pics by Harlan W S + TF + KH
Oct 25, 2022

Tracy had looked at this for a long time. He and his son-in-law went down 8 days before, and did the crucial job of setting the rope, and did the 1st ascent (in sandals). This thing is just too smooth and crumbly to climb without a guide rope. Kevin and I went back with Tracy Oct 25.

00
The monkey, as
viewed from west
(Colorado River)
 000map0
Our hike was 2000' RT
with 400' gain.
 000map1
Context
01
So here's Tracy on
Oct 17, climbing
(with jumars), and
  wearing sandals.
 02
Any route you take,
you will need to
overcome several
rock lips.
 03
Tracy (who is 6'7")
on top. He pulled the
rope over the last block,
which is about 6-7' high,
for added safety
03a
So on Oct 25, Kevin
photographs us as
we start trudge from
river.
 03b
We're on W side of
Monkey, checking
far-side anchor that
Tracy and his SIL
set 8 days before
 04
Kevin's pic of me,
after I had taken off
my pack (hidden
behind bulge), and start
contemplating the last
block. I'm 5'6" tall.
05
I verified the horn
on R was attached,
and looped webbing
around it as a safety
 06 07
I took just one
shot from top--
Tracy is across
to S.
08
After I got off the
top block, I minded
the rope for Kevin;
he did an excellent
job getting prusiks
over rock lips.
 08a
Tracy's pic of Kevin
prusiking (it's
steeper than
it looks). You
can see my head.
 08b
Kevin places
a register.
08f 09
Tracy's view of
Kevin on the nasty
start of rap. The rope
was so stiff, I opted
to use a single munter
for my rap.
 09a
I'm out of view
at L, doing a
fireman's belay
for Kevin.
10
Now Kevin feeds
the rope as Tracy
pulls it down.
 11
Monkey from WNW
 12
Our river transport,
Tracy's inflatable boat.
13 14
ducks
 15
moi.
16
Tracy, the skipper.
So, how did the rope get set? Three years ago, I put together an arborist slingshot with
a mechanical advantage/progress capture system and an archery trigger; properly aimed, this system can shoot weight and thin rope 50' up. The whole system is under 8 lbs, and can be broken down and shared by 2.The idea is to get the rope over the other side, then use it pull up another, thicker rope to ascend. I never used it ; I found there are very few rock types (and tower geometries) where the systems is practical. There can't be deep cracks or rough surfaces that will snag. In dry runs, I found it worked over smooth volcanic rock, and some sandstone, but snagged on most rocks. A person with a good throwing arm -- e.g. Kevin -- can loft a carefully-designed rope bag over such a tower, but my dominant hand is partly paralyzed, and Tracy has Parkinson's. I hadn't yet given Tracy the optimal rope, but he still did the deed, and used ingenuity to make up for the incoveniences he met. Here's a movie of the slingshot in use.