(Trip report courtesy of Chris Tuffley)

Chris's car Jettad through the night 580 5 58 247 62 touching down in Sheep Pass campground, Joshua Tree, at 5 in the morning, 9 hours after lift off. 40 winks later Mark, Michael, Chris and I were up, taking Kelly and Karla, who hadn't expected us to arrive until later in the day, by surprise. Shopping done in Yucca Valley we finally hit the rock in the aternoon, Mark and I taking on Double Dip (5.6), Stitchter Quits (5.7) and Eff Four (5.6). Making the most of the available daylight (ahem!) we arrived back at the base by headlamp; soon after we were back at the car...park. Scum! Mike and Chris had left without us! They were soon back, suitably embarrassed, having thought we'd gone back with Kelly. Back at camp we learnt that the big Thanksgiving Dinner had started at 3 pm--oh well! At least there was still plenty of dessert left...A spot of late night lamp-and-lanternlit bouldering then bed. Next day at Barker Dam a judicious retreat seemed in order as I struggled to lead the strenuous Rat's Ledge and I lowered off then recovered the gear on rappel from above. Parental Guidance Suggested (5.8) and the somewhat awkward but ultimately rewarding groove of Fat Man's Folly (5.8) proved far more amenable and once more making the most of the available daylight Karla and I walked off Lakeside Rock as the sunset faded in the west. A trip into town that evening for a couple of essentials--chiefly t.p. and tape (the latter for protecting hands while crackclimbing)--alas forgot one of the other essentials--petrol--undoing us and sending Chris back into town the next day to keep us from running out. But before that there was the Headstone at Ryan Campground to be climbed. Chris led the airy and exposed 5.6/7 route up the arete and I the 5.8 on the face and, well, the other arete--in many ways a less scary lead than the 5.6/7!--and later, helping out a party of 2 who decided they didn't want to lead it after all, the 5.6/7 too, doing a much better job than 2 years ago. We eventually finished the day at the Atlantis wall, this time Mark, Michael, and Chris making the most of the evening light while Karla and I got off Grain Surplus (5.8) (and very grainy rock it was, too!) before headlamps were needed. A brief climb at Atlantis the next morning--I did Wet Pigeon, 5.8--then the long drive back up. Taking a wrong turn we ended up stuck in the backup on 58 we'd been trying to avoid; free again 2 hours later we took backroads 58 33 195 25 101 880 home, getting in at midnight.