Texas - USA
Hueco Tanks ... a recurring thought, I've heard so much about all that he had become an obsession. Even Christian had been there before, but only in passing, in fact he was stopped only one day, just long enough to appreciate its splendor.
One evening, talking about trips, jump off the ideona ... fantasize for a moment and after a while I find myself with the calendar in hand to calculate the best time. Timy call a friend who lives in Albuquerque (New Mexico) "only" 5-hour drive from Hueco. Super motivated the 
ask if he wants to come and if we can rent a motor home directly from the site. That's it, two days after it is all organized, called Yuri and Nives two of our friends and we are ready on the plane to Albuquerque, to live a vacation away from the hustle and bustle of the city, to put ourselves on a tour of the block at 360 degrees middle of the desert. Among other things there could be a better time, the euro-dollar exchange rate is great and we are spending enormously relieved.
Departure from Nice at 7.30 am.
This time, unlike last trip to Bishop plane "there" ... After a lot 'of hours between flights and expected (in all about 24) we finally arrive in Albuquerque.
It's too late, is about 10.30 at night, take your luggage with your fingers crossed that nothing is lost.
Timy is very kind at the airport, takes us to his house, where in front of a good Italian pasta and a beer we tell stories of two years of life boulderistica and then all to bed.
The next day we go to the "beast" of campers booked: 9 meters. in length (!) a true giant of the road .... As soon as we see, we wait for some seconds in silence, thinking, "maybe we exaggerated ..." Yuri pretends to be self-confident and determined says a Christian (the other driver) that there are no problems for the guide. At that point, more relaxed, and I Nives study its internal thinking about how to arrange the material to fit everything, including the 5 mega-crash pad American style Timy loaned us. In America the streets are so wide that there are no problems to drive half (for us) so big, in fact, we discover quickly that it is easier than expected, the size hardly noticeable.
While in the States 5 hours by car are few, we still take a half day
born, so between initial preparations and travel we arrive late at night now, we can barely see in the dark silhouettes of a few blocks closer to the road. Tired of going to sleep, dreaming of Hueco Tanks.
The morning after Christian and Yuri (already up from 5.30), beginning about 6.30 to prepare an italian coffee for all of country music and postcard views. Here we are repeatedly told that we are finally at Hueco Tanks, is not only an obsession but it is quite fantastic and reality. (The first day of travel time always dreamed conveys feeling very strong). Around 8.30 we (as a normal practice here in the park) in store at the Ranger station, pay our entrance, we look at the "polpettoso" video that explains what to do and above all do not do in the park and finally blocks away, like children motivated.
We decide to go to North Mountain, the only area of "free" by the presence of the guide. Holding a small map on the best steps made to us by Fred Nicole (discoverer of most blocks Hueco) go straight and immediately decided at a very famous cave, with all physical movements, just as we like. We climb to exhaustion, I devastated the fingers of a cliff a short and intense: Dirty Martini, Yuri for a bit 'vague sweat on his back with a crash-pad twice the size of him, trying to get an idea of who deserves the boulder priorities, until he decides to stay in the cave, because they can see through the dust its perfect line: Martini left. Christian however, faces a decided step he felt two years before: Shaken not stirred. Nives is "an egg" very photogenic and decides not to spare even one of its six-step paths. We quickly realize that the rock is very abrasive to her tacchettine net and often a bit 'painful, so every evening, lotion at will, (I already suspected, in fact, before leaving, prudently went to the pharmacy to equip).
A few days later we reach our other two friends, Michael of Santa Fe (6-hour drive) and Eric Bishop (less than 18 hours "by car" to arrive), so our "beast" of campers, from 9 mt. immediately becomes a child ... does not matter, what counts is being together and having fun.
The next day, we try to go to visit closed areas (which unfortunately represent '70%). We book and then driving, which in most cases they are volunteers who climb, and in their recovery days they decide to accompany free of tourists like us. Taking advantage of their knowledge do we show the most beautiful and famous lines. The steps are many and all worth trying, still trying to make a selection. Three weeks seems long but when enjoying the days slip away fast. Early Christian rushed to try the perfect line of Slash-face, one of the most famous boulder, a panel of 50 degrees neatly cut with a thin slit through it until you exit to right on a cliff over appigliato, in the days to Crown of Aragon also follow this similar to the above of small notches from right to left. Then also ChablanKe, where, unfortunately, for a photo on a furious tallonaggio is fraying the sheath of the sciatic nerve and fraying of the biceps femoris insertion, an accident that forces him to stand and limp for a week. Yuri decides to exterminate instead of Crimping Crist on the cross, took a small bow with very painful, Nives delights of overhanging blocks of energy to finish to run out on the placchettine to hold my breath to keep from falling, I feel everything I is in sight until exhaustion, between here a beautiful dihedral following a crack for very little ones fingers. Christian could not climb as vague as a hermit to look for new lines to be tested as soon as the pain had decreased and identify Indian designs to shoot, that have not been polluted with stupid written by people with no respect for the history of this place, between ' other is for this reason that most of the sectors have been closed.
(Photo Michael Clark)
The rock here is very intriguing, there are special forms, always different. There is no chance of getting bored, you can find passages in all styles, from the technical to very physical. I think the real potential of Hueco is about 5,000 boulders, there are currently about $ 2,000. You often walk on stretches of rock blocks still to climb. The guides who climb are guys from other states who decide to spend the winter here in the park. Making the guide gives you permission to stay for free in a few minutes from the ranch, and then it becomes easier for them to manage themselves the days of climbing.
We continue to climb, devastandoci, try "everything", the motivation these days is very high, even though the muscles poor people do not follow the stimulus as we wish ... I find Power of Silence, a beautiful overhanging dihedral, the guide I read: "we see easy, but we must try, "is so nice that we all take a ride, we see quickly that the words written in the guide said, well, who seemed taken with good views from the bottom, immediately proved small, and put away evil, This charge us even more and begins a tour of the attempts to turn ... try steps in the company and very stimulating.
After a week begins to climb also Christian looking steps is not too exposed or dangerous, apart from the limits of the leg, physically not appear to flush a seventh 
na of inactivity.
Eric, on every trip always brings the laptop, so the evening, after dinner in the camper, we review all the pictures taken during the day and assemble short videos of the blocks increased.
Towards the end of three weeks we realize we have climbed almost every day, except for two of rain. Every morning we wake up with sore fingers destroyed, but looking out and enjoying the energy of the place, the tiredness dissolves quickly in the air giving rise to a new force. Certainly worth stopping for a little 'longer, there are too many steps that still need to be "hunted down".
It 's strange effect on the time that you feel here in Hueco Tanks, for what concerns the environment, the rocks with Indian designs, s
Embra "stop" does not flow, everything remained as before, but for us tourists, there to enjoy, time runs at an impressive speed (as many times as you have fun ...), believe that three weeks early long, we find ourselves at the end without even realizing it. No matter, the feelings that we tried and we will always remember these are memories that give value to our trip, because the experiences, often make us different people.
In my opinion, every holiday is a reason for spiritual growth: see new places, cultures and even the fact of living together in the same camper, changing their habits and trying to respect the private spaces of the companions help us understand ourselves better and others.
Despite all the rules requiring the park, is a journey that I recommend to all true lovers of bouldering, truly deserves. All around there are great attractions, El Paso is not exactly a stranger to the city that dreams of visiting, but if your goal is to find a real area of blocks, then Hueco Tanks can become your goal.
General rules of the park:
Once access to the park was free, is only four years that have closed. This has caused a limited number of inputs per day (about 100 in all). Of course, should be reserved before leaving, because the area is very popular in certain periods of the year to come, hundreds of climbers who consider it a goal boulderistica ..
Please book is not difficult: you can call or simply for us foreigners just send a 's E-mail to
tion of the rangers. If your are unable to contact them in any way there is still a chance a little 'more risky, to arrive at the entrance within the first 10, is considered the order of the machines in the rear and this forces to present very early (about 5:40 / 6am ...), after which you can book for the days to follow.
The main sectors in the area are all three, in two of these things can go only if accompanied by a guide who must be booked at least the night before, but be careful to tell what area you want to see, (the first in the list decides the place , then for not being in the wrong places is better to agree a priori). The guides should be able to see all climbers, you can not stray too far from alone, there's obviously a bit 'of elasticity depends on the relationship you can establish with them.
Getting there:
Hueco Tanks is located in Texas, near the border with the state of New Mexico, 40 minutes east of the city of "El Paso", where you can arrive by plane and rent any type of medium.
From El Paso to go east on state road 62/180, about 25 miles, after about 20 minutes, turn left onto Statal
and 2775, following the sign for "Hueco Tanks State Historical Park", initially through an environment that knows little of the park, (mountains of tires for trucks and garbage everywhere), then continue on a short stretch of desert to reach the barrier that marks the entrance of the park. 200 mt. first is the junction for the "Hueco Rock Ranch", where you wanting to stay in some rooms or if it is equipped with tent you can camp out and use the facilities.
Best time:
The park is located in the desert and in the summer is really hot ... the best period is from late October to early April, the best months (say local) from February to March. (Photo Michael Clark)
Rules & Information:
The basic rules are these:
- 7/10 people can enter without a book in a day, (this means being in front at about 6 o'clock in the morning to avoid being out of the maximum number and open the park ranger at 8).
- 100 people can enter booking himself a day, (this means instead go to more peaceful times).
- And 'possible to sleep in the camp within the park in tents or campers, but first you need to book (cost per day 8
$ To $ 12 for tent campers with electricity and water). The camp is equipped with everything, showers, toilets, drains
campers, small tables for eating and point to the fire. It 's very nice and clean.
- Every day you have to pay $ 4 to enter, but you can make a card that costs $ 60 that allows you to pay once
a year for transportation, (so if you are 4 in a car the cost is split).
- To climb North Mountain you can go it alone, but for all other sectors ask for the presence of the guide, which will take
2/4/6 hours in accordance with the agreements, climbers and guides are usually becomes very convenient to be accompanied by them because they know exactly the positions of the blocks and often even the finest passages.
Useful addresses:
(Photo Michael Clark)
There are dozens of websites discussing Hueco Tanks, one of the most common is: www.huecorockranch.com, where you can download maps, photos and videos and ask questions by e-mail. Hueco Rock Ranch is an economic center where you can sleep in a tent, camper or in the hotel rooms and is located near the park entrance.
-To make a reservation in the park, e-mail: e-mail.reservation @ tpwd.state.tx.us
Useful telephone-number:
(001) 9158571135 Station rangers in the park or (001) (512) 3898900
(Photo Michael Clark)
(Photo Michael Clark)
(Photo Michael Clark)
