Editor’s note: Quinn published this almost a year ago at his blog here. I thought I had shared it on alphaclimbing.com, but I had never made it public. It’s nice to see what we were doing in Mexico a year ago. I can’t wait to get back. -Aaron

Joel putting in the last of his bolts for his route Aliento Cosmico.

Southeast of industrial Monterrey, situated among tangles of jungly forest and slot canyon, is a porcelain white limestone arch, featured with huecos, tufas and stalactites. It is called Cerro Agujerado and until recently this tunneled out cave was reserved for deer, raven, bees, bats, cattle and the occasional biped hiker. Two of the climbers to catch word of Cerro Agujerado early on were the persistently stoked and jolly Mark Grundon and Joel Guadarrama. Two of the hardest workers I have ever met and whose fusion creates an infectious atmosphere of humor and motivation. Its people like them that the climbing community owes gratitude to. Four days after Aaron and I’s arrival to Mexico we received the faithful word from Mark to visit “The Arch”.

The first Arch trip began on a warm sunny day in January, at Mark’s quaint cement house in Monterrey. My assumption in the beginning was that we would just go for cragging/recon but it became obvious by the ensuing clank of drill bits, hangers, bolts, hammers, brushes and drills that I should think otherwise. This of course came as a pleasant surprise because I packed my drill for a reason. Like the amateur that I am however, I brought equipment that was akin to vertical granite and gneiss face climbing of Montana, not flowstone caves. Aaron and Mark generously lent me a proper sized drill bit and a mandatory removable bolt. The rest of my gear I would improvise.

By the crack of noon, as is normal for our group, Aaron, Cami(Mark’s dog), Joel, Clarissa(Joel’s amorcita), and myself loaded into Mark’s white crew cab DuraMax diesel truck. The drive was about 40 minutes and involved speeding through laneless urban sprawl of Guadalupe County, passing whistling policeman and weaving around other haywire drivers. Then more laneless speeding through the countryside of Juarez County, eventually down a confusing matrix of huge walled off estates known as Quintas and finally parking in a culdesac littered with garbage.

The approach began with a trail hedged in on both sides by thick, thorny and mangled forest. We ambled like overloaded penguins down the seemingly endless two track trail. After the trail we followed a dry arroyo until the time came to strip down for the first of two water crossings which was about waste deep and a dozen steps long. The second crossing was about chest deep and three times as long. The cold, clear water felt rejuvenating and the grey tufas that hung overhead in the narrow slots were cues that this long walk had a purpose. The remainder of the hike was a short uphill through open forests of mostly oak and ash. Incomplete glimpses of the arch through branch and leaf windows left me in anticipation.

Upon our arrival I was both excited and nervous. Cerro Agujerado was larger and more intricate than I had visualized. Mark and Joel pointed out the existing routes. It was clear that there was room for more. This prospect of so many beautiful climbs still to be put up was something I had never experienced. I had never been involved with the inception of a world class crag. Within an hour I picked a modest line that was situated on the outskirt of the main cave. Solo ground up route development was still just a concept to me so I wanted a route that I could learn on.

Fully racked with drill, hammer, wrench, bolts, brushes, quickdraws and rope, I started up, with the intention of stancing each bolt. This technique, which involves free climbing in between restful positions where it is possible to put in a bolt I used frequently on the granite back home. This route, though juggy, was overhanging. By the time I soloed up to place my first bolt which would serve as my ground-up anchor I was already pumped. Still conceited about style, I implemented a mixture of stancing and aid climbing. Slowly I worked my way up, hooking huecos, slinging horns and stalactites. I found a good rhythm of sussing out moves, following the natural line, searching for solid rock to place bolts, still my strategy was physically draining. That’s when I remembered about the removable bolt which took some time to fully trust but sped up the process and I no longer had to stance, I could step in slings to gain distance between bolt placements.

As darkness set in my shoulders throbbed from bolting overhead and my legs were numb. I placed 9 bolts and was about halfway to the top. I lowered off to the ground where I sat until I could feel my legs again. I was covered in dirt and my eyes watered from all the dust. I would have to finish another day. I nearly drowned myself on the way back because I could barely hold my loaded backpack above my head during the water crossing. We all walked a little slower to the car, each of us fatigued from our personal endeavors.

We visited Cerro Agujerado six times over the season. I finished my route and named it Crepúsculo Identidad, it is kind of a hack job but it taught me some important lessons. Next to it I applied my new found skills to put up a much longer and more quality route that I named Florecer. I consider it to be one of my favorite routes I have climbed. Every Arch visit we walked out in the dark. To pass the time we bounced banter back and forth. Delirious as I always was, every joke or story I found hilarious.

Spending so much time there I began to see that although Cerro Agujerado was just outside urban mania, it was still a very wild place. Almost every visit involved some contact with Javalina, Ring-Tailed Cat, Armadillo or feral cow. Each evening, around 6:45pm, without fail a set of ravens would return to their nest deep in the cave. I would also contract a variety of bugs each visit; fleas, ticks and chiggers just became part of the deal.

The experience amounted to series of self taught skills that I will have the rest of my life. Although mentorship in climbing is often romanticized with an older person who delivers sermons of style and technique to pupils, developing at Cerro Agujerado demonstrated to me another form of mentorship which was more of a camaraderie of support. If I had a question or needed help, Aaron, Mark and Joel were there, but they were not there to school me. They taught me more just by doing. It was up to me and my gumption to actualize my vision through Crepúsculo Identidad and Florecer. Thank you Mark, Joel and Aaron.

Cerro Agujerado by Quinn Taubman-Harper