Tahquitz
Encyclopedia
Tahquitz is a granite rock formation
(33.7552984°N 116.6769621°W) located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range
in Riverside County, Southern California
, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild. Tahquitz has a steep approach hike (approximately 800-foot elevation gain in a half mile), leading to a roughly 1000-foot face. Tahquitz, which can refer to both the rock outcrop and the outcrop's parent peak, is a popular hiking destination and rock climbing area. The area was named after Chief Tahquitz of the Soboba Indian tribe
, and first appeared in print on a 1901 USGS San Jacinto
topographical map. A second popular rock face, called Suicide Rock
, lies across the valley.
led a first ascent of The Mechanic's Route, one of the first 5.8s in the country. During the late 1930s, the movie Three On A Rope featured climbing at Tahquitz.
By 1940, about a dozen routes had been established. World War II slowed down development, but activity soon picked back up and fresh faces were seen at Tahquitz. Royal Robbins
, a prominent member of the RCS, led the new surge in Tahquitz development in the 1950s. This new group of climbers eschewed some of the time-honored safety techniques of the past, which led to harder and harder climbs being developed, culminating with The Vampire in 1959. Though Robbins and Dave Rearick climbed it via aid technique (5.9 A3/4), it was free climbed in 1973 (5.11a) by John Long et al. and is now considered one of the best free climbs in southern California.
With the help of new climbing shoe designs, route development in the 1960s jumped well into 5.10 territory. Nearby Suicide Rock also started to be developed, resulting in another southern California classic, Valhalla (5.11a) in November 1970.
The Yosemite Decimal System
(YDS) of grading routes was developed at Tahquitz by members of the RCS of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club
in the 1950s. Royal Robbins in 1952 established what was then one of the hardest free climbs in the United States, Open Book
. As new routes were constantly being discovered and climbed, the old method of rating climbs as either easy, moderate, or hard was quickly becoming useless. With the help of fellow RCS members Don Wilson and Chuck Wilts, the modern system of rating fifth-class climbing was developed, with the scale running from 5.0 to 5.9. Mark Powell, a local who frequented Yosemite, passed this system on to the climbers in Yosemite. By the early 1960s, the Yosemite Decimal System was the standard in the United States.
In 1967 Bob Kamps
and Mark Powell established Chingadera one of the first 5.11 in the country and setting a new standard in rock climbing.
is endemic to the San Jacinto Range and is known by the common name Tahquitz mousetail.
Rock formations in the United States
The following is a partial list of rock formations in the United States, by state:-Arizona:*Canyon de Chelly National Monument**Spider Rock*Chiricahua National Monument**Duck on a Rock**Organ Pipe**Mushroom Rock**Sea Captain*Monument Valley...
(33.7552984°N 116.6769621°W) located on the high western slope of the San Jacinto mountain range
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
in Riverside County, Southern California
Southern California
Southern California is a megaregion, or megapolitan area, in the southern area of the U.S. state of California. Large urban areas include Greater Los Angeles and Greater San Diego. The urban area stretches along the coast from Ventura through the Southland and Inland Empire to San Diego...
, United States, above the mountain town of Idyllwild. Tahquitz has a steep approach hike (approximately 800-foot elevation gain in a half mile), leading to a roughly 1000-foot face. Tahquitz, which can refer to both the rock outcrop and the outcrop's parent peak, is a popular hiking destination and rock climbing area. The area was named after Chief Tahquitz of the Soboba Indian tribe
Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
The Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians is a federally recognized tribe of Luiseño people, headquartered in Riverside County, California. On June 18, 1883, the Soboba Reservation was established by the United States government in San Jacinto, California....
, and first appeared in print on a 1901 USGS San Jacinto
San Jacinto Mountains
The San Jacinto Mountains are a mountain range east of Los Angeles in southern California in the United States. The mountains are named for Saint Hyacinth . The Pacific Crest Trail runs along the spine of the range.The range extends for approximately from the San Bernardino Mountains southeast to...
topographical map. A second popular rock face, called Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock
Suicide Rock, once Suicide Peak, is a well-known granite outcrop in Idyllwild, southern California, which is popular with rock climbers. Over three hundred climbing routes have been described...
, lies across the valley.
History
The name "Lily Rock" possibly originates from Lily Eastman, the daughter of Dr. Sanford Eastman. Dr. Eastman was the first Secretary and a Director of the "Southern California Colony Association", which later became Riverside.Climbing history
In the 1930s, the Rock Climbing Section (RCS) of the Sierra Club Members in California started a campaign to identify potential rock climbing locations in southern California. RCS member Jim Smith "discovered" Tahquitz in June 1935. The first fifth-class ascent of Tahquitz, The Trough (5.0), occurred in August 1936 by Jim Smith, Bob Brinton, and Z. Jasaitis. A month later, Smith and Bill Rice quickly put up the now-classic route, Angel's Fright (5.4). In 1937, Dick Jones and Glen DawsonGlen Dawson
Glen Dawson is a California rock climber, mountaineer, antiquarian bookseller, publisher and environmentalist.- Early life :...
led a first ascent of The Mechanic's Route, one of the first 5.8s in the country. During the late 1930s, the movie Three On A Rope featured climbing at Tahquitz.
By 1940, about a dozen routes had been established. World War II slowed down development, but activity soon picked back up and fresh faces were seen at Tahquitz. Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins
Royal Robbins is one of the pioneers of American rock climbing. After learning to climb at Tahquitz he went on to make first ascents of many big wall routes in Yosemite...
, a prominent member of the RCS, led the new surge in Tahquitz development in the 1950s. This new group of climbers eschewed some of the time-honored safety techniques of the past, which led to harder and harder climbs being developed, culminating with The Vampire in 1959. Though Robbins and Dave Rearick climbed it via aid technique (5.9 A3/4), it was free climbed in 1973 (5.11a) by John Long et al. and is now considered one of the best free climbs in southern California.
With the help of new climbing shoe designs, route development in the 1960s jumped well into 5.10 territory. Nearby Suicide Rock also started to be developed, resulting in another southern California classic, Valhalla (5.11a) in November 1970.
The Yosemite Decimal System
Yosemite Decimal System
The Yosemite Decimal System is a three-part system used for rating the difficulty of walks, hikes, and climbs. It is primarily used by mountaineers in the United States and Canada. The Class 5 portion of the Class scale is primarily a rock climbing classification system. Originally the system was...
(YDS) of grading routes was developed at Tahquitz by members of the RCS of the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
in the 1950s. Royal Robbins in 1952 established what was then one of the hardest free climbs in the United States, Open Book
Open Book (Tahquitz)
Open Book is a technical rock climbing route at Tahquitz, CA. Since the Yosemite Decimal System was developed at Tahquitz it's no coincidence that the first climb to be rated 5.9, Open Book, is also located at Tahquitz. In 1952, when Royal Robbins climbed it free, it was one of the most difficult...
. As new routes were constantly being discovered and climbed, the old method of rating climbs as either easy, moderate, or hard was quickly becoming useless. With the help of fellow RCS members Don Wilson and Chuck Wilts, the modern system of rating fifth-class climbing was developed, with the scale running from 5.0 to 5.9. Mark Powell, a local who frequented Yosemite, passed this system on to the climbers in Yosemite. By the early 1960s, the Yosemite Decimal System was the standard in the United States.
In 1967 Bob Kamps
Bob Kamps
Bob Kamps was an American rock climber whose climbing career spanned five decades. Born in Wisconsin, he began climbing in California in 1955, and was a member of that cadre of Yosemite pioneers who first ascended many of its great walls in the 1950s and 1960s...
and Mark Powell established Chingadera one of the first 5.11 in the country and setting a new standard in rock climbing.
Natural history
The plant Ivesia callidaIvesia callida
Ivesia callida is a rare species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common name Tahquitz mousetail. It is endemic to the San Jacinto Mountains of Riverside County, California, where it is known from only two occurrences. The plant grows in cracks and crevices of the granite mountain...
is endemic to the San Jacinto Range and is known by the common name Tahquitz mousetail.
Cultural references
- The Tribe of TahquitzTribe of TahquitzThe Tribe of Tahquitz is one of the few surviving local Boy Scout honor societies in the United States that have not been absorbed by the Order of the Arrow. The organization was created in 1925 and consisted of 15 honor Scouts who were chosen to start and maintain a perpetual volunteer summer...
is an Honor Boy ScoutBoy Scouts of AmericaThe Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
organization of the Long Beach Area CouncilScouting in CaliforniaScouting in California has a long history, from the 1910s to the present day, serving thousands of youth in programs related to their environments.-Early history :...
, and a summer campSummer campSummer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
which bears the same name. - Tahquitz is a supporting character in the Louis L'AmourLouis L'AmourLouis Dearborn L'Amour was an American author. His books consisted primarily of Western fiction novels , however he also wrote historical fiction , science fiction , nonfiction , as well as poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into movies...
novel, The Lonesome Gods (1983), that is mistaken for a demigod of Native American legend and lives in the mountains alone near Agua CalienteCahuillaThe Cahuilla, Iviatim in their own language, are Indians with a common culture whose ancestors inhabited inland areas of southern California 2,000 years ago. Their original territory included an area of about . The traditional Cahuilla territory was near the geographic center of Southern California...
. The story features the mountain as well as the Mojave and Colorado Deserts of California as the setting of the story.