Josh Scares the Horses

Diablo Canyon, hiding in the scrubby hills northwest of Santa Fe, is a great climbing area of basalt cliffs up to 300 feet high. The canyon itself is relatively short, its sandy floor flanked by towering red walls. The north-facing Early Wall is perfect on warmer days since it's mostly in the shade. Here Josh Smith swings up a clean panel on "You're Scaring the Horses." This bolted route, established by Rick Bradshaw, Josh Smith, and Rick Smith, was named after Rick Smith, while the trio was doing the first ascent, yelled down to a bunch of yahoos firing guns in the canyon that they were "scaring the horses" they had left on the mesa-top! The guys apologized and left.