CLIMBING TO NEWER HEIGHTS SCALING ROCK FACE PRESENTS A MEMORABLE CHALLENGE.

Byline: BILL BECHER

I'm 50 feet in the air clinging to a rock face called Elusive Butterfly at Joshua Tree National Park getting a feel for rock climbing.

It feels hard.

But I'm not as scared as a few years ago, when I first climbed here with Bert Severin and Marie DesLauriers from Jeffersonville, Vt., who comes to Joshua Tree (or ``JT'') as the climbers call it, every spring. And they're not alone. I meet other climbers at Joshua Tree from as far away as England who are drawn to what has been called the world's best rock-climbing location.

I'm getting the ``Elusive'' part of the route's name. Finding holds for my feet and hands is elusive. I can't see my way to the top of the face, but DesLauriers, a marine biologist and ski instructor in the winter, yells helpful instructions on where to find holds. Severin, an instructor at the Army's Mountain Warfare School in Vermont, is on top, holding the rope and belaying me, so I'll only fall a foot or so if I slip.

When I ask people why they climb rocks, other than the ``because they're there'' answer, mostly what I hear is they enjoy the combination of a mental and physical sport with a splash of adrenaline added, like a double espresso on an empty stomach.

Figuring out a route up a rock wall is a bit like a chess match in which you're trying to see several moves ahead. But in this match, Bobby Fischer can hurt you bad if you are careless.

Severin is cautious and safety conscious. I have confidence in the ``protection'' he's placed and his rope work. After all, he teaches Special Forces and FBI units how to climb. Severin preceded me up Joshua Tree's warm, brown monzogranite rock, setting ``nuts,'' ``Friends'' and other bits of arcane climbing hardware that offer temporary places to clip in the climbing rope that will stop me in the event of a fall. I'm dragging another rope behind me, clipping it in as I go. DesLauriers will use it to follow me and remove the protection pieces. Then we'll rappel back down. At least that's the plan, if I don't wig out and get stuck.

Severin and DesLauriers are with a group of 12 from the Mountain Warfare School in Vermont. They like the variety of climbs at Joshua Tree and the wonderful friction of the rock that makes climbing easier. But that has its downside. Several display bloody fingertips where the coarse rock has ripped flesh when they've slipped. They tell me the answer to this is to Super Glue the flesh back on. Not something I'm hoping to do, though I have wrapped my hands in tape to protect them when I ``jamb'' a hand into a crack for a hold.

In addition to roped climbs, Joshua Tree offers many ``boulder problems,'' short climbs up a rock that can provide good practice and challenges of their own. Several guidebooks are available for the boulder and climbing routes. Although some cover individual climbing areas, ``Rock Climbing: Joshua Tree'' by Randy Vogel covers the entire park.

After my trip, I talked to Vogel, who's an attorney and avid climber. He says that a revised edition of his book will be out next year, listing about 5,500 routes. He thinks J.T.'s popularity is that the good-winter- weather season coincides with cold and rain elsewhere, the climbs are relatively short, and there are lots of different climbs at different ability levels.

``It's an incredibly beautiful place, the scenery and atmosphere are a draw.''

Vogel says the park is huge, with climbing spread over 90 square miles. So it offers a lot of different climbing areas, some with coarse rock, some with smooth, water-polished rock. He cautions that climbing can be dangerous if you don't know what you're doing and adds that while climbing gyms are a good place to practice skills, the safety skills on real rock are different than in a gym. On real rock, the holds aren't conveniently color-coded. So he also advises getting good instruction if you are new to the sport.

J.T. has had a handful of serious injuries this year according to John Lauretig, the Joshua Tree climbing ranger for the National Park Service, although all the park rangers are trained to assist in recovering climbers. What worries Lauretig more is resource issues. Climbers might be climbing at an archeological site or trampling on a rare or endangered plant without knowing it.

Lauretig suggests that those going to Joshua Tree to climb do their homework first. Come early because campgrounds fill quickly during popular times of year, like spring, when many Canadians and others from snowbound countries come to enjoy the climbing and mild weather. Lauretig also said to bring lots of water, because it's not available at the campsites, and have an alternative camping plan if your first choice is filled. Some sites can be reserved, but many are on a first-come-first-serve basis. Campers need to camp at a designated site and anyone camping along a road will be cited.

``For a first-time climber at Joshua Tree, the local guide services are a great resource.'' Lauretig said. ``They can talk to you and figure out what level of climbing you're at and take you to an appropriate spot.''

It's the variety of climbing options that attract rock climbers to Joshua Tree, said Bob Gaines, director of Vertical Adventures Rock Climbing School. Gaines has been climbing in J.T. since about 1975 and has been guiding there professionally since 1985. He's seen a lot of changes. Originally the park was a monument. He believes that the change to park status in 1994 has brought more tourism but hasn't changed rock climbing. Gaines says that the 1970s saw many new climbs pioneered, with the peak climbing crowds in the '80s. Now it's not as crowded.

Gaines said the park offers ``low-angle flat climbs to vertical-face climbs to overhanging-face climbs, and cracks from fingertip width to wide chimney cracks.''

The toughest climbs in Joshua Tree are two routes rated 5-14a. By comparison, Elusive Butterfly, the route I'm on, is rated a mere 5-6.

His customers' average age is mid-20 to mid-40s, with the youngest 4 and the oldest 80. Gaines says when starting out, climbing is more about technique and finesse than strength. At higher levels, flexibility, stamina, gymnastic ability and strength-to-body-weight ratio come into play. Gaines said taking a class is the best way to learn the fundamentals, including equipment, terminology, knots, communication, signals and belaying and rappelling techniques. His company and others offer one- to four-day courses and private lessons. More than 15,000 students have attended Vertical Adventures classes.

Right now, for me (I'm still clinging to the rock 50 feet up), technique is hard to find, but I learn that I can ``smear'' the sticky soles of my climbing shoes into minute depressions in the rock, and if I maintain my balance, I can progress. I'm regretting every doughnut I've ever eaten, wishing I were lighter.

DesLauriers said she enjoys climbing because ``you don't have to think about anything else except what you're doing. You're just there. Joshua Tree is a one-pitch wonderland.''

A pitch is the height you can climb with one rope. She says, unlike Severin who climbs the big walls at Yosemite, that she has no drive to be 2,000 feet up. Not that she's afraid of heights, but she doesn't like the commitment on multipitch climbs.

``At Joshua Tree, if you're having a bad time, you can just go down and go for a walk and look at the cactus flowers,'' she said.

DesLauriers says that women can climb well because they have a lower center of gravity, are often more flexible and can balance better than men. Men try to haul up with brute force, but women don't have as much upper-body strength, so they rely on balance and finesse.

With DesLauriers shouting advice from below, I manage to push myself up the last part of the climb using my feet, and I grin at Severin.

That's what's in it for all climbers, the feeling of accomplishment when you make the top.

LOWDOWN ON THE TREE

--Information: The Joshua Tree National Park Web site is at www.nps.gov/jotr or call [phone].

--Directions: Joshua Tree National Park is 140 miles east of Los Angeles. You can approach it from the west via Interstate 10 and Highway 62 (Twentynine Palms Highway). The north entrances to the park are located at Joshua Tree Village and the city of Twentynine Palms. The south entrance at Cottonwood Spring, which lies 25 miles east of Indio, can be approached from the east or west, also via Interstate 10.

--Park entrance fee: $10.00 per car. You may also purchase an annual pass for $25, which provides unlimited use of Joshua Tree National Park throughout the calendar year. If you plan to visit a number of national parks this year, there is also a Golden Eagle pass for $50.

--Camping information: Most camping is free in the Joshua Tree National Park but is first come, first serve. You may reserve a site in Indian Cove or Black Rock campgrounds ($10 per night). Group sites are available. Call [phone] for reservations. There is no water available in the park, so be sure to bring enough for cooking and drinking (at least two gallons per day). There are no shower facilities or RV hookups.

--Motel accommodations: Joshua Tree Inn Bed & Breakfast, Joshua Tree, [phone]; Hi-Desert Motel, Joshua Tree, [phone]; Twentynine Palms Inn Bed & Breakfast, Twentynine Palms, [phone]; Super 8 Motel, Yucca Valley, [phone].

--General climbing regulations: It is prohibited to initiate or terminate a climb in an occupied campsite without prior permission from the site's occupant. The use of any substance, such as glue, epoxy or cement, to reinforce hand or footholds is prohibited. ``Chipping'' or enhancing hand or footholds is prohibited, as is removing vegetation or ``gardening.'' Climbing within 50 feet of any rock-art site is prohibited.

--Climbing guide services: Vertical Adventures Inc., [phone] or [phone]. Web site - www.vertical-adventures.com.

Joshua Tree Rock Climbing School, [phone] or [phone]. Web site - www.joshuatreerockclimbing.com.

First Ascent Climbing Services Inc., [phone]. Web site - www.goclimbing.com.

Adventure 16 also has local climbing classes, gear and trips to Joshua Tree. Their Tarzana store is at 5425 Reseda Blvd., [phone]. West L.A. store is at 11161 West Pico Blvd., [phone]. Web site - www.adventure16.com.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, box

Photo:

(1) Bert Severin, an instructor at the Army's Mountain Warfare School in Vermont, scales the Hobbit Roof area at Joshua Tree National Park.

(2 -- color) A tricky area of Joshua Tree National Park presents an interesting challenge for Matthew Livingstone of Northern England.

Bill Becher/Special to the Daily News

Box: LOWDOWN ON THE TREE (see text)