I was planning on doing a 100 mile route this weekend but the weather had other plans. I went for this one instead and it did not disappoint! This was my first time in the monument and I spent a lot of time navigating. Starting with No Thoroughfare Canyon was rough. I slipped and fell a few times descending the gully. I think I was possibly still sleepy and maybe stiff from the 3 hour drive, but I debated quitting after that. I decided to keep going, reasoning the route crosses the road many times and there were quite a few bail out options. The rest of the route was pretty uneventful until the Otto’s bathtub section. I had some trouble navigating up there and the final descent down Otto’s staircase was very scary (for me). I noticed there are bolts for rappelling which made me feel even less confident about my “free solo” approach. After that I bonked a little on the last climb and said hi to some bighorn sheep. I finished just after dark.