Why do we all climb?

This is a question that I have so often asked myself.  I have yet to come to a conclusion that makes any amount of sense.  It's funny to be on a trip and have that be your purpose and simply contemplate that purpose.  In many ways it's a meaningless activity.  I realize this when I talk to non-climbers, which is a large majority of the population, and they are like cool, so what else is new?  Then at the same time, you wonder if it's an experience where if you haven't done it, you don't know how cool it is.  The feeling you get when you push yourself thru your fear and finish a hard move.  It's personal challenge. 

However as I climb more and think more about life and what is and isn't important.  I also realize how much time I spend on this activity, how consuming it is, and how selfish it is.  Like the other day, I was talking with my family and found out that my dad will have to go in for surgery to remove his spleen and a benign tumor on his pancreas.  I had no idea. Most likely because people think they won't be able to get a hold of me, I assume due to poor reception or lack there of.  It made me stop and think how detached from reality I am.  That there is still a big world out there, and I will return to.  That I can be oblivious to it, and yet it will continue to move on.  At some point though, I will have to step back into that reality and all that comes with society and life.  It's pretty insular right now - off in my world of the outdoors and climbing and such.  I'm not saying that it's a bummer or anything.  This is something that I have always wanted to do.  I feel like it's a very selfish thing though, taking so much time for myself, my goals, with little account for the rest of the people in my life.  I also think that I have made a lot of sacrifices in my life.  Iraq, VMI, etc.  It's hard to take time for yourself and not feel like you are being too self-centered.  Who know's what the right answer is.  I guess it's about balance, which isn't an easy thing to do.

I do know that I am a person who needs many types of activities going on at once in order to feel fulfilled.  That I love physical activity and movement, but it needs to be balanced.  I want to have a job that helps other people/world, relationships, artistic outlet's, and spiritual time.  That's what I need though, and everyone is different.  When I left for this trip, I knew that there would be a lot of self-growth and realization.  I really wanted to evaluate how important and what part of my life climbing fit into.  I wanted to see where I was at as a person and where and what I placed importance on.  It's still culminating and evolving, but it's definitely happening.  I have realized what my faults are, how aware of them I must be and everyday try to chip away at them.  Until they become smooth and loose some of there edges.

I'm still not sure why I climb and even if it's worth it sometimes.  I guess it's like all things in life, ever changing ever forming and reforming.  I do know that I love it, but it has it's place. 

Mammoth Lakes-love it!

The past few days have been absolutely great.  Got to get in some really nice single pitch days of climbing.  Hit up three great areas Pine Creek, Rock Creek, and OWENS RIVER GORGE!!!

So Pine Creek, cool place.  Granite cracks and sport climbs.  We decided to stick to sport to get some strength back.  It was really cool.  Took a bit getting used to the feel of the climbing, which involved a lot of high-stepping and mantling.  Cheyenne this might be the perfect place for you:)  At any rate.  Got some good leading in upto 10d then top-roped some 11c's.  They were awesome.  One would have been super scary on lead.  Matthew, I'm sure that you would have loved it.  It involved a mantle, then a huge blind reach up to one of those thank god! holds.  The thing is that you have to commit above a bolt and if you blow it, you're most likely going for a ride!

The next day it was off to Rock Creek, where cracks and mixed routes abound.  Cool place in an alpine setting.  I think that's one of the cool things about these crags, is that you are surrounded by this awesome scenery.  Mountains and dthe edges of the Sierras.  This place was great too.  Got on this mixed 10a route, then 2 pitches of 5.8 upto a 10a finger/hand crack.  Then Kristina and I gave our best efforts to this amazing 10c called Wages of Skin.  What an awesome name!!!  She went first and did an awesome job.  Got the crux in two tries.  I on the other hand hand to fumble my way thru the crux in like 5 tries.  The climb involves some non-trivial cracka approach moves without gear, to a good piece and then three reachy bolts.  You have to cross an OW, then face climb around the crack, then back in it for a little #4 and #3 action.  Then some hands to this horixzontal finger traverse with no footies.  You pretty much thrutch into this hand jam that you pray holds long enough to get you back into a veritcal splitter hand crack.  So cool!

Yesterday it was off to the Owens River Gorge.  This my friends is by far one of the coolest sport climbing places I have been to.  Highly recommended!!! But....beware of the pump!  Definitely the place to do many warm-ups.  I was laughing at myself after the first route, where I got pumped out of my mind on a 10a WARM-UP!!! Pretty sustained and not a jug-haul by any stretch.  I started thinking oh boy, this is going to be a long day.  We decided to top-rope this bomb-ass 10d finger crack next door which was pumpy!  I think it goes further than what we did, but the good part of the route is definitely that first part.   After another two routes I was finally warmed-up and able to climb with out feel like my form-arms were about to catch on fire.  I think that I started to adjust to the climbing and remember the movement of sport climbing a lot better.  It's so cool the movement that you get out of it.  Just as I was getting some confidence back, the weather turned and the winds picked-up and were blowing like crazy. We did one more route, super fun 9 then top-roped a 10c that a friend put up.  It was a bummer because I was loving the climbing there.  Such a cool setting and amazing routes.  We decided that we would keep an eye on the weather and try to get one more day in there before heading outta CA.  OH!  We also saw The Bandaloop rope dancers there.  They were having work-shop and let me tell you it looked so cool.  Here is a link http://projectbandaloop.org/. So they rig these static ropes on the rock, and then they attach in with a grigri and harness.  After that they dance around and do these flips and spins and stuff.  Super cool.  I recommend doing a Utube video to get the full idea.

You can't tell how windy it is, but it was definitely breezy!

A view down into the Owens River Gorge, so cool!

Today is a rest and planning day.  Getting ready to head into the High Sierras.  Planning on doing some great routes.  It looks like Third Pillar of Dana is first.  May be a long day tomorrow, but should be a beautiful climb complete with views of Mono Lakes.  Then it's off from there to do some bigger multi-day base camp type climbs/ longer routes.  The wish list as of now it Sun Ribbon Arete, Fishhook Arete, Mitheral, East Buttress/Face of Whitney, and then maybe something else.  I'll report back later.  Hoping to get some more days of cragging when we get back.

That's  the climbing update.  Stay strong, stay focused, and be confident in your goals whatever they may be.

Last Valley Update!

So we left the Valley today.  Did the last route yesterday, East Buttress on Middle Cathedral.  Good route.  I went ahead and just posted a bunch of my fave pics below.  In Mammoth, CA right now, actually in a house!  Awesome!

Tom Evans and I, two VMI grads with cigars.

Me looking like crap on Higher Cathedral Rock North-east Buttress. No I'm not stoned, it was hot!

Kristina and I on-top of Leaning Tower.

I love my portaledge! On top o El Cap!

On the Captain, amazing! Get ready Matthew, next year Salathe and Lurking Fear!

Second to last Valley post....!

So once again there has been a major change in plans. Kristina and I decided to leave the Valley in two days. Earlier than expected, I'm just maxed out on Yosemite. I never thought that I would say that, but I think that it's pretty accurate. I've been here a month (hopefully no one from the national park service is reading this), and the general Valley mayhem has just become too much. I also feel like I have done a lot here and with the heat options are becoming very limited. Kristina and I talked for a long time and I am grateful to have such an outstanding partner who was willing to listen to me and understand where I was coming from. The plan from here is to go to Mammoth and do some cragging and hot-springing and relaxing. Maybe do a little climbing in the Lover's Leap/Tahoe area if time permits. Stop and see the family for the week-end, then go ahead and head to the Bugaboos for 3 weeks. A week and a half trip to the Tetons, then I am going to do some short international trip by myself. Should be cool, don't know what it will be yet. I'm actually looking at tickets and stuff after I finish updating the blog.

So what have I been up to route wise. Well, Leaning Tower was an awesome route. Harder than I thought. I probably used the cheat stick too much and was a little disappointed in some of my leads. I did call two friends from Ahwanee ledge about the next pitch, which looked impossible from our bivy. I learned at that point, stop stressing, trust the guide-book, and have confidence in yourself. It was super over-hanging with crazy jumaring and cleaning. The hauling was a breeze. Khristina did great and will definitely continuing to excel on the walls in the future. We had planned to do one more before taking off, but I just don't have it in me right now. We took a rest day after the Tower.

Yesterday we did Super-slide/slab (depending on guide-books). It was supposed to be a chill cruiser get back into free mode route (5.9). Well, we did a variation called Trial By Fire (Khristina led). She got a huge flapper ( that's where the skin rips away from your body and leaves a flap of skin for you non-climber types). Then, I dropped our hand-drawn topo somewhere in the chimney/off-width I am assuming. Then I am sure that I got off route in this wandering 5.6 munge, that I'm sure was much harder. We finished the route, I led the rest with Khristina having such a bad tear on her hand. Yes, I did encourage her not to do anything that would cause pain or injury but she's a trooper and insisted that we continue. After finishing the route and beginning to rap, a rope got stuck. That meant releading a pitch. Finally got back to the car in the dark (short walk out). It was a good beat-down with the heat wave that's been happening lately. I also noticed that I had a huge tear in my shorts from the chimney/ow section. All in all, I will never do that route again!

Today was a good planning session, got a lot figured out. I've learned that there is nothing in life that is permanent. Go with the ebb and the flow. Try to be understanding and flexible. Be gentle with yourself and with those around you. Hope you are all staying cool, and someone please drink a huge Mojhito for me!!

Update!

Had some major trip changes, all good! I have a new partner and am staying in the Valley a while longer. I will also not go to Euro, but the Bugaboos instead. I can hardly be dissappointed.

I was smoked after the Nose, and took two days off. Day after, Khristina and I did some cool moderate classics. Commitment, Jam Crack, and then top-roped two hard 10’s. Great day:) Loved the spray off of Yosemite Falls on the bridge, hot day!

Epic Day!!! Did the East Buttress on Higher Cathedral Rock. Amazing route, very challenging chimney’s! After pitch 9 we had some route finding problems that led to some interseting climbing to top out and a descent in the dark! Ran out of water, and got back to Camp 4 at 1:30. Long day but good one. Khristina is a great partner and was super composed and polite thru the descent process. Glad to be with her.

The day after we tried to do some slab climbing at Glacier Point Apron. Didn’t really happen. We ended up doing a non-slab route called Harley Daley, top-roped a 10 below it for slab practice and set off for harder climbing. We never found it! I hate Schutlz’s Ridge! We couldn’t find the bolts for our route. I’m sure they aren’t there. We also weren’t prepared to go into harder slab territory without a practice lead. The day ended with some bouldering across from House Keeping/La Conte Memorial. Will get on Leaning Tower tomorrow. It will be Khristina’s first wall, so get psyched!!! Should be awesome, can’t wait. Send some sending thoughts our way. That updates to this point in the trip. I promise I will do a better job when I get off Leaning Tower:)

NOSE

So, the Nose....!!!! Amazing! Took longer then planned due to other people on the route, but it was amazing!!!! Oh I said that:)

So it was 5 days in total, long time to be in a harness. There were two big gaggles that really got us behind on the route. One on Sickle ledge and the other at El Cap Tower going into the Boot/Texas Flake systems. There was a lot that went on over the days on the route. I’ll hit the highlights, and let the awesome photos that Tom Evans (fellow VMI grad), Andrew, and I took speak for themselves.

Day one: Started up, had everything set-up above pine-line and jugged to the first pitch. We chose to do the route ground-up and not fix anything. We moved well until Sickle, then had to wait behind a three-man bail team and bags stuck in gear. I kept cruising, and I started a very long block of climbing. Ended up finishing a pitch in the stove-legs and getting rained back into Dolt-Hole. Got soaked! Used the portaledge fly, and got the ledge up for a less then comfy sleep.

Day two: Kepted leading and finally finished a long block, with a 200 ft. haul upto Dolt Tower. Got some extra food from two cool CO guys, and Andrew took over to get us upto El Cap Tower. Fixed the Texas Flake, and had a great rest there due to aq gaggle above us.

Day three: Anrew finished to the top of the Boot Flake....then...KING SWING!! What an awesome pitch! At that point a day team we had seen practicing on day one flew past, as well as this bad-ass guy named Mason who was rope soloing the route in a day!!! Very impressive. My block continued, and I took a less then great fall while penjaluming in the wrong spot going from I think 18 to 19 or something. All was well, just scary. I have a skid mark on my helmet. I finished my block, and Andrew took back over. Had a great night sleeping next to the great roof. What a great pitch! Got to reverse aid thru the roof, wild:)

Day four: I got to jug and take a break while Andrew finished his block. I decided against leading the Changing Corners, and took back over leading after that pitch to the top. Great fun. Had to do one more night on the wall, since Changing Corners was backed up. Sleeping at the wild stance was wild! Nothing like waking up and looking straight down the Nose of El Cap. Now that’s what I call exposure:)

Day five: Did the short pitch upto the bolt ladder and the the bolt ladder. Super fun pitches, amazing top out! Got to meet and help a cool guy named Neal on the descent. He had finished soloing The Shortest Straw A4 the day prior. Had a beer at the car and a great meal and shower later. Got to meet so many awesome people. Had one party in front the whole time and one behind. It was nice company.

All in all I led half the route, had a great time, and met awesome people. Here’s some pics, hope you like them:)

Camp Food Ideas

Okay, so when you start realizing that you will not be returning home after four days.  You start getting creative with food.  I will add to this list as I continue travelling and hopefully it can be something for people to come back to for ideas.

Perishable items that last a long time:  Potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, zucchini and squash, rice/almond/soy milk
This stuff can also be combined with a little bit of curry powder and some spices for a really good meal.  Or fry all the veggies and taters together to get a nice stew type meal.  Nothing too earth shattering here.  Just the things that I have found that can go without refrigeration and still hold up.

Things to spice up oatmeal: So we all eat it and probably get sick of it at some point.  Here are some new ideas.  I am addictted to putting coconut flakes in my oatmeal!!  That with a bananna is delish.  Also other things: dried blueberries/cherries/cranberries, peanut butter (for protein and taste), almond/rice milk, any fresh fruits that you may have that need to be eaten in a hurry.  Try any or if you're daring all of these at the same time. 

Meal Ideas: Pesto (can be used on pasta, in stew, love the stuff), curry, corn/rice/bean combos in burrito wraps, stew, fried veggie wraps or potatoe/cheese/salsa wraps.

These are just some ideas.  I'll try to add more as they come.  Please feel free to post up your fave ideas and maybe with a good list we will never have to be bored with road food again:)

Valley Part II

Well, surprise it rained for the past two days.  Knocked out Reed's Pinnacle (love this route!), Lunatic Fringe, and Stone Groove.  I was super psyched because I flashed Stone Groove which is a 10b and pretty darn solid for the grade according to the guidebook.  It would have been an on-sight but there were people on the route before me, and I saw them climb it.  No biggie, still good progress for me.  Time to move onto 10c and 10d for trad!!!

Last pitch of Reed's.  A must do route that involves chimneying for like 40 feet horizontally behind the pillar, and also three very good pitches of cracks. 

Also knocked out two moderates Braille Book and Regular Route on Higher Cathedral Spire.  Let me tell you that Regular Route is WILD!! I have never seen so many "airy" step and traverses marked on a topo before.  It was a decent route, I don't know about 4 stars?  You pretty much circle the whole spire until you get ontop of the thing.  The "crux" pitch was narley!  I had to do it in two tries, one of the hardest 9 move I have done maybe ever.  It involved trying not to get crammed into a bulge while pulling it on two finger locks, high stepping and trying not to lose your balance into a finger/hand crack thing.  Prior to that it involved put gear in rock that was less than bomber.  Don't like to sound like a whimp but that pitch was very challenging for the grade.  So I was trying to decide whether or not to post this, but then I though why the heck not.  I offically hate squirrels!  They tore into my poo bag while we were on Braille Book and I got to collect it all back into a plasitc bag.  Then the little craps ( no pun intended) did the same thing while we were on Higher Cathedral!!! That time it was worse, and this is gross.....ants got everwhere.  So I got to stuff this ant covered crap stuff back into a ziplock bag.  Not high on the list of to do's.  Then! I got to carry this mess by hand down the trail, which let me tell ya, is not a short descent!  Everytime an ant found his way thru a hole, I got to flick this probably crap covered ant off of me.  I really hope that there is a shit covered squirrel running around out there that is not happy, and that none of his squirrel friends want to hang-out with him. 

Braille book, actually pretty sustained for the grade.

View from ontop of the Spires.

Other than that, it's been rainy, trying to stay psyched.  Nose will hopefully happen on Weds.  Us and everyone else who has been waiting to get on the thing, should be a junk show up to Dolt Tower.  Really hoping that all goes well and can get ontop of El Cap Tower and hopefully be above/beyond the madness.  Going to head to Cookie Cliff tomorrow.  Hoping to work some harder routes, I feel like I am getting weak!!!  All cracks and rain do not work well for grip strength! 




The biggest pinecone in the history of pinecones!! Freaking ridiculous!

 Other than a very good grocery trip yesterday, things are quiet.  Hoping to get some bouldering in today and a run.  Other than that, started reading "The Life of Pi."  Will give a review when I'm done.  Miss you all, it's great to travel but sometimes you find yourself saying/thinking I wish so and so was here cause they would think this is really cool:)!
 

More From the Valley

                So the Nose hasn’t happened yet.  The weather doesn’t want to seem to cooperate.  We are hoping to start next Tuesday.  Keep your fingers crossed.  We just need a weather window of four days to do the thing.  Other than that, have been getting in some great free climbing.  I climbed one day with Khristina and did Central Pillar of Frenzy and After Seven.  It was an interesting day of climbing, not because of us but because of other people.  Since it had been raining for about two days straight, we decided to go somewhere where the sun would be blazing.  Manurepile Buttress it was.  We got there and started prepping.  There was a dad and his kid on the route and let me tell ya it wasn’t pretty.  The kid was screaming, couldn’t get gear out, and was not making progress.  Did I mention that this is a multi-pitch route with natural anchors.  Make a long story short, the kid ended up getting lowered to the ground.  We had to send our rope up so the dad could rappel.  Well this small roadblock was going to deter the man from continuing to climb that day.  He decided that he was going to take this poor kid on the scramble around the first 2 pitches and try to finish the route.  Khristina and I were cruising since it was pretty easy for us.  Well, After Six and After Seven converge and finish on the same route.  Needless to say, it was like ground hog day with this kid hanging from the rope screaming bloody murder that he couldn’t move and his dad yelling at him.  After a soloist, my partner and I, and another party were all at the same anchor, the scene just escalated.  The dad just kept yelling about how they couldn’t go down, had to continue, and blah blah.  Well after he had rappelled to a point and helped the kid get up the route.  I blasted off and shot past them.  While I was belaying my partner, four soloist shot past me.  One in a banana costume, one in a western outfit, a John Bachar look alike, and a girl in pink lycra with a beer in her chalk bag.  I was thinking at this point WTF is going on.  Khristina and I finished quickly and after having looking at Central Pillar all day, decided to move over to that side of the Valley and go for it.  The sun had hit it and it looked good.  We headed up the trail, with another party at our heels and got to the base of the snow cone.  Yes the snow cone.  There was snow about half way up the first pitch.  Khristina started and still got the crux since it’s at the top of the pitch.  I followed and then went on to climb one of the best finger cracks of that grade that I have ever done.  It was pretty darn sustained for 5.9 climbing, I was impressed.  The entire route was quality and very fun.  Other than the fact the other party did not have multi-pitch manners and crowded us the whole, it was a great day out. 

                The next day Andrew and I went to do Serenity Crack and Sons of Yesterday.  This is one of the best routes I have done.  Long, sustained, and varied are it’s hallmarks.  Andrew led all of Serenity and I led all of Sons.  I was totally psyched since I sent every pitch on both route and on-sighted all my leads.  It was such a great route.  My favourite pitch was the last pitch with a zigzagging crack that gave you thin hand and off-width.  We were moving really quickly and sat down to grab a snackie at the top.  We decided that the very last pitch of the route was lame and didn’t do it.  I wonder if anyone does it?  Then the rapping began.  Another party had started up the route and we moved past them.  One of the raps (an intermediate rap) causes you to do a very sideways traverse to the next anchor.  Well, let me tell you socks were not a good idea in this situation.  As I was traversing at a pretty decent angle, the rope got a little caught up, and I started to flick it.  I tried to take a step towards it to free it, and I started to lose my balance.  That was it, I started running across the rock, realized it was a lost cause, picked my feet up and assumed a semi-fetal position to prepare for impact.  Thankfully, I launched into a tree and was unscathed.  It was nuts, I think I’m ready for the King Swing after that.  People on another route were like, are you okay?  Yes, yes I was and after untangling myself and the rope out of the tree, I continued down towards an alternate anchor.  Andrew met me and we started pulling the rope.  Well my friends it got stuck.  We ended up having to wait about 2 hour for the other party to start rapping, get the rope and then meet us at the base.  Thank god there was someone else up there, cause I would be out a rope.  They said that the rope was terribly wedged into the crack, and took some work to get it out.  There wasn’t any way to get back to the route after we had rapped.  All’s I can say is that if it had been a dihedral that I swung into I would be a pancake at a hospital.  It must have been a 30 foot swing.  Yaoosers!!

The cool last pitch of Sons of Yesterday.

                Tomorrow we are going to move camp over to Camp 4, move in for seven days and then go to Reeds Pinnacle.  We are looking at Reeds tomorrow and then Royal Arches into Crest Jewel the following day.  We plan on two days on one day off for the next six days and then heading up the Nose weather permitting.  If the window is at least two days, then we are going to try for a shorter aide route maybe the Prow or something.  Send good weather thoughts this way!  I’ll continue to be a send train to the best of my ability!

                I’m learning that this relaxing thing is pretty cool.  I’m reading Kite Runner right now, which I highly recommend.  It’s nice to have time to reflect and reset.  I think that this type of trip is long overdue for me, and I’m loving it!