A Brief Intermission: I am STRONG...

My skin is not.

[WARNING: MONSTER POST]

Today was one of my best days ever bouldering, but my finger tips are pretty beat up and I am going to have to cut my trip up here a bit short and head back to LA tomorrow morning after picking up some bread at Schatz. If I were to try to climb tomorrow I would need to tape all four tips on my left hand. And it is pretty hard to take yourself seriously as a climber with your whole hand taped up. As you know it is all about image with me.

(Scroll down for pictures now if climbing details tend to make your eyes glaze over...)

I climbed at the Sad boulders today and explored some stuff farther up the canyon from the last time I was there. My car was the only one in the parking lot this morning, I guess everyone fled the rising temps and went up to the higher elevation areas. I hiked in staying high on the east rim of the canyon to avoid the cramped caves and passages of the canyon center. I descended down to the canyon floor around the Molly boulder. I tried the Molly problem last time I was at the Sads, but it is very hard for me. I stared at the problem a bit as I walked by making angry faces at it. Since I had such a good day climbing after that I may have to make this a ritual when I climb at the Sads. Hike in, curse out Molly that heartless b*tch, and climb hard. Sounds like a plan.

I wandered further up canyon looking for the Sad Parrot area. The first problem I found in that area was The Fang on the Birdcage boulder. The fang was a very obvious feature and I had bee looking in the guidebook at a problem to the left of the fang called Feeding Frenzy v7. I was unable to resist and walked up to the boulder and checked out the holds on Feeding Frenzy. Oh they looked so good. Jugs and Heel Hooks and Slopers, Oh MY! It looked very cool and if the boulder was removed from under the problem it would be awesome. It not something you'd really fall on for the most part, but it is difficult to avoid on certain moves. The moves and hold looked to be right up my alley, fitting my strongest style of climbing. But, at this point I had not warmed up yet so I had to walk around the corner to the Sad Parrot boulder. There were a few fun problems there to warm up on and I managed to climb a few of them before giving up and running back down to Feeding Frenzy. There was a v4 traverse that I tried a few time and failed on but I gave up when I felt a whole section of holds creaking as I climbed through them. I felt that was a good sign it was time to try FF if I was ready to rip holds off the wall.

I set up my pad and began to work the moves on FF. The start is relatively easy with huge holds to start on and a long reach from an undercling to a good jug rail. On my first try I got both hands on the jug rail, but when my feet let go of the start holds I swung off the holds. I figured that would be easy to fix so I moved on to try to work the other moves. After a while and a bit of reworking/rethinking I managed to determine a semi-convoluted sequence that would allow me to climb from the jug rail to the finish without hitting the rock below. It involved using a decent pocket six inches lower than a really good one because I could not reach an important hold from the good pocket, and also a really strange upside-down toe hook with a heel cam.

So having figured this out I went back to the start with every intention of sending the whole rig. Unfortunately I swung right off the jug rail again. And again. And again. In the end I had to use a hold I have not even considered yet to prevent myself from swinging wildly when my feet left the start hold. I am not sure why I hadn't considered it, there was plenty of chalk on it! The first time I tried to use that hold I was too confused as to how to use it and I wasn't able to do the crux moves that came after. However, on my next try everything felt great and I didn't fumble around at all, sticking the long move and then bumping to the good hold without having my feet cut. I then engaged the very strange reverse toe hook/heel cam and moved through to the finish, sending my first v7 in Bishop. I was so stoked I let out a little "whoo" of celebration. Nothing like my pig squeal from that video though.

After basking in the post-send glow on top of the boulder for a while, I went in search of more rock to climb. I headed over in the direction of the Ice Caves to try a problem called Erotic Terrorist a v6 that had been recommended to me by Linda and Kenny. I arrived to find a couple from Montreal hanging out in the cave. Ben and Claudia offered to add their pad to mine and give me a bit of a spot too. They loaded me up with beta for the problem which I appreciated. Especially the part where Ben said, "...and after that it's all huge jugs to the top." I always like hearing that.

So, armed with advice and a safe landing zone, I grabbed the start holds and started climbing and much to my surprise I kept going all the way to the top. My first v6 flash. Sweet! It was a very fun climb too. Totally my style just like FF. I even managed to get knee bar in on this one. Somehow my best climbing is done on knee bars. I guess I need to buy a knee pad, get out to Rifle and start sending 5.13s.

After those two sends I was on pretty good high for the day. I chilled out for a bit and got to watch Claudia work on Beefcake a v10. It looked burly and she looked very strong. She didn't manage the send today, but she is linking big sections and I would guess that she'll get it before she leaves as it seems to be her big goal for their stay here. I am assuming that Ben is very strong too, but he has a sprained ankle and is not able to climb or even walk yet. Hopefully he will be healed up before they get to Joe's Valley, because that place rules.

I played around a bit on Mothership Connection (v4) trying to get to the big pocket without letting go of my fingerlock under the boulder, but that wasn't happening and I didn't really like the holds before the big pocket so I went over to try Chizam (v5). I was trying Chizam with my gym slippers on and they were not staying on the foothold when I made the first throw to a sloper. After wasting several burns on those shoes I put on my Katanas aka "The Sendin' Shoes" and sent the problem in two more tries.

After that, I followed Ben and Claudia over to a slightly highball v5 called Strength In Numbers. Now, SIN does not have a good reputation in my mind. I mean the problem is classic with really cool moves to a stimulating finish. However, my friend Kenny pulled a pulley tendon in one of his fingers on the climb and hasn't been able to really climb hard since (5 months?), and SIN is also the climb that Ben hurt his ankle on. Claudia only intended to try out the start moves, which are a bit long and dynamic between good holds. I also gave the start moves a try and managed to climb up to the scary part without too much trouble. I think I could have flashed the problem but I gave it up due to the lack of copious padding and ample spotters. Maybe I'll finish it next time I am out there with a whole crew.

After that I bid adieu to Ben and Claudia and I headed back towards the car intending to find an unnamed v6 problem on a boulder called Hidden Roof. It was not easy to find at all as the name would suggest, and I am pretty sure that I was one of the few folks motivated enough to try to find it. The reason I believe this is that I was checking out the moves on the problem and I found a bird nesting in one of the holds! Not just a nest, mama bird was in there sitting on some eggs. So, I left as quickly and quietly as possible and headed out to the car. It was too warm to climb any more outside of the caves, so I packed it in and headed down to town where I am once again lurking in the Looney Bean Cafe.

Taking stock of my finger tip skin, I realized that climbing tomorrow was a losing proposition, so I am ending this trip on a high note.

Hah! Tricked you! Here's the climbing talk I want everyone to read. I had my best bouldering day so far today. I climbed a v5, flashed a v6 and climbed a v7. I don't know if I am getting stronger or finding problems that suit me better, but I am sure holding out hope that it is more of the former than the latter. Okay, now for more pictures from my hike up to the Druid Stones.

Above is the view of the hike up from the (low clearance vehicle) parking spot.

Below: Some of the Druid Stones.