Today, I have to go get measured for the tuxedo I'll be wearing in Pete's wedding. And later this week I'll have to go pick up the fancy pants robes I'll be wearing at graduation. I am sure I will look fabulous in both getups, but probably a bit better in the Tux. You never know though. The robes might be quite flattering. I doubt it though. I think they are designed to conceal the many ills that often plague the bodies of a life long academic.
So, as I mentioned previously, my birthday was on Saturday and it was awesome. I went to a Dodger's game with Josh, Meghan and their friend Kara. It was a good game and we had pretty decent seats. We were in the second row of the upper deck, just above the railing so that we had an unobstructed view of the whole field. I did struggle to gauge where line drives were going to land. There were hits I thought were going to be caught and lineouts I thought were going to be hits. I think I'd have to spend a few games in those seats to get used to it.
After the game we came back to Josh and Meghan's place and cooked up an awesome dinner, with bruschetta, green-lipped mussels steamed in beer broth, and steak frittes. Meghan made some amazing molten chocolate cake for desert which paired with with a bottle of the New Glarus Raspberry Tart. Speaking of beer. There were four of us drink that night so we were able to drink a few more beers than Josh and I can usually make it through with just the two of us.
Here is the list:
Stuise Earthmonk
JW Lee's Harvest Ale 1998
Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA
Struise Stuiselensis
Russian River Temptation
Upland Wheat
Alesmith Old Numbskull
New Glarus Raspberry Tart
Three Floyds Dark Lord Stout
All in all it was a great day. And I owe a huge thank you to Josh and Meghan for making it all happen.
The next day I lazed around for a bit before taking off to go to Black Mountain a nearby bouldering area. Well not too near to LA, it is out in the mountains west of Palm Springs. To get to Black Mountain you approach from the west side of the range and drive up a dirt road towards a boulder-strewn campground. There are lots of cool problems there, but it is certainly not for the novice climber. I checked out the OK Corral area on Sunday evening and climbed a few interesting problems there. I saw many more interesting problems that were just a but too hard for me. I then drove up the road to find a spot to sleep in one of the free group campsites that climbers generally stay in.
The first one I came across had a tent and some gear in it but the owner was not around I set up my stuff on the far side of the campsite, which was actually farther away from his stuff than the next site would have been in most of the official campgrounds I have been in. I ate my dinner and listened to the basketball game (Lakers/Celts game 2). I was just getting ready to go to bed and read for a bit when the guy came back. After a couple minutes he came down to talk to me, and it was clear he would rather that I was not there. I offered to move and it took him a bit to admit that he actually did want me to move. I agreed because it really was no big deal. I was only there cause I didn't know how far up the road the next site was, and I figured this was big enough to fit both of us (and more for that matter). However after I agreed to move it came out that his girlfriend was coming up that night and since he hadn't seen her in a week they were going to be "noisy" all night. The real reason he was uncomfortable is he didn't want anyone within listening distance. I of course told him he should have said that right away. I have to problem at all giving some lovers a bit of privacy if they need it.
So I moved and it was easy. The next site was just up the road. I woke up the next morning (Monday) and headed to the Boulder Basin Campground area. This is the main climbing area but also a campground you have to pay to sleep in. Some of the boulders are right next to the campsites so it is a good place to go on weekdays and avoid on weekends. After I had checked out some of the problems and had started warming up I met another group of climbers from Murrieta. I ended up hanging out with Joel, Terry and Daniel for the rest of the day and together we went out to the summit area to find The Visor boulder and the climbs NRA and Facemeat. I was able to climb Center Visor (V6), Joel almost managed it but was unable to pull the mantle. It was a hard mantle, there must be an easier way than I did it, but I was happy to have done it however awkward it was. I think got it on the third try, but after the first go who really cares. Daniel sent Facemeat (V6) and Joel was very close. I did not try it because it involved small and painful looking crimps, that would have been well... painful. Well then proceeded back to the campground area where the guys showed me the climbs Bull Durham (V6) and Velvet Revolver (V7). The opening moves on BD weren't too bad, but the crux involved a long move off of two painful holds. I think I will wait until I and stronger and the holds don't hurt so much to try to send this one. However VR was much nice on the fingers and I almost got the crux move a couple times. And I think I would have sent it, but my should was hurting me pretty bad for the first time in months and I had to stop climbing for my own well being. I think that doing pushups the other night must have messed me up, by weakening my muscles as they recovered from the workout and then I stressed them again climbing. Hopefully a bit of regular push up work will make it so that my muscles are not too sore and weakened, and I can both climb and do push ups.
In any case, I high tailed it back to LA after that and I hung out with Josh and Meghan last night. Josh and I tried some coffee stouts, Peche Mortel and the Central Water's Coffee Stout, along with the Great Lakes Blackout Stout.
Tomorrow I will leave for Stanford, but I think I might go climb a mountain on the way....
Showing posts with label Bouldering. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bouldering. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Storming the battlements
Today my one and only long term project fell. The Lost Keys traverse (v6) at Castle Rock State Park is a bouldering problem that I have been working on since last summer. I first got on the problem with Tero and Jen in August. And went back to it several times since, making increased progress each time. The last time I went out there was in February and I managed to make the crux move but fell trying to make the next move which is not hard but requires some care.
Today, I went up to Castle Rock around noon, and strolled over to the Indian Rock area to warm up. I got in a few good warm-ups and loosened up my sore back a little bit. I went right down to the Lost Keys boulder after that to get right to it. First try I made the crux move as a bit of a dynamic throw and wasn't able to stick it. Second try I had a foot dab but made the crux move static and finished the problem. So I needed to do the climb without the dab. On my third try I hadn't rested enough, but on the fourth try I stuck the crux and climbed carefully through the finish to finally complete my longest standing project.
Now I am left without a long term project that really motivates me. I am happy to have completed this project (very happy) but I need to find another project that inspires me to keep coming back and that remains just out of reach but engages me even in my failure. Hmmm... any suggestions, oh faithful readers?
Today, I went up to Castle Rock around noon, and strolled over to the Indian Rock area to warm up. I got in a few good warm-ups and loosened up my sore back a little bit. I went right down to the Lost Keys boulder after that to get right to it. First try I made the crux move as a bit of a dynamic throw and wasn't able to stick it. Second try I had a foot dab but made the crux move static and finished the problem. So I needed to do the climb without the dab. On my third try I hadn't rested enough, but on the fourth try I stuck the crux and climbed carefully through the finish to finally complete my longest standing project.
Now I am left without a long term project that really motivates me. I am happy to have completed this project (very happy) but I need to find another project that inspires me to keep coming back and that remains just out of reach but engages me even in my failure. Hmmm... any suggestions, oh faithful readers?
Friday, April 11, 2008
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.
More Stones.
A view of Bishop and smoke from a wildfire fire to the north.
A view of Bishop and the White Mountains in nice light.
Desert Wildflowers.
Another shot I may love or hate. I haven't decided yet.
Let me know what you think...
[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.
More Stones.
A view of Bishop and smoke from a wildfire fire to the north.
A view of Bishop and the White Mountains in nice light.
Desert Wildflowers.
Another shot I may love or hate. I haven't decided yet.
Let me know what you think...
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
First Two days in Bishop.
Guh. Man I love the Buttermilks, but they do not love me back.
I am chilling in a coffee shop in Bishop right now. I was going to camp up at the Buttermilks so that I wouldn't pay to camp or drive anywhere, but the weather forecast was for lows of 28 in town and wind gusts up to 30mph. I wimped out and have retreated down to town and camping at the Pit. The Pit is at about 4800ft so around 1500ft lower in elevation compared to the Buttermilks, so I am hoping for warmer weather and a bit less wind.
Yesterday I drove up from LA and got to the Buttermilks around 12:45. I immediately jumped out of the car and was blown over by the wind. I got back up, grabbed my pad and spent the next few hours getting beaten down by the climbs I tried while simultaneously being frozen by huge wind gusts and clouds covering the sun. I found a few climbs that I could make some progress on, but nothing that I actually sent. I also found some that rejected me completely i.e. Green Wall Center.
I finally gave up, and headed down to the Happies getting there around 4:45. I went to find Rave a v7 which I decided I could not do at all. The holds are too slick for me. I may need to get a lot stronger for that one. I also tried Gleaner v6 (some other dude) for a little bit and got pretty well shut down, although I was able to pull off the ground so that was a step up from Rave.
So I packed up and went up to Action Figure for another try. Maybe the afternnon I sacrificed to the problem was not a total waste, because I walked right up and sent it on my first try of the day. I was pretty psyched. I was totally unsure what to do next, so wandered around the corner and saw another problem that I had tried back in November called Little Country Girl v6. I had seen a video of some dude climbing it on-line so armed with that information, I attempted to figure it out. And much to my surprise I actually made progress. I figured out all the moves sometime just as the sun was going down. And I managed to just barely miss the finish a few times, before promising myself "one last try" before I had to leave due to failing light. And it almost never happens this way, but I did indeed send it on my last try. I hit the last hard move, got my left foot up, and snatched the final jug catching it with my finger tips. I took a held my breath and bumped my hand deeper into the jug, before breathing a sigh of relief. So that was 2 v6s in 2 hours. A pretty good day for me despite getting pretty well beat down by the Buttermilks.
Today I went back for more abuse at the Buttermilks. I took my sweet time getting ready this morning and finally left the car at 11:00am. I headed over to the Checkerboard area. My oh my does Checkerboard look super amazing. I would love to get on that but I'll need more strength, more spotters and more pads. So I warmed up in the Chess area sending a v0 or two. Then I headed over to Painted Cave v6. This problem is really cool and I made some good progress on it getting to the second to last hold. But I ran out of energy, needing lunch badly, and the sun made the sloping finishing holds a little too slick. So packed up and headed back to the car after ogling a few more problems in the area.
I ate lunch at the car and lazed around on my crash pad, before heading to the Get Carter boulder down the hill. I was there to try Seven Spanish Angels v6 and Get Carter v7. I got out of the car and it was way windy. I walked around the boulder checking out the problems and I was too cold. The wind sapped my motivation. I sat down against the boulder away from the wind and nearly dozed off. I got up to get back in the car and go somewhere else, but as I walked by SSA I felt up the start holds and said "f*ck it!" I grabbed the pad and threw them down, put on my shoes flailed away. I actually managed to make the first move much to my surprise. I kept going and took a nice tumble onto the pads. I gave it a few more trying and made it to the last move but I was unable to work up the courage to set up for the final dyno with no spotters. The last hold I could reach was good but not that good and I knew I could pop off it at any moment. I tried Get Carter but was completely mystified by the start. I bailed and here I am at the Looney Bean accessing the interweb. Tomorrow is a rest day for my muscles and finger tips. I am sure I'll be back here. And I will surely go for a run or a hike or both.
I am chilling in a coffee shop in Bishop right now. I was going to camp up at the Buttermilks so that I wouldn't pay to camp or drive anywhere, but the weather forecast was for lows of 28 in town and wind gusts up to 30mph. I wimped out and have retreated down to town and camping at the Pit. The Pit is at about 4800ft so around 1500ft lower in elevation compared to the Buttermilks, so I am hoping for warmer weather and a bit less wind.
Yesterday I drove up from LA and got to the Buttermilks around 12:45. I immediately jumped out of the car and was blown over by the wind. I got back up, grabbed my pad and spent the next few hours getting beaten down by the climbs I tried while simultaneously being frozen by huge wind gusts and clouds covering the sun. I found a few climbs that I could make some progress on, but nothing that I actually sent. I also found some that rejected me completely i.e. Green Wall Center.
I finally gave up, and headed down to the Happies getting there around 4:45. I went to find Rave a v7 which I decided I could not do at all. The holds are too slick for me. I may need to get a lot stronger for that one. I also tried Gleaner v6 (some other dude) for a little bit and got pretty well shut down, although I was able to pull off the ground so that was a step up from Rave.
So I packed up and went up to Action Figure for another try. Maybe the afternnon I sacrificed to the problem was not a total waste, because I walked right up and sent it on my first try of the day. I was pretty psyched. I was totally unsure what to do next, so wandered around the corner and saw another problem that I had tried back in November called Little Country Girl v6. I had seen a video of some dude climbing it on-line so armed with that information, I attempted to figure it out. And much to my surprise I actually made progress. I figured out all the moves sometime just as the sun was going down. And I managed to just barely miss the finish a few times, before promising myself "one last try" before I had to leave due to failing light. And it almost never happens this way, but I did indeed send it on my last try. I hit the last hard move, got my left foot up, and snatched the final jug catching it with my finger tips. I took a held my breath and bumped my hand deeper into the jug, before breathing a sigh of relief. So that was 2 v6s in 2 hours. A pretty good day for me despite getting pretty well beat down by the Buttermilks.
Today I went back for more abuse at the Buttermilks. I took my sweet time getting ready this morning and finally left the car at 11:00am. I headed over to the Checkerboard area. My oh my does Checkerboard look super amazing. I would love to get on that but I'll need more strength, more spotters and more pads. So I warmed up in the Chess area sending a v0 or two. Then I headed over to Painted Cave v6. This problem is really cool and I made some good progress on it getting to the second to last hold. But I ran out of energy, needing lunch badly, and the sun made the sloping finishing holds a little too slick. So packed up and headed back to the car after ogling a few more problems in the area.
I ate lunch at the car and lazed around on my crash pad, before heading to the Get Carter boulder down the hill. I was there to try Seven Spanish Angels v6 and Get Carter v7. I got out of the car and it was way windy. I walked around the boulder checking out the problems and I was too cold. The wind sapped my motivation. I sat down against the boulder away from the wind and nearly dozed off. I got up to get back in the car and go somewhere else, but as I walked by SSA I felt up the start holds and said "f*ck it!" I grabbed the pad and threw them down, put on my shoes flailed away. I actually managed to make the first move much to my surprise. I kept going and took a nice tumble onto the pads. I gave it a few more trying and made it to the last move but I was unable to work up the courage to set up for the final dyno with no spotters. The last hold I could reach was good but not that good and I knew I could pop off it at any moment. I tried Get Carter but was completely mystified by the start. I bailed and here I am at the Looney Bean accessing the interweb. Tomorrow is a rest day for my muscles and finger tips. I am sure I'll be back here. And I will surely go for a run or a hike or both.
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Vengeance will be mine!
Well I have a had a lot of fun in the past several days in and around LA. I went bouldering outside at two different location less than an hour and a half from LA. (Of course there are plenty of locations that are roughly in LA and are still over an hour and a half away) I also drank some good beer with Josh (although some of it was slightly disappointing), and yesterday we bottled our first homebrew. Also yesterday, Josh, Meghan and I sampled some typical Vietnamese food in the Little Saigon section of greater LA under the direction of our culinary guide, Jen. I enjoyed it very much, but I have been told it is not "great" Vietnamese food so I have decided to describe it as typical. In any case it was delicious and went far beyond the most common Vietnamese dish in America, Pho. I have some pictures to post from the second bouldering trip, and I want to describe the beer brewing process from my layman's viewpoint since I have been asked about it several times.
But before I do that I would like to throw up a few thoughts about my last trip to Bishop, because I am going back on Tuesday and I will stay there through Saturday. And this time I AM OUT FOR VENGEANCE!!
Well, not really, but I would like to climb a bit better than I did last time. On my last trip (March 27th-30th) I was there for about three full days of climbing. I wasted one whole afternoon on a climb called Action Figure that is fully within my abilities, but involves a relatively low probability move to stick two of your fingers as deep as you can into a small pocket. I got very close to sending the problem but I am pretty sure that in the end I was defeated because I put some tape on one of my fingers to protect the skin when it was inserted into the pocket. However the tape probably made my finger enough wider that I was never able to get the fingers deep enough into the pocket. Frustrating to say the least. I may try to go back and send it this time around, but then again I might stay away so as not to waste any more time on it. We'll see.
Other than that one semi-wasted afternoon, I was climbing with some folks who are not quite as motivated as me. I have a lot of energy at the crags and I always want to run around and get on as many different problems as I can. This was a much more relaxed pace than I set for myself, but I failed to take advantage of it and get lots of good photos. Instead I managed to climb a few good problems over the course of the trip, but I tried fewer than I might have otherwise. I successfully sent three v3s, the ultra classic Ironman Traverse v4, a less classic but popular v5 called the Anti-Hero Roof, and a v6 called Royal Jelly (I linked to a video of that send [successful climb] here) . Not too bad for me but certainly not up to the mini-rampage I went on at Joe's Valley.
So I am getting excited about the return and trying to decided on some good climbs to aim for. I think I want to stay mostly at the Buttermilks, for two reasons. One is that the area is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the volcanic tablelands. The other is that it is at a higher elevation so I might find a bit cooler temps there. I am hoping I will find some groups of other climbers around so that I can get a spot on some of the higher problem I am aiming for. If not I will just climb some stuff closer to the ground.
But before I do that I would like to throw up a few thoughts about my last trip to Bishop, because I am going back on Tuesday and I will stay there through Saturday. And this time I AM OUT FOR VENGEANCE!!
Well, not really, but I would like to climb a bit better than I did last time. On my last trip (March 27th-30th) I was there for about three full days of climbing. I wasted one whole afternoon on a climb called Action Figure that is fully within my abilities, but involves a relatively low probability move to stick two of your fingers as deep as you can into a small pocket. I got very close to sending the problem but I am pretty sure that in the end I was defeated because I put some tape on one of my fingers to protect the skin when it was inserted into the pocket. However the tape probably made my finger enough wider that I was never able to get the fingers deep enough into the pocket. Frustrating to say the least. I may try to go back and send it this time around, but then again I might stay away so as not to waste any more time on it. We'll see.
Other than that one semi-wasted afternoon, I was climbing with some folks who are not quite as motivated as me. I have a lot of energy at the crags and I always want to run around and get on as many different problems as I can. This was a much more relaxed pace than I set for myself, but I failed to take advantage of it and get lots of good photos. Instead I managed to climb a few good problems over the course of the trip, but I tried fewer than I might have otherwise. I successfully sent three v3s, the ultra classic Ironman Traverse v4, a less classic but popular v5 called the Anti-Hero Roof, and a v6 called Royal Jelly (I linked to a video of that send [successful climb] here) . Not too bad for me but certainly not up to the mini-rampage I went on at Joe's Valley.
So I am getting excited about the return and trying to decided on some good climbs to aim for. I think I want to stay mostly at the Buttermilks, for two reasons. One is that the area is a bit more aesthetically pleasing than the volcanic tablelands. The other is that it is at a higher elevation so I might find a bit cooler temps there. I am hoping I will find some groups of other climbers around so that I can get a spot on some of the higher problem I am aiming for. If not I will just climb some stuff closer to the ground.
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A boulderer's Worst Nightmare
well... maybe not if you are old school. And I am sure if any old school climbers read this (which they won't) they would get all in a huff and complain about how wrong I am and how I don't know what I am talking about and "gym climbers... blah blah blah."
Yesterday between trips to various breweries I managed to stop by a classic bouldering/ trad climbing destination called Mount Woodson.
And hey it is damn cool. There are tons of boulders there and it is sweet high quality granite too. Unfortunate it is all virtually featureless. Face climbing is pretty much limited to aretes and some thin slab stuff.
Now because there is so much rock there a good number of cool slitter cracks scattered across the boulders covering the hillside. But these tend to be tall and somewhat intimidating for a lone guy with a crash pad like me. I have plans to go back equipped with a partner and some trad gear in addition to pads and hopefully that will be more fun. But I still think it is the modern boulderer's worst nightmare to walk up a hillside with so much rock and so few holds. (aside from maybe living in Florida where there is no rock at all).
Yesterday between trips to various breweries I managed to stop by a classic bouldering/ trad climbing destination called Mount Woodson.
And hey it is damn cool. There are tons of boulders there and it is sweet high quality granite too. Unfortunate it is all virtually featureless. Face climbing is pretty much limited to aretes and some thin slab stuff.
Now because there is so much rock there a good number of cool slitter cracks scattered across the boulders covering the hillside. But these tend to be tall and somewhat intimidating for a lone guy with a crash pad like me. I have plans to go back equipped with a partner and some trad gear in addition to pads and hopefully that will be more fun. But I still think it is the modern boulderer's worst nightmare to walk up a hillside with so much rock and so few holds. (aside from maybe living in Florida where there is no rock at all).
Posting Binge!!!
Okay I have time and more important things to avoid today so I'll be posting plenty. I need to do a beer summary for the last week or so. A review of my trip to Bishop. Maybe a few thoughts about my next week or so and when/where I'll do some climbing. Also I have to post this:
Royal Jelly, V6 on the Beekeeper Boulder, Pollen Grains, Bishop.
In my defense, I don't normally make much noise when I climb, usually only a few screams of frustration here and there. Unlike a lot of folks I don't tend to let out a yell when I hit a hold, but more when I miss a move. And that is what happened here, I thought I was going to miss that finishing hold and I began to scream about it in anticipation, but then it turned out I hit it just right and held on. And yes this boulder problem does not top out, or at least it can but the finish is high up over some rocks and on lichen-y rock that is not climbed often, making it even less appealing than the high finish over rocks already is.
Royal Jelly, V6 on the Beekeeper Boulder, Pollen Grains, Bishop.
In my defense, I don't normally make much noise when I climb, usually only a few screams of frustration here and there. Unlike a lot of folks I don't tend to let out a yell when I hit a hold, but more when I miss a move. And that is what happened here, I thought I was going to miss that finishing hold and I began to scream about it in anticipation, but then it turned out I hit it just right and held on. And yes this boulder problem does not top out, or at least it can but the finish is high up over some rocks and on lichen-y rock that is not climbed often, making it even less appealing than the high finish over rocks already is.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
