Bishop Part III

It rained on Wednesday, making cause for a rest day. It messed up my schedule a little bit, because I was supposed to climb Wednesday and rest on Thanksgiving. So giving in to the inevitable I took a rest day. On Thanksgiving I climbed at the Buttermilks with Ryan and Andy. There had to be at least 100 cars up there. I don't even want to think about what Friday and Saturday were like up there. We went to the Get Carter boulder, because it is a little further up the road, and out of the main area. There were still 10-15 people there the whole time, as well as about 5 dogs. It was a cold overcast day, so warming up was a bit of a slow process. After warming up we got on Seven Spanish Angels, also known as The Ruckus. Seven Spanish Angels climbs up this slightly overhung wall on cool crimps and slopy pinches, with a throw to a bucket at the top. Andy and Ryan kept getting to the last move, the same spot they had been stuck on for a few days. Somehow I managed to flash the climb. The climb is super classic and got me psyched on the Buttermilks for when I go back to Bishop. I also climbed on Get Carter, which is on the other side of the boulder. It climbs up this short overhang with some slap moves and then a semi-tall head wall with crimps. I was able to do all the moves, but didn't bother linking it up because it didn't seem like all that great of a climb and the people trying it were dabbing like crazy and continuing to climb. I saw more than once gravel and even a pad go flying. When you kick gravel or a pad you're supposed to step off Dumbasses! The last climb we did on the boulder was this tall arete, that was super good except for one awkward move in the middle. We headed back to The Pit to drop Ryan off so that Evangeline and him could go to Thanksgiving dinner at her sister's house. Andy and I went over to the Happy Boulders at that point. I tried Grindite, but got too sketched on the top so I downclimbed. We went up the hill and I tried this line on Therapy Roof which proved to be sharp and cooler looking than it actually is. After that I got shut down on Toxic Avenger after a few goes, so we went to seek out Rio's Secret Arete. It was getting dark and once again I got shut down. Then Andy and I went to Sizzler for Thanksgivning Dinner thanks to his parent's credit card. The next day I went to go check out the Eldorado Roof in Owen's River Gorge. The Gorge is a massive sport climbing crag, but based on Andy's description of this roof I wanted to check it out. The roof is a few hundred feet wide and 30-40 feet deep. The right side is around 4-5 feet off the ground, which makes it a good height for bouldering. I hiked 45 minutes with 2 pads to get to the roof. I warmed up on this super sharp lie back flake in the roof. The roof hadn't really been bouldered on in years. I cleaned up this line that started back another 10-15 feet and climbed into the previous climb. The problem had some crazy moves and took a lot of figuring out. It started with two jug sidepulls and slapped up to a crimp rail under this block. I then did a dropknee to match. That set me up for a slap to an intermediate sloper with the right hand, and then a bump to a good hold. I walked my feet out and then climbed leftward. I bumped my left hand three times along this rail to get into an awkward jug that torqued my wrist. I swung my feet over to the left and put in this heel-toe cam that consisted of a great toe hook and a bad heel scum against the polished back wall. I did a weird back flag into the corner of this block, and matched to do a hard unnerving cross under the flake to a crimp for the right hand and then a jug for the left hand. Then I bump my hand back to the jug that my right hand was just in. I push off this great foothold that feels like it's going to break with my right foot, and reach under the rock to this jug in the seam. I swung my foot down to the other wall and did a slap move to stop the swing, and then climbed the rest of the flake to the jug at the end and dropped off as a bloc problem. This cave is crazy because it has all these weird blocks sticking off the roof. It creates some truly unique climbing that is very hard to describe in words. It is a possible FA, but I seriously doubt it. I'm sure that with guys like John Bachar climbing here back in the day, it had already been done and forgotten. After that I hiked back up the hill to my truck and drove out to the Sad Boulders. I tried the new parking area down the hill on Chalk Bluff road because I was going to the South end of the Sads. I went to Kung Fu Grip and got very unmotivated after two tries, so I went to Anti-hero. It is a really cool cave climb with some unique holds. It would be better if it weren't so dabby. I had to use a headlamp in that cave, because of the fading light. By the time I was done it was dark out, but I still wanted to try Rio's Crack. I was surprised that the beginning moves didn't feel bad. I got up to what I believe is the crux, and peeled off. I didn't really try it after that because I was worried about the rock to the left on the landing. I'll have to go back to that climb with a spotter. The next day I went up to the Druid Stones with Andy, Bob, and Tash. Ryan and Evangeline met us up there. The approach to the Druids is a 30+ minute uphill hike with an elevation gain of over 1,500 feet ending up at over 6,000 feet. Despite this sort of approach the Druids were crowded, and I'm sure the other publicized areas in Bishop were worse. We warmed up on one of the first blocks we came to. On the backside there is this climb called The Sloth. It starts on this good rail and climbs out the roof on small crimps to a tall blank-looking finish. I only gave it a few tries since it was my first time at the Druid Stones. I definitely want to go back to put more work into this climb. I climbed on Arch Drude down the hill. I was able to do the original, and the left start first try. At this point I was pissed off and very cynical, because I was sick of the dogs, crowds, number chasers, and beta sprayers. I stayed and climbed a few more though. I looked at the Thunder Wall, but didn't climb on it because the climbs didn't look very good. I went around the corner and tried All Fired Up, this nice looking arete. That proved to be my only attempt on it however because it is sharp. After that I managed to flash Sky Dance, which climbs out this cool roof to a tall top out with lock-offs between good crimps. At that point my skin and muscles were trashed so I headed back to Flagstaff for exams and crowd free bouldering areas.

Bishop Part II

I climbed yesterday at Rock Creek with Ryan and Evangeline. There are a couple of cool granite boulders there at 8,500 feet. Needless to say climbing at that elevation at the end of November is cold. I did a couple classic climbs including A Boy Named Sue, Osama, and this arete that I don't remember the name of. On the way back to the pit my Flashed pad flew out the back. It was quite epic attempting to find it at night. We drove all the way back up to Rock Creek Lodge, and then back down with no luck. This morning I went back up to find it, but was turned around by a heinous snow storm. If the pad is still somewhere off the road, it's likely buried by snow now. So I'm in the market for a new pad. I may buy a Flashed Ronin pad off my friend Kody. If that doesn't work I'll likely buy a Flashed, Voodoo, or Revolution pad to replace the other Flashed pad.

Bishop Part I

I arrived in Bishop on Friday night, and I'll be staying here for the rest of this month. When I got here I went straight to the Sad Boulders. It was after 9 PM when I arrived, and it took me a little while to find the boulders since I was going off my memory from almost 2 years ago. I took several wrong turns, but after a little while I was able to find the parking for the Sads. I warmed up on a little block right outside the Ice Caves, and then went to climb on my old project Beefcake. I was able to do all the moves again really quick. I got past the crux and fell on the last hard move on my next two attempts. I didn't try it again that night. I felt like my body needed sleep, food, and water (I hadn't had enough of these that day, and was tired from the drive). I went to sleep at the K-mart because I was too lazy to go find The Pit campground in the dark. When I woke up in the morning I went straight to the Sads to finish up Beefcake. It was really cold down in the cave when I got there. It was actually dark enough in the cave for a headlamp to be useful. I quickly warmed up and tried the climb. I fell earlier than my attempts the night before. I decided to rest for about a half hour. I sent the climb on my second attempt and when I finished the climb my hands were numb, because the rock was so cold. After that I went over and climbed on Pow Pow, but was unable to figure out and efficient way to do the crux move. I was able to campus the move in isolation, but I don't think that would be the best was to link the climb. I took a break in the middle of the day, then went to the Happy Boulders in the afternoon. I climbed on Morning Dove White, which was taller than I thought. I was able to do most of the moves, but my skin was trashed at that point (thanks Priest Draw). I climbed on Cholos next and could do a couple of moves. I think I could potentially do all the moves if I had good skin. I went back to The Pit after that, and camped out with some old friends from Hueco, Ryan Good and Andy Glover. The next day I went back to the Happies. I warmed up near Slow Dance and climbed on Acid Wash. I was able to do the Jug-start to Acid Wash Right (yes that's actually the name of the climb) in a few tries. I worked on the now start, but just don't have the lock-off strength to do the first move. Then I walked over to a cool little roof called Monkey Hang. I climbed Monkey Hang, and then did a cooler variation that took the climb rightwards through the roof. For the rest of the day I climbed a bunch of tall easy problems in the Slowdance and Jesus Chrysler Boulders until it got dark and I headed back to camp.

An Old Project Dies

I went to the Draw today to climb on Cosmic Tricycle SD. I invited a bunch of people out like I always do, but everyone ended up coming today. Pat, Bryan, Steven, and I rode out there in my truck, and Eric and his friend met us out there. Pat and I were the only ones to go over to Puzzle Box. I first tried Cosmic Tricycle SD on my first visit to Flagstaff. I was able to do all the moves quickly so I thought that I would finish it fast. This wasn't the case. I didn't do it that trip, nor on my summer trip during School Orientation. I tried it when I got here in the fall, and the kneebar was too painful. On my first attempt today I fell on the last move to the lip bucket. I rested for a half hour and then sent on my second try. I started working the moves to Huffalufagus, the extension that finishes on PuzzleBox. I think it will go, but it definitely feels harder than Cosmic Tricycle SD. Pat made progress on Pufferfish. He did the crux, and still has a few more moves to decipher. Then we headed over to Floorpie. That's such a good rock climb that I hadn't done in a few weeks. Pat started working Floorpie and also Twister. Twister is really cool too, but it has a kind of sharp pocket on it. I was able to repeat that one too. We finished the night out over at Antimatter. I wasn't really serious about trying the climb, but I just wanted to toughen up my tips for Bishop this next week.

The Weekend

Eric, Bryan, and I spent the night down in Sedona on Friday. We slept in a Bashas parking lot because we couldn't find a place to camp. On Saturday morning we went to the house of a Vedic monk who fed us breakfast. It was a really cool experience seeing the way that he lives his life, his religion, and his beliefs. We then headed over to the Anvil Boulders. I had previously tried to go to the Anvil Boulders, but wasted my time hiking around trying to get to them. The directions from Vertical Relief are complete shit. The real directions take about a quarter of the time. I saw Terry out at the blocks. He showed me around and I climbed on a bunch of really good warm-ups. I tried this crazy problem that involves a hard stem called Stem and Seeds. After that we headed over to Alien Baby. I was able to do it in a few tries. Then Eric did this highball around the corner. We finished the day out on Free Willy, also known as Lip Service. It was almost a waste to try this climb because the sun was on the start holds and the slopey lip. It's definitely a cool feature though. We camped at Groom Creek Saturday night, and climbed there Sunday morning. We didn't climb as much as the previous day, but we just ran around in the boulders climbing whatever looked good. We finished the trip off with a visit to Golden Corral before the drive back.

Priest Draw

Last night Pat and I went to the Draw. I haven't been to the Draw in 2 weeks, which is kind of weird considering the fact that I live 10 miles away and love climbing there. Pat was able to finish Puzzle Box. It was only his second day on the problem. He did this crazy beta where he basically threw right hand to the lip and swung out. The landing isn't the best considering the fact that there is a drop off right behind the landing that goes down a small hill littered with little boulders. I climbed on Cosmic Tricycle SD and made considerable progress. I was able to pull through the crux once, and I fell a few moves from the end of the climb. This climb will go in one of the next few sessions, hopefully before I head out to Bishop. After that I ran the PBR (which doesn't involve beer)circuit and called it a night. It's amazing that we're still able to climb at night in November. Maybe this winter won't be too cold.

The Hueco Tanks

Last weekend I went to the Hueco Tanks for an extended weekend. Pat, Eric, and Zach came and we camped out at the HRR. We got there around 1 AM in the morning and set up camp. In the morning we woke up and I took those guys out on tour as well as a few of Fish's friends from Phoenix. I made my first income in months, $30 for going climbing. We went to the Gunks to warm-up and I got on Rumble In The Jungle, a cool cave problem that I've been working for a few years now. I was able to repeat all the moves, but didn't make any progress. After the Gunks we moved down to the Maze where I didn't climb too much but we fooled around on Slim Pickens. After that I repeated Jigsaw Puzzle and had to call it a day. The skin on my fingertips just isn't used to be used anymore from all the climbing at Priest Draw. On day 2 I decided to take a rest day because I can't climb 4 days in a row in Hueco, whether it's because of lack of skin or just getting tired. I took the guys out on an exclusive tour of West Mountain. We hit up the Round Room, Bodysnatcher, and Between The Sheets. Day 3 we had reservations to get on North Mountain. The reservation system changed this year. Reservations can be made with a Texas State Parks Pass instead of a credit card, which helps a lot with the bullshit of refunds. The only downside is the reservations expire at 10 AM instead of noon, so you either have to get over there by 10 or call the park and tell them to hold your reservations. We warmed up at the top of the chains and then hit up Nobody Here Gets Out Alive, and classic juggy roof. Then we headed over to the Terminator area so I could climb on Predator. I met up with an old friend named Vijay that I hadn't seen in a few years. We ended up trying Predator once before determining that it was a chosspile. We got on the Governator, and that climb is amazing. It climbs way different than it looks. It has this huge drop knee that sucks your body into the wall. Zach climbed on Serious Attitude Problem and almost finished it. After that we hit up Ghetto Simulator and hiked out. On our last day we warmed up at the Summit Boulders. We climbed a lot of classic easy warm ups before going back to serious attitude problem. Zach was looking strong and almost did it until he tore a huge flapper on one of his fingers. Then we met Matt over at Martini Roof. He was working on Left Martini and getting pretty close. I climbed on Right Martini for a little bit and did all the moves again, but by then me skin was shot. I was feeling strong through the beginning however. Eric and Pat made good work on Baby Martini but seeing as it was 4th day on for them they were pretty trashed. We hit up T-bone Shuffle with Nikkias, and then Melon Patch before doing the drive back to Flagtown in the dark. We got back and I didn't even end up going to sleep because it was pretty late already and I had a Stats test in the morning. Time to return to reality unfortunately.

Epic

So yesterday I went down to Sedona to check out the Anvil Boulders. I used some directions from Vertical Reliefs website, and I must say they suck! I hiked around on the trail for about two hours with three crash pads trying to find the small trail which leads to the boulders. I could see the boulders, I just couldn't find a way to them. The directions that Andy Klier told me when I spoke to him on the phone matched up with the directions from Rockclimbing.com. Those directions are much easier than the directions from Vertical Relief. Anyways, it was a cool hike which would have been a lot funner if I could have climbed and/or not hauled around 3 crash pads. Maybe this will just make the boulders seem that much better when I finally do get to go climb on them.

Groom Creek

So I went to Groom Creek again this weekend seeing as the temps were a bit lower than last time I was there. I had a lazy morning on Saturday killing time so as to get there when it was cooling off. I arrived around 3 PM and found the campsite before it got dark, and then headed over to the boulders. I warmed up by wandering through the boulders and climbing whatever looked good in my trail shoes. I climbed on this boulder with a series of jug flakes running all over it in different directions. I repeated Moonstone after doing some warm-up climbs. I had my sights set on finishing up New Moon, or Eclipse as most people call it. I dispatched it first try and was surprised at how easy it felt. I then set my sights on the link-up of Moonstone and Eclipse. I was able to do most of the moves, and my skin wore too thin once I started to figure out the feet for the throw into moonstone. I went and climbed several easy problems as daylight was fading. I wish I could have climbed more but my skin was so trashed at that point, so I headed back to camp. The weather for camping was perfect down in Prescott National Forest, as it is about 1,000 feet lower than Flagstaff. I slept for nearly 11 hrs that night. As I was heading out in the morning to go climbing I received a phone call from my friend Kody. He was heading up to Kelly Canyon from Phoenix and was near Camp Verde when he called. I decided that my trashed skin would appreciate sandstone much more than the harsh granite so I met him there. When I pulled up it seemed like half of Flagstaff was at Kelly Canyon. I went down there and climbed a few warm-up problems in my trail shoes. We went down to Transversity which Kody repeated while I learned the moves. I gave it a few goes where I fell at the crux. Then it started raining to the point that we couldn't climb anymore so I headed back home to allow my skin to grow for the Anvil Boulders in a few days.