Birthday Weekend, Yosemite Edition (27-29 Sept 2013)

Ticklist:
Munginella (5.6) - 3 pitches, linked to 2
The Caverns (5.8) - 2nd pitch is the money, 4th pitch a little funky, still fun all-around.
Bishop's Terrace (5.8) - 2 pitches, linked to 1. Definitely do this in one pitch, lives up to its reputation as one of the best 5.8s around. Both OW and lieback variations are enjoyable. So nice we did it twice!
Super Slide (5.9) - 5 pitches, each better than the last. The 5.9 section is probably only 10 feet long, just at the end of the pitch, though there is a bit of loose rock/mud in places. Per the SuperTopo guide, linking 3 and 4 is very doable, but it's almost nicer to split up the fun leads.
Trial By Fire (5.8) - One full pitch of flaring wide crack, from fists to squeeze with plenty of chock stones. Thank god it eases off at the top. Careful with "overgripping" or you'll end up with roadrash all over like me.

Trip Highlight: Kat's fantastic birthday planning! I had more friends in the Valley than in San Francisco (almost), we communally drained a bottle of Bulleit and feasted on Kat's wonderful single-serving cakes.

Photosynth of Bennett coming up the fourth pitch of Super Slide (zoom in, he's there).

As usual, we rolled into the Pines campsite pretty late. Unlike usual, it was Thursday night...three days in the Valley! Between waking up a little late, and moving campsites, Bennett and I didn't start climbing until about noon. Still, we made quick work of Munginella, had a quick snack and went for The Caverns. We climbed well and psyche was high. It felt really good to have my lead-head on straight. We considered another pitch or two, but instead headed down to the Facelift evening activities: slideshows highlighted by Shawn White's coach (surprisingly interesting), Mayan Smith-Gobat (Kiwi climber extraordinaire), and Tommy Caldwell (interesting stories, but nothing new).

An earlier start on Saturday let us get up Bishop's Terrace (second in line) before getting over to Super Slide (PM shift, no lines or waiting), and finishing on Trial By Fire. Bennett was psyched for the wide crack, which turned out to be really fun: a proud lead for him, which I felt like I could have gotten done, too, though I definitely came out worse for wear afterwards. Not enough time for another one of the open books, but we did find Kat back at the campsite with Luke et al, basking in the glory of one of her more ambitious hikes to date (up to Glacier Point, woohoo!).

Saturday night drifted into Sunday morning, which meant a late start and taking it easy. Bennett wanted to lead Bishop's Terrace, and it was a perfect chance for Kat to get on the wall, too. After that, a nice walk to Mirror Lake and basking in El Cap meadow rounded out the day nicely.

Mantel practice on the way to Mirror Lake (photo: Kat Wong)

Overall, an awesome weekend: great food/drink, great climbing, great friends. Too bad the park is closed now, I just want to get back for Rocktober!

Bay Area Daytrips (11-12 May 2013)

I meant to post this when I actually did the climbing a few weeks back, that way reports like "it was way hot at Pinnacles, but the shade was survivable" may have been relevant on the off chance that someone I know around here actually reads this stuff. Oh well, good for next year I suppose, though it would have been better if I had actually noted temperatures.

Anyway, enough of that. I was psyched to climb for most of the day for two days in a row, almost all leading, and pushed myself a bit with Bennett on Sunday at Castle Rock.

Saturday Pinnacles, The Flumes Northeast Face
Good late spring/early summer cragging, showed up at 10:30 just as the face was coming into shade. early morning showed machete ridge (and the Citadel) in shade. the whole area was bolts, no gear.
Kibbles and Bits (9) - lead
Bits 'n' Pieces, Extension (9) - lead - straightforward for the most part, better protected than Kibbles and Bits
Wet Paranoia (9) - TR - loose in spots, more fun than the first two
Jumangi (10a) - lead, TR - cruxy at top and bottom, good clipping stances exist if you look around
Cool Daze (8) - lead - big holds, fun moves
Adam's Apple (9) - lead - bring extendable runners to limit drag
Rebeca's Sailing (9) - mostly 5.7/8 except for crux final move (fun!)
Nipples and Knobs (10a) - sustained, good holds and rests, best route of the day

Castle Rock
Too hot in the sun, too buggy at the Underworld, spent the day chasing shade and running from too many bugs. Again, pretty much all bolts, only placed a couple of cams. We used the new Thornburg guide "Bay Area Rock", which has beautiful photos and great descriptions of these areas.
Chew Tooth Rock
Uncle Fred's Vacation Plan (10a or 11a if using direct start) - lead
Hand Crack (8) - gear (3 pieces 1" to 3") - lead
Left (11b) - led through 2 bolts, maybe done if mossy holds on left count
Platypus Rock
Rat-A-Puss (10a) - lead
Al Mohammed aka Al Hussein left start (10d or 11a) - lead - fun start leads to easier climbing
Jelly Fish (11b) - booted off of crux before 2nd bolt
Moss Man (10a) - lead - fun, not described by its name
Play-A-Pussy (10a) - lead - left rope through first bolt when lower off Moss Man
Embryo (11c) - TR - cool slopers and thin crimp
Shady Rock (nearby) holds lots of (short, wild) promise, bring a bouldering pad
California Ridge
Mullah (10a) - lead
Guilty as Charged (10d) - lead - discrepancy between guides, but felt a little soft for the grade

Climbing in China

Relatively often, I find myself trying to find climbing destinations in China, thinking wishfully that I might have a chance to climbg while traveling for work.

Recently, it's been easy to find information and inspiration on the subject thanks to recent videos from The North Face and Black Diamond about China's first traditional-climbing festival in Liming, not to mention an article in Climbing.

So now I can add Liming (beta available here) to the list, along with the Keketuohai National Park (in the north, China's Tuolumne) and Yangshuo (limestone). China is huge and apparently full of rocks, just like the rest of the world. 

Moonbows and Yosemite Sport Climbing (27-28 April 2013)

Spark Notes:
Saturday - hiking, napping, lunar rainbow photography
Sunday - cragging at Shultz's Ridge Base

We rolled into the Valley after midnight on Friday night with a major goal of moonbow photography, and a minor goal of climbing. The full moon lit El Cap spectacularly, and we stopped at four different pullouts to ogle and photograph before sneaking into Luke's campsite and rolling out a tarp.

I woke early in an effort to fight jet lag, but that only caught up with me in the afternoon. After a hike to scope photo locations for later that evening, I passed out for a couple hours. Whoops.

Not wanting to miss a whole day of climbing, we headed up to the Endless Summer wall on Shultz's Ridge, just beneath the massive Southeast Face of El Capitan. If heading there, beware that the first bolts on Gidget Goes to Yosemite (5.9) are missing (per Supertopo and Clint Cummins) I did at least start by climbing up 20 feet before retreating. I would like to head back for Crystalline Passage though, even better to continue the line all the way up to the base of El Cap.

Regular Rainbow, Bridalveil Falls

We headed down to catch Bridalveil Falls before it lost good light before cooking dinner and staking out Cook's Meadow for moonrise. We didn't really do our homework, so we arrived a couple hours before the moon made its appearance, but that did make for some awesome stargazing. If you do ever decide to visit Yosemite in the spring to spy moonbows, definitely make the visit to the lower falls (more spray, more reliably than the upper falls). You can find the best times for viewing at this forecast.

Lunar Rainbow and the Big Dipper, Lower Yosemite Falls 

Saturday was for photography, and Sunday was for climbing. Since we only finished with Saturday at 2:30am, we didn't get back to Schultz's Ridge (Dan and Jerry's Playground) until noon. I was still feeling apprehensive from the previous day, but all the psyche in the air from James and Luke, and another friendly crew at the crag, made it easy to just have fun. After a couple topropes, I wanted to lead the crag's other warm-up route. The 5.10a label made that intimidating, and made leading New Suede Shoes (10c) even scarier. Kat asked why not lead, and I said I was scared. Luke asked why was I scared, and I had no good reason. The result: I led the route (almost peeled, but didn't) with Luke's calm coaching. Then sent the two harder climbs on TR.

Conclusion: I've got to do more of what Luke was able to do, just ask a rational question and evaluate whether my fears are justified or not. If I don't want to lead, that's fine, but understand why that's the case and make sure it's justified. Thanks to Luke for getting me to try hard. It would be nice if I could stop limiting myself, and get out of my own way in the future and be as psyched at the base as I am when reading the guidebook at home.

Tick List:
Second Thoughts (10a) - TR - a better warm up than the route of that name
New Suede Shoes (10c) - bolts - TR, lead
Warm Up Crack (10a) - bolts + gear - lead - lives up to its name
Just Do Me (10d) - TR - sustained and pumpy at the top
Are You Hard Enough? (10d) - TR - definitely the easier 10d at the crag

Shanghai Climbing (21 April 2013)

Work takes me to China with some regularity. Most of my trips have been to the south, but this time I was in Shanghai. After a little research, I didn't find any nearby crags (unlike Hong Kong) but I did find several climbing gyms. A coworker had tried the Hongkou Stadium facility and said it wasn't bad, but the holds were a bit greasy, and encouraged me to explore elsewhere.

So, I visited the Shanghai Stadium Rock Climbing center. Despite being the "largest indoor rockclimbing center [in China]," it's really only about 100 horizontal feet of holds built into the side of the stadium walls. Not a world class climbing gym at all, but not bad.

The bouldering was no Planet Granite. I think there were only two marked routes, with no grades. The walls were mostly plywood with some sand/paint, which brought me back to my time at the MIT bouldering room. Small greasy holds were the name of the game. However, small groups of climbers were finding their own problems and having a bunch of fun. Climbing is climbing, and a bit of creativity is all that's needed.

I only played on the boulders and never got on a rope, and the wall climbing looked more fun and varied, so I'd definitely go back with a partner. And I'll be looking for some outdoor crags, too.

Back to Yosemite (06-07 April 2013)

Spark Notes:
First climbing and visit to the Valley since last fall. Saturday at Knob Hill, stayed at Camp 4, and climbed at Glacier Point and Sunnyside Bench on Sunday.
Crags, route descriptions and history can be found in the Yosemite Valley Free Climbs Supertopo.

Overall a good climbing weekend. Since it's been a few weeks since this trip, I'll keep it to the highlights...
- My second trip to Knob Hill: warm crag with good intro cracks and bolt protected climbing, with a short approach.

Descending soon, Monday Morning Slab. (Credit: Katherine Wong)

- Camped at the famous Camp 4 for the first time. It's always intimidated me a bit. The history is just as impressive, but the place is now a bit friendlier. A little like the Valley overall, I suppose.

- Monday Morning Slab is not a bad intro climb, though a little dirty, with excellent ledges and views. A beautiful place for lunch in the sun, but chilly in the shade with a breeze. Head to the very top of the formation for rap chains. You can stop at the big ledge shown in the SuperTopo, but that requires downclimbing a little bit: probably not what you're looking for if climbing this route.

- Jamcrack lives up to its reputation as a good first 5.7 lead. Vertical and fun. Toproping Lazy Bum right next to it was the highlight of the visit though. I held it together until the end of the 10c lieback but couldn't quite make it through. Very, very fun climbing to return to, though.

Refreshingly cool water, all alone at the Lower Falls. (Credit: Katherine Wong)

Tick List:
Knob Hill
Unnamed (5.9) - TR 3x
Pot Belly (5.8) - Lead 3x, TR 1x
Anti-Ego Crack (5.7) - Lead
Just for Starters (5.10a) - Lead
Sloth Wall (5.7) - Lead
Glacier Point
Monday Morning Slab, Right (5.4) - Lead
Sunnyside Bench
Jamcrack (p1, 5.7) - Lead 2x
Lazy Bum (p1, 5.10d) - TR

The Upper Crust (16 Feb, 3 Mar 2013)

Spark Notes:
Pinnacles NP, East Side (for your first trip or few read Clint Cummins' excellent overview page with topos, or you can get your brother to buy you A Climber's Guide to Pinnacles National Monument by Young, 2007)

Song(s) of the Trip(s):
Kronkite - Phil The Agony (Spotify)
My Number - Foals (Spotify)

On the surface, there's really nothing special here. Just a couple daytrips to Pinnacles. The first trip was to a new crag, and the second trip was a chance to visit a now-familiar crag and show Kat's roommates a good time top-roping outside for the first time. On both trips I was able to climb progressively harder, and led the whole day. Plus we hiked out in darkness both times, which I think is a sign of a day well spent.

More than that, though, these last couple trips were a great reminder of the many reasons I climb.
Waking up early and getting moving in the morning.
Being apprehensive on the way in, turning up the music to get the psyche going.
Feeling a little fear and anticipation.
Racking up and sacking up and going for it.
Sometimes the whole pitch has me gripped. Sometimes I seem to float up.
It's about being outside, being in a beautiful place, and sharing positive energy all around. (Kat climbed probably the best pitch of her LIFE on Organgrinder, high stepping like a pro, almost peeling twice, but staying on and sending the pitch.)

Anyway, three weeks ago, the day started a bit rough. I was happy to be out, but the climbing didn't feel right. I was making things far harder than necessary. Fast forward to this past weekend and the same climbs that felt tough before now felt fun, really really fun. I had found just a tiny bit of "flow."  Sometimes the biggest obstacle on a climb is doubt. We'll see if I can hold it together again next time.

On a more concrete note, I think the Upper Crust is great. There are climbs from 5.5 to 5.10c, there is shade at the base and sun up top, it's easy to set up top ropes and it's a bit off the beaten track. Definitely worth visiting again. But there are so many more areas at Pinnacles, I think it'll be a while before I get back...and Yosemite season is coming soon...but there's skiing to do first...and long bike rides which I seem to have been enjoying recently...

Some dude leading Organgrinder, and another toproping Me and My Monkey (Credit: Flickr)

Ticklist:
Lost Sister (5.8) - bolts, little gear - lead, R on easy ground
Castles Mad of Sand (5.10b) - bolts - lead 3x
Sound Chaser (5.10a) - bolts - lead 3x
Relayer (5.10c) - bolts - lead
Organgrinder (5.8) - bolts - lead
Me and My Monkey (5.9) - bolts - lead
Japanese Water Torture (5.7) - bolts - lead (R at the top, but can divert to 3rd bolt of Nodal Line)
Nodal Line (5.5) - bolts - lead
I'm looking forward to finishing off the crag...5.6X, 5.10aR, 5.7R

Pinnacles (2-3 Feb 2013)

Sparknotes: hiking Balconies, Bear Gulch, and North Chalone Peak at Pinnacles NP

After another too-long work trip to China, I was ready to get outdoors for a weekend. We packed the car full of climbing gear and cooking gear (namely our recently acquired dutch oven). I was decidedly not excited for climbing; on my last trips to Pinnacles, I climbed okay but felt uneasy the whole time. I had only been to crags near the parking lot, along Bear Gulch Trail or on the Rim Trail. The reputation for loose rock and substandard protection. My jet-lagged (and nervous) self wasn't about to get psyched for climbing on Saturday, so instead we took the guidebook for a walk to the Balconies caves and ogled Machete Ridge, followed by an excellent stew courtesy of Kat.

Sunday, I packed the backpack full of gear and we headed up to the Reservoir to maybe climb or maybe hike. The morning was beautiful and trails empty (thanks to the Superbowl) so we continued hiking to North Chalone Peak, the highest point in the park. The best view on the hike came after a sweeping lefthand turn.  While the summit-view is excellent, if you're feeling tired this intermediate view is almost as good.  Upon descending, I had exhausted Kat's goodwill, and so we didn't get after any climbing (carrying the rope and rack was good training weight, though). We did head up the backside of Tiburcio's X for sunset, though, which I highly recommend.

So many rocks to climb. From the lookout on the way to N Chalone Peak.

Sugarloaf (4 Nov 2012)

Sparknotes:
2 routes at Sugarloaf: Bollee Gold and Scheister. Guidebook: South Lake Tahoe Climbing, Supertopo

The big goal of the trip was Bollee Gold.  Since visiting last winter, both Bennett and I had been thinking about it. Stoke and opportunity aligned, so we packed the vehicle late on Saturday night and headed east.

After camping by the side of a forest service road, and caffeinating appropriately, we packed up and headed up the hill. The start of the climb was relatively easy to find, and clear from the Supertopo description. I figured the best way to deal with the nervousness was to seize the first lead, so that's exactly what I did. Probably one of the finer climbing moments I've had yet. I hung after the first bolt (not an auspcious start) and then once again higher up.  I thought I'd fall once more just before the anchor, even declaring so to Bennett, but somehow danced through.

The route is the ridgeline, I think the climber is at the first belay. Wow, right? (photo credit: Supertopo thread)

Bennett took the second pitch and styled it, falling only once. I followed clean, but that was the easy part. With the hard climbing done, we scampered the rest of the way past some heads-up, but not dangerous runouts. We both agreed the first pitch had been the crux, and were happy to find out that we weren't the only ones to think so.

B^2 at the top.

With the major goal accomplished for the day, we rapped the route and headed right to Scheister. Since I had taken the first lead, Bennett took the chimney to start.  I can't say I was disappointed, and I felt like I got the best pitch of the route (fingers/hands on pitch 2).  We topped out in the dusk and descended in the dark, intermittently losing the trail.

For some reason, Bennett brings out the best in my climbing, helping me be psyched and willing to take risks, and that day was no exception.

Ticklist:
Bollee Gold (5.10c, 4 pitches) - hard stuff is bolted, but bring a couple pieces of gear for the top. More beta on Mountain Project.
Scheister (5.7, 3 pitches) - really great fun, and a good chimney\

Open Books (27-28 Oct 2012)

Ticklist:
Munginella (5.6) - crowded, but great fun! 3 pitches, linked to 2
Hanging Teeth (5.8) - Fun lay backing with a sustained and runout 2nd pitch. 3rd pitch wasn't terrible, but the loose, overhanging blocks up top do require some care.
Highway Star (5.10a+) - variations offer several very fun options. great for toprope laps, look forward to going back on lead

Trip Highlight: camping in Tommy Caldwell's site while he slept in his van

Once again upon returning from China, I decided to push my luck against jetlag and head for a Yosemite climbing weekend.  This trip went a bit better than last time around, but still "the mind is primary, and today the mind was weak." But I'm getting ahead of myself, and being negative: there was good climbing this weekend!

Kat, Nina, and I all climbed Munginella (in the Five Open Books area to the west of Yosemite Falls). I led the first pitch, Nina took the second, and Kat floated the whole climb.  We came down and had a leisurely lunch. At 3:30, Nina and I hurried back for a second Book.  We were aiming for the Caverns. After making it up two pitches, and looking at the time, we determined we didn't have enough time to make it to the top of the climb by sunset. Nina had stopped at the first tree (our topo said the pitch ended after two), and there were still two pitches to go.  Too far! But wait...something wasn't sitting right. It should've been easy to make it to the second tree before running out of rope.  Another look at the topo revealed that we were actually two pitches up Hanging Teeth.  On the plus side, only one pitch to go! Unfortunately it was labeled "loose, dirty, overhanging 5.8 blocks" of "rapidly decreasing quality." Tempted as we were to back off, I was happy that I made the decision to take the rack and head up.  Some good steps of liebacking, and a finish of the promised poor quality, and we were at the top and heading down the by now familiar descent in the twilight.

Sunday morning we determined we wanted some good crack practice, and so we headed over to Highway Star. On toprope, we each got in several good runs on each of the many variations of 5.9 hands and off-hands, and 10a and 10b fingers.  Really fun climbing and definitely recommended for what it is!

Kat heading up .10a fingers. A tough intro to liebacking!

Alltogether not a bad weekend for climbing (I was able to step up and lead some relatively easy trad pitches), I guess I'm disappointed that I didn't push harder. Why not go for it and get moving from camp earlier in the morning? Try to do 3 Books instead of just two? Couldn't I have tried to lead Highway Star? Or we could've climbed in an area with more options? Like I said, not a bad weekend (really, no weekend in the Valley is bad), but excellence is a habit and serious jetlag or not, I wasn't practicing that this weekend.

Tenaya Peak, Northwest Buttress (15 Sept 2012)

Spark Notes: Northwest Buttress, Tenaya Peak (Guide: Tuolumne Free Climbs by SuperTopo)

Song of the Weekend:  Tribute - Tenacious D (Spotify)

I don't often make daytrips to Tuolumne, but Bennet was looking to extend a daytrip of his, and so I was lured up for a trip up Tenaya Peak. Both of us were afraid the day would be long and that we might take too long on the route. Turns out the pitches go fast when you simul-climb.

The day went something like this:
21:04 - burrito, 1st half
12:03 - arrive porcupine flat
12:15 - fall asleep
6:45 - open eyes
7:15 - get out of the sleeping bag
8:45 - begin hiking
10:00 - begin climbing
14:00 - top out
14:05 - burrito, 2nd half
14:50 - leave summit
16:30 - back at the lake
17:00 - swimming in the lake
18:00 - on the road
22:30 - back in the city
02:00 - burrito in the Mission

(check it out fullscreen)

Overall, I thought the route was a ton of fun.  Bennet led the whole day, while I practiced simul-climbing as a follower.  We started a bit higher than the SuperTopo-described start, and finished on something that felt like a 5.8 variation that finished about 150 feet left of the summit.  Except for the very finish, and a short slab section with thin cracks, the climbing was all easier than 5.4, and I found myself managing large loops of slack. The approach and descent weren't that bad at all (somehow we got lucky), with the notable exception that I had to hike in Wallabees, which proved to be better than the alternative: flip flops).  The other highlight of the day: an ice cold swim and relaxing by the beach of Tenaya Lake.  It seemed every other party on the peak had the same idea, too.

Ticklist:
Northwest Buttress (5.5) - long, easy grade, spectacular position, great intro to trad leading - 14 guidebook pitches, climbed in 3 simul-pitches (highly recommended) + 2 ropelengths (would've simuled if we didn't climb into a bottleneck)

Mt St. Helena, The Far Side (9 Sept 2012)

Spark Notes:
Sunday: cragging at the Bubble and the Far Side, Mt St Helena (Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Calistoga CA

Song of the Weekend: Beautiful Day - U2 (Spotify)

Not much to write here...just a day out cragging with friends.  Campo just got to town, and Eddie was in town for work.  Galina also came out, as did Bennett, Maia, Dan and a few others that I was meeting for the first time.  I think Mt. St Helena's a great place to climb, but the funky pockets, occasionally sharp rock, and sometimes difficult to solve sequences make the place a little harder on beginners.  This is offset by the fact that it's a beautiful setting in the hills above wine country.

So, make your own choice, definitely better to climb than just sit around for a day right? The lower toproping area also might be more friendly.

The only actually useful beta from the day:
- if you're a hang glider, this is apparently a popular launch spot (driving up the fire road)
- watch out for poison oak on the trail from the Bubble to the Far Side
- there are several routes not mentioned in the SuperTopo at the Far Side, they were somewhere between 5.9 and 5.10b and were fun.

We'll see if I can stay current on my posts, and maybe even work back to posting a bit about the (surprisingly active) summer trips.

Ticklist:

Guidebook: Bay Area Topropes (Supertopo)
Shute-Mills (5.9) - very fun
New Tradition (5.7) - okay, little cruxy at the 2nd or 3rd move
Mystery Hole (5.9R) - manageable runout, on easy ground
Feelin' Your Oats (5.10aR) - manageable runout, not too bad
...and 2 5.9-10b routes not identified in my guidebook

Luther Spires, 90 Foot Wall (7-8 July 2012)

I kept my streak of climbing weekends alive by heading up to South Lake last weekend.  Saturday was spent at Luther Spires.  I led every route I climbed, including a .10a mixed route which led to my only fall of the day, and my first fall on gear ever.  The gear held, which was a relief.  I'll head back and try to lead it clean another time, but the way B and I climbed it definitely felt strenuous.  I thought this crack was the crux, not the bolted section at the top.

Rattly fingers in the shadow.

For what it's worth, the SuperTopo seems to have some confusion in the Mixed Emotions area.  The .8 OW is easy to find, as is Mixed Emotions.  The bolts for Ringlock are nowhere to be found, though it's possible they're actually right of the OW. I wonder if a ring lock is the key to Mixed Emotions...

Day 2 was a day of top roping at the 90 Foot Wall.  Slippery rock, but some of the harder climbing I've done in a while (.10c I think). Worth a visit, especially for the nice lake views, but avoid the sun. I'm looking forward to getting a little stronger and trying Mayhem Cove in the same area.

Ticklist:
Dog and Gri Gri, Two Bucks (5.9)
Beer and a Hot Dog, Two Bucks (5.8)
Unknown, 2 bolts (5.9?)
Just Jerry (5.9)
Jacko (5.10b)
Jane Spy (5.7)
Mixed Emotions (5.10a)
Many topropes 5.8-10c

Royal Arches and Starr King (16-17 June 2012)

Spark Notes:
Saturday: Royal Arches
Sunday: Star King

Song of the Weekend: Peaches - The Presidents of the United States of America (Spotify)

Maybe there are more fans of the Presidents of the United States of America than I think, but those seem to be the unifying songs this year. I've belted out verses about the little boll weevil while winding over Carson Pass and sang along to Peaches (which I guess everyone knows) while swerving past Hardin Flat towards the valley.  I guess those will be some of my memories this year.

I once again managed to get myself along on a trip with Luke, Chris and Manit.  This time they were three and Luke was trying to figure out the most efficient way to get them up the long Royal Arches route.  I offered that maybe two teams of two would work well, which I guess everyone was okay with, so I was in.

We headed out of camp very early, parked at the Ahwahnee, and were the first folks on the route.  In fact, the only people we saw all day were hauling bags up the 5th pitch at 3pm. I have absolutely no idea what they were doing. Luke grabbed the rack and headed up the first pitch, a very slippery chimney.  After that, he let me lead the way and he followed as we simul-climbed.  Every gear exchange or two, we waited for Chris and Manit to catch up.  Overall, it was really quite a relaxing experience.  I felt pretty good climbing the whole day, except that I wasn't sure where to find the beginning of the rap route and stopped a bit early.

Luke enjoying the valley view before the sun hit.

The climb was pretty uneventful, just good fun.  Highly recommended, especially with an early start to beat the crowds and as much sun as possible.

Luke had plans for a long run on Sunday, Chris was in the valley with his in-laws, wife and little girl (chillest family ever, by the way, but they're Hawaiian so not exactly a surprise), and Manit wasn't psyched on climbing. So, after checking out Hans and Honnold in the meadow, I took another trip to Mt. Starr King (though I haven't written about the first one yet...oops).

While this I had my head together a bit better, I still wasn't really interested in soloing the slab without really knowing where to go.  So, I down climbed after climbing half the first pitch.  It's funny, with a belayer, even without pro, I would have been fine, but there's a time and place for soloing, and that wasn't for me that day.  Was I disappointed in myself? Yes, but it was still the right choice. Another time perhaps, or maybe not, time will tell.  In any case, still a great hike to a beautiful part of Yosemite with plenty of wildlife (7 deer and plenty of birds and marmots).

Ticklist:
Royal Arches (5.7 A0) - 17 guidebook pitches, climbed in a short chimney pitch and 5 simul-ed pitches

Matthes Crest (1 July 2012)

Song of the Weekend: The Presidents Of The United States Of America – Kick Out the Jams (Spotify)

Wooohoooo! That's really all I have to say about that....but I guess I'll go on anyway.

Traverse the skyline from right to left, rappel from the highpoint

After a day of hanging out with friends (E and G were passing through on the PCT), and actually climbing the last few weeks, I was actually excited about climbing and about leading.  Bennet was psyched too, though, so I let him take the first pitch.  I led off from there, taking one of the "many options" in the SuperTopo to get around other parties on the route. I climbed quickly, I climbed well, I placed little gear.  I was psyched, all was well.

B strolling along the Crest.

The day was sunny, the temps were great, and I was having a good day.  The exposure was enough to keep me on my toes mentally, but in most places the climbing was mellow and fun (with a step or two to think about here and there).  We were one of five parties on the ridge, but never really ran into them once we got on the ridge.

We descended from the south summit and debated hitting the north summit. We were tight on time, but figured  we'd go anyway...might as well, right?  Just climb fast so that Kat wouldn't worry. I wanted to lead the last pitch, but I saw that Bennett kind of did but wasn't going to without a push.  There are no friends on a powder day, but this wasn't a powder day.  Pushing him to lead, and seeing him push and crush it was great.

Cathedral Peak...next time...

For some reason, the only time I was gripped all day was while following on top rope.  I guess there's something about seeing that loop of slack in front of me that makes me nervous (even though I know I'm facing a much, much bigger fall after not placing gear for 20 feet.  Something to work on I guess.

Anyway, after following B as fast as I could, and barely stopping for a breath on the north summit, I started setting up rappels.  We hiked fast back from the base, then at the lake a couple miles from the trailhead B stopped for a refreshing swim and I started running (in case Kat hadn't gotten my text).  Turns out, she had and I ended up getting a good work out and bruised toes from running in approach shoes for a few miles.  At least the extra speed got me car to car in in under 12 hours (including the 1.5 hour wait to start the route).

Ticklist:
Matthes Crest (5.7) - small rack, as many or as few pitches as you want, we roped up for the first 3, the crux in the middle and the last pitch.

Snake Dike (21 April 2012)

Spark Notes: Snake Dike (Guide: Yosemite Valley Free Climbs by SuperTopo)

Song of the Weekend: Easy - Deer Tick (Spotify)

Whoops, this one's been sitting in drafts for a while.  Anyway...when the chance to climb Snake Dike with a strong crew came up (gotta do something when the skiing isn't great and Tioga's still closed!) I really couldn't say no.   Two of Luke and Lizzy's friends were training to do a long day on the Eastside, and Snake Dike would be a good chance to put in plenty of miles and climb some moderate pitches.  Originally, I was to be one of four, which then evolved to five so I was on the chopping block.  Fortunately, one more joined us, so we became a party of six (three rope teams) heading up the Mist trail at 5am.

The day went smoothly, we were the first party on the route and only saw a couple other folks all day.  My partner led most of the pitches, but I did take the first dike pitch.  Despite having only a single bolt in the whole rope length, I felt more comfortable leading than following the other pitches.  That might have had something to do with the large loops of slack I was getting (teaches me to be more vocal next time).

Runout (more like fun-out!)

Awesome day, and Lizzy posted a great report with more photos on Dream in Vertical here.

Ticklist:
Snake Dike (5.7R) - few bolts and less gear - 8 pitches, linked to 6

Mostly work, a little climbing (1 and 7 April 2012)

Spark Notes:
Sunday (a week ago) - Handley Rock Park, lower tier
Saturday (two days ago) - Castle Rock State Park, Waterfall Cliff
Guidebook: Rock Climbing Guide to the Castle Rock Area  (but Bay Area Top Ropes has some information on the areas, too)

Song of the Weekend(s): Little More Time - Zox (Spotify)

The past couple weekends have mostly been spent working (with a trip over to Merced for a day to pick oranges at my grandma's and do income taxes...hardcore, I know.)  Even on working days, though, I've been happy to get out for at least a couple hours on real rocks.

On the plus side, I did manage to climb at least a little bit at a couple local areas and Handley Rock Park and Castle Rock State Park.

Handley is relatively close, has zero approach, and top rope setup is super easy.  From the top (an easy scramble), the views of the valley and bay are pretty nice, too.  Having previously climbed on the left side of the top tier (5.8-5.9s and a 5.11), we headed down to the lower tier (5.7-5.9 depending on the line you choose).  The sandstone definitely makes you trust your feet and balance.  Good practice.

Handley Rock (Credit: Access Fund)

As for this weekend, I had been hoping to climb all day Sunday, but work wasn't going to let that happen.  My prospective partner was coming down from SF, and that commute just wasn't worth the couple hours that I could commit.  Fortunately, Kat and I climbed at the Waterfall Cliff (sorry no photos) for a couple hours yesterday.  The area is about a mile hike in, and has a nice view over the top of the (namesake) waterfall.  The waterfall dries up in the summer, but it was flowing pretty well this weekend.  We were also watched over by some circling turkey vultures...slightly ominous.

Despite being a wuss, and worrying about my forgotten chalk bag, I did keep working on my major goal for this year: becoming a better leader (trad leader, even better).  We climbed on the far right side of the cliff: Degeneration (5.10a) and Leading to Death (5.9).  Both were "mixed" climbs (gear and bolts, not rock and ice).  The gear sections were 5.6-5.8 and good practice for placing both nuts and cams. Again, the nature of the climbing meant mostly footwork with only a little bit of pulling. I was happy to climb without falling, but getting comfortable falling (when it's safe) is definitely something I need to work on as well.

Tick List:
Handley: Lower Left Routes (5.7-5.9)
Castle Rock: Degeneration (5.10a on bolts, 5.6 on gear) and Leading to Death (5.9, 5.8 on gear)

Tahoe Two-Sport Weekend (10-11 March 2012)

Spark Notes:

Saturday - Sugar Loaf, West Buttress (Guide: South Lake Tahoe Climbing by SuperTopo)

Sunday - skied at Kirkwood

Song of the trip: RJD2 – Ghostwriter (Spotify)

Waking up at a civilized 7am, I headed north to pick Bennett up in the city.  After loading more skis and cams than necessary, I pointed the Subaru north and east to Tahoe.  Bennett worked the iPod like a pro and the miles flew by.  On the drive we mixed bad singing with discussion about our goals for the day: with the consensus being moderate leading, and definitely some practice placing gear.  We debated the merits of the Leap and Cosumnes River Gorge, but eventually settled on Sugar Loaf.

We followed the SuperTopo directions to park along the side of 50.  We were met by gorgeous, sunny, t-shirt climbing weather (yay for March in California).  At the West Buttress area, we found both sticky granite and a class from the Lake Tahoe Community College.  Fortunately, the guides/students were friendly, and by situating ourselves to the far left, we climbed without interference all day.

Sacroiliac Joint (5.7)

Bennett started climbing first and led the way all day (he brought the psyche for sure) and I followed-up with my best impression.  We climbed the four routes at the far left of the crag, two friction sport climbs (5.8 and 5.9) to get a sense of things, followed by a couple top ropes to practice placing gear (10b with small gear + 2 bolts and an awkward, left leaning trad 5.7).  We supplemented the training by climbing up and then down-climbing, placing and removing gear on the 5.7.  Sufficiently psyched, we ended the climbing by leading the .7 and then the .10b in succession.  I was particularly happy with the last lead as I had greased off the 10b crux on TR before finding an easier path with some crucial nubs on the otherwise blank face.  We took the last half hour before sunset to walk around the base of the Sugar Loaf to get our bearings (and fill our heads with inspiration for another trip).  We retreated to the car in darkness: a good day indeed.

Sunset from Sugar Loaf

We arrived at the cabin expecting a relatively quite night, but found 7 new friends enjoying a feast, with food to spare.  You never know what you'll find when at Adam's place!  Glad for the company, we ditched our pizza in the fridge and joined the meal, adding some roasted veggies o the table.

Empty slopes going up The Wall at Kirkwood.

An extended hot tub session left our hands stinging but our legs refreshed for a day at Kirkwood.  We got a leisurely start after Bennett gave me a lesson in how to hot wax my skis.  Very therapeutic.  Because of the late start, we ate leftover pizza on the lift between runs: more time for skiing!  Wind, swirling snow, temperature, and low-hanging cloud cover kept the mountain relatively deserted meaning that Bennett and I were able to find plenty of drifts of soft snow among the icy patches.  A few premature binding releases on the Wall reminded me that I needed to adjust my bindings after having lent the skis to Doug last weekend.  Once snugged down, everything felt better, and we bounced back and forth from the Wall to Solitude threading between steep moguls and powder filled trees with a few little kickers in the gullies and small terrain parks.  All told, we could have barely asked for a better day, and were treated to gorgeous scenery on the drive home thanks to the additional hour of daylight.

Snow's in the forecast for this weekend so I guess I may be headed back...

Tick List:

Long Toe (5.8) - sport - lead

Middle Toe (5.9) - sport - lead

Sacroiliac Joint (5.7) - trad - mock lead, then lead

Short Toe (5.10b) - mixed - mock lead (hung), then lead