Skyline to the Sea (23 June 2012)

Spark Notes: ~27 miles, 2400 ft up, 5000 ft down, 5.5 hours

Depending on where exactly you start and what source you read, the Skyline to the Sea trail is somewhere between 27 and 30 miles long, and runs from Saratoga Gap down to the Pacific Ocean at Waddell Beach. There are more eloquent trail descriptions out there, but here's the short story: 8 or 9 miles winding back and forth across the highway, another 10-15 miles through the spectacular redwoods of Big Basin State Park, then 6-7 miles of relatively unremarkable multi-use trail to get to the beach.

I had plans to visit Monterey and Santa Cruz on Sunday, so the goal was to pack in a full Saturday, and keep it close to home.  I've been planning on taking Kat backpacking down the trail over a two or three day weekend.  Naturally after thinking about it for a little while, doing the trail in the day seemed like a good way to get an idea of its difficulty before taking Kat out. A little Googling, and the fact that the Western States 100 was going on at the same time, made me think that a bit of running could be fun. (No, I don't really run at all.)

Thanks to Kat, I started at 7:30.  I had no expectation of running the trail when I started, but a half mile in or so, running just seemed like a good idea. So I did. Despite the proximity to the highway, the first several miles were really quite fun.  Actually the whole trail was great: winding single track in an ever more aesthetic setting (except for the last 6 miles, which were bearable only because they finished the trail). The miles disappeared underfoot and time flowed by...it was just great to move! And so, about 5.5 hours later, I found myself making change to use a pay phone to let Kat know that I had arrived a bit early (having predicted 8-10 hours on the trail).  The world has a way of working out though...in this case, for a trio of girls who had just finished the trail over 4 days and needed a lift back to San Jose.

The hardest part was the pounding on my ankles.  I wasn't exactly moving fast, so cardiovascular fitness wasn't an issue, but the constant pounding definitely took its toll.  I wanted to stop for a few minutes at Big Basin HQ (~15 miles in), but my ankles/lower legs hurt more and more the longer I stopped.  So, after stuffing down a Clif bar, I kept on my way.  That bar, a sleeve of Shot Blocks, and 2L of water was enough to get me through.  Of course I carried a nice big lunch all the way that I got to enjoy at the beach. Oops.

Would I do it again? Sure, though I would take less water (plenty of fill up stops) and might get a new pair of shoes first instead of using a 2 year old pair that I wear only occasionally. It would also be nice to go faster, or maybe do the loop that makes it a 50k. In any case, it's kind of nice running a marathon without the hassle of training or an organized race (apparently the previous two weekends had seen events on the trail that I was fortunate to avoid)...Forest Gump might be proud.

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

Slackcountry Daytrip (14 April 2012)

Spark Notes:

Saturday: Kirkwood and slackcountry to Emigrant Lake

Song of the Trip: Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen) (Spotify)

Usually I pick a "Song of the Trip" because it was something that I particularly liked while on the road, or have been really enjoying that week.  This week, however, I'm dispensing some advice: spring skiing means harsher sun and longer hours, and I have a goggle tan burn to prove it.  I really ought to remember that lesson year to year.  So, yeah, wear sunscreen.

Despite the burn, I'd say the day was still worth it.  I got to Adam's at 1:00 on Friday night/Saturday morning and crashed on the couch.  We were up at 7 and out the door early to try to catch first tracks.  Why bother in April?  Believe it or not, fresh snow in April!  Kirkwood had been blessed with over 2 feet of snow in the previous 3 days and no terrible thawing temperatures.

Rusty shredding inbounds.

We rode lifts and hiked inbounds all morning to get as many fresh turns as we could.  By the time the afternoon rolled around, most of the resort was tracked out, so we skinned along the ridge to the south of the top of Sunrise (Chair 10, I think).  Completely untracked slopes led down to Emigrant Lake just below Melissa Coray Peak.  I ended up skiing with two new folks (friends of a friend) and had an awesome time.  Definitely a highly recommended slackcountry destination on days with good snow stability, especially since the tour back to the lifts is pretty mellow, too.

We'll see if there's more skiing this year, hopefully the freeze/thaw cycles will line up for some good corn snow.  I may just get too excited for climbing though...

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)

168 Hours Later: Trimmer Peak (24 March 2012)

Spark Notes:

Saturday: Trimmer Peak, somewhere between 7 and 8 miles and about 4k feet

Sunday: Heavenly, trees, rocks, and parks

Song of the Weekend: You Never Know Who You're Gonna Meet - Jacob Bain & Publish the Quest (Spotify)

A week after the only real dumping of the '11-12 season in Tahoe, and you could barely tell that it had snowed.  Eric was feeling a bit under the weather, so we got a bit of a late start on Saturday morning.  Nonetheless, we were at the trailhead by 9:30 or so and walking our way in.  Yup, skis on our backs.  In March.  (After about a half a mile, we were able to start skiing.)

Route Map

Eric and I weren't really on the same page all day.  That'll happen when energy, stoke, and health levels aren't lining up.  I had my eyes on Freel Peak, and for sure that's on the tick list for next season (take a look off the back of Heavenly and you'll see the inviting upper snowfield and couloirs).  After Eric called a lunchtime nap, we changed tack and climbed Trimmer Peak instead.  We took a few turns down junk snow on the east side of trimmer, then skinned back up and headed down the north face.  According to the book, the parallel avalanche slides down the face are known as "The Elevens."  We figured it would make more sense to call them "the ones" or "the eleven" but maybe we read the book wrong.  Not important anyway.

Elevens (Trimmer Peak, North Face)

The skiing was mediocre, and it was a bit of a slog, but the day was more about getting out than shredding turns, and that was just fine.  I'm looking forward to getting back to Freel next year.  Other highlights of the weekend including running into a high school friend on a lift at Heavenly, getting into the terrain park for a bit, and seeing possibly the coolest rainbow I've ever seen.

Tahoe from Trimmer

Booting up

No leprechauns in sight.

Powder Weekend (17-18 March 2012)

Spark Notes:

100" of powder at Kirkwood throughout the storm

Saturday - skied Heavenly

Sunday - backountry, 3 laps and 5k vert at Waterhouse Peak

Song Of The Weekend: The Boondock Saints (YouTube) It was St Patrick's Day, after all.

It's been a dry winter for Tahoe, and while that meant climbing last weekend was excellent, it's been rough for skiing this season.  Fortunately, it snowed in the Sierra all of last week, and the biggest dump was saved for Friday night through Saturday night: perfect for everyone from the Bay Area who might have skis, a snowboard, or a sled to make the drive up to Tahoe.
I left work late on Friday and arrived very late of Friday night, technically Saturday morning. This led to a late-ish (9:30am) start, so Eric and I opted to ski Heavenly. One false start later (Eric forgot his boots) and we were on the slopes by 10.  Despite last season's spectacular ski conditions, I think this was my first for-real powder day.   What a way to celebrate St. Patricks day.  I, fortunately, plan my year around the holiday and proudly wore my green soft shell, boots, and skis. (Yeah, right.)

Heavenly...good skiing and great lake views.

A few runs in and I was finally getting the technique and loving the feel of bottomless snow.  Mott Canyon proved packed, but the Palisades gave us lap after lap of untracked runs, so we didn't see any need to really explore for the rest of the day.

Eric, shredding the Heavenly Palisades.

On another note...skiing The Face (double diamond) last year, felt like a real accomplishment after a couple days at Heavenly.  It was my first run this time around, with no hesitation.  I was pretty happy with that.

I got a bit of work in on Saturday night, but mostly relaxed and watched G.N.A.R.  Sunday, we checked out the avalanche forecast (moderate on all aspects above and below treeline on slopes 35 degrees and greater) and opted to head to Kirkwood.  On the way, though, both Eric and I were feeling the call of the backcountry. After driving past, I had to pull a U-turn to park at Luther Pass.  We recalled that Waterhouse Peak was pretty low angle, and would be anchored very well by trees, plus neither of us had skied it before, so the choice was pretty much made.

Waterhouse topo. Credit: www.aboutlaketahoe.com

Great decision on our part...the skin track was laid reasonably well, and we had spectacular, untracked conditions from top to bottom.  We were even safer than at the resort, where there was an in-bounds avalanche.

Eric skinning up among heavily loaded trees.

I've never had quite that feeling of weightlessness and pure joy while skiing before.  I finally understand all the hype about "blower pow" that all the ski movies talk about.  The trees were just spaced out enough, with plenty of snow to let us go off of rocks and trees for a little added fun.  The storm kept on all day, filling in our skin tracks a little between each lap.  That was fine with us though, I don't think anything could have crushed the mood.  Three laps later dark was falling, so we headed back to pick up the girls and begin the slog back home.

Sometimes low angle, but always awesome.

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