A very fine start

You know how I can tell I'm in California?  My back is killing me.  The final day in the car apparently didn't sit too well, and I've been stretching and doing yoga like a madman to try to remedy this annoyance. It hasn't kept me from climbing and hiking around, but I'm beginning to take all that "30 and over the hill" talk as the truth.  Damn it.

As for the start of this little road trip, Josh and I got things going in Rifle.  I was happy to have the chance to get back into the canyon and send one final project before it gets too cold, and also for the opportunity to hang with friends before a few weeks away.  The weather in Rifle was perfect, and I was sad to say goodbye.  Fortunately for me, my buddy Jesse was out for the weekend and was able to resupply me after a very poor packing job.  I'd been so distracted by the demands of getting everything squared away before I left that I opened my bag and saw only two pairs of pants for a three week trip.  Jesse swung by my place and grabbed a few more items, and I'm hugely grateful.

Sunset and Van

Chilling under the Hulk

After that hiccup, Josh and I got the drive underway in earnest and have since arrived in California.  We promptly met up with our friends, brothers Joel and Neil Kauffman.  These crushers first entered my radar this spring while I spent some time in Indian Creek, and I am happy to be in their presence again.  Especially since our first climbing mission out here has been treating the Incredible Hulk like our backyard crag.  This alpine beauty is a stunning granite spire in the Eastern Sierra.  I can tell you that Positive Vibrations lives up to the hype, and that going ground up on The Venturi Effect is a tall order.  Too tall for me, in fact.

The Hulk

Otherwise, Josh and I survived getting pulled over in Ely, Nevada, a pretty massive detour out of town (too flustered by our police encounter, we took 50 instead of 6, and drove a few miles out of the way), and the most insane sunset of my life.  I hope these pics suffice.

Josh eyes the raps

Our bivy cave

The weather is looking a little hot in The Valley, so I just came down into town on a work/life/resupply mission before heading back to The Hulk tomorrow for another few days.  More to follow when we get back out.    

Back to the Ditch

Here we go.  Josh and I are setting out sights westward once again.  Our goals are similar to the last time he and I drove into Yosemite.  We would love to get back up and climb on El Cap, the greatest stone other than that of Movement Climbing and Fitness.  Also, there are several long free routes scattered on other formations that we've got our eyes on.  I'm hoping to meet up with Nuno-Miguel, my longtime buddy who's now in the Bay Area, for some bouldering, too.  He's not the only friend who is slated to be out there, as multiple other people I've talked to have plans for a Valley autumn, as well.

The Diamond

Work projects have me running a little ragged lately, and I'm excited for some downtime.  I'm sure I'll still have the Blackberry in view more than I want, and check emails with nervous glances, but I'm laying some chips on the idea that once I break free from Denver/Boulder's gravity, I'll be able to melt into the road trip rhythm.  There is something so special about the chance to conjure up big goals, and take the time required to accomplish them.  I'm quite excited. 

That said, I've been battling a bit of my own expectations for this trip.  With the success we had on The Salathe Wall last year, I'm trying to remain focused on this year's challenges, and allow that it's still going to be intimidating to be back up on such huge walls.  It's fun to watch my brain swing from fear to fanatical excitement when I think about the climbing in what's unquestionably Mecca for rock climbers.  Above all, I'm really excited to have the support of my girlfriend while I'm away.  Beyond that, knowing that Josh and I make a great team is inspiring confidence in me.

He and I were just up on The Diamond for a big, car-to-car push up the Yellow Wall.  It was my second trip up to that iconic face of Long's Peak, after last year's voyage up Pervertical Sanctuary with Alex Macpherson.  Josh and I added some difficulties by avoiding the bivy at the base, and taking only one rope onto the face, thereby committing ourselves to a summit push in lieu of any optional rappels back down the face.  The added comfort of being somewhere familiar limited the intimidation a bit.  I'm hoping that this second trip to Yosemite is similar in that regard.  It's still going to blow my mind, without a doubt.  I'm hoping, however, that I can enjoy the experience with a little less anxiety than I felt the first time I dropped into "the ditch."

Josh nearing the finish to the North Chimney

I'm going to try to keep the blog updated while I'm out in California.  Please stay tuned.  I'm very excited for my new camera, and the chance to post some better pictures for your viewing pleasure.  One of the nice things about going out to Yosemite is that this national park's management plan is catered to comfort.  There are plenty of places to catch a wireless signal, plug in the old computer, and spray endlessly to the folks back home.  I don't want to paint a totally plush picture...there are still bears roaming the valley, and there aren't escalators to the top of any rocks (yet).  Adventure hasn't been completely eliminated, thankfully.


So Wally is packed up, my work is as done as it can be for the moment, and we're setting sail.  Wish us luck!

30 aught six

Chris Kalous, indisputable hardman and an under the radar legend, got so motivated by Indian Creek's perfect splitter cracks (see photo above) that he did 40 pitches there on his 40th birthday.  Jesus.  Chris sits on the board of a great local climbing organization, Friends of Indian Creek. They help steward the area I hold so dear to my heart.  Maybe their bylaws require him to check out every route on Donnelly Canyon, Battle of the Bulge, and Supercrack Buttress, but when he told me about his exploits while he was jumping my car's dead battery in the parking lot, I was blown away.  This guy's a freaking Ninja.

I toyed with the idea of doing something similarly themed.  It was nice to be younger on this occasion, as even thirty pitches sounded improbable.  How the hell did Chris do 40?  Fortunately for me, my buddy Andrew was having his 30th a few weeks before mine, and he was planning on 30 routes in Rifle.  Problem solved.  But then I realized I had a new problem.  What was I gonna do?

If I'm totally honest, six was probably a more realistic number for me.  Six was going to allow me to hang out, enjoy some lazy time with friends cooking breakfast, tag some pitches, and get back for a family dinner at some cabins we'd rented.  Perfect.  I've been trying to find balance in my life recently, and this weekend I might have nailed it.

Two incredible gifts that I got this weekend, and I've got to share.

My mom hooked it up with a much more advanced camera than I'd previously had, and I'm really excited to share some better photos/videos in the future.

Julia made a book with essentially 30 years worth of pictures, stories and input from the people closest to me in my life.  Thank you.  That shows perfectly why I had to have a 30.06 birthday.

By the way, I have no idea who the woman is in the bottom right.  She was friendly, dinner was family style, and I'd been drinking.  I demanded her presence in the photo.