RAZA: The Blog

Leavenworth & Gold Bar 2011

2011-08-21T15:26:00.001-07:00

The famous Leavenworth sign

24 hours after leaving Berkeley, we arrived at our destination: Leavenworth, WA. Lured 800 miles from home with the promise of granite boulders and loaded up with many crash pads, camping gear and our faithful dog, Lucy, we were excited to explore a new area. Our first order of business was to find a place to camp and we lucked out when guided by intelligence gathered by our friend, Justin, we found a perfect, shady spot at the end of an untraveled road near one of the many rivers.

Lyn on The Sword, v3

What we discovered immediately is that Leavenworth in August is hot. Consulting our guide, we decided to head to the Sword area since it was one of the few areas recommended to us with all day shade. Highlights of the day were doing the highball classic, The Sword (v3), seeing a cool beetle on the crashpad and finding a rubber snake on one of the topouts! I was a bit concerned when Lucy came to meet us on the top of the boulder and seemed oblivious of the snake as it didn't bode well for her awareness of rattlesnakes which the guidebook warned were plentiful in the area. Paul also managed to climb the rest of the 3-star v-hard problems that found me lacking in power and span. Yay for vacation!

A Rubber Boa at The Sword Area

Strange bug

Paul Trying the move on The Practitioner, v11

After our first day climbing, we decided the best way to get good temps was to do early morning sessions since the rock was so heated by baking in the sun all day that afternoon sessions seemed pointless. Despite being on vacation, we set our alarm for 6AM hopeful that we could get at least a few hours of climbing before the sweltering began. This was only partially successful.

The view from Gold Bar

Late on our second day of climbing in the heat, Paul suggested we head to Gold Bar, "only a 45 minute drive from Leavenworth" as our trusty friends assured us. An hour and a half later we found ourselves at the boulders wondering what kind of speed records Justin and Becky had broken to drive the 80 miles in such good time. Our first and only climb was Water, recommended to us by said speed demons. It was a good one that I found especially challenging given the big last move. It was enough to assure us of the high quality of the rock.

Lyn trying Aries: God of War, v8

Lyn bouldering on the Squamish-like boulders of the Sanctuary

One of the coolest shaped boulders around, Fraggle Rock @ Gold Bar

Lyn on Obesity, v7

Sunset view from Fraggle Rock at Gold Bar

We found the Clearcut/Sanctuary/Forest areas of Gold Bar to be strongly reminiscent of Squamish down to the same kind of banana slugs and berries that Lander love to pick and eat. Too bad there was no smoothie truck in the parking lot! The Aries problems were both intricate and interesting and I really enjoyed watching Paul send them for the family. The Obesity problem was one of the best I did on the trip, with the most amazing pinch I've ever used on a climb and the views from Fraggle Rock at sunset were spectacular. Unfortunately, there were swarms of tiny biting insects that came out at the same time, so lingering wasn't desirable. I made Paul and Lucy hang around while I beasted myself on it all the same. After most of our days of climbing, we hightailed it to the Prospector, a local restaurant/bar/karaoke establishment. We had made friends with the owner, Steve, on our first trip to Gold Bar when we realized that everywhere else was closed by 9pm and we were starving. Steve was kind enough to make us dinner after he had closed the kitchen and entertained us of life on his ranch in Eastern Washington.

Lyn putting the pimp in Pimpsqueak, v9

Lyn on Who Nose, v7

Lyn warming up on the amazing Five Star Boulder

Lyn & Lucy making friend in Leavenworth

Scenes from Leavenworth, WA

Lyn on the committing Sleeping Lady, v2

Icicle Canyon

Paul and Lyn glad to have survived the Sleeping Lady, v2

Lyn on Premium Coffee, v7

Give a dog a bone! Lucy enjoying a deer bone.

Paul on Yosemite Highball, v3

Lyn on the crux dyno of Right Angles, v8

Lucy enjoying playing fetch by the river

Our campsite

Leaving just in time, smoke from the fire in Tumwater Canyon visible in Leavenworth

If you've got 20 minutes to kill, here is the video we made of our trip

South Africa 2009: Part 6

2009-08-24T18:55:00.000-07:00

Cam learning programming from Steve and Randy

So far, you guys have seen about many of our adventures, climbing and otherwise. But what you haven't seen is that every night, we come back to our cottage on the Strauss Farm (called the Sassie House) have dinner, show photos and generally have a good time. One night, Steve and Randy showed Cam how to do some basic programming and he took it from there. It didn't take long from him to get the hang of it and he created a crude game where two players rolled dice against each other - pretty cool!

Random Japanese hardman on Armed Response [v13]

We headed up to The Fortress to try some of the climbs there, mainly Armed Response and The Vise. Justin, Randy and I were having a hard time on the former and just to make us feel better, we watched three guys from this group of Japanese climbers send the problem. We then joked around amongst ourselves that the score was Japan 3, USA 0 but I think they overhead us! Oops.

Bushman rock art

Crossing the creek on our rock art walk

There is a lot of Bushmen rock art in our area, so we checked out the Sevilla Rock Art Trail, which is on the land where we are staying. The hike itself was as good as the rock art because the area had tons of wild flowers. The creek was in 'flood stage' so we had to take off our shoes to ford - Steve made it across despite his concern about parasites!

Randy on Black Shadow [v13]

After a fun day climbing at Road Crew, Randy, Justin and I headed to the Tea Farm to check out Black Shadow, a cool slopey / squeezy roof that many people had recommended to me. We sessioned the climb to work out the moves. It took a good 3 hours, but we figured everything out.

This climbing area is on the western slope of Pakhuis Pass so the sunsets can be spectacular, as seen in the above photo. Like much of the climbing on private land, payment is required, but what is nice about the Tea Farm, is that having some tea and pastries qualifies as payment. Lyn and Cam quite enjoyed that aspect!

Hiking to the top of Table Mountain, a view of the tram and Cape Town

The summit gully

Enjoying the top of Table Mountain

We drove down to Cape Town to hike to the top of Table Mountain (1060m) and get dinner at a fancy restaurant afterwards. The trail to the top basically consisted of hundreds of stone steps that took a pretty direct path to the top. We didn't exactly get an early start (3pm) and while we were huffing and puffing on the way up, many of the hikers were having an epic time getting down. I saw grown men and women doing a modified crab walk down the steeper sections! We didn't crawl on the way down, but everyone's legs were doing the 'Elvis Shake' by the end.

Cam and Steve contemplating dinner at Le Quartier Francais

Just a sample of one of our amazing dishes

After the Table Mountain hike we were definitely ready for dinner so we drove to Franschhoek to go to Le Quartier Francais, which is regarded by many as the best restaurant in Africa. It must be known that I am no foodie, so it was cool to be there with Lyn, Randy and Steve so I could listen them talk about the food. Some of the dishes were familiar, but many were exotic - they prepared celery to somehow look like a sponge! Cameron was adventurous and got the 8 course menu (without the wine pairing!) and was really good about trying all the strange things that showed up - of course it helped that everything tasted so good!

A little touch up work

As a by-product of the road construction, some of the smaller roads were inaccessible. We tried to fix the road to 8 Day Rain with our feet, but thankfully some workers took pity on us and used some more effective equipment to fix the junction! Things were going our way, and Lyn sent Wills' Slab, v7, while there.

At the end of the day I put some time in on Black Shadow, and started getting good linkage. Lyn and Cam were nice and kept me company by playing gin and eating snacks.

Lyn warming up at Fields of Joy

As the end of our trip drew near, we started to try to take advantage of every climbing opportunity. The forecast said rain, but we headed to Fields of Joy early so Lyn could finish off some climbs there. The rain held off for a little while, long enough to send Dirty Lies, v7. (We actually put Lyn's pants on the finishing holds to keep them dry) Lyn also figured out the moves on Maniac, v7, but the rain started to get horizontal and we had to leave.

Sunset after a day at the Sassies

Our planned mission to Road Crew and the Fortress the next day had to be aborted due to the torrential rains from the previous night - the storm even left a dusting of snow on Pakhuis Pass. While I figured this was my only chance to have a snowball fight in Africa, I got overruled and we climbed at the Sassies instead. We got thwarted by the passing showers a few times, but near the end of the day the temperatures got really good. I managed to send Shosholoza, v12, a classic problem named after a famous South African folk song, and Randy sent Paul Abdul, v11, a short and deceptively easy looking climb.

Randy on The Vise [v13]

The cold temperatures continued and the crew headed back to the pass. Randy and Beth left early to try Tomorrow I'll Be Gone, v10 before it got in the sun and the early morning mission paid of: they both sent. The climbing at the Fortress (the highest area in Pakhuis Pass) was almost too cold. The chilly temperatures made it hard for the folks climbing (I was resting), especially on longer problems like The Vise.

Randy on The Scorpion [v6]

For our last day we headed to the newest area in the Rocklands, the Champagne Sector, to see what it was all about. Nalle Hukkataival had recently put up the hardest problem in the Rocklands, but the rumors said there was much more to see. The area was quite different than the rest of the Rocklands. The climbing was mostly vertical and very technical. Randy's send of the highball arete, The Scorpion, was impressive, but he was outdone only a few minutes earlier by Cameron's courageous send of a highball slab in borrowed shoes. This was only the second time that Cam climbed on the trip!

I headed back with Justin and Randy to the Tea Farm for one more chance on Black Shadow. Randy, who was climbing for his third straight day and complained of being tired - sent on his very first try! I managed to send as well after a number of miscues and Justin got extremely close, until an ankle tweak prevented him from trying any more.

Our last night, dinner at the Khosian Kitchen

We got a free meal at the Khosian Kitchen, the restaurant on the farm, to wrap up the day. An Austrian climber had shot a springbok and our farm owner had decided to make a feast with the meat. Not a bad way to end our trip.

We are back home now, safe and sound after the butt-numbing return flight. Cameron is now enjoying his 'real' vacation (doing absolutely nothing) and Lyn and I are back to work. Thanks for reading!

-Raza

South Africa 2009: Part 5

2009-08-12T04:28:00.000-07:00

Sunset from The Fortress

This might be a tad redundant after the above photo, but the sunsets here are ridiculous. We spent a full day climbing at Road Crew and The Fortress. We climbed so much, we forgot to take photos! Steve did point out the sunset and Lyn raced over to a good spot to take the picture.

Our Robben Island tour guide

Nelson Mendela's Cell, for part of his 27 year imprisonment

We went to Cape Town for the weekend and got a tour of the prison on Robben Island. This is the prison where the hardened criminals and the political prisoners were sent during apartheid. They intended to put these two groups together to break the spirit of the political prisoners, but they were having too much influence on the hardened criminals so they ended up separating the two groups!

Interestingly, the political prisoners referred to Robben Island as "The University", because they spent all their free time reading, learning, and debating politics.

Us with a view of Cape Town in the background

Cape Town from the harbor

Hanging out on the waterfront after the tour of Robben Island

The Aquarium

Our next day we checked out the aquarium, which was really cool. They had many crazy species and some very large tanks with sharks.

Rock art in the 8 Day Rain bouldering area

Randy trying his nemesis, The Shark

Alan on the big slab @ 8 Day Rain

Yesterday we bouldered at a newer area called 8 Day Rain. Randy had tried The Shark but it was hot and the holds sharp. It was cooler when we went back but the holds were still sharp! Justin, Randy or I didn't feel that bad about it because we had all sent Barracuda earlier.

At the end of day we all went down to the lower area to try the only slab in the Rocklands. Well, I guess I wasn't psyched to try it - so I took photos instead.

Today is a downpour so Cam and I are hanging out at the internet cafe in town. Lyn and the rest of the folks headed in to Cape Town for more excitement.

-Raza

South Africa 2009: Part 4

2009-08-03T01:56:00.000-07:00

A view from our plane while flying into our remote airstrip

As a part of our trip to South Africa, we decided to take a 'vacation within a vacation' because it would be a shame to come all the way to Africa just to rock climb (says Lyn). We headed to the Madikwe game reserve to go on safari and see some of the amazing wildlife. This involved flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then taking a Cessna from Johannesburg to a small dirt airstrip inside the reserve.

After the safe landing on the dirt airstrip

Our luxurious accommodations - it sure beats the Sassie Cottage!

Giraffes

It didn't take long to see some wildlife. On the first have day we saw elephants, zebras, wildabeast, giraffes, impalas and rhinos! We stayed at the Buffalo Ridge safari lodge, and it was way fancier than I expected - we were not roughing it to say the least!

An example of one of the gourmet meals; this was springbok

A Red Hartabeast

We spent some time hangin' with an Elephant herd

Lounging by the pool, too bad we didn't bring swimsuits!

A pair of Rhinos lounging by a bush

A younger lion (but still pretty darn big!).

This was one of two lions that we saw walking along the road. His sister walked a mere three feet away from the side of our Land Rover and stared long and hard at Cameron before strolling away. I guess she decided she wasn't that hungry after all.

Three lionesses with their kill

We came upon three lionesses with their kill early on our third day. They get very tired from the hunt so they just ate the intestines and proceeded to take a nap. When we cam back later that night to check on them again, most of the zebra was gone!

Goofing off in the Land Crusier

Two male lions with their rhino kill

We also spotted a male lion in the tall grass and as we approached, we realized that two brothers had managed to kill a fully grown female rhino. Our guide, Pule, was beside himself because he didn't think that a pair of relatively inexperienced lions (they know all the lions in the reserve by name) could take down a rhino, but as he said, "Miracles do happen".

Running outside the reserve

Some of us were going stir crazy due to the lack of exercise, so we devised a plan to have our guide, Pule, take us to his village just outside the reserve. That way we could check out his village and some of us (not me) could go on a run. Even Cam was convinced to run for a couple kilometers. (I rode along in the Land Rover.)

Our guide Pule's son, niece and mother

A rainy dawn on our last day

Hard to see, but there are hippos in the water

On our last day we were able to finagle a longer game drive so we could see the eastern side of the park. At the river we saw a pair of hippos hanging out, which was a big highlight for Lyn, I know.

'Tea Time' on the Land Rover

Flying out

This was an adventure because bad weather and turbulence caused at least one passenger to have a small fit and puke in her barf bag. Lyn slept through all the excitement and didn't understand when the woman apologized for being such a poor flying companion.

Lyn Verinsky on John Denver [v6]

On our first day back on our climbing vacation, we headed out the campground climbing area to check out the classic problem called John Denver. After everyone sent (good work Peter!), we headed over so I could try Tea Time, but not before Lyn sent the dyno problem, Baboon Sumo [v7], using a crazy small sidepull.

Raza on Tea Time [v10]

After Peter and Wick headed to town, and a few hours of lazing around the Campground boulders, Lyn and I went out to Roadside so she could try her project Caroline and she sent on her second try of the night! Must have been all that good living on the Safari ;)

Lyn on Unknown slab @ 8 Day Rain area

Yesterday was our second day on but, we headed out to the 8 Day Rain area with Peter to check out some of the problems there (it was his last day of climbing). Lyn's eyes lit up when she saw this cool slab. Most of the boulder problems are pretty steep, so it was a treat to find a genuine slab! We had done a few slab warm-ups and a supposed v8 slab at Roadside that would have been Yosemite v3/4, but this was the best looking slab we'd seen by far. Unfortunately, we stumbled across this problem at the end of the day so after only 15 minutes of attempts with not a lot of success, everyone packed it in and headed to Oliphants for dinner to celebrate the end of Peter's trip and finally try the much hyped Espatata and Cederburg Special.

-Raza

South Africa 2009: Part 3

2009-07-28T21:34:00.001-07:00

The view from atop Petit Hueco

Wednesday was a day of sending. We started off at the Sassies because Lyn and Peter were psyched to get on Petit Hueco. Lyn, Cam and I went early to try to get a full day in, and sneak some tries in on The Peach, another project that Lyn was eyeing.

After warming up I managed a sneak attack sends (the boulders were caught napping) of The Peach, v7 and Pinotage, v10. Sometimes I think the sneak attack method is the best - staying up at night thinking about the moves never seems to help. Lyn sent Petit Hueco, v8 right out of the gates and Peter followed her success after a few flubbed attempts early. Everyone was very excited for Peter to send his first v8 and he let out quite a victory exclamation at the top. To wrap things up at the Sassies, Lyn figured out a key piece of beta and sent The Peach.

The ever present "Ry/Go"

In the afternoon we headed out to another bouldering area called The Plateau - usually about a 15 minutes drive - but you never really know due to the road construction. The road from Clanwilliam to the Rocklands is being upgraded to a paved road and the subsequent construction means you might get stuck at what we call a "Ry/Go" for a while.

Once at The Plateau, we headed up to a project of Kevin's called Gliding Through Waves Like Dolphins, an awesome slopey, squeezy, v11 at the top of the Plateau. After an extended beta session, with more crazy falls than a Red Cross safety video, both Kevin and I managed to send! It was probably the windiest and coldest day so far and while the wind made the crash pads blow around, the extra friction was a key ingredient to our success.

Alan on the Hatchling, v11

On Thursday we headed out to Climb Fontaine to spot some of our comrades who wanted to hop on the Hatchling - probably the wildest looking boulder problem you will ever see. The boulder looks like a petrified hatched dinosaur egg! Both Mike Wickwire an Alan sent - most likely do to our encouragement... (of course)

Randy Puro on Soular Power [v10?]

On our next day we headed out to Fields of Joy. It should be noted that this area is located on a hillside and there are no fields. This will be my opportunity to rant about the grades because many of them are way off! For example, Soular Power is (was) graded v12 but most of us did it in a handful of tries. While it is hard, it isn't v12! The rest of this post will be mostly pictures because I am at the airport on the way to our Safari in Eastern South Africa!

The yummy outdoor seafood braai in Lambert's Bay

Pondering the choices at Manna Epicure in Cape Town

Our hostel room in Cape Town

The penguins at Boulder Beach

Lyn working her project, Caroline [v10]

South Africa 2009: Part 2

2009-07-21T02:43:00.000-07:00

After a day of rest and interneting (I made that up) we headed out to an area near where we are staying called the Sassies. It is an area that is very exposed (read: warm) and a good place to go after a rain - not that it had recently rained. There is a good density of problems and we had fun bouncing around between them, the prize of the area being Pinotage. While neither Lyn nor I could send, Kevin managed to summit in the blazing sun after failing in the shade. I forgot the camera so no pictures.

The sand dunes of Elands Bay

For our next rest day we decided to take a trip out to Elands Bay to check out the coast. We hiked on the beach for a while exploring the sand dunes and gathering shells that were everywhere. The west coast of South Africa faces the Atlantic Ocean and the water is pretty cold, which precluded any swimming. Interestingly, there was a warm breeze blowing in from the ocean, which is so different from the Northern California beaches I am used to.

Becky and Justin walking down the beach in Elands Bay

The sand dunes

Tide pool

Heading a little farther south, we discovered an area with amazing tide pools and scared some baby seals that were sunning themselves on the rocks. Check out the sea anemones, also very different from the ones found in California.

Crazy multi-color sea anemones carpet

Eroded slab

Paul, Lyn and Cam on the Shosholoza

While exploring, we found a boat named Shosholoza, which is also the name of a famous boulder problem in the Rocklands.

Toll road?

Instead of heading directly back to Clan William, we decided to go back through Lambert's Bay. The fastest way to get there is to take the toll road. Once the security guard lifted the gate, we were quite surprised to find that the toll road was nothing more than a dirt road that followed the train tracks. We chuckled about this - that is until the toll road ended and found the the regular road had more potholes than flat parts!

Once back at our cottage we met up with our climbing comrades and partook in the most South African of activities, the braii (barbeque). On the menu was some local fish (Keel Hoek), bacon wrapped lamb, and the local favorite: Springbok, which is like a deer with crazy horns. The eight of us barely fit around the table of our tiny kitchen, which doesn't have an oven and has the unfortunate propensity to lose all electricity if more than one appliance is used at the same time. It has been a challenge to figure out how to make dinner using the one working hot plate.

Lyn on Creaking Heights [v4]

Yesterday we went out to climb at the Roadside boulders. It should be noted that the 'road' is a actually a donkey cart trail to a town called Whupertal and not one that a car could drive down, making the 'roadside' boulders a half hour hike.

We started off the day on the classic highballs Creaking Heights, v4 and Schwupp, v6. We then went on to work the moves on Caroline, v10 which Justin dispatched with his usual efficiency. After other climbing shenanigans, we capped off the day at the mega-classic Rhino which is an amazing prow of rock that is suspended in the air and (not surprisingly) looks like a rhino!

-Raza

Lyn's two cents: Strangely, I'm finding the Rocklands to remind me a lot of both Colorado and Utah with very similar rock formations, canyons and peaks. The wildflowers are blooming, which gives color to an otherwise very desert landscape. The sunsets are truly spectacular and the night sky has more stars than I've seen anywhere else.

We have yet to eat out and the food we've made at our VERY rustic cottage (named the Sassie Cottage) have been simple, one pot meals. I'm hoping to eat at some local places soon and have heard good things about a couple restaurants in Clanwilliam - I'll report back after we go.

As for wildlife, no personal snake encounters, though I heard that another US climber, Walker, came face to face with a spitting cobra while looking for his lost chalkbag and escaped by running away. No baboon sightings our first day at the Sassie Boulders.

When asked how he likes South Africa, Cameron says, "it's nice." He seems most excited while practicing driving the rental car between our cottage and the house where our friends are staying, about three hundred meters on a private dirt road. No major accidents yet, even with a manual transmission and with everything being on the wrong side.

And climbing: it's pretty fun. There are definitely not as many problems as I expected and not a lot of intermediate grade problems. The climbing areas are spread out and generally do not have a high concentration of problems, which makes for some challenges in determining where to climb. We've still only been to three areas, so this assessment might change. The style tends to be a lot more dynamic than climbing at home.

South Africa 2009: Part 1

2009-07-17T07:41:00.001-07:00

After 33 hours of butt-numbing travel, we have finally arrived in South Africa. We arrived in Cape Town a 5pm local time and then had the 3 hour drive north to our lodging for the night. Already a little delirious from our hours in the plane, the switch to left hand drive was pretty interesting. The freeways were fine, because the is a big divider in the middle of the road - but the one lane highways in the countryside were pretty interesting. The oncoming headlight coming at us on the right side prompted panic a number of times!

We are staying on a small cottage on a farm north of Clan William in the Cedarburg Range. The accommodations are spartan, to say the least. I looks like electricity was added as an afterthought in the 1980's and you can't run two electrical appliances at the same time without tripping the main breaker! Yikes.

The next morning we met up with our climbing comrades Justin, Becky, Kevin, Peter, and Mike Wickwire who are staying on the same farm. Our first day climbing was a good introduction to the area - we went to The Plateau and tagged along with Peter. Still a little delirious from out travels and jet lag it was nice to have someone else leading the charge.

In the afternoon we headed in to town to get supplies at the Superspar, the local supermarket, and a few household items at the Pep. One thing I noticed when walking around, is that almost every sign or label is in English but most people I ran into don't speak but a few words of English. There are 11 official languages in South Africa and while English might be the de facto language, it is not their mother tongue.

For our second day of climbing, we headed out to the Amphitheater area because a few were psyched to try this test piece. Only a few of us tried it and my goes were pretty pathetic. Here was the formula: old dude + v11 + no warmup = priceless.

We headed to nearby Roadside area for the second part of the day and on the hike over had quite a scare. Once we arrived one of the guys who was hiking at the front said, "I wonder where Cameron is." Panicked adults went running in all possible directions and Lyn tracked our son down as he was hiking back to the first area. (He had thought we were hiking the car and when no one arrived decided to hike back to the first area.)

A cooking adventure followed (remember: only one appliance at a time) and a game of bannangrams afterward... It's starting to feel like vacation!

-Raza

Squamish 2008: Part III

2008-08-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

Thursday August 21st

Courtney Hemphill on This Monkey's Gone to Heaven [v7]

Things were still drying out from the rain, so we started out in the Apron yet again. There was some unfinished business with This Monkey's Gone to Heaven, which was quickly wrapped up by Tim Medina who nailed the crux move first try after being so close on the first day of the trip. The ladies came up with some crazy beta that worked for Courtney, Thomasina and Lyn.

We went down the road to try Jim Carey and while we all worked out good beta for both tall and short people, nobody could put it all together. The temps were better but the key left arete was a little damp...

The apple of Patti's eye, Tim's Sloper Problem, was next on the agenda, but that too, was a tad damp... We went out for Sushi that night with the hope of good wind in the forest.

Friday August 22nd

Lyn Verinsky on Sesame Street [v9]

We had a quick warm up session at the Titanic boulder where Patti used Anne Murray's beta to do the classic Titanic, v3. The good time was dampened by the fact that Courtney had to leave for Portland to meet a friend. You know when people start leaving that the end is near. Maybe sensing this, the ladies came through with some fourth quarter heroics! Patti went down and crushed Tim's Sloper Problem - so fast I couldn't get the camera ready. Lyn sent Sesame Street while having to dry the holds with a towel between attempts because some holds were still dripping. (See topout in video) Last, but not least, Siemay went down to the Superfly boulder and sent Baba Hari Dass, fighting tooth and nail for the top.

Cedar climbs another boulder, get that girl some sticky rubber!

I couldn't resist putting another video of Cedar climbing. She is constantly cruising around and climbing things. In her world, bouldering is just something everybody does - like eating or sleeping.

Thomasina Pidgeon on Anubis [v7]

Ben "The Claw" Eastman on Anubis [v7]

We then stuck the crew on a fun, steep arete called Anubis. Tall folks can climb it with big moves but the shorter folks have to do some crazy matches under the roof. While Ben and Thomasina are in almost the same position above, she had to do about twice the moves to get there and on incredibly small, sharp crimps!

Dave Gurman on Fixing the Car [v8]

Another cool problem, Fixing the Car, starts on a dead horizontal roof and the crux is surmounting the lip. You really do feel like you get out from under a car. It was good to see my old friend Dave Gurman in Squamish, now that he is not completely absorbed in grad school...

Our last night at camp

Saturday August 23rd

Lyn on the classic Young and Furious [v3]

Our last day! We warmed up at the Black Dyke area and it was feeling a bit mungy. We had fun finishing off our warm up on the fun, featured slab Young and Furious.

Cameron absorbed in a book while we climb

Back to Jim Carey with revenge on the mind but Mother Nature had a different idea. Walking out of the forest was like being hit by a sauna. The sun and humidity combined in a way that made you feel like your brain was frying. I crawled and rested in a low spot next to the boulder to try to cool down, but my skin wouldn't stay dry enough, long enough. Thomasina was able to resist the bad conditions and delivered a smooth performance for the only send of the problem.

Lyn Verinsky on El Camino [v7]

After cheering on Patti as she battled one of the hardest v4s in the forest, Timeless, we decided to hop on one last thing before the long drive home. El Camino was a problem nobody had done so we went there for our final hurrah. Lyn and I sent to cap off our trip nicely and Lyn even did all the moves on Fixing the Car, but alas, she was just too tired. We caravaned back to Berkeley, stopping to bivy south of Seattle.

Sunday August 24th

Morning eats & coffee @ Stumptown Coffee in Portland

We meet up with Courtney in Portland for the morning recharge before blasting home. Maybe I'm getting soft, but it was sure nice to have air conditioning when we were heading through the 103º inferno that is known as Redding.

-Raza

Squamish 2008: Part II

2008-08-20T10:48:00.000-07:00

Sunday August 17th

Lyn Verinsky on Heather Graham, v8

Two words that I don't like to hear in the same sentence: alpine start. To try and beat the hot temperatures we got up at 6am and were bouldering by 7am. Sadly enough, the temperatures were not that much better! After warming up, we headed down to try Heather Graham, a burly v8 with a wicked top out. The temps were a little better but the humidity was still high enough to thwart our efforts.

Lyn Verinsky on No Excuse for Porn Hair, v4

Something about that alpine start that must have made us a little crazy in the head. On the recommendation of Tim Clifford, we went down the way to hop on the a classic called No Excuse for Porn Hair, which in itself wasn't crazy but it was in the beating sun! Defeating the entire purpose of the alpine start, we threw caution to the wind and gave it a try.

Monday August 18th
A rainy rest day in Squamish with the usual activities: sleeping in, lounging, surfing the internet, more lounging, dinner out, and most importantly: even more lounging.

Tuesday August 19th
The forecast was for cloudy weather and great temperatures so expectations were high. We warmed up in a light drizzle and once we went down the hill to try Nick's Traverse the sky opened up.

Climbing/waiting out the rain @ Nick's Traverse

Nick's Traverse was dry enough to try. Well, I should clarify, the crux was dry but the finish rail was resembling a waterfall or, at the very least, a water sculpture. Tim, Courtney and Lyn all sent with the sports action finish.

Amazingly, the rain let up and once we headed into the forest, it was surprisingly dry. We had the best conditions of the trip and the ladies all took advantage of them. Siemay sent her nemesis, Goldenboy, v7 first try! She then went on to dispatch another old project, Mind Bender, v7. Courtney did Mind Bender Low, v9, with ease and looked mighty close to sticking the crux move on King Swing - a very height dependent problem not kind to smaller folk. Lyn was on fire, sending The Weasel, v8 (hard), Goldenboy, v7, Mind Bender Low, all in addition to Nick's Traverse.

Patti Phillips on Tim's Sloper Problem, v5

By the end of the day the rain started up again and thwarted Patti's near send of Tim's Sloper Problem. But considering how it started out, not a bad day at all.

Wednesday August 20th

Our rainy campsite

So the rain started for real and our elaborate tarp setup at the campsite paid off after a night of torrential rains. In Squamish, rain means rest.

-Raza

Squamish 2008: Part I

2008-08-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

Saturday August 9th

Somewhere on I-5

Road Trip! This time heading to Squamish. Usually I'm lucky to have Lyn's great companionship on these long drives, but this time I was meeting her in Seattle so I had to drive the quick 12 hour jaunt solo. Thank god for podcasts; I downloaded about 14 hours worth before I left and I'm darn glad I did. Tim Medina was driving up as well but was on the ball and left pretty early in the morning. We met up with Steve Temple at a friend's house and crashed out.

Sunday August 10th

Picking up Lyn & Patti at the Seattle airport

Since it was raining we took our time on the drive to Seattle, stopping in Ambleside (in West Vancouver) to get some breakfast and check out the Farmers Market and Artisan's Fair.

Patti on Cutting Edge, v4

Once we got into Squamish, we headed to the driest boulders we could find. We warmed up @ the Apron Boulders and Patti got the sending going by doing the ever-so-classic Cutting Edge, v4.

Tim Medina on This Monkey's Gone to Heaven, v7

We headed up the hill to try another classic, This Monkey's Gone to Heaven, that is often compared to 'Snatch' at Indian Rock. Some say it's easier, some say harder - you be the judge...

Tim Medina on Tatonka, v8

Another Apron classic is Tatonka. Interesting moves on pretty good holds. Tim's send capped off a good first day.

Monday August 11th

Squamish Adventure Centre

As with most of our vacations, securing easy and free internet access is our top priority (other than bouldering, of course). The new Adventure Centre (information center) provides free WiFi and great views. Built recently for the upcoming Winter Olympics.

Hey Scott, this is just for you!

The rock stack that looks like a man is the mascot or symbol of the upcoming 2010 olympics in Vancouver.

Lyn Verinsky on Squealing Pork, v7

After our Adventure Centre session, we headed out to an area in the North Walls called the Farm. Classic problems in a shady, enchanted forest.

Tuesday August 12th

Andrew on Phat Slab, v5

Lyn had the good sense to take a rest day, but since I was feeling pretty spry, I went out with Andrew and gave him a tour of the classic v4's and v5's. Of course I had to stick him on the only problem with no holds!

Our Campsite

After a few nights at Cat Lake, we finally got settled into the Chief campground.

Wednesday August 13th

Lyn Verinsky on ATD, v7

Now on my fourth day on, we headed out for another day! Patti sent Superfly, v4 and Lyn sent Baba Hari Dass, v7 and I was doing everything just to keep it together. Not feeling so spry anymore!

Thursday August 14th

WiFi @ the Adventure Centre

Hello Cameron!

Today was a rest day and the day that Cam arrives. Picking him up turned out to be more epic than anticipated since the airport security didn't know what to do with a 12-year-old boy without a note! Just like Junior High!

Daiso store in Vancouver - a cornucopia of cheap

Where else could you buy a square monkey??

Relaxing at Kitsilano Beach, Vancouver

Menu and aftermath of our fantastic dinner at Rangoli

Figuring out what to order at the dessert cafe Death By Chocolate

Friday August 15th

Lyn Verinsky on Phat Slab, v5

Siemay on unnamed v6

The weather is getting hotter. Easy problems are feeling like Sharma-beaters. But even on this hottest of days, Thomasina daughter Cedar did her first boudler problem ever - at 21 months!

Cedar on her first boulder problem!

Utah 2008 Part II

2008-03-31T12:22:00.000-07:00

The second half of our climbing trip has found us sitting at the food ranch more hours than we'd like. Rain, snow and driving wind has forced us indoors where we seek solace in relatively clean bathrooms, tasty fried chicken and free wifi. As Paul and Cameron sit next to me playing chess, I'll try to recap the last few days.

Thursday: 3/27
Paul tests out his forearm and finds that while only at about 75%, it's still good enough to flash most the climbs we try. We start out at the Black and Tan area where half the warm up is getting sweaty searching the hillside for the boulders. The problem "Don't reach around" is pretty darn good, especially if you do reach around. Otherwise, the area is kind of a bust, a sandy bust. Scott slips away to send "Finger Hut" and the boys join him for a quick session at "Jitterbug perfume". We end the day at "Moby Dick", an excellent problem with multiple heel hooks and really good slopers.

Friday 3/28
It looks nasty out. The day begins with our breakfast of champions: cocoa roos and marshmallow mateys. Somehow Paul and I have ceded our normal healthy eating habits to the junk food nation with the excuse that, hey, we're on vacation. Climbing starts and ends at the Big Joe area where Andrew overcomes his fear of highballs with an impressive send of "Bobcat in the Kiparoo" and Scott makes short work of "Scary Monsters". Siemay and I work out all the moves, but the send eludes us. We decamp to "Big Joe" where we build a fire and try to get warm. High jinks ensue with Andrew, Patti and me competing to see who can get the most Gojiberries into Noah's open maw. I win with 4 points. Patti and Andrew's combined score is 1.

Siemay and I work on "Big Joe" as it snows. It's the perfect climb for inclement weather, steep with no top out. Here's a video of me sending? The finish of the climb is matching on the jug flake. I have to return and climb it again in better style. --Paul accidentally posted the video of me taking a crazy fall, NOT the video of me "sending" the problem.

Saturday 3/29

Cam arrives in Salt Lake City!

Sunday 3/30
It's Andrew's last climbing day. We warm up at yet another new boulder: the Small One near the UMWA boulder. Paul tests out his forearm on "Jitterbug Perfume" and discovers that, yes, he can still crank and dispatches it in two tries. After a quick stop at the UMWA boulder for Patti to give Walrus a few good burns and me to work out "Stompin Hippies", Paul continues his roll by knocking off "Finger Hut" in about 30 minutes. Quick digression: I need to try out Paul's sit on the couch, eat ice cream, get injured and not climb training regimen because it evidently works beautifully. We end the day at Scary Monsters where, once again, it snows us out after just a couple burns.

Monday 3/31
What's up with all the snow?

Utah 2008: Part I

2008-03-23T12:40:00.000-07:00

Lyn on the "White Arete" v7

Ahh, Utah. That's where we find ourselves on our first climbing trip out of CA in over a year. First stop: Ibex. Coincidentally, Siemay, Noah and Chilly had arrived the day before us, a perfect case of serendipity. Scott Chandler and Monica rolled in around noon to round out the day's posse. After a leisurely warm up, everyone jumped on the Red Monster and the sending began. Ibex rock is fine grained and very skin friendly. For someone used to Yosemite granite or the harsh holds in Bishop, it's
a welcome change. And the footholds! I could go on forever extolling the virtues of real footholds as compared to the little divots we try to convince ourselves are usable, but will resist. Highlights: Paul flashing Big Gulp, Scott doing the White Arete, and my send of Blue Flowers. The climbing definitely deserves a stop off the loneliest highway in the US.

Here's Paul racing out into the dried lake bed with his eyes closed.

Once we had exhausted ourselves climbing, Paul and I drove out to the Candy Land area where Scott Frye was camped out with friends Jeff Webb and Nat Smale. The beer had been flowing freely and we walked into a spirited game of Hearts. Scott was in high spirits and his joyful cackle could be heard ringing through the valley, especially when he laid the queen of spades on Jeff for the win. Earlier, they had been busy putting up a new problem on a high and impressive boulder. It was another case of "coulda been Scott's" but Scott still had the honor of naming it "Gerry's Kids" after what he dubbed their geriatric climbing crew (Jeff is only an honorary member since his age starts with the number 4). Scott graciously invited us to raid his pantry since he was returning to the Bay the next day and fed us dinner before our takeoff to Joe's. The perfect end to a great first day of vacation.

Scott Chandler topping out "Ian's Dyno" v6

Now settled into our ginormous L.L. Bean tent that reaches up over 6' at it's apex and having met up with Patti, Andrew, Scott and Monica, the meat of our climbing trip began. Day 1 at Joe's started appropriately enough at the Warm-Up area, home to classics such as Better than Coffee and 3 Weeks. The sandstone is a lot of fun to climb on and offers a range of climbing from technical and facey to steep and gymnastic. There's also a great range of boulder heights to suit everyone's comfort level. In comparison to Font sandstone, it doesn't hold a candle, but the dollar is certainly a lot stronger in Utah than in France at the moment.

Scott Chandler on "Michaelangelo" a tall & perfect v3 slab.

Moving onto the Man Sized Area, we checked out "Finger Hut" where I rapidly dismissed any notion I may previously have held of doing said problem. That thing is crimpy! And steep! With a long first move! After resolving to work on my crimp strength when I got home, we moved around to the backside of the boulder and climbed "Michaelangelo" and a similarly tall climb to the left. Scott has that bunny face in the picture above for a reason. The holds are sparse and the fall potential is great. Fortunately, no one tested the pad placement, with half the group declining to give the problem a try even after repeated assurances that it was MUCH easier than we had made it look.

Here's video of one of my favorite sends of the day: Patti sending with authority on the "Brawny Dyno" v5.

Happy Easter! Patti plays the Easter Bunny.

So, what I want to know is, who, when presented with a chocolate easter bunny on easter morning doesn't start gnawing on it right away? And doesn't peanut butter make it more legit as a breakfast food? Patti, one of the very nicest and most thoughtful people I know, kindly picked up easter bunnies for everyone in our group! I enjoyed mine right away and I swear my climbing was all the better for it. Or not, since Paul and I took a rest day. But we did make it out to watch the crew crush it out at New Joe's where Patti and Andrew sent "Self Service" and the uber-classic "Pimpin Jeans". To finish off the day, Patti mined the guide for fun sounding mantel problems. This led us to a problem with a clown face icon, "Happy Mantel," which should have been an immediate tip off. The results are below for your viewing pleasure.

Lyn on "Happy Mantel" v3 doing it the clown face way. The crux is to keep from laughing yourself off the boulder.

Andrew on "Happy Mantel" v3 doing it the hard way.

Scott Chandler cruising up "The Angler" v2

Day 4 of the trip started at the Riverside boulders, home to some fun climbs that unfortunately had snowy and muddy landings. One gem, Kelly's Arete v5, is definitely worth climbing if any of you ladies find yourself in that area. I can't recommend the K-Town slab, which I found very sharp for shorties - it gave me a big split and it was only the second climb of the day. The true disaster occurred at the Trent's Mom boulder where Paul, who on his first try of the day looked really solid, injured his forearm on the evil left starting pocket. Needless to say, he was staring down a solid few days of no climbing, but took it with his usual good form. After the other boys tried cracking the problem to no avail, we moved onto the Jordan boulder where Scott sent with some untraditional beta and I spent, oh, twenty tries or so to figure out how to do Wills A Fire. Of course, Paul came to the rescue with some key undercling beta and sweet success was mine.

Scott using some short Coloradan dude beta on "They Call Him Jordan" v7

Lyn laying the smackdown on "Wills A Fire" v6

A newer area, Eden, was nearby and Noah and Siemay who had finally deigned to join us were psyched to check it out, even though they were on a rest day. Here is video of a few cool problems in the area:

Scott Chandler sends "Eden" v10 fourth try

Scott Chandler figures out the tall beta for "G2-07" v8, there's also great short beta!

Lyn on "External Tulips" v7

Siemay Lee works the moves on "Finger Hut" v10

Thank god for people with strong fingers and abs of steel, they kick ass on hard problems and inspire the rest of us to greatness. The crew swooped in to put the slap down on Finger Hut and though many did quite well on the problem, sendage eluded us. The non-Finger Hut crew worked on the two aretes to the left and right of FH, which are both good lines in their own right and worth a few burns. Once everyone's crimpers gave out, a few hardy souls headed to the Scrawny & Brawny boulder where Noah did a funky climb that Paul had sent earlier in the trip.

Noah on unnamed v9

The rest of us braved the long trek to the UMWA boulder where the approach defines epic. This boulder is home to some of the highest quality moderates I've climbed in Joe's with the highlight being the truly excellent "Rug Rats" v5.

Andrew Descalso overcomes the fear on "Smoothy" v5

Noah finished off the day with an exciting send of the most Font-like top out I've seen. The landing below is really miserable so falling with his foot so high is not a pleasant option. The climb is left of the stellar v3, "Don't Reach Around".

Today, we are relaxing in luxury after washing off an accumulated week of grime, visiting my mom in Grand Junction. The day's high was a perfect 70 degrees, we had hamburgers & milkshakes for lunch and I took a nap on the couch in the afternoon. Heaven. Tomorrow, it's back to the coal mines where Paul will test whether easy climbing will be accepted by his injured forearm.

-Lyn

Hueco 2007: reprised

2007-02-26T07:45:00.000-08:00

******************
We'll look back on our Hueco trip with one big posting since our laptop screen went out on our first day of the trip. I went to Walmart a couple of times to burn the pictures from our memory card to CD's - the process was excruciating, I wouldn't recommend it.
******************

Just another clump of rocks near Hueco Tanks

The first night we spent outside of the park because they lock the gates at 6pm. We thought about camping right outside the gate but Noah told us about someone who got ran into by a drunk driver parked in front of the gate. So we opted to head out into the desert and bivy behind a clump of rocks. When we woke up, we were greeted by a warm sunrise that highlighted this cool mound of rocks. A great way to start the trip. (Paul is omitting the 21 hours of driving, with one stop to sleep a total of two hours, we endured to enjoy this moment.)

Getting climbing our first day was hard because of all the hoops you're forced to jump through to get into the park. The ranger at the gate wouldn't let us in even though we were signed up for a volunteer tour that was leaving at 9:30. Noah came out and explained the situation to the ranger and he reluctantly let us in and after watching the 'orientation' video we head out for a short observation tour to Moonshine roof (really to the Power of Landjager for the boys). Afterwards we headed to North Mountain, where we weren't required to have a guide to show us around.

Davey from Santa Cruz on the New Meadow classic Lobster Claw, v5

For our second day of climbing, we headed back to North Mountain to what's called the 'New Meadow'. When the park restrictions went into effect, people started to take more interest in North Mountain and actually found a whole new area of quality climbs. I guess in one regard the restrictions spurred development.

Anyway, there are some super cool problems in the New Meadow and one of them is Lobster Claw. It's hard to believe that a boulder this cool has only recently been discovered.

Dave Friedman & Raza on West Mountain

Our friend Dave was in Hueco and on his last climbing day we went along with him and a group of his British friends on a tour of West Mountain. After an epic approach into the Dragon's Pen (don't go directly up from ground level), we climbed around a little bit to get warmed up. Dave and I then headed over to 1969. This sloper problem on perfect iron-rock was the last climb that he wanted to get on before heading home. (sorry, no pictures).

Raza on Shroom, v9

Another cool problem nearby was the Shroom, found by a Frenchman who was, of course, on Mushrooms at the time. It's a great example of Heuco climbing with its steep wall and the crazy Hueco crimps that you can't believe are strong enough to not break off.

Tlaloc dude

One of the cooler aspects of Heuco is the Indian rock art that is all around the park. Apparently, Hueco has the largest concentration of painted masks in the world. This dude is Tlaloc, he makes it rain. Generally, we don't want it to rain, but that's because we get water piped in from the city and can buy all of our food at the Vista market. (yum, fresh tortillas)

Lyn on the old school Better Eat Your Wheaties, v8

On yet another of the rapid-fire Observation tours (they are usually only 2 hours long) we went to the East Spur maze where we ran around like crazy people, trying to warm up and climb all the good lines. Lyn and I hopped on Slim Pickins, the classic slab problem of Hueco. There was so much friction compared to the slabs we're used to in the Valley that we both raced up right quick. Better Eat Your Wheaties was a climb that I was scared of for a long time since in had a reputation of being extremely crimpy, so it was fun to be able to do it (with the secret lip beta of Brian from Ohio). Lyn will need to wait for our next trip to get the problem.

Siemay Lee on King Cobra, v6

Another classic problem at the New Meadow is King Cobra. (Couldn't they come up with a more original name?) Siemay had been working it before we arrived, but couldn't figure out a sequence suited for people of more petite stature (also known as dwarfs, gnomes, midgets and little people). Fortunately, Lyn figured out some cool beta and they both sent.

Rich from Ohio on Mandalahaha, v3

In most climbing areas a problem like this would just be a 'throw-away' problem. But this v3 on perfect iron-rock is super fun. Rich (from Ohio as well) managed to do it with a bum leg that he hurt heel hooking (not a good injury to have in Hueco, land of steep climbing). Despite his injury, Rich continued climbing and discovered a hidden talent for crimpy, vertical problems.

Brian Arnold on French Tickler, v9

A cool rock near the Gunks in the East Spur has a bunch of good problems on it, but the plum line is the French Tickler. It heads right up the middle of the wall and the crux move comes right at the end. What you can't see is how absolutely terrifying the landing area looks. Let's just say, you don't want to fall out of control since there is a decent chance of pad surfing.

Raza on Free Willy, v10

You'd think with an incriminating photo like this that I would have sent this try. But no, I still managed to fall off. I had to come back another day to finish this one off. Free Willy climbs a wall with pretty good holds until the last heinous crimp, and then you do a huge dyno off it!

Cool mask on North Mountain

Just another stormy sunset from the Pond Parking Lot

Noah on The Power of Landjager, v11

Finally, we got to take a full day volunteer tour and go to all the places we'd been itching to hit. First stop, Power of Landjager. We hadn't been back since the first day to try this classic problem. It's the low start to Sound of Power, a classic v4 in its own right. Paul was feeling much more acclimated to Hueco climbing at this point and was able to make it to the top of this beautiful line. Thankfully, there were a couple cool climbs for the rest of us in the Moonshine roof area, just up the hill. So while the boys cranked on their problem, Siemay and I did Moonshine roof v4 and Moonshine Right v5 respectively. Those problems have some of the coolest roof holds I've ever had the pleasure to use. Plus, they aren't gimmes for the grade!

Siemay on Something Different, v8

In the deep dark depths of the Dark Heart, lies this fun little problem. It became a favorite among the ladies and we all came within a hair of putting it all together. But again, a ticking tour clock and being just plain tired at the end of the day, conspired to keep anyone but Paul (who flashed it) from sending. Hueco is a great place for folks who get problems done quickly, which works for Paul, but not so much for me.

Raza on Full Service, v10

On our second to last day of climbing, Lyn and I took a commercial tour to hit some of the lingering problems that we wanted to get on. We hired Yuri to take us out, show us around and occasionally give some helpful beta. Full Service was an old nemesis of mine. Years ago I was able to do the crux move and top out Lip Service, but I could never link from the start. It was really nice to be able to come back and slay the dragon. Lyn was also able to hit some of the classics of the area that she'd been hearing about for years. Dragonfly v5, Hobbit in a Blender v5, Osterizer v2, and Hector in a Blender v6 all went down swiftly. Then I surprised myself with a quick send of Crimping Christ on the Cross v10.

Lyn on Ultramega, v8

At the end of our tour with Yuri, we headed over to check out Ultramega. With only 20 minutes left to climb, Lyn hopped on, and while she did all the moves, she didn't have time to send. At least it will give her something to come back for!

Lyn on the classic highball See Spot Run, v6

If there is a climb in Hueco with my name written all over it, it's this one. I'd already heard about See Spot Run from Mike & Rebecca and couldn't wait to get on it after seeing it my first day on North Mountain. Unfortunately, it was an uphill battle to do this problem from the get go. After sorting out all the moves the first day, we were rained out before I was able to put it together. The second and third days of attempting it, left me wanting to tear my hair out in frustration since I kept on messing up the first three-move sequence. By the time I finally got through the opening moves, I was so shot, I couldn't finish the challenging upper crux. I was feeling pretty dejected by my fourth day. But by some minor miracle, aka watching a bunch of strong kids flash my project, I tried really, really hard and made topped out.

A view of the North Mountain meadow

Raza on Martini Right

Ever since seeing Fred on Martini Right in the Masters of Stone 3 video, I've had a secret dream to climb the problem. While it's a little over my head at the moment, the moves are so cool, I had a great time working on it. I almost made it through the crux! Of course, a ridiculously long and pumpy finish is where most people fall. Maybe next year.

Lyn on Melon Patch, v0

It's always good to end the trip on a hight note. That usually means we drag our tired and sore bodies up an easier climb for the last climb on the last day. At the beginning of our last day in Hueco, Lyn managed to pull her right hip flexor and was unable to lift her foot more than 6 inches high. She spent the rest of the day giving good spots and encouragement and getting around by dragging her right leg behind her. We figured that Melon Patch would be the perfect last climb for a gimpy climber given its huge jugs and easy moves. Plus, it's a Hueco classic.

Driving 20+ miles is a lot less fun when you are driving AWAY from a world-class climbing destination. But after six or so fuel stops and an equal number of ice cream sandwiches, we found ourselves back at 1410 Alcatraz.

Hueco 2007

2007-02-13T13:47:00.000-08:00

We've been in Hueco for a week and our laptop screen crapped out the day we arrived. That means that the pictures and updates will have to wait until after we get back. Please check back after the 26th and I'll have something up!

-Raza

Squamish 2006: Part 5

2006-08-23T10:38:00.000-07:00

8-18-06

Randy jumping to the top of Lounge Act

We warmed up at the Animal Magnetism area and as what usually happens, our climbing evolved (devolved?) into some goofing around. Randy was looking at doing a jump to the finish holds of Lounge Act, which isn't that far, but the landing is like a funnel. There is basically no way to miss holds and land without something bad happening. Tim was the first to stick the jump. He totally committed (the smart way) and made it look easy. After many aborted attempts, I sent as well. Randy jumped but did not totally commit, as you can see - only one hand is reaching for the top. He sent as well, after a audible gasp from the crowd.

Lyn on Black Slabbath [v7]

Black Slabbath might be the coolest problem in Squamish. It is a striking, tall (~20') face that is perfectly flat, except for a few tiny "holds" scattered around. Lyn and I had tried it on previous trips and it had left a lasting impression on us. We both wanted to do it but it was hard to get over there early enough in the day when our skin was still intact. Since the end of the trip was looming, we made a point of heading over early when temps were good and our skin was fresh. Courtney came along (she was resting) to lend a crash pad and encouragement. To my astonishment, I did it on my first try, but not without a whimper at the top. Lyn had to work it a bit longer but once we found a key foot, she sent as well. We were both really happy to send one of those "my life is now complete" problems.

Will on Trad Killer [v4]

We met up with the crew at the classic boulder problem, Trad Killer. Apparently, it's called Trad Killer because the starting hold mysteriously appeared and then just a mysteriously disappeared. Anyway, it's a cool problem and Will ticked the thing after take a few tries to sort out his beta. The most amazing thing is that he could still climb after the fall he took on Sloppy Poppy. He popped a few Advil and climbed through the pain. One tough dude.

Later I went over to spot Randy who wanted to try No Troublems Direct, v11. The direct finish heads straight out a cool prow that has a scary pit just down and right of the landing. When Randy first showed me the holds (and the proximity to the pit) I felt my stomach knot because it was so scary. Randy sent quickly using after he altered his heel hook sequence. A French-Canadian guy showed up and showed me some beta that would work better for me. I started to try the moves and the beta worked for the finish. In previous years a I had never been able to do the "Loh" start to No Troublems but that is where the direct starts. Again, much to my surprise, I did the Loh start first try and kept climbing to see what would happen. I stuck the crux dyno after a yelp and held it together to finish the thing. It feels like Christmas when you surprise yourself by doing a problem.

8-19-06

Randy on The Proposal [v12]

The goal for the day was to head up to Ride the Lightning on Tim & Will's last day. While they were down at the Apron, taking care of some business on some soon-to-be blown up boulders, we warmed up at the Animal Magnetism boulder. Randy had been making good progress on The Proposal, v12 and even though the temps weren't the best he got sucked into trying the problem. He got a high-point despite the heat but decided to save himself (and his biceps) for a cooler day.

Courtney on Ride the Lightning [v8]

Once Tim & Will showed up we headed up to Ride the Lightning,v8. This climbed is dubbed the Midnight Lightning of Squamish. Don't get me started on the whole Midnight Lightning comparison fiasco. It seems like every area has to have their version of Midnight Lightning so they find some highball with a scary mantle and bad landing and call it the Midnight Lightning of "anywhere crag". Just leave Midnight Lightning out of it thank you. OK, I'm off my soap box.

The crew assaulted the climbing and started working out the beta. Tim got the ascent for the team. I didn't even try it because it was just too scary. Lyn & Courtney made some good progress figuring out the reachy crux moves but by the time they had figured them out, they had worn themselves out. But now they have beta for next time.

Tim Medina on Mantra [v8]

To finish off the day and Tim's trip, I put him on the Mantra, v8. Definitely one of the classic v8's of Squamish, this problem is all slopers and squeezing with a hard dead-point in the middle. A good way to finish off the trip.

8-20-06
The last day! I had previously worked out the move on the Serpent, v10 and wanted to go back when my skin felt better. Lyn and I warmed up at the Magic Carpet Ride boulder and once Randy, Courtney & Dave Anderman (a childhood friend of Randy from New Mexico) we padded out the landing. My skin was feeling great and I sent first try. What a difference your skin makes. (and a few rest days!)

Lyn on The Fuzz [v7]

Afterwards we went over to The Fuzz to climb and have lunch. The Fuzz is all by itself and next to a river. A good place to have lunch and avoid the heat. The first move is problematic for shorter people but a tricky toe hook unlocked the sequence. Both Lyn & Courtney sent. Lyn was very psyched to do a problem that she had once deemed too reachy.

Cam doesn't seem too affected by the dog-pile

For some reason we had a spontaneous dog-pile. Cam wasn't fazed at all. Maybe we need more dogs.

Raza launching off the big rope swing, Brohm Lake

When we first walked up to the BIG rope swing, we saw another one of those crazy, drunk Canadians going off the swing. He held onto the rope for several moments too long and almost landed back onto the rocks. Fortunately, he managed to hit the water and did not need to be medi-vaced out of there. His performance did not inspire confidence. After watching a number of more graceful swings (including Daniel) I managed to build the courage to do it myself.

It was so fun that I did it again, getting more air the second time (pic above). After that we packed up at the house, said our goodbyes and headed home. A great way to end the trip.

Squamish 2006: Part 4

2006-08-21T14:40:00.000-07:00

8-15-06

Lyn on Worm World Cave [v8] & Raza exiting a worm cave

One of the highlights of the trip was being shown around some of the cool caves underneath a few of the boulder problems on which we were climbing. Tim Doyle, a Squamish local, was kind enough to take us into the deep. The picture of Paul was taken as he was wriggling out of a hole underneath the Worm World Cave - I'm only now realizing that the name of the problem may have something to do with the cavern underneath it. The funny thing is that we have previously sent Cameron down that hole head-first with Paul hanging onto his legs to retrieve items that were accidentally dropped down there. Courtney's brush was the most recent example. Only after Tim showed us the way to get down there via a back entrance did we realize that adults could fit, too, if barely.

Tim took the group on another underground adventure, much to Cameron's delight. Paul, Courtney, Randy, Daniel, Tim, Cam and I went deep under the boulders where it was pitch black and the only way to know where to go was to grab at the person's ankles in front of you. Oh, did I mention that the spaces we were crawling through were often so small that Cameron had a hard time getting through them? Making it out to the light was like being reborn; it was an awesome experience. So great, in fact, that Cameron begged me to take him back through. Without Tim to guide us, we had a little trouble finding our way and Cameron changed his mind about what a great idea it was to crawl around in the dark. We managed to find our way out after a few wrong turns which made emerging into the light an even greater relief. No one else appeared to notice we were missing, which was a little alarming had we really gotten lost down there. Next time, walkie-talkies.

After Paul suggested some alternate beta for the start of Worm World Cave and after watching Courtney crush the problem a few days before, I figured that I might have a chance of doing it. In my typical fashion, I had to try the problem about 79 times and try out 18 beta changes before successfully getting to the top. Thankfully, my climbing friends adhere to the "patience is a virtue" motto in their dealings with me and continue to give good spots on my many attempts - thanks guys!

8-16-06

Lyn on Desire [v0+]

Desire is a 25 foot slab (plus or minus three feet) that sits immediately adjacent to Hwy 99. Vancouver is hosting the winter Olympics in 2010 with all the skiing events taking place in Whistler, a ski resort town about 35 miles north of Squamish. In preparation for the big event, Hwy 99 is being widened to 4-lanes and several large boulders with some excellent boulder problems will be blown to smithereens, including Desire. When Paul saw Desire on our first trip in 2003, he thought that it must be some crazy-hard project due to it's rather massive size. When he checked the guidebook, he was startled to see that it had been climbed and was rated v0+ (mom, v0 is the easiest rating for a boulder problem so this one is not too difficult, at least in theory). So armed with this information, he did what all good bouldering guys do, he sent his girlfriend (me) up it. Now, three years later and after discovering that it was slated to be destroyed, Paul returned, determined to make it up the beautiful and daunting climb before it was too late. Well, he, Randy, Courtney and Daniel all cruised up the climb with no problems since they are all technical wizards and know how to use their feet whilst slab climbing.

Randy Puro on Shots Fired [v4]

Here's a photo of another Squamish "classic" on the Olympic demolition hit list. Our friend, Will, was determined to get up this great climb and in an awesome last day sendfest climbed both Shots Fired and Lounge Act. This was made all the more impressive given that 1, he started his 9-day climbing trip with the stomach flu; 2, half-way through the trip fell from the top of Sloppy Poppy (another Squamish "classic") and bashed his side on some tree roots; and 3, took fewer rest days than even me, which takes some doing. By the end of the trip, he was considered the bionic man.

Courtney on Jim Carrey [v10]/Nick's Traverse [v8]

Here's Courtney on the amazing first moves of Jim Carrey/Nick's Traverse. She styled them, as she does many moves, but the temps and her skin both conspired to keep her from topping out the climb. While Jim Carrey and Nick's Traverse both start with the same 4 technical moves, Nick's Traverse moves out right to better holds. Jim Carrey, however, finishes straight up, through a bad undercling and worse gastons to a very scary and high top-out. We were all very happy that Randy didn't fall at the top. After Paul did Nick's Traverse and had a break for some Game Boy action with Cameron, we all moved over to the Serpent [v10]. While everyone gave it their best, only Randy was able to unlock and do all the moves consecutively and after another heart-in-mouth topout, sent the problem.

8-17-06

Cameron at Brohm Lake

The funny thing about Canada is that there's something in the water that addles your brain. At least I'd like to blame his expression on Canadian water. One thing that is in evidence is a lot of garbage in beautiful locations like Brohm Lake. It's obviously a popular location for copious beer drinking and cigarette smoking, at least that's what I gather from the beer bottles, cans and cigarette butts that litter the banks of the lake. Paul keeps reminding me that Squamish is a little on the rednecky side and I'm sad to report that he's right. For every cool Squamish local I meet, there are a dozen who think a good time out is a case of beer and a fistfight in the cul de sac where our rental is located. Although I haven't seen any cars up on blocks in the front yard, it wouldn't necessarily surprise me if I did. But Squamish has no shortage of natural beauty and it's not called the outdoor recreation capital of Canada for nothing. I just wish they'd get a good sushi restaurant and sell wine at the grocery store.

Today's a rest day, which means no climbing, but lots of time spent on the computer at home playing dice wars, rereading Harry Potter Books, going swimming at the lake, and at least today, eating fish and chips at the Wigam Pier. The fish and chips were fair, the batter being not too greasy but getting a bit soggy after the initial crispness. Cameron managed to finish his plate, including about 2 pounds of chips - he doesn't have that Polish last name for nothing!

-Lyn

Squamish 2006: Part 3

2006-08-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

8-11-06

Daniel on ATD [v7]

Back to the forest again. Although I wasn't climbing, it's fun to go out to the boulders and take pictures, watch the climbing and hang out with friends. Daniel and Lyn were on a mission to do the classic ATD, v7 so we warmed up and headed over. The temps were pretty good (see hat above) and both Lyn and Daniel dispatched their project.

Lyn on The Bulb [v8]

Everyone was scurrying around the forest because the temps were so good. I managed to do the Weasel, v8 which in previous years had given me fits. Courtney scampered up Baba Hari Dass, v7 which is a sloping arete that is very friction dependent. Later, the crew headed over to Rat Rock and the crew tried two fun problems: The Bulb, v8 and Sharma's Arete, v8, which Courtney also dispatched with style. It was a great day.

8-12-06

Courtney warming up on the Black Dyke boulder

Will on Viper [v5] and Tim on Sloppy Poppy [v5]

After yesterday's good temps and subsequent long climbing day, my skin went from hero to zero. Everyone else was still psyched to climb. Especially Tim and Will, our friends from the Bay. They have been running around the forest with perpetual grins.

Lyn on Mosquito Incubator [v8]

In the afternoon, Lyn and Courtney started to try Mosquito Incubator, v8 but the grade belies the difficulty. Almost all the holds are facing to the left which makes it hard to hang on. The sequence also varies wildly from person to person since body position is so critical. After a while, Lyn and Courtney had figured out all the moves but since it was the end of the day, both were tired. Lyn and I stuck around after everyone else took off and Lyn's patience and persistence were rewarded with a end of the day send of an old nemesis. It's a great feeling when you can do an entire problem when previously you couldn't do any of the moves. Lyn was very happy.

8-13-06

Carpet roams the forest

You see the strangest things in the forest here. We discovered a walking carpet that apparently roams the forest in search of food. We climbed again (of course) and started out at the Black Mark area to warm up. Courtney and Randy had problems in that area that they wanted to try. We had a fun time wandering around the Black Mark and Titanic areas warming up 'Bandit' style. Meaning that we walked around and used everyone else's pads, which Randy calls 'bandit bouldering'.

Although I was trying to preserve my skin, I couldn't resist getting on Backseat, v10 a problem so fiendishly simple (but frustrating) that it's hard not to try. Out of some miracle, I had a surprise send. Some problems feel like you're in jail; it's not skill or strength that get you out, you just have to do your time.

Tim on Plan Insanity [v5]

At the end of the day Lyn and I cajoled the crew to head over to Plan Insanity, v5. This is one of our favorite problems in the forest and we are always looking for people to hop on it. After an extremely long day of climbing, Tim found the reserves to fire it (and we finally got a chance to shoot photos of it).

8-14-06

Cam, Paul, Lyn & Kona

Although Kona is not technically part of the family, we have given him at least a ceremonial title since he's such a cool dog. On this day, the weather had warmed up a bit and also because we hadn't had a rest day in a while, there was quite of bit of lounging around. The forest is such a beautiful and peaceful place, it's easy to do.

Squamish 2006: Part 2

2006-08-10T14:32:00.000-07:00

8-6-06

Cam sending his slab project

It's not just the adults who are getting in on all the climbing fun; Cam also joins in once and a while. There are a few problems that he couldn't do when we were here two years ago and the above climb is an old project that he was able to do this time around. Obviously, he was pretty happy about it.

Lyn on an unknown slab & Courtney on Worm World Cave [v8]

We had plans to eat in Vancouver Saturday night, so in the morning we scurried about to get as much climbing in as we could. While Courtney tried World World Cave, Lyn ran over and tried a cool looking slab with no name. I had to take a picture of the beautiful slab in the verdant forest. Even if there was no climbing in this forest, it would warrant hiking around and taking pictures.

Dinner at Vij's

I've never been accused of being a 'foodie' but I'm glad that many in our group are. They had heard rumors of 'some of the best Indian food around.' The food and the atmosphere were both great. The most amazing thing to me, was that each dish had such a distinctive (and yummy) flavor.

The view of English Bay from Kitsalano Beach

To top the night off we grabbed some gelato and hung out at the beach and a nice sunset unfolded before our eyes. We could do this kind of thing in Berkeley, but only on vacation do we get off our keisters and do it.

Geekin' out

We were tired when we got home but we still had the energy to geek out with our computers. This was not the first time, nor will it be the last. Left to our own devices, this happens a lot.

8-7-06

Randy Puro on Lucky Sharms [v11]

The crew headed out 'early' once again because Ingar and Nora had to drive to the airport. The goal was to get on the classic highball Loose Change because we wanted try it but we also wanted the maximum number of pads. After the sun crept up and Ingar and Nora bid adieu, it got instantly hot. We wandered over to the Thighmaster area to try some more problems. Randy got really close on Lucky Sharms, v11 until I pulled out my camera (also known as the gravity machine because it seems like gravity increases when someone is taking pictures.)

8-8-06

Having a ball playing "quickdraw"

The rains finally came. Our first trip here it only rained 2 day in a whole month. On our next trip it rained 10 out of 14 days, which is also unlikely but you have to expect that in British Columbia. We're doing good so far with one day. We spent most of the day puttering around the house checking emails and playing games. It's amazing how fun a game of Nintendo "quickdraw" can be when it's raining outside and there is nothing else to do.

8-9-06

Daniel Soto on First Nation Givers [v8]

The rain died off and we scurried off the driest part of squamish to get our fix. The apron boulders are the fastest to dry and that's where we went. Only about 15 feet away from where I have warmed up at least a dozen times before hid a cool problem. From afar, it looks like a short insignificant 3 foot boulder, but there is actually a pit that goes down 8 feet and a problem was recently established on it by the industrious Tim Doyle.

Lyn had a hankering to get on Mindbender (a problem she had been trying) so we headed over and to our surprise, it was breezy and dry. The cool temps were just what the doctor ordered and she sent quickly. We later head over to Defenders of the Faith (too swampy) and turned around and went back to Worm World Cave. Courtney sent and I managed to do the low start. Cam also got a tour of the cave system below our feet by Tim Doyle and Cameron later showed the way to the rest of the crew. It was quite funny to watch the adults try to squeeze out of the final hole.

Squamish 2006: Part 1

2006-08-07T08:12:00.000-07:00

8-3-06

Daniel Soto driving in the wee hours

Back to Squamish for a two week trip. No TINTIN this time, not with gas prices well over $3 and only going for two weeks. Lyn, Cam, Daniel and I piled into the Jetta with a crapload of stuff and headed up to Canada. Cam and Lyn were crammed in the back with hardly enough space for both to face forward at the same time. It was going to be a long trip. After stopping for dinner in Ashland, we got the crazy idea to just keep driving instead of sleeping in Grants Pass which was our original plan. We had left the Bay Area at 3:45pm and drove out of Ashland at 10pm. After stopping for diesel and fueling up on coffee and chocolate covered coffee beans we drove until we arrived in Squamish at 8am.

8-4-06

Lyn repeating the classic: Viper [v5]

Nora on Sloppy Poppy [v4]

A little woozy from our drive, we spent our first day cruising around the forest with our Berkeley friends Courtney & Randy and Ingar & Nora. We had a great time climbing on fun moderates and simply moving around after our long drive. The forest was as magical as we remembered, albeit a bit crowded with all the other climbers who had the brilliant idea to head to Squamish in August.

Randy Puro on Black Slabbath [v7]

After a while we went over to try one of the best slabs around (also with probably the coolest name for a slab) Black Slabbath. This thing is tall and scary with the crux at the top. While we all tried valiantly, Randy got the send for the team. Perhaps the climb was intimidated by Randy's game face, but it may have been his crazy campus moves that got him to the top. After attempting to climb a bit more, an analysis of people's skin condition brought about the end of the day.

8-5-06

Daniel taking full advantage of the rest day

Rest day geekin'

We took a rest day partly to recover from climbing on Friday but also to recover from the drive. After lounging and checking emails; Cam, Courtney and I went out to the boulders to check in with Lyn - who was climbing with Ingar and Nora. Daniel remained on the couch in a prone condition.

This is the first trip to Squamish where we aren't camping and although we miss the view from the Spit and the otters playing in our "backyard", having showers, a kitchen and a dry place to hang out when it rains is quite nice. We are also enjoying all the orange furniture. The funny thing about being on vacation is that when we aren't climbing, we spend a lot of our time sitting in front of computers looking up stuff on Wikepedia and other random stuff.

8-6-05: Boulder to boulder

2005-09-17T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Independence Rock"

Lyn, Cameron and myself are taking a two week trip to Boulder. We are going to Boulder... to boulder. It may seem redundant, but some people don't come to Boulder to boulder. (crazy, huh?) On the way out we stopped by to see Lyn's parents (Ron & Louise), who live in Grand Junction, and they were nice enough to show us around Colorado National Monument. One of the main attractions of the monument is "Independence Rock." People travel from miles around to view this hunk of choss. Incredible.

-Raza

8-7-05: First day at RMNP

2005-09-17T17:41:00.000-07:00

Lyn Warming up at RMNP

Our first day at Rocky Mountain National Park was great. Theo and Robin were nice enough to let us crash at there house and they were nice enough to give us a bouldering tour. We had heard about the epic hike so we were mentally prepared. I was hurting mostly because I was not feeling well. Even the warm-ups were kind of challenging!

Robyn Puro on Tommy's Arete, v7

Most would say that Tommy's Arete, v7 is the most classic problem in the park. It's hard to argue: and over-hanging prow with a variety of cool holds and even cooler moves. The landing sucks, but with a few crash pads and an attentive spotter, it is pretty safe. I managed to flash the problem, but by the time I topped out, I was seriously out of breath. The elevation of Lower Chaos is about 10,500 feet. You feel fine while bouldering but once you top out, it's time for a nap.

Theo Merrin on European Human Being, v12

After showing us around for a while, Theo decided to hop on a project of his that he had been trying for a while. It's one of those project that your so close to doing for so long, you kind of dread getting back on it. But since he hadn't tried it for a while, he got on it. To his surprise he did really well on it. On the first day of the season (for theo) he did all the moves, figured out some better beta and got some great linkage. Not bad for day 1.

-Raza

8-10-05: Forgot the camera

2005-09-17T17:39:00.000-07:00

After being sick with the stomach flu I finally felt good enough to go bouldering again. Obviously I wasn't feeling 100% because I forgot to bring the camera! After we warmed up, Lyn fired a quick ascent of Revenge, v6 (second go) and ironically got revenge on another problem, Auto Bot, that she tried our first day up.

The notorious afternoon weather snuck in and started to rain on us. We scurried over to one of the more over-hanging boulders so we could climb while it rained. I tried the bottom of Gang Bang and Handicapps while Lyn went back to Tommy's Arete to work out the moves.

Since we got rained out of the boulders, Lyn and I decided to go to 'The Spot' bouldering gym in Boulder to climb a little bit more for the day and to grab a quick shower. The bouldering was fun there but their flooring was a mess. (But that's the gym manager coming out in me!)

-Raza

8-11-05: Mt. Evans

2005-09-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Scary Arete @ Mt. Evans

We decided to go check out Mt. Evans since we heard so many good thing about the bouldering there. The hike is about twice as long as the hike to RMNP and the weather was looking pretty nasty. By the time that we arrived we thought it was going to rain at any second so climbing was a little rushed. We went up to try Seurat, v8 but it was seeping from some recent rainfall. We went back to where we warmed up and I tried Bierstadt, v10 for a while. I must say that I had a frustrating time on it. I managed to to all the moves very quickly but I fell off the last hard move about 20 times! I kept thinking that my beta was screwed up so I tried all sorts of strange sequences but none of them worked. In the end the beta that worked had nothing to do with the problem and everything with me taking a short walk to clear my head. I came back and fired it.

We then went up to the Dahli boulder and tried the arete on the left side of the boulder (v6?) and Lyn and I both got scared out of our wits. It looked like the last move was a dyno to the top, but with only one spotter and not knowing exactly where we were going to land, we both chickened out.
We were both tired but not willing to quit when, as if by divine intervention, it started to rain on us. We took the hint and got out of Dodge but we got drenched on the way out. We were soaked. The car heater never felt so good.

-Raza

8-13-05: Back to 'the Park'

2005-09-17T17:27:00.000-07:00

Lake Haiyaha

After going to Mt. Evans, Lyn and I were excited to go back to 'the park' (Rocky Mountain National Park). The shorter hike wasn't even the determining factor! There are more problems in the park and the granite at Mt. Evans was very similar to what we climb in Yosemite and Tahoe. We were more excited to climb on something new and different. It was much cooler than the previous days and there was a cloud that descended upon the lake and boulders. I half expected to see the Loch Ness Monster stick his head out of the lake.

Theo on European Human Being, v12

Lyn tried Tommy's Arete some more, but couldn't quite put the end together. Theo was anxious to head over to European since he did so well the other day. He managed to do even better, falling on the very last slap. He looked so good. He tried it a bunch but could never quite do as well.

Raza on Gang Bang, v8 (wink wink)

I wanted to try a few things that I hadn't been able to do a couple of days earlier. After some rest days and recovery from my stomach flu, Handicapps, v9 and Gang Bang, v8 seemed a lot easier. I'm not sure how they came up with v8 for Gang Bang but I think they might have used a random number generator. Handicapps felt easier to me and it should be noted that Gang Bang is virtually impossible if you are shorter than 5'6". I've seen many a short person roll their eyes at the mention of Gang Bang. I don't blame them.

-Raza

8-15-05: Cam joins the team

2005-09-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Cameron Verinsky resting on the way up.

After spending a week with his grandparents in Grand Junction, CO Cam joined us for our final week. We rented a cabin in Estes Park, CO so we wouldn't have to deal with a camping or paying out the nose for a hotel. Lyn and I were little hesitant about Cam being able to do the difficult hike up to the boulders but he did great! We took it slow and took a break half way.

Lyn on Tommy's Arete, v7

While Lyn tried Tommy's Arete, I tried the Automator, v13 (just for fun) and Cameron played Game Boy. Every day Lyn is figuring out new beta and looking stronger and stronger on Tommy's. There is an evil move at the end where you have to be very precise dynoing into the narrow crack. It's a low percentage move. It's a good thing the opening moves are so fun!

Raza sending Deep Puddle Dynamics, v9 (photo by Cam!)

Cam liked the Game Boy of course but was also enjoying being in the park. We even talked him into putting down his Game Boy long enough to shoot some pictures of Lyn and me on Deep Puddle Dynamics. He did a great job for his first time with our fancy digital camera.

Cameron playing in an outlet of Lake Haiyaha

I wanted to try European Human Being some more since I managed to get some linkage the last time I tried it. While I tried it, Cam (in a brave act of courage) put down his Game Boy and played in the nearby lake.

Raza "trying" European Human Being, v12

Unfortunately for me, I was not having as much success on my project as Cam was jumping from log to log. I'll blame it on the weather since it was about 15 degrees warmer than the last time I tried it.

Cameron hamming it up on the hike down

Cam was running towards me with a smile until I turned the camera on him. Our little thespian.

Nymph Lake and Bear Lake, RMNP

With climbing on the mind all the time it's sometimes easy to forgot how beautiful everything is. We walked past this view every time we walked down.

-Raza

8-16-05: A Rest Day

2005-09-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Miniature golf in Estes Park, Co

Believe it or not, there are days when we aren't climbing. We definitely stepped it up on our rest days in Estes Park because there is so much fun stuff to do. Like hit a little ball 6 times and still not get it into the hole!

Lyn & Cam on the carpet slide in Estes Park, CO

I love this picture. Lyn and Cam slid down together and I was 4 or 5 tracks to the right. It was not as easy as I thought it would be to shoot pictures as I hurtled down the slide.

-Raza

8-17-05: Wet Willy

2005-09-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Heidi Wertz hitting to the bottle while things dried out

Lyn and I had barely started to warm up when it started to hail. Our experience had been that it would hail maybe for a little bit, but then stop. It didn't stop. It only started to rain and rain hard. We scrambled to get our stuff together and ran over to Tommy's Arete so we could hang out under the boulder and get dry. I don't know how much it rained but it came down really hard for about 1/2 an hour. We were supposed to meet Robyn and friends up there but we figured that there was no way that they would come up after that storm. But as we were hanging out waiting for things to dry, Robyn, Abby, Matt and Heidi all showed up much to our surprise. It was still so wet that it drove some to drinking!

Abby on Deep Puddle Dynamics, v9

Lyn tried Tommy's Arete for a little bit but she had gotten pretty cold while waiting out the storm. We decided to head over to Deep Puddle Dynamics and give that a shot. Matt & Heidi had hiked up to the base of Long's Peak earlier in the day (only to be forced to turn back by the weather) and decided to they were too tired to climb, so they headed back to town. The rest of us tried Deep Puddle for a while but no one tried to send because the top-out was too wet.

Raza on Bush Pilot, v11

After a while we headed over to Bush Pilot so I could give it a try. I think it was one of the few things dry because there were about 12 climbers trying the problem. Kind of awkward to try it but there were plenty of pads. An old friend of mine from Las Vegas (and now Oakland) Kiyoshi was out with a large contingent of Japanese climbers. It was quite a surprise and nice to catch up with him while we climbed.

As per my pattern, I managed to do all the moves fairly quickly but fell off the last hard move about 3 times. I'm not sure why that happens to me but it seems to happen quite often. Maybe I'm not paying my gravity bill!

-Raza

8-19-05 to 8-21-05: The Last Days

2005-09-05T12:55:00.000-07:00

Rocky Mountain National Park

The last days are not well documented with the camera. We were running out of time and the weather was very wet. On the 19th I went back and tried Bush Pilot but could barely do anything on it. Lyn got on Tommy's Arete and was also not feeling so good. We both were probably pretty run down from so much climbing...

Ready to Roll

Or maybe our fun rest days were tiring us out. More golf, more carpets slides, ice cream, video games and lots of food. Enough to wear out even the fittest of individuals. Cam and I are getting ready to race on the 20th.

The 21st was our last day and it was time to finish off those projects. The weather was looking grim so we got an early start and headed up to the boulders. Lyn got on Tommy's Arete and sent with authority. Lyn and I were both so happy because we both knew how much blood, sweat and tears she put into that thing. I think Lyn was just trying to create a little excitement by sending her project on the last day. It was raining on and off all morning and we had jackets and towels on various finishing holds to try and keep them dry. Some holds took quite a bit of chalking and brushing to dry out.

Not too long after she sent Tommy's, it really started to come down. We ran over to the Gang Bang boulder to sit out the storm, but it never let up. We decide to get a head start on the drive out. On the way down we ran into Robyn & Theo and it was great to see them for one last time.

Overall, it was a great two weeks. Filled with fun, bouldering, family, rain and an occasional lightning strike. We can't wait to go back.

-Raza

Font 2005: The Last Chapter

2005-04-06T17:48:00.000-07:00

3-31-05

Raza bailing off of Big Boss

The guys all decided to go up to Cuvier Rempart and dispatch the big four while the ladies finished up at Holey Moley. Our plan didn't really materialize since none of us sent anything, but we did try everything. I got pretty close on Big Boss and Ingar did well on Fourmis Rouges.

Ingar on Fourmis Rouges

Michelle DeGuzman on Beatle Juice

Later in the day, we decided to head over to Franchard Cuisinière to try a few things. When we got to Beatle Juice, there was a very loud British climber trying it barefoot. He was huffing and puffing and screaming on every move. It's one thing if you don't want to climb with shoes, but he had already done it and wanted to do it without shoes. We all appreciated the foot goo.

Rayneil DeGuzman on Excalibur

I was able to get revenge on Excalibur - a climb that, when I tried it three and a half years ago, totally shut me down. The problem was that you had to put all your weight onto a miserable foothold. It feels really good when you finally can do a problem that you couldn't do before.

4-1-05 (Poisson d’avril!)

Rayneil DeGuzman on Flipper

Instead of saying "april fools", the French say "poisson d’avril", which translated means fish of april. This of course made no sense to us but we had a great time saying poisson d’avril every chance we got. I was having a rest day when we went to Buthiers, but that just gave me more time to take pictures. Ray had an amazing send of Flipper. He was fighting the whole time and he had plenty of opportunity to fall off, but he sent anyway.

Lyn on Attention Chef d'Œuvre

Also at Buthiers is a classic highball called Attention Chef d'Œuvre that had been highly recommended to us and that Lyn had tried at the end of our first full climbing day. It was not an easy probelm to work out the moves on since it is so tall. After figuring out the beta for each sequence she worked her way higher and higher until she was falling from the top. After one more key piece of beta, she did the problem. One highball 7a in the bag.

Ingar on an extreme highball

Speaking of highballs, Ingar tried the mysterious black # 30 problem. The only reason he got on it was because it looked impossible but the guide book listed the grade at 6c. The lip of the boulder is easily 25 feet off the ground and it turned out to be the crux. Ingar thought it unwise to try any crazy beta at the top, so he down-climbed, much to the relief of his spotters.

4-2-05

Paul trying Total Eclipse

On this day I went out to Cul de Chien to try one of my long term projects, Total Eclipse. I had worked it a little on my last trip to Font and had done all the moves, but on a problem like this putting it together is the real crux. I was having trouble doing one of the harder moves on the link, so I figured out a way to basically dyno past it. I managed to link the sit down part of the problem but I ran out of gas on Eclipse.

4-3-05

The old road to Fontainebleau

This day we hiked to a newer and more remote area called Gorges du Houx. The trail that you take into the bouldering area is actually the old road to Fontainebleau, part of it still has the original cobblestones.

Denecourt carving

Claude Francois Denecourt was famous for making beautiful hiking trails through the forest of Fontainebleau. One of his trails goes right through Gorges du Houx. Up high on a boulder he left an engraving. It's hard to read, but it's dated 1852.

Michelle DeGuzman on Gargantoit

The main attraction at Gorges du Houx is a fabulous problem called Gargantoit. I was looking to do the sit- down start after falling off the top years ago. After repeating the top to remember how it went, I managed to do the sit-down. Ingar, Ray and Lyn also managed to do the regular problem. Michelle came really close to topping out as well despite all the bad beta given by the guys.

4-4-05 (our last day)

Lyn on Hyperplomb

It is always sad, but there has to be a last day. In the beginning, our last one wasn't looking too good becuase of the rain. We took that as an opportunity to do some last-minute shopping. After it cleared up, we jetted out to one of the faster drying areas: Apremont. Lyn had done really well on her three burns of Hyperplomb a couple of days earlier despite, or possibly because of, the dark, so she wanted to come back and take care of buisness. The problem is exciting becuase the hard part is right at the top, but there wasn't much excitement to be had because she did the problem really fast.

Ingar on Mur des Lamentations

Lyn's other piece of unfinished business at Apremont was Mur des Lamentations. She had managed to figure out the beta for the bottom half of the problem, but no one under 5'10" could figure out how to do the upper moves. It was getting dark and not much progress had been made until Ingar found a surprisingly good sidepull that allowed everyone to send.

The last supper

Rayneil (who also just happens to be a chef at Chez Panisse when he is not climbing) was nice enough to cook us our last supper in Font. Ingar, Lyn and I had moved into their gite for the last 3 days of our stay and for the little time that we lived with them, we ate some great food.

We'll that's it for this trip. Lyn and I had a great time and our little stay only whetted our appetite for more world-class climbing and baguettes. Maybe someday Lyn's plan to bring everyone to Font for the holidays will come true. Until then, au revoir Fontainebleau.

-Raza

Font 2005: Part 5

2005-03-29T06:41:00.000-08:00

Stained glass window in the Château de Fontainebleau

The crew @ Château de Fontainebleau

3-24-05
It was raining again (big surpise) so the crew headed over to the wolrd famous Château de Fontainebleau. I've been avoiding going for some reason on my last two trips, but the streak couldn't last. It was only 5.50 euros after all. Inside was a lot of gold, and a lot of very fancy furniture.

Delphine Codet on the Marie Rose

Lyn on Super Forge

3-25-05
It was good enough to climb again so we headed to Bas Cuvier. It was very crowded there because it was the beginning of a three day weekend for most Europeans. There was a horde of Italians that swarmed around from boulder problem to boulder problem. Our friend Delphine Codet met up with us and enjoyed her first time climbing in Fontainebleau. The Marie Rose is the first 6a in the forest and although she did not have success this day, she would later come back and climb it. Lyn set her mind to doing Super Forge, a very crimpy and delicate boulder problem rated 7a. Most people who climb it say, "that was only 7a!", because it is so intense.

Grenouille near Larchant

Later Lyn and I took a romantic walk to see some frogs. We had been driving along this road to town and there was this strange, plastic barrier. One night we realized why they had the barrier. Hundreds of frogs were trying to cross the road and the barrier was up to keep the frogs off the road. Lyn and I went with our headlamps to investigate since Lyn was very curious. It seems that the frogs were crossing the road to mate since many of them were getting busy.

3-36-05

Lyn at 95.2

Saturday was wet again, but it dried out enough in the afternoon to climb at one of the faster drying areas, 95.2. It was a rest day for me but I ran around and took pictures. Here is Lyn trying (and later doing) the sit down start to Blue 17. For those of you who don't know, most of the problems in Fontainebleau have numbers painted on them so you can do them in a "circuit." The idea was the the mountain climbers could do enough of them in a row to get them in shape for moutain climbing. Now, people just to them for their own right.

A feast at the gite

We had a big feast because Ken & Jen, Nora, and Mark and Catherine would soon be leaving. It's pretty tight in our little gite, but we fit.

3-27-05

The basilica in Larchant

On Sunday nights they would light up the basilica in Larchant. This was Easter Sunday so I figured that I should take a picture.

Till next time!

-Raza

Font 2005: Part 4

2005-03-24T08:02:00.000-08:00

2-23-04

Nora at Roche aux Sabots

Wednesday we went back to Roche aux Sabots and it was much more quite than the weekend. The roof with "le tiroir" (called the drawer because the starting hold looks like a drawer) was not swarmed with bleausards, so the girls went over and tried some out. Nora was trying this "short person" beta, but couldn't bring herself to use it after Jo Montchausse walked up and looked disapprovingly at her.

Ingar on Bazooka Jo

Bazooka Jo didn't look too hard, that is until we tried it. I actually gave up until Ingar and Ray figured out the beta. Topping out requires the climber to press off the layback using a very crappy foot. Fun!

Raza blowing a head gasket on Sale Gosse

Ingar tried Sale Gosse the other day and made it look super fun. It is very sustained. I fell off every move getting to the crux (which is the last move!) and I fell off of that move as well. I couldn't get it that day but soon I hope I will have revenge.

Rayneil on Chasseur de Prises

We headed over to Rocher Canon because people were looking for something new. Lyn and the rest of the crew really wanted to try Chasseur de Prises (which translates to "hold hunter"). In my humble opinion it is one of the best lines in the forest, although it is not very forgiving if you are short.

Lyn on Chasseur de Prises

Even though Lyn is technically considered by 3 out of 4 doctors as "short", she was doing very well. After a bit of time to work out and remember the moves, she was falling getting to the second to last hold. Sadly, that is the story of her time climbing in Font.

Today we got rained out, so we checked out the famous Chateau of Fontainebleau. Tonight we are having a fancy diner at a one star Michelin rated restaurant. That should about meet our quota for cultural experiences for this visit. If the rain doesn't let up, we might finally get to the Pompadou Centre.

If anyone is interested in more information about bouldering in Font, check out:
http://bleau.info/

-Raza

Font 2005: Part 3

2005-03-22T07:06:00.000-08:00

Ingar on Science Friction

Lyn topping out Science Friction

Ingar on Fleurs de Rhum

The zoo at Roche aux Sabots

Lyn on crazy hard red curcuit problem

Lyn sending Graviton

Ingar on Sale Gosse

Ingar heading for a drink

El Pussah

Back to the Boulders

3-18-05
It was very warm this day. Warm enought that Jen stole Ken's shorts. We climbed around finding shade wherever possible. Later in the day we headed over to Science Friction. The climb is only rated "5c" but as we have learned, those can be some of the hardest probelms in the forest. It had just gone into the sun so the rock was still cold and the light made for some cool pictures. Even later, Ingar pointed out Fleurs de Rhum. The problem requires a dyno to a pocket that you can't see - over a sloping slab of rock.

3-20-05
I walked upon quite a scene when I met my fellow Americans at Roche aux Sabots. It looked as if every climber in France had descended upon the place. It could only be described as a zoo. Fortunately enough there were plenty of boulders to climb on. At first, Lyn and the others matched their mettle against a slabby climb on the red circuit. It turned out to be impossible and we noted that nobody had witnessed anbody send that particular problem all day. Lyn sent Graviton, 7a, much to her surprise but not to anyone else's. Ingar and Ken tried Sale Gosse before cursing and walking away. At the end of the day everyone was trying to squeeze in a last few climbs. Ingar was the only one able to send the top-out to a red and white circuit problem.

3-21-05
Another warm day, this time at Isatis. Ray and Michelle, fresh off the plane, showed up and were quite surprised at how hot it was. Neither of them had brought shorts! (It snowed on their trip at the same time the year before.) I tried to climb while not over-heating. Ken and I managed to get revenge on El Pussif and I was lucky enough to flash El Pussah. It it quite amazing to compare how different my experience on both problems. El Pussif took me quite a bit of work over two trips and the other was over in 30 seconds. Good thing Lyn finally got the white balance right on the camera.

-Raza

Font 2005: Part 2

2005-03-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

Basilique Saint-Mathurin

Lyn @ the Basilique Saint-Mathurin

The ceiling of the church

Stained glass at Basilique Saint-Mathurin

The carousel in Fontainebleau

Shopping for postcards in Fontainebleau

Our gite courtyard

The front of our gite

gite sign

Inside the gite

Life in France

The first three photos are of the Basilique Saint-Mathurin in the
little village of Larchant, where we are staying. It seems like
even the smallest town will have a very impressive church.

On the weekends the Parisians love to come down to Fontainebleau and
hang out. The carousel in the middle of town is very popular with
all the kids (as you can imagine).

The last four pictures are of our gite. We actually drive through
the house to park in the courtyard. The gite owner had to tell us
three times that would could drive through and park. Lyn and I just
couldn't believe it.

-Raza

Font 2005: Part 1

2005-03-17T06:24:00.000-08:00

Lyn and I are now in Fontainebleau, climbing with friends (Ingar, Nora, Ken & Jen). The weather was a bit wet when we got here on Thursday but it has been drying out for a couple of days (before the next rains come).

Controle Technique

03-11-05
After Lyn and I got settled in on the first day, we dashed to Bas Cuvier to get some climbing in. The first two pictures of me are on Controle Technique. The problem is crazy cool and is super funky. I didn't manage to send it but I was able to work out my beta again. Later Lyn tried Holey Moley for a bit but it was still a little too wet. The third picture is of me on Biceps Mou, a problem that has puzzled me for years but with the help of another American, we figured out the beta. Of course, it was too wet to send, or at least my right arm was too tired to send.

Controle Technique again

Biceps Mou

3-12-05
After a little rain on Saturday morning, Lyn and I went for a couple of hours to 95.2 to get a little exercise in the afternoon.

3-13-05
Sunday was much better weather-wise and the whole crew headed over to Buthiers. The fourth photo is of me on this crazy, scary highball called "Le directe du petit Cervin." It is only 5c, but you have to rock over this slopey foot and the fall is ridiculous (onto the lower slab). The last two photos are other problems on the black circuit at Buthiers. All really fun and technical and usually pretty high-ball. Ken and I managed to do "Master Edge", a 7b arete and I did the "Lady big claques", 7a+, one of the best problems I've done in Font.

Crazy highball at Buthiers

5c testpiece at Buthiers!

Another highball @ Buthiers

3-14-05
I had to rest on Monday since my arms felt like they were going to fall off. I went along with everybody to Franchard Cuisiniere to hang out, rest and take some pictures. Picture number seven is everyone hiking up to Cuisiniere. The eigth picture is of Ingar topping out Le Magnifique, a 7a with a crazy slopey top-out. There isn't really any beta other than, go for it!

Hiking to Cuisiniere

Ingar topping out le Magnifique

3-15-05
The crew headed to Petit Bois. Most people were a little sore from many days on, so they contented themselves on doing some easier slabs. Picture number nine is of me on Big Dragon, a dream project of mine. Apparently, one of the two nubs on the crux hold has broken off. That could explain why that move was so hard, but I think it is still possible. Later we went over to Elephant and Lyn did her first 7a, the left start to la Barre Fixe Directe, 7a+.

Barely hanging on Big Dragon

3-16-05
Wednesday turned out to be blazing hot. The high was 19 degrees and all day I just wanted to go to sleep. The last picture is of Nora on just another crazy Font top-out, this one at Bas Cuvier. I tried Controle Technique again but we don't need any more pictures of me falling off it. At the end of the day Lyn and I went over to Bas Cuvier Est and Lyn did Duroxmanie, a 6c+ that bouted Lyn two years ago. Oh, revenge, how sweet it is.

Nora on un-named bulge top-out at Bas Cuvier

Au revoir
-Raza