My Little Bri-Ball

With the clients out of town taking care of some business I’m taking advantage of the time off and my green mazda minivan/hatchback hermaphro-car.  So I took off south past Hoover Dam down to Scottsdale, the home of a Mr. Brian Wysel.  The plan was to check out the new house he just purchased and then head off to Flagstaff for a weekend of adventure with a little bit of debauchery thrown in for good measure.  

I was psyched to check out Jack's Canyon near Winslow AZ.  Driving east down out of Flagstaff we couldn't help but notice the dark clouds moving in over our destination.  Had I not driven over five hours to Scottsdale followed by another two plus hours back up to flagstaff I may have considered bagging out and heading somewhere more predictable, but until a tornado touched down Jack's Canyon would continue to be my destination.  Besides,  it's not often that I get to climb with my original climbing buddy.  

Passing through Winslow (btw: this has to be the most run down awful excuse for a town I have ever been through.  It's like the anti suburbia) small drops of rain started to fall on the windshield.  "It's nothing.  It'll pass."  And it did.  By the time we reached the dirt road off the main highway to the canyon the rain had stopped and the clouds seemed to be clearing, at least my attempt at optimism was seeing things this way.  We arrived to a full campground and more than a few mud covered vehicles in the parking lot.  Hmmm.  After asking around a bit, our suspicions about the soft nature of the dirt we had just driven over were confirmed.  When it rains at Jack's it often times dumps, and when it does the road gets muddy enough to stop a 2 wheel drive vehicle in its tracks.  Perfect. 

At first glance the rock at Jack's is a bit disappointing.  Many of the walls are short and the limestone looks chossy, but once I tied in and got a bit more intimate with the stone I found that the rock is actually quite good and littered with cool features.  After a few warmups we all were getting psyched to get on some harder stuff.  The main wall is littered with what look to be high quality 12's and 13's and some of them looked  VERY flashable.  However nature had different plans for us that day.  The rain returned with a vengeance.  It came on fast  enough and hard enough for us to realize that an early escape was in order.  So we hiked out of the canyon and drove back to Flagstaff, the whole time getting pounded by rain.  I guess we made the right decision.  

On Sunday we decided to to embrace getting wet and headed down through Sedona in search of swimming holes.  Sedona was yet another spot I had yet to check out and I was blown away by the beauty of the canyons.  After some failed attempts we eventually made our way to Grasshopper Point.  This place was sort of like a cleaner Red Rocks (the Santa Ynez one).  It being Sunday there were more than a few loud beer drinking young folks as well as extended family gatherings, not really our cup of tea.  However did find another swimming hole nearby with far less crowds and an equally scenic environment.  We capped the day with a nice hike up the canyon and along the way stumbled across some borderline futuristic looking boulder problems that were covered in chalk.  Seeing a dozen problems like this on good rock in a place that I've never heard of reminds me how many strong boulderers are out there these days.  

We returned to Scottsdale that evening and the following day I set off north. My destination: Salt Lake City.

Two Gypsies on the Run

Bridget arrived on Wednesday night to a very big surprise. Her super-boyfriend secretly purchased second row seats to “O”, Circe Du Solet’s water show. I whisked her off straight from the airport and we spent the next two hours getting our minds totally blown. Years ago I saw Mystere, and loved it, but the addition of water into the equation exponentially increased the intensity and beauty of the performance. Go to this show. It’s worth every penny.

We took off on Thursday morning and headed for Saint George. This up and coming town in Southwest Utah has an amazing concentration of excellent sport climbing and at only 2 hours away from Vegas, it seemed like the perfect weekend getaway. Truth be told, Saint George itself isn’t much to see. Other than a few short blocks of historic old town, this place has been overrun with fast food chains, motels, and gas stations. Think Oxnard without the outlet shopping, but smaller, dryer, hotter, and tighter jeans.

Camp in Crawdad Canyon.

Me running off of to take care of some business in the morning

Our first destination was Crawdad Canyon. This has got to be the most surreal climbing destination I’ve yet to see. 20 miles north of town, this campground is situated on a river that, as the name suggests, is full of crawdads. There’s a pool, volleyball court, comfortable camp sites, snack bar, zip line and close to 100 sport routes (at all grades, many of which are classics) all within a short walk of each other. More of an outdoor climbing gym, there’s waivers to sign and day use fees to pay, but I gotta say, the rock is fantastic and we were the only people there. Yes, we had all the facilities and all the rock to ourselves. We climbed until dark, enjoyed the pool and after some surprisingly great Thai food in town, relaxed into our tent pitched next to the river and slept like babies.

For a small fee one gets access to a ton of good rock

Tick List
Super Fly 5.9 – onsight
Moucha 5.10b – onsight. Rad stemming moves. Tricky.
Hopscotch 5.12b – multiple falls. Sporty moves up overhung flake to a very bouldery roof. Took me a while and a number of back first falls to figure out the end.

Friday morning we awoke to the sound of the creek, a gentle breeze and some nice cloud cover. After some more exploration around the canyon we took off back towards Saint George to check out Snow Canyon. Driving down from hills its not hard to fall in love with the high dessert. The layers of sandstone seem to creep across the landscape in a combination of red’s and whites. Volcano’s dot the landscape, their cones covered in a thin layer of spring green and wildflowers and black lava rock at their base. The distinct but natural layers have a striking similarity to Neapolitan ice cream and with the clouds blocking out the sun’s glare, the rock’s round edges and vibrant colors bring on profound sense of calm, an unexpected treat in a somewhat harsh environment.

Once in Snow Canyon we made our way towards the 4 pitch 5.7 that we were told was fantastic. After some hard 3rd class rock scrambling we arrived at the second tier of the canyon walls and got organized. I started eyeing the route looking for the supposed anchors of each pitch, but hangers and pins are hard to see on the red and black sandstone. My guide mentioned two pins to a crack followed by the anchors at 50 ft. I found the pins (at 25 and 30 ft), and what looked like a crack of sorts, but no anchors. However, since we’d just hiked straight uphill for 45 minutes I wasn’t in the mood to “give up”. After clipping the second pin I continued up the sandy slap another 10 ft assuming the anchors would be within sight at this point, but wouldn’t you know, nothing at all. No more bolts, pins, or even gear placements (unless I was supposed to bring sky hooks), and a less than psyched girlfriend belaying below. I don’t mind running it out, but it’s hard to run it out up a sandy slab with no anchors or protection in the known future. So I retreated, bitter too say the least. Bitching and moaning I scrambled back towards my pack and, wouldn’t you know, turned my ankle. I love adventure climbing!!! We taped it up and scrambled back down to the car, hot thirsty and exhausted. All we wanted at this point was sit on our asses, so a movie seemed like the perfect fix.

Chuckwalla Wall.

After two hours in an air conditioned theatre our palms were starting to sweat and the urge to crank returned, but with the sunning moving towards the horizon, we needed another convenient crag close to town. For the Saint George resident, it doesn’t get more convenient than the Chuckwalla wall. One minute from town and 100 meters down a bike path brings one face to face with 2 dozen sport routes on solid (albeit a little overused) overhanging red sandstone. We got on a few different routes and mingled with the younger generation of locals at the crag. Two different couples were climbing, both young enough to make me feel old, and new enough to the sport to bring out the perfect combination of motivation, annoyance and concern. I made the mistake of asking for some advice on route choices. Instead of a simple recommendation I enjoyed a full account of the right side of the wall followed by beta and encouragement the whole way up my 5.10a warm up. Belaying Bridget up the route I couldn’t help but notice the other couple shredding just a few more yards away. Hang dogging his warm up this guy is complaining that his harness is too lose and he’s unbuckling and hand tightening 30 ft up. Wow. Later this same guy managed to leave a draw up on his route. I was climbing on the route next to him so I grabbed it and traded him for a bottle of water. Even with this being my 3rd day on I climbed fairly well and managed my hardest onsight of the trip. Chuckwalla is by no means a destination crag, but the climbing is fun, athletic and far superior to most sport crags in Santa Barbara so I had a great time.

Happy campers witha storm brewing in the distance

Tick List
Apostasy 5.10a – onsight.
Happiness is coming 5.11d – onsight. Felt fit on this route. My endurance is coming back.
Popular Demand 5.10c – onsight. Set up a top rope for Bridget and retrived a rippers draws.
Pilgrimage 5.12a– a few falls. Great route, but I couldn’t keep together for the onsight. No gas in the tank. Better movement than most of the routes at this cliff.

We climbed until nearly dark and then went looking for motel room. The first room we looked at wasn’t much of an improvement over camping. However the Best Western offered us a small deal on their “Honeymoon Sweet”. Lounging in a heart shaped bath tub watching the news on a big screen TV I knew I’d made the right decision.

My maiden in the honeymoon sweet

The plan for Saturday was to drive out to Cedar Creek and then up into the mountains towards Brian Head. I had read about some climbing in the area, but was more keen on some light hiking and a nice camp site. We found neither. A 1.5 hours drive from Saint George got us from 4000 ft to almost 11,000 ft. The drive up into alpine territory was great. Experiencing the change in weather and flora between these two altitudes was somehow exciting. However, Brianhead was sort of a disappointment. Winter was definitely over, but summer wasn’t even close. Rain, clouds, wind and mud was about all there was to experience and with the altitude affecting both us, we weren’t in the mood to hike let alone camp near the peak. So we continued on towards Parowan hoping to find some nice camping around 7000-8000 ft. Two long bumpy drives down dirt roads led us to two different camp sites clogged with motor homes and ATV’s. Memorial Day was in full effect, which was really a damn shame, because the actual campsites we discovered were in gorgeous locations. After nearly four hours in the car, we weighed out our options and decided to quit while ahead. We headed back to the honeymoon sweet in Saint George, had a quick yoga practice and scrounged together dinner from our meager resources on hand.

Bridget's very excited to be in Saint George.

The sunsets are so good in the dessert

We awoke rested and headed off to the Utah Hills in search of some good limestone. Soul Asylum wall, like all of the limestone I’ve seen in US (so far) was chossy looking at best. However, like parts of Mount Charleston, the rock proved to be very interesting climbing and conveniently offered good routes at all grades. The highlight of the day was seeing Bridget crank up the two pitch Red Cloud (5.10a). She had never been this high off the ground (climbing rock that is), yet she moved with confidence. Of course I’ve only been on a handful of multipitch climbs, so I had a blast getting some altitude as well. After our multipitch adventure I had a go at some harder stuff. To reach my lofty goal of onsighting a 5.13 by the end of this trip I need to up my PR one letter grade a month. I’ve onsighted a handful of 5.12a’s, but they all felt soft. Although I didn’t send either of the hard routes, my climbing over the past few days makes me think I’ve got a decent chance of clipping the chains first go on a 5.12b sometime in the near future. The shoulder is starting to bug less and less and some dependable power is returning (knock on wood please).

Up in the cave at the Soul Asylum

Tick List
Spirit World 5.9 – onsight. One of the best 5.9’ I’ve ever been on. Surprisingly physical for the grade.
Red Cloud 5.10a – onsight. 2 pitches. Great exposure and movement. Bridget’s first multi pitch. She followed and flashed both pitches like a champ.
White Soul Power 5.12a – 1 fall. Came damn close to onsighting this puppy. Not beautiful looking rock, but great movement.
Vision Seeker 5.12b – epiced. This may be the hardest 12b on the planet. Bouldery, fingery, and relentless. I couldn’t do at least three moves on it. Although I totally flailed, the ones I could do were great and I was proud of even cranking those.

These flowers were everywhere in the Utah Hills

The juxtapostion between the spring life and burned trees was really cool

We didn’t make it back to the car until dark (which is around 9pm here right now), which meant that we didn’t make it back to town until nearly 10pm. This proved to be a problem with regards to any dinner plans. Trying to find a decent place to eat in Utah late on a Sunday night is not the easiest mission on the planet. We finally settled on Denny’s, a classic to say the least. I can’t believe they sell burritos stuffed with pancakes. That’s a disgrace to two very respectable meals. Our meal left us with just enough energy to search for a camp site and we had heard rumors of a nice place 20 miles up the road However once we got there it was once again filled with memorial day travelers. Fed up and tired we drove down a nondescript dirt road further up the highway, put down the back seats and renegade camped in the back of the car.

"Can we go to Denny's for Breakfast?"

We awoke hot, dirty and hungover (funny since the only alcohol we drank was the one Pabst we shared…. Denny’s perhaps?). Bridget had a plane to catch so we opted to skip a quick climb and headed back towards Vegas. Not a bad weekend getaway if I do say so myself.

Coffee and Tapioca Ball Sweet Tea all at the same gas station.

The Gift

Alison and I woke early to check out The Gallery for our first time. The approach is sort of confusing, but after about 20 minutes we made our way up to the first routes. This wall is about as user friendly as they get. There’s quality routes on bomber rock from 5.9 to 5.13 and the steeper stuff stays in the shade until early afternoon.

I’m not sure why, but I felt very strong and very together. After easily onsighting a 5.11c (not Yaak Crack, the other one), I turned my attention to The Gift 5.12d, of course. The fixed draws allowed for little commitment and I tied in and went at it with a vengence. The moves on this route are phenomenal. Big pulls on positive holds at all angles on 15-20 degree overhung rock. It’s probably only 5.12b to the crux, and the movement is great. After a bit of screwing around I came up with a sequence I like for the crux. Right hand to slopey gaston, left to two finger pinch, right to the jug. This would be a full value redpoint for me and I’d love to get back there sometime to join the elite few (or many) that have this route on their ticklist.


Tick List (don’t have the guide right now and can’t remember route names)
5.9 – flash
5.9 - flash
5.11c – onsight. Climbed this route fast and efficiently. No rest until jut below the chains.
The Gift 5.12d – 1 fall to crux, some work, then the chains. I felt very powerful on this thing, more powerful than I’ve felt in a long long time.

The Boys are Back in Town

The past weekend got supercharged by the addition of Justin and Elija’s visit from Santa Barbara. They arrived late Friday night just in time for us to watch Chuck Fryburger’s new bouldering flick Pure. Props to Chuck for skipping the lame story line and focusing on his shots. There’s some beautiful sequences in this thing and Nalle Hukkataival is a crankenfrank.
We shoved off to Mount Charleston in the morning. None of us had climbed there before, so we weren’t sure what to expect. Before making a beeline to the Hood, I convinced them to check out Robber’s Roost. A short hike from the highway led us to a limestone canyon. Ever the boy scout Elija went off exploring while Justin and I figured out what route to get on. I tied into the supposed classic The Rooster (5.10c) and after 20 minutes of stemming on sharp limestone I cleaned the route because no one else wanted to deal with it. We turned our attention to the main wall which was covered in fixed draws. The lines looked long and pretty nice, but instead of just getting on something we opted to argue over which route was which. After far too much of this we had quiet time and drove off to the Hood.

Justin pastes his feat and pulls on Heating up the Hood (5.11c)

At over 8000 ft the 20 minute hike into the Hood left all three of us pulling hard for air. The hike is well worth it. Not only is this area ripe with sport climbing history, but the ambience and view at the crag is spectacular. The climbing at the Hood is hard and the grades are solid. Half the routes are on steep terrain and the other half, although gently angled is on very blank rock with glassy feet and awkward pockets. I felt very humbled by the rock here. This alpine limestone was nothing like the sea level stuff that I climbed in Europe. I enjoyed the two routes that I got on (minus the end of Heating up the Hood), but spent most of the day sitting on my ass watching the birds and breathing in the cool clean mountain air as Elija and Justin hurled themselves at some burly routes in the Compton Cave.

Elija on steep ground in the Compton Cave

Elija wants Straight out of Compton (5.12d)

We managed to get back to the car before dark, maybe the first time that this has ever happened when the three of us are climbing together. Exausted, we stuffed our faces, and managed to hoist a few drinks, but any plans we had of hitting the town were stopped in their tracks quickly. I retired to the floor, Justin to the guest room and Elija to mine. The IT wonder boy enjoyed my bed so much on his first night that he decided to conquer it for the entire weekend. Whatever. I like sleeping on the floor.

Tick List

The Rooster 5.10c – onsight. Stemming up a water groove of sharp grey limestone. I didn’t love this route, and Elijah and Justin could tell. They didn’t even get on it and we left shortly there after.

Heating up the Hood 5.11c – didn’t get to the chains. I got 3/4 of the way up this thing and then after trying the moves and talking with Elijah about the end opted to skip the shitty traverse on underclings with dismal feet. It looked sketchy and getting set up for it required a cross through that my shoulder was not happy about.

Rappin Boys 5.12a – bolt to bolt. I’m glad I didn’t have to put the draws on this thing. The first two bolts may have been the hardest moves and they were on a slab. The top of this thing is great though and there’s a foothold or two.

The Pier at Red Rocks

The following day I took the boys to Red Rocks. After a day at the Hood, climbing on the highly featured sandstone felt like cheating, but with little breeze and near 100 degree heat the rock felt greasy enough to balance out the equation. We made our way to the Pier, a short overhung wall close to the Sandstone Quarry parking lot. Elija and Justin were noticeably fatigued from the day before, but I felt fairly fresh. I managed to flash two 5.11’s fairly easily after Elijah put up the draws.

My sponsors in Turkey say I have to wear my shirt no matter how hot it is.

Elija latches the crux sidepull on Geometric Progression (5.12b)

As the sun started to close in on the wall we escaped to The Sweet Pain wall. I was pretty sure they’d enjoy this wall and the pumpy 5.11’s here seemed like good weekend enders. In the end we only had time for one route and I let Elija take his pick. Of course he chose Sweet Pain (5.11d) the hardest of the good lines and the only one I had yet to get on. After watching Elija completely run out of gas I ended up flashing, barely hanging a small crimp high in the route. I’ve had a tentative goal of onsighting 5.12 by the end of the month, and this burn makes me think I’ve got a good chance.

Tick List

Under the Boardwalk 5.11a – flash. Ok 5.10 moves to a surprising but fun bouldery crux at the top.

Basement 5.11c – flash. One of the better routes I’ve been on at Red Rocks thus far. Powerful for the grade with some good exposure and consistent to the chains.

Geometric Progression 5.12b – didn’t get to the chains. Easy 5.11 climbing to a rad crux hard enough to make this a 12b. After flailing for a while I let Elijah clean up my mess.

Sweet Pain 5.11d – flash. The namesake at my favorite wall so far. I was phsyched that I pulled off a flash this hard so late in the weekend.

Put her in gear and see what happens

Endless amounts of rock here

After a full weekend of climbing I took a much needed rest day followed by two short, but very entertaining sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Tuesday we checked out the Wake up Wall at the Sandstone Quarry. From the ground many of the routes looked really bad, but I was pleasantly surprised every time I tied in.

Poundcake (5.8) - onsight. Nothing special
Skidmark (5.10a) - onsight. Good moves up high. ehh.
First Born (5.10b ) - onsight. Mantle crux at the bottom followed by super good moves on the face above. Sort of trad bolted, but I felt safe. Good route.
Pain Check (5.12a) - 2 falled. My first hard"ish" route of the trip and a sustained one at that. It's worthy of it's two stars. I only had time for one go and was super pleased with my onsight attempt. There's an ok rest just below the crux 2/3's of the way up and I must have spent a good 5-7 minutes shaking and scoping above before I finally commited and failed. After the fall I realized how painfully pumped I was. Like that capiliaries?

The following day we got tradtastic. The plan was to get on very easy routes to get our skills together etc. After two laps on 5.6's I couldn't take it anymore, so I jumped on the 5.10a slabby (like at least 15 degrees under vertical) arete right in front of me. I ended up with much more of an "oppurtunity for growth" than I wanted. Kemosabe was one of the most mentally intense pitches of my life. Other than the one bolt at 75 ft the only other protection I found that I was happy about were two nut placements spaced about 15 ft apart. Sorry Mom.

Kemosabe 5.10a is the the arete just left of the chimney.

If you blow it dancing up the slab a tumble over the edge awaits.

Go Ahead and Jump (5.6) - Onsight
Ok Ok Ok (5.6) - flashed following on top rope. Both good pitches that would be exciting 1000 ft off the deck, but on the ground. eh.
Kemosabe (5.10a) - onsight. Full value climbing. Delicate foot work and a ton of exposure with bad fall potential even if gear holds, at least by my sport climber standards.

Someone's gotta put the Food on the Table

I've had a few people ask if I actually work when I'm "working". Here's a list of meals I've prepared thus far.

5/2 - Mushroom Miso soup; Soy Glazed Scallops over Greens, Ginger Rice Wine vinaigrette.

5/3 - Coriander and Fennel seared Halibut; braised Portabella; Kale saute, caramelized Fennel, toasted Pine Nuts

5/4 - Cumin and Orange Tempeh, Sauerkraut, Quinoa; grilled Artichokes stuffed with Leek "pate"

5/5 - Ginger Cilantro Turkey meatballs, White beans, Spinach, Anchovy, Tampenade ,

5/6 - Marinated Bell Peppers, Tomato, Avocado, and Pine nut salad; Left overs

5/7 - Pan fried Catfish; Wild Mushroom Cabbage enchiladas; Pineapple, Cucumber, Jicama salsa

5/8 - Chicken Cauliflower Curry; Eggplant in dry spice; Basmati rice

5/9 - Slow Roasted Salmon; Radicchio, Arugula, blue cheese and walnut salad; Salmon Skin chips

5/10 - Pan seared Sea Bass; Green Beans in Greek Tomato sauce; Tzatziki

5/11 - Chicken and Veggie stir fry; Peanut Coconut sauce; Brown Rice

Metro Weekend Warrior

The Second Pullout

Originally I had plans to meet up with Elija and Justin over the weekend. We wanted to check out Mt Charleston, but the Jesusita Fire had different plans for us. Stuck in the middle of the insanity they opted to stay in town and help out where they could. Good on ya mates! Alison already had big “girl time” plans with her friend who came to town, so I looked to the east for a partner in crime. Steve was psyched on meeting up in Utah, but after explaining to me that he was a 6 hour drive away I bailed on him and tried my luck in Vegas solo.

I haven’t done much bouldering this past year. I think my 27th birthday challenge may have something to do with that. However, sandstone can make for some really nice problems and Red Rocks has an abundance lying around so I woke up early Saturday in hopes of beating the heat and drove to Red Springs to check out the small bouldering area there. I used to consider myself a fairly powerful climber. I practically learned to climb at 911 East Canon Perdido and my first half decade climbing was almost exclusively bouldering. Well, lets just say things have changed. I could barely muster the energy to get up a few V3’s. Even the warm-ups felt hard. In fact two V1’s completely shut me down. I couldn’t get off the ground. However, the main boulder of this area houses some nice problems of all levels and I was able to get a nice session in. As midday approached, I escaped to my car and drove back to our climate controlled home.

Jugs Stand VB - flash.
Jugs Sit VB – flash. got me pumped and breathing hard.
Sun Dial V0 – flash.
Spring Board V3 – second go. Very nice.
Cherry Garcia V3 – flash. No jugs on top. Felt a little Santa Barbara-ish. Maybe that’s how I managed the flash.
Unnamed V1 - flash
Jugs Left Sit V0? - flash

Alice celebrates her redpoint

Alice on in a sea of edges on Slave to the Grind 5.11b

After some lunch I decided to drive into the scenic loop to take advantage of the weekend climbing photo opportunity. There were two groups climbing at the Sweet Pain Wall so I wandered over said hello and started snapping photos. As we got to talking I discovered that we had a shared acquaintance. Wouldn’t you know, the group from LA were old friends of Mr. Steve Edwards. I can’t say I was surprised. Sitting around I eventually got motivated, tied in and managed an onsight of Sister of Pain 5.11b.

Alice on Punch Drunk 5.11c

Tim on Punch Drunk 5.11c

Clip and move!

Some guy climbing in the Black Corridor

Alice going for it on Glitter Gulch 5.11a

I must have been on good behavior because my new friends Alice and Tim invited me along on Sunday as well. We started off in the Black Corridor. I wasn’t very psyched on the climbing there but I really wanted some photos of this hyper popular area. I set myself up near the top of the wall and ended up getting some nice shots.

Nightmare on Crude Sreet 5.10d – onsight. The crux was a bit of a battle for a warmup
Foe 5.11a – onsight. More like 5.10c. No stars in the guide but I’m giving it one.
Glitter Gulch 5.11a – repeated this one to get a good perspective for some photos.

An Epic is Good Medicine

I don’t understand the suburbs. Build a huge parking lot and then surround it with as many different retail establishments as possible. Scattered along the way be sure to include one drive through Starbucks, a Chili’s To Go and at least one tacky ass over priced restaurant/sushi bar/cocktail lounge/sports bar. Of course, bigger is always better. Surround the already near perfect concrete park with gated communities stocked with identical homes designed by someone who’s creative spirit is representative of never leaving the gated community they were brought up in. These homes will serve as the storage area for the treasures aquired while navigating the concrete wasteland. Create rules like “you can’t park on your own street” and “the garage door must always be closed” and enforce these rules with 24 hour armed security (Update: I was just asked to not park in my driveway either. Rad.). This isn’t just boring, it’s kind of scary. I’ve only been here a week and I already feel like I’m developing a mood disorder.

So I’m trying to find ways to get out of town. Wednesday I got fed up and went looking for a trail to hike in Red Rocks. I finally settled on the Willow Springs Loop, a 6 mile trail that circles the entire White Mountain Peak. I left the White Mountain parking lot around 2pm with more than enough water, but neglected to bring any food. 6 miles. Ehh. No big deal. Well, turns out 6 miles in the dessert for this 28 going on 48 year old’s body was mildly epic. I didn’t make it back to the car until just after 5pm and by that time had already bonked (twice I think) and my knees and back were finished. Pain and lack of fitness aside, the trail was beautiful and not nearly as arid as one would expect. The mountains created enough shade to get breaks from the sun, but also to keep the vegetation lush (dessert standards mind you). 2/3’s of the way back I stumbled through Willow Springs campground and checked out the small bouldering area (nothing that special, but 30 seconds from a parking lot) and was offered a beer by some campers. I almost accepted, hoping that the calories might get me to the car, but decided the dehydrating aspects might cause some more problems. I must have looked like shit, because next they offered me some water.

The following morning we woke up early to get some climbing in before the sun got to high in the sky. The goal was to get on an easy 2 pitch sport climb followed by some easy single pitch trad routes. Unfortunately I got us totally lost on our way to Man’s Best Friend (5.7) and we spent more than an hour trying to find the route. Once we got our bearings we couldn’t find the rappel into the route. So we scampered down the borderline 4th class alternative. I was thinking of you Andy. We took our time on the route and got up and down it drama free. It’s rare that I’ll call a 5.7 sport route fun, but this one gets a star. By the time we got back to the car, it was almost eleven and far too hot to get on anything else.

Back at the house I had more time to burn before dinner prep, so I did a 30 minute yoga practice, followed by a nap in shavasana, followed by my shoulder rehab work, followed by a static apnea session in our community pool. Apnea is so fucking fun. It’s pranayama under water. How rad is that? I did a pyramid set to 2 minutes (15 second breathing followed by 15 sec retension, 30 second breathing, 30 second retention, 45…. to 2 minutes and then back down) This is an awesome, effective and very safe feeling apnea workout. Nice day of low impact training.

I spent the rest of the evening getting updates about the Jesusita fire back home. As of right now my house and my folk’s new house are both fine. Dad doesn’t seem too worried and he’s got Jesse backing him up, so we’re as well off as possible given the insanity. I've already heard about good friend's properties burning. The Kornbluth’s got hit bad. This one hurts a lot of us. That home has always been a beacon of joy, love and creation. It’s a tragedy, but Peter, Story, Day and Natty are the true holders of the magic. Their roots will take hold again and a new garden will grow.

Sweet Pain on a Quiet Evening

The mercury's reaching towards 90 during the middle of the day here in Vegas, so we're focusing on climbing in the evenings. Alison had allot to take care of today so we didn't set off for the crag until almost 4pm. Luckily it's only about 20 minutes to Red Rocks from our place, and the hike in from the second pullout is mild, maybe another 20 minutes at most. Tack on to that my new extended warm up regimen and I was tied in around 5pm in perfect temps. We checked out the Sweet Pain Wall and were very pleased with what we found. Afternoon shade in a cozy amphitheatre of red rock complete with stadium seating and a view to boot had us both very stoked. With absolutely no one else in sight (much different than the weekend scene) we started cranking. These routes were gently overhung with mostly good holds spaced fairly well apart. They all had a bouldery crux at the bottom followed by very consistent climbing to the chains.

Tick List
Pain in the Neck (5.10a) - onsight. Good route.
Glitter Gulch (5.11a) - onsight. Great route.
Slave to the Grind (5.11b) - onsight. Brilliant route.

And so it begins

Had to do it.... I think we're good on gear for while.

After a few days of errands and settling in Alison and I made our way into Red Rocks. I should mention that Lyle is not around for the month of May. He's spending the month in Tuscon at a retreat center, so Alison and I are on our own for a while, which I find hilarious. Take for example our entry into the park. The older gentlemen working the pay station asks me to make sure "my daughter" signs our annual pass paperwork so that we both can use the pass. "Thanks. I'm really proud of her. She just got married and I'm in town spending some time with her." He smiles. "Congratulations!" She just about smacked me as we drove off into the weekend cluster fuck known as the Red Rock Scenic Drive Loop.

Hordes of cyclists, chain gangs and hikers from Las Vegas and beyond pour into the one way loop road. This place is like the strip for REI members. We barely find a parking spot at the second pullout in the Cailco Hills. Luckily as we made our way towards the rocks, the crowds died off quickly and soon it seemed that we were one of a few parties out for the day, well at least for a little while. Our destination, The Black Corridor, is a popular area. It's got shade the entire day except around noon when the sun lights up the entire place. More importantly it houses three dozen moderate sport climbs. So I guess I shouldn't have been surprised when we turned the corner and stumbled into the party.

The crowds are gone by this point, but you can see how crowded it felt when there were 30 people in there

Navigating through the maze of topropes, back packs and helmets we made our way towards the back of the corridor. Surprisingly there was only one other couple climbing in the back and the guidebook handed out stars to a number of the routes so we set up camp and went to work.
What I learned quite quickly is that red rocks is a crimp fest, and I am not much of a crimper. Edge after edge after edge is not my specialty, but the rock is mostly good quality and the red sandstone is mesmerizing. I'm trying to stick to moderates for a few weeks in hopes that I can continue to rehab my shoulder/finger/knee/mind/spirit? to allow for a full summer of climbing. Alison's got the same game plan right now so hopefully we can keep each other on track.

Older Asian women on Rebel without a Pause (5.11b)

Tick List
Dancing with a God (5.10a) - onsight
Black Gold (5.10b) - onsight
Fool's Gold (5.10b) - onsight
Rebel without a Pause (5.11b) - onsight. Basically a steep 3 bolt boulder problem. I haven't been on this angle for a while so the onsight gives me some hope about cranking in the future.

No Extra Charge

We arrived in Vegas 2 days ago. I met Lyle, Alison and Steve (the pilot) at Atlantic Aviation just outside the Santa Barbara Airport on Friday morning. We took off in Lyle's Pilatus Turbo Prop and headed out. Tired from a long night on the town with the usual suspects I quickly got comfortable in my leather seat and soon fell asleep to the hum of the engine. My beauty sleep ended abruptly as we came over the mountains into the the dessert outside of Vegas. I was practically bounced out of my seat (with my seat belt on) by the heavy turbulence we ran smack into the middle of. Turns out flying low during the afternoons around here is not for the faint of heart; or stomach I quickly learned. Over the next 20- 30 minutes nausea took control of my body, sucking all known color from my face and metabolizing it into a cold sweat. Sitting next to one of my clients, I tried everything I could imagine to hold it together, but there was no stopping the inevitable. I reached for the trash can behind Alison's seat, and of course, couldn't get it loose because of all the gear we had stuffed in the back. So I ripped off my seat belt (we're landing mind you), dove behind her seat and buried my head in the bin, and well, I'll spare you the rest of the play by play. We touched down with a bit of a jerk, but I was buried so deep in the trash can that I didn't move an inch. I wiped my face, took a few deep breathes, and flashed the thumbs up. "Welcome to Vegas!"

I spent the better part of yesterday stocking our kitchen, undoubtedly helping Whole Foods break sales records along the way. Because I neglected to notify Bank of America that I would be out of town, my credit card was denied. The checker was of course stoked that she just bagged two shopping carts of groceries for some random unshaven guy in a Hawaiian shirt, who now didn't have the money to cover them. I promised I could make good on the charge and excused myself to make a few phone calls. The bank took care of the issue and I recovered my consumer pride.