Goals

Leavenworth isn't the front range, and winter days aren't all 60 and sunny here. I'm glad to be here, but I'm going to have to change how I train and stay in shape. Writing down goals and having some metrics have been proven to help with this sort of endeavor.

Alpine Blissing

Early this summer, Allison, myself, and friend Scott Bennett organized a week-long "Alpine-Stravaganza" up in Rocky Mountain National Park. After 6 miles of beautiful hiking, we found ourselves in the Glacier Gorge cirque, surrounded by alpine rock climbs, elk, a huge array of food, perma-dry bivy caves, scrabble games, and a tug-of-war contest known as "hunker down". We did a little climbing as well, and Graham Zimmerman made a movie!

Fall Road Trip: Glacier Gorge

Fall Ticks and "Blake-ing"

The blue cord worked better than the pine needles and leaves I tried first.

Not washing my jacket has paid off once again!

What is a First Ascent?

In the good old days before the interwebs ruined climbing and everything had been sent, pre-grizzled hardpersons climbed peaks nobody had ever stood atop. Those were first ascents. A little later, people climbed the same peaks via completely different terrain, maybe via more difficult, enjoyable, aesthetic, or seasonally-dependent condtions. They went to the summit as well. Those, also, were first ascents. But in the days of infinite variations, stopping at the end of "technical difficulties" 1/2way up the mountains, and failed attempts retroactively labeled as new climbs on features that might not really have summits, what is a first ascent?

The Secret to Sending?

Despite what the Beastie Boys say, I think it takes plenty of sleep, and some creative snack skills.

Sierras, Rainbow Wall

I recently got the chance to do a few days of "work" for CAMP USA, and this time it wasn't doing manual labor in their Denver-area warehouse. This was the cause for my first ever visit to the Sierras. And finally let me climb Red Rock's "Rainbow Wall". I also learned that the high point and low point in the continental USA are merely 100 miles apart. However, only one of them houses an 18-hole golf course. Take that Mt. Whitney!!

Ah, Washington...

Like most stories meant to frighten kids, climbers, and other scare-able sorts, tales from the northwest have more fairy tale than fact. In truth, the Cascade Range is diverse enough to defy description. It houses big wall granite free climbs and snowy skyline ridge scrambles. Fertile valleys grow bright fruit and bitter hops, producing unique meals and microbrews. Strong espresso and stronger beers bookend quintessentially Cascadian car-to-car pushes. And everywhere, amid every climb, the landscape itself will grab you. The mountains' complexities tell of the region's history and ongoing geologic turmoil. The rugged nature of this range has shaped its culture and climbing, both now tangled stoutly together. The landscape lurks as a character, figuring into the region's stories and experiences. And despite disparate views of politics, economics, religion, and probably even sport vs trad, the residents scattered throughout these sleepy mountain towns all revel in a pride of place and an eagerness to share their connection to the Cascades.

I'm moving back to Washington from Colorado at the end of October.

First a quick trip to the Sierra, and maybe Zion as well!

Summer Slideshow

Scott and Lauryn, checking the box scores (?) before climbing

Multi-use pack frame insert

Ginnie, Jonesing on the evening light at the North Early Winter Spire

Beer has food value, but food has no beer value

A crack climb in Rocky Mtn. N.P.    -   Forest Woodward shot

Tom the Kiwi - Index, WA - Zoom  5.10+

Heart of the Country  5.10- Index, WA

Flipping and Flopping my way to Liberty Bell

Following Scott's onsite of Thin Red Line's first 5.12 pitch

REEEEACH!

Silver Star and environs

Getting "all up amongst it" on the double roofs pitch

Big Kangaroo, North Cascades

Loaded for bear on Big Kangaroo

The turning of gears: Part 2

The Paul Harvey style "rest of the story" - in which our gear and its owners reunite.

The turning of gears: Part 1

Camera accounted for atop the summit - but not for long

Or maybe this should be called the returning of the gears. This summer I've witnessed three instances of astounding and unlikely gear returns, and the stories are almost as interesting as reading about the newest  8aNu bouldering extreme radness. These are actually the human interactions which (in a well-written form) make any "climbing story" worth reading (and hence not really about climbing).