Dry Spell

The blog has gone a bit quiet recently. I'd like to say its because I've been too busy climbing to update, but the truth is that I've had a bit of a dry spell of late. I know its not really an excuse, but I have been absolutely loving teaching, and giving it my all pulling long hours has left me exhausted on the weekends. Its been just too hard to consider a weekend trip to Smith or Vantage. People have told me that its been one of the driest Falls in recent memory, but I just haven't had the time/energy to enjoy it. Hopefully I will be able to find a better balance this upcoming winter/spring.

I have managed one day out recently though. It was a crisp, clear Saturday in December, and Jeremy, Derik, David and myself headed up to test the friction at Gold Bar. I've always been skeptical of those who swear by bouldering in near-freezing conditions, but I've got to say, after this trip I might be a convert. I had been thinking about a certain couple of V6's on the Five Star Boulder ever since I was last there back in 07 (wow i feel like an old man saying things like that). My goal was to climb at least one of them. It was too cold to consider warming up, plus the boulder doesn't really have any warm ups, so I got straight on Green Padded Ass. The starting sloper rails felt like jugs with the cold crystals gripping into my dry skin. As I climbed higher the slopers got worse, my feet cut off, but there was no way my hands were losing contact with the rock, then I was topping it out on icy jugs. My first climb of the day, and I'd already met my goal. I almost sent Five Star Arete as well, but the finish jug was a little too damp to allow me to hold the swing. We then moved on to the river boulders at Index, my first time there and I was impressed. I got on the excellent Leggo my Eggo, and some river polished boulders that were HARD! It was fun taking turn and sessioning with the guys. I'm looking forward to getting back to these areas, especially since I now know that Green Padded Ass actually starts with a V0 sit-start, so I can't quite add it to my scorecard just yet. I'll just have to make sure I get back out there in equally cold conditions, otherwise I might have to try a bit harder.

Jeremy floating up the Five Star Arete, the rock is as good as it looks!

The hold just above his right hand was just damp enough to shut us down.

 

The picturesque, but deceptively hard River boulders. It is waay colder than Derik's and David's attire suggests.

The ever faithful Sasha! The river wasn't too cold for her.

Squamish Bust

I was hoping to write a blog about how I climbed amazing long routes up The Cheif in Squamish, but my trip didn't quite work out that way. On my first day there, I met up with Micah, Jimmy, David and his brother who were all psyched on bouldering, so off we went into the forest. I've got a lot of respect for boulderers, some say they are the most ADD of climbers, but I think it requires a huge amount of patience and drive to try the same move over and over. I know my attention span is not up for it which is why I prefer routes, and rarely try the same route more than once or twice. I didn't get to boulder much, I flashed a V4, got worked on a V8, then literally on the next problem I tried tragedy struck.



David working his nemisis, Mantra (V8)

 Well maybe I'm being a bit dramatic. We were trying Superdyke (hardest V3 ever), I was on the crux rockover, only about 6ft above the pads when my foot popped and the next thing I knew I was rolling on the ground in agony. Luckily newly-certified wilderness first responder Micah was there to administer some much needed Rainiers, which really helped with the pain, as did the 20+ Ibuprofen's I took that evening (I was in a lot of pain). Thanks to David for giving me a piggyback out of the forest, and to Jimmy for exacting revenge on the problem for me.

The trip wasn't a complete bust though. When I was hanging around the campground I saw Kristen Kreuk an actress from the TV show Smallville heading up the tourist trail to the top of the Cheif. I had the hugest crush on when I was a teenager, in fact I think a poster of her might still be on my bedroom wall in Scotland. I'm certain it was her, she was looking good! I was too paralyzed to talk to her, I think I may have creeped her out with my staring though. For the rest of the trip I just chilled by Murrin Lake with my ankle in the water, read some books and daydreamed about meeting Kristen again.

The swelling has gone down a lot in my ankle now and I can walk again. I got it x-rayed today and they confirmed that it is just a bad sprain. I'm supposed to keep it in a boot for a couple of weeks, but hopefully the swelling will go down enough to fit it into a climbing shoe soon. Just no more bouldering for me, at least not anytime soon.