Smithy

Greg took some great photos of Smith Rock this past weekend. Check them out if you get the chance. Also, kudos (In Kiwi: "Cue-Dahs") to the man for finding out the correct route name for the intimidating 5.11b we climbed.

Procrastination

As an excuse to not study, I thought I'd post a couple of cool climbing pics to get my train of thought back. Recent news: We're just starting to get our vegetable garden in over here at Zack's place, and I had a fun day at Smith Rocks yesterday, though a bunch of us did get spanked on a 5.11b called "Soul survivor". And for a community announcement, I invite all climbers and wilderness lovers out to Smith Rocks this coming weekend for the annual Spring Thing. This is a great way to repair some of the damage we all do tramping around out there, and it is awesome to give a belay on a terrace you built after the work is done. There is everything from trail maintenance to bolt replacement that needs to be done, and it only takes about half a day of your time.

...and the also rans

People think that photos don't lie, and that no information is left out. They are purveyors of cold, unvarnished truth. But that is balderdash. In my favorite comic strip ever, Calvin and Hobbes, Calvin takes a picture of himself on his clean bed with all of the junk in his room pushed off to the side, just out of the frame. The idea is that people will think Calvin is a tidy person. Bill Watterson, the author, is trying to tell us, "don't believe everything you see." In the hands of a simpleton, a camera can easily be used to warp the truth to whatever the picture taker wants. I've seen some pretty impressive looking UFO pictures (although most are not) out there, but that doesn't mean SETI should stop searching just yet. Cameras lie all the time.

The cool part about a blog is that it is the blogger's chance to present themselves however they want to the world (not that anyone reads this one hehe). But we too fall prey to this camera manipulation. Out of the 1000's of shots I take, only a handful make it in here. And many of those tend to be shots that, honestly, I think I look cool in. I'm an average climber at best, but I choose to put shots in here that make me look like I can send 5.15. Most of my days are spent reading, typing, sleeping and playing guitar, but I don't often show the viewer that part of my life.

That said, a few weeks ago I viewed a photo of me where I look incredibly... well, dumb. Instead of hiding it away forever I'm going to post it here, in honor of all the other pictures that don't make the cut. I'm also posting it because it makes me laugh, and hopefully I get a few laughs out of other people. See ya!

Today's Random Bouldering shot

I never did manage to do that mantle

Red Rocks: it never ends...

Below are some of my pics from Daryl and myself's two day excursion to the Rainbow wall at Red Rocks, which is regarded by some as the highest and baddest wall there. We hiked in our water, bivy and climbing gear the afternoon before and started climbing after a night of little sleep due to the brightness of Vegas in the distance. It was amazing and fun climbing, partly due to the fact that I lead nothing but the 5.6 first pitch. The whole thing goes at 5.12a or 5.9 A2. I belayed Daryl up the first seven pitches so he could work the moves. They are graded (Pitches 1-7 ):

5.6- not near as fun as the pitches to come

5.12a -not very warmed up by the time you make it to the burly crux move on this one

5.11d- very strenuous and sustained liebacking

5.11a- Follow a thin seam

5.11b- Daryl nabbed the redpoint on this one. Climb gingerly up a huge detached block and then up to a strenuous roof around right.

5.10c- This was still pretty hard after all the preceding pitches. We then rappelled the route



Here are a few pictures

The Original Route follows the dihedral directly in the center below one of two black streaks. Follow the notch on the skyline down and you'll see it. You can bivy at Rainbow ledge up near where the tree is slightly up and right. Now, can you see the climber aiding pitch 2? No? I'll zoom in for you...

He's just left of the black streak in the center

Daryl at our perfect bivy spot at the base

A couple from Santa Cruz jugging up their fixed lines

Looking over at Crimson Chrysalis and beyond to Las Vegas. Again, for scale you can just make out a couple climbers on top of Crimson, about halfway up the 45 degree slab on the top of the tower. It was a kick to look out over a 1000 foot route I had done a few years ago with my climbing accomplice Richard.

Trinity Hike

My family and I have an annual tradition, one that missed last year as I was in the southern Hemisphere. Every year around the onset of spring we hike along the South Fork of the Trinity River and check out the great wildflowers and vistas. This year did not disappoint in the wildflower department, and though it was a little cold we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Another plus: I have yet to feel any itches from being around poison oak. The trail has a treasure of the stuff, but somehow through some matrix moves and paying attention to your feet (as every climber should) you can come out unscathed.

Monkeyflower, or Mimulus

My Father, brother and mother

A Quick Jaunt Across Greenland

I interupt this irregularly scheduled Lanky Bastard blog entry to post something cool and exciting. I know cool and exciting things don't show up here very often, but this is too awesome to pass up. My fellow NZ adventurer and Norwegian Ingrid was a cool girl and a fun person to climb with. I found out today that she is also a badass (read: American for extremely awesome outdoorsy person). She and 3 friends are going to Kite across the length of Greenland. Yeah... I know. Check out the link supplied above, It's awesome! Some of it is English speaker friendly, which was good for me as I have trouble saying "cheese" right. Anyways, I am stoked to have hung out with a living legend and wish Ingrid and her friends the best. Off to Bombs...

Spring Break

It was nice to get out of dodge for the past week, and by dodge I mean the Willamette valley in the springtime. It snowed a couple of days ago in Corvallis! It's almost April! According to my brother, it snowed the first day of spring, and we seem to be on course for an icy "take the studded tires off your car day". Anyhow, I rolled back into Oregon late Sunday only to be welcomed by some hail and icy conditions after zooming by Mt. Shasta.



The total tally came to about 7 days in Red Rocks and 2.5 in Bishop, CA. The climbing was great and the sun was more than welcome to the scores of Oregonians there. Red Rocks weather will get even the most dedicated slacker (which is an oxymoron now that I think about it) out of the tent before 8:00am. I got the chance to give plenty of belays on hard redpoints, do some stellar bouldering in Bishop and I followed Daryl higher and harder then I have ever done before on the Rainbow wall. I'll post a few pics from my old camera, but until I get the cord for my new Olympus these will have to do.

Myself about to follow a tough 11a pitch on the Original Route, Rainbow wall

Beautiful Red Rocks in the afternoon

One of my favorite boulder problems: Mikey working The Womb

Matt trying a tough V-hard. I needed some holds on the mantle, as well as some feet.... Hell I needed everything.

Since High Plains Drifter is way, WAY too tough, I opted for the v4 to the left. It's nice with a dash of highball, but it is super safe once you get the jug about halfway up.