"GOIN' OUT WEST WHERE THE WIND BLOWS TALL"

2009-04-10T09:23:00.002-06:00

BOULDERING BOULDER PICTURE POST: COUNTDOWN TO THE END BEGINS

2009-04-08T18:46:00.008-06:00

[introduction by panic at the disco]

niles & jenna atop flagstaff mountain

sussing it out

almost there (first overhang)

it looks like i stuck it, right?
(not like niles did, 3rd GO)

eldorado canyon trail

eldo

me, jamie, eric, jenna, niles

i am a champion!

WHEN IT SNOWS IT POURS (1/2)

2009-04-06T22:34:00.012-06:00

[insert favorite song here]

in retrospect i feel like i left bishop too early (definintely could have used 2 or 3 more weeks there); not completely in my (present) control as my past self made plans to be here in boulder, co this week (6-12) as i (decided to go to joes for a week and) have previously mentioned; which is about the only thing i am super-psyched about in the here-and-now (but that's the next post-thought, 2/2).

but... i'm glad i spent the time to check out joes valley. this is definitely a place to get back to:

i arrived in joes valley on monday around noon and found brian, eric & jamie. i was feeling bummed about my newly busted finger and decided not to climb for yet another day (making 5 days off since the pulley tear). we checked out the new joes area, including

THE RIVERSIDE BOULDERS,

WORST CASE SCENARIO,

TRENT'S MOM, and THE ANTI-FUTURE PLAN before heading back to

camp

for dinner and a movie.

after seeing the rock and doing some approach-shoe warmup climbs i decided to tape the hell out of my finger and go for it the next day. and i'm glad i did.

we ended up going to AREA 51 (on tuesday) and doing some fun stuff (some easy and moderate stuff -only thing i know the name of was pocket rocket), and then ended up deciding that we were all (having each been on a roadtrip for anywhere from 4 to 6 months)

not motivated anymore & needing to do something other than rockclimbings for a little while.

the highlight of the day was getting on RESIDENT EVIL and doing all the moves except for the top-out.

the next morning (wednesday) jaime and eric decided after a nite full of snow, that it was time to move on. brian stuck around long enough to hike around a little looking for some problems on the right fork. by the afternoon it was still snowing, and cold. brian left that afternoon and i, not wanting to go to denver yet, decided to stay the nite and see how thursday faired.

the next day was warm again and the sun was peering out behind only partly cloudy skies. i went and tried MAXIPAD, which ended up being harder than i thought.

after getting shut down i made the short drive to new joes and area 51, to get back on RESIDENT EVIL. i couldn't do the first move that day, but was able to do the (i guess) stand start (someone told me they call it an 8). i was happy about the 2 day progress and wished i had maybe one more day to do the problem proper... maybe next time.

so friday i left around 10am and made the 7ish hour drive to denver (hoping to go to the denver art museum the next day), arriving just in time for rush-hour. then met up with a couple friends and cooked dinner and watched a movie. we all went to bed waiting for what was supposed to be a snow storm -only ended up being a dusting.

saturday made it to the DAM (denver art museum) for "free day" (1st saturday of the month) and walked more than i'd walked in a long time. my hips hurt and after having not slept too well on a too-short couch i was hungry and ready for a nap.

the no-storm was a relief for me seeing as how my end-stop was to hang out with some friends from back east for the week in where i finally made it to after the next post...

MR MIAGI AND A BROKEDOWN MELODY (2/2)

2009-04-06T22:25:00.010-06:00

[tom traubert's blues by tom waits]

so apparently if you run over something in the road it has a chance to flatten both tires on the right side of your vehicle. luckily, it only flattened one of mine, and only made an impact bulge in the other. and then to add some icing to the proverbial cake, my spare tire apparatus under the backside of the van decided it was time to break. so at 6 pm on friday nite i would have been found laying under my van trying to figure out how to either 1) get the apparatus working or 2) get the spare tire off any way i could figure out.

the first hour was filled with wiggling, pulling, pushing, cursing, praying, and walking 2 blocks to the (as i was soon to find out, closed) bridgestone tires store. on the 2 block walk back from a shot-down dream i happened upon AUTO PARTS & SERVICE, hopefully looking into the store-front window for a sign of life. what i found was more so a sign of life than i expected.

as i knocked on the window and saw an asian gentelman not looking up, shaking his head "no". i noticed the refrigerator, the counter top, table & chairs, and what appeared to be a little family seemingly making dinner. so i walk down to the locked front door and try knocking again. as i wait the door cracks open... and that's when mr. miagi peeked his head out and asked if he could help me.

the next hour was spent trying to cut with wire cutters (not bolt cutters that i asked for but couldn't receive) the metal cord that held my spare tire dangling in a neverland of help, not low enough to get off -only inches from being able to allow me to drive out of town, as mr. miagi complained about how cold it was. after convincing me to drive with the flat back to his shop by offering the spare that he had on an identical chrysler t&c lxi; cranking down what should have been the spare only turned out to be thin air.

"whoops. i guess there no spare. sorry."

eventually we worked the tire low enough to get an air-powered tiny hand-held circular saw of sorts between the tire and the bottom of the van to cut the cord and free my spare.

not accepting any money, mr. miagi welcomed my thank you's and sent me on my way. 2 hours behind (not really much of) a schedule, i finally left denver and arrived in boulder in record time to meet ander and brain for a homemade alaskan moose meat and mashed potatoes dinner. and finished up the evening meeting the rest of the nite's crew over at robin's apartment for drinks and shots before going down to pearl street for more drinks and a long, much needed nite of dancing and letting loose.

so i'm sitting here in Big O' Tires in boulder, co waiting on what's grown from 2 new tires into a new air cooler compressor kit or something, new rear brakes and rotors, serpentine belt(& belts), and what-do-you-know, they'll throw in a new air filter for free, along with whatever else they can apparently think of that i undoubtedly feel like i need to insure i get back to wherever safely!

after all of this i totally forgot about having to think over whether or not to get a warranty on what would have been 2 seemingly inexpensive little tires. if i were still thinking about this decision my thought would be that lightening doesn't strike twice in the same place. i would say that at least that's what i've heard, but more importantly, that's what i believe.

so apparently this time "something you run over in the road" and being able to leave with "peace of mind" only costs upwards of 1000 dollars. kind of like the south park episode where kyle and cartman find out with magic johnson that the cure for AIDS is a vaccine of cash injected directly into the blood stream.

at least my breaks didn't lock up after having my air compressor (that runs everything with the engine) go out, after my serpentine belt breaks and having another flat tire all the while, and get stranded somewhere in the middle of the desert on my way to who-knows-what's-next... which as i check my roadtrip funds, is enough to drive back east to kentucky and hopefully sell my car:

the shark

LUCKY DENVER MINT

2009-04-04T10:34:00.002-06:00

i've been in joe's valley all week. which means no communication with the outside world- or the cloud-world of the internets, for that matter.

it was beautiful: whether it was snowing and 30s day 2 and 4, or if it was sunny and 60 days 1 and 3.

it seems a lot had happened during those few days: 22 unread emails, lots of texts and a few voicemails, and some psycho-break-down from a "hard" climber and "professional" developer on my friend from the garage.

i am going to "free day" at the denver museum of art today and will make my way up to boulder tonite.

then i will recap what you've missed from my side of the divide by monday.

and then welcome niles and jenna to colorado for the week; can't wait.

with love

INTO A BREATH OF SEEMINGLY UNENDING CITY LIGHTS AND A MORNING OF THE SAME OF SNOW

2009-03-29T11:20:00.008-06:00

[lost coastlines by okkerville river]

i wake this morning in a virtually vacant mall parking lot to violent winds, attacking everything in sight; except for those of us nestled in the warmth of shelter. as i make my way toward breakfast and the morning news i am greeted by the accompanying (what will end up being inches and inches of) snow that salt lake city has to offer me, on this our first day together (some impression, right?).

i'm on to the next chapter in my roadtrip: joe's valley, utah. situated a couple hours south of this thriving metropolis. i pray the week down there brings better weather, better temps, and and all-around improving enjoyment of travel and rockclimbings (seeing as how i tore an A4 pulley last thursday on a problem hardly worth attempting, and hoping 4-5 days off will suffice for enough recovery to allow me to sample the sandstone goodness i will soon lay my eyes upon).

in other news, i finished the road by cormac mccarthy: simply put, a good book. SPOILERISH: the end was rather sad (as one could expect from an apocalyptic tale), but somehow the last paragraph made it all okay. how could something so simple and unassuming and seemingly out of left field do that (though so apropos)? kinda weird i thought, but it goes to show a powerful author full of an understanding i wish to create myself.

peace be your journey

A LOOK BACK

2009-03-28T11:15:00.006-06:00

[top drawer by man man]

up to rock creek

chris at the campground boulder (rock creek)

camping at the 'milks

poker nite at steve's 'palace'

at the last fire

the road and what i left behind saturday morning

IF YOU'RE GONNA ROCK CLIMB YOU GOTTA ROCK

2009-03-27T15:29:00.003-06:00

[i believe in a thing called love by the darkness]

GLEANING OBSERVATIONS OF TRAVEL: AND INCONSEQUENTIAL INFORMATION

2009-03-25T12:37:00.004-06:00

[i see a darkness by bonnie prince billy]

it's interesting all the familiar faces the road brings. time and time again personalities i've met before with a similar face or a slightly reminiscent voice. how we all are just about the same -even i'm the new familiarity of one situated in a separate time and place...

patricks are gregs, gregs are kevins, and kevins are aarons.

reminding us all of all of us; returning again to reach out and being reached in return. happiness is found in other people, with other people, and with it a quality to be shared again, if (even) for the first time.

__________________________________________________________________

so bishop...

the buttermilks. sharp.

the happys. fun.

the bouldering's different here, as it is in most areas (in relation to another type of rock/area). i'll probably get used to it by time i leave, which is by the end of this weekend. next stop joe's in utah, with my friend brian from boston and meet up with rachel who'll be in salt lake.

i've managed a bunch of 6s since day one, but that's the limit as of right now. i've tried a couple 8s, but gotten closer on more 9s; there's a few that i think i could manage with a another day or 2 of work (toxic avenger, the moonraker).

still, such a beautiful place.

the sierras, moonlit hot springs, blue skies, and lots of beautiful and varying rock. and a good crew of friends (mostly migrated from hueco, each with a different stop in between). adrian, praire, gary the scot, brian, rachel, james and dave the kiwis, dave, chris, helen... and lots and lots of wine.

newly developed boulder miles down the road

rachel (aka giggles) rockin' up on another beautiful, newly developed line on the fish loop boulder

A BUTTERMILKS PICTURE POST

2009-03-22T15:02:00.006-06:00

[wagon wheel by o.c.m.s.]

seven spanish angels

ironman traverse

birthday direct

the turtle-er gets turtle-ed

GOIN' BACK TO CALI, TO CALI, TO CALI

2009-03-18T15:45:00.005-06:00

[damn it feels good to be a gangsta by geto boys]

actually this is the first time i've been to cali. i had a job offer in mammoth a couple years back for the start of some seasonal work, but for various reasons decided to turn it down.

but here i am... this time a little further south than i would have been: bishop. the rock here is sharp, but mostly pretty positive (which i like). had a good first tour yesterday of the buttermilks, hitting up some of the classics, i guess. most everything here is pretty high. i was only a little freaked out on one yesterday, which was the tallest thing i did. it wasn't even that hard, just really crimpy and foot-trustworthy. the feet didn't feel trustworthy though; they felt polished, if not just slick. but all in all, i held it together and finished it out.

it's good to challenge the head from time to time. my body knows its limits, but my head does not; not as of late anyway. i've had some pretty trying times up high this year, and getting older (i'm far from being an invincible teen), the risks weigh heavier than personal glory i can imagine. battles are fought and war is waged, and currently no battle will be fought without absolute belief in future victory.

i don't have access to my photos right now (no wireless today -just library computer access), but as soon as i get them i'll be sure to post the beauty that is the present chapter in my roadtrip life.

love and nutella for all

OAK FLATS AND PRIEST DRAW

2009-03-16T12:30:00.007-06:00

[el cuarto de tula by buena vista social club]

today i leave for bishop, ca. 13 hours down from denver to phoenix, and now i have 9 more hours of road ahead of me before i get to settle down for a couple weeks in cali. i've never been to bishop yet so i'm pretty excited to experience all it has to offer on a first trip.

but before that, a picture recap from my weekend in phoenix.

QUEEN CREEK/ OAK FLATS

my gracious hosts for the weekend: beatrice and gustavo

a view from atop a topout

finishing off a nice warm-up

FLAGSTAFF/ PRIEST DRAW

part of the crew for the day (me, pete, gustavo)

gustavo finishing up figuring out the moves on a girl from emponima(sp?)

sticking the move on anorexic

THE COWBOY LOUNGE

2009-03-14T23:54:00.008-06:00

[sleepyhead by passion pit]

so my last nite in denver, which was my first nite-out in denver, was quite a nite (i was only in denver for 2 days visiting a friend before coming down to phoenix for the weekend). i didn't think i could out-do my first nite-out in boulder, but by getting kicked out of the bar within a couple hours, it sounds like i may have done just that.

all the "bouncers" had boots, jeans, belt buckles, and cowboy hats, of course. and much to our chagrin there was a country song filling up the streets as we made our way closer, and line-dancing spilling out from the inside. but since ander and i were going to meet his friend rachel, we had to go in and check it out. the music ended being decent and the dance floor itself wasn't too bad either. we had a beer and then a round of shots (we previously had a couple beers before going down to market street to start the evening). after hitting the dance floor we sat down at our booth to relax and catch our breathe for a minute.

it was lady's nite, meaning all the ladies drank for free. and all the lady's got their drinks in plastic cups.

so seeing as how the bar-b!tch kept walking by and looking at our table of almost empty cups, i decided to finish off the back-wash that was settling in the one in front of me (honestly not even thinking about it)... and apparently the little cowboy that asked me if he could "have a word" with me didn't like it.

"i'm going to have to ask you to leave."
"are you kidding me," i said.
"no. the beer is free for ladies. and i saw you finish off her beer; it's like you're stealing from us."
"the foam that i drank?" you're kidding; this is ridiculous."
"no, you understand."
"yeah, sure, i understand," i said... "i understand you all are a bunch of idiots."

...and that's when we left (and when i got escorted out), and made our way around the corner to a nice little jazz bar until everything was closing up. it was low-key and a good change of pace from the aforementioned chach hang-out.

...who woulda thunk it...

NILESMAN AND MISS NILESMAN

2009-03-12T09:25:00.003-06:00

[mistaken for strangers by the national]

it won't be long until my friend and his girlfriend arrive in boulder for a stay (april 6-12). niles is my old climbing partner and housemate from the red. his girlfriend jenna's sister lives in boulder and they'll be 'killing 2 birds with one stone' on a double-duty vacation.

it's been at least 3 months since i've seen him and am excited to get to climb again and experience some more of colorado with him (his first time as well).

the road is a great place for new faces, but even more heartwarming to experience a new place with old friends. i look forward to their arrival and wish them a bon voyage.

BOULDERING ON THE BOULDERS IN BOULDER

2009-03-09T14:35:00.004-06:00

[so what by miles davis]

finally... so happy to be "out there" again. aside from still having a slight 'trigger finger', my knuckle seems to be holding up under the pressures of rockclimbing. the plan is day-on, day-off, for awhile at least; to ensure continual recovery.

i got to climb friday for the 1st time in over 2 weeks. it felt so good. went to the flatirons with nick, dan, joe, jeremy, and a few others from boulder. did lots of easy warm-ups before stepping it up into the intermediate range. got shut-down on a 5 vert crimp/balance thingy. then flashed a 4/5 roof that was super fun.

then i was actually pretty surprised that i got close on the area classic turning point (8). it didn't matter that i fell on the last couple moves, b/c i was so happy to be climbing anything. after that went and did all the warm-ups again to cool down; and finished the day out on a couple low-balls we missed in the morning.

here's some more pics from the pine needle forest:

pictured left is turning point. sorry you can't see the slopers and crimps on the sunny side of the face.

here's ander doing what he does best: messing w/ people, especially while they're climbing! and sometimes he climbs (but only indoors for right now).

________________________________________________________

also got out on sunday to another area in the flatirons called the terrain boulders. quite a hike this one: 45 minutes uphill, but worth it. did quite a few moderates, including a flash of a highball/solo (5). it was a little scary since i was the 1st to go up, not knowing where to go because there was no chalk; but sacked up and finished it (only because i didn't want to jump off from 15 feet, half-way up. it was more heady than hard).

saw an old friend, jen sauer, who lives in denver now. once again a fun day with a good crew in a new area.

finished off the day flashing parasol 5 and making quick work of plush 7 and kenny g's meat whistle 8. in addition, i lost the most skin since i've been on this trip, seeing as how this is some of the sharpest sandstone i've climbed on.

i feel like i'm getting old though. hurting fingers, getting bruised/achy knees (my knee popped on a back-step on my ascent of plush). nothing major, but it is sore today. i think i'll probably have to be that guy that starts only doing easy sport, because that's all my body will be able to handle after this road trip.

so all in all, i think i'm getting back into the swing of things. hopefully i'll be crushing full-on at my limit soon (maybe tomorrow when i go and check out yet another area in the front range).

WHISKEY WEDNESDAYS

2009-03-05T11:42:00.006-07:00

[i'm so hood by dj khaled]

went out last nite with "the boulder crew." at the sun downer you get a shot of whiskey and a mug of PBR for 3 bucks (it's a good deal). i had 2 or 3 or them before we left at 1 to go to some club, round midnight. it was good times. met some new folks: matt, emily, angie, tower, adam, alex; and saw some friends i'd met at hueco last month: ander, quinn, naomi, dan... we played pool, drank, and laughed -and almost got kicked out for spilling (and throwing) water all over the middle of the bar; the bouncer had to hold it down, but he was cool. once again, good times.

after everything closed at 2 we all piled into matt's van (7 or 8 of us) and proceeded to cookie's house, where we had a dance party in the parking lot until the cops showed up. apparently, they know how to party in boulder. on a wednesday no less. got to bed at 4 this morning, in my van, somewhere on the west side. again i say, good times.

this is how i recover from not climbing.

tonite, it's on to avery brewing company for a brew tasting of sorts. then back to the west side for hermit crab racing! i imagine it only gets better from here.

in other news: going out to explore the flatirons soon; see what future majesty it holds for me when i rockclimb again...

WHAT KIND OF BEES MAKE HONEY?

2009-03-02T10:53:00.009-07:00

boobies!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[wicked and weird by buck 65]

after much thought, and talking with friends, i've decided to postpone my trip to bishop (it's torture to be around great boulders and not be able to climb) and continue my journeys to colorado, this afternoon. i have someone to share the gas money with, which is good (a new friend: dan mirski).

i feel like i need another couple of weeks off my finger = no climbing:( . so i'm gonna stay with some friends, find a job for a little while, and see how it goes. i'll keep strong in the body while i can't climb: push-ups, running, ab-lab, and if possible just work 2-finger pockets on both hands. did a little session yesterday; it's good to know i can still do a 1-arm pull-up on each arm, at least, along with front-levers. i'll just have to build the finger strength back up when i finally get to climb again -as well as getting the climbing skin back.

and... i'll keep strong in my mind by catching up on all the movies/tv shows i've missed in the past 3 months.

you guys will have to keep me abreast with all your sick sends (even if it's just in the gym). time for you to pick up the slack and motivate me for when i finally get out again.

remembering, it could always be worse...

CAREFUL, THIS FINGER IS LOADED

2009-02-28T15:06:00.005-07:00

[song: black wings by tom waits]

it seems practically every other climber i know is injured this season. is it more so than normal, or just more so as i'm affected too? all i know is i figured out what ails me... (thanks to wiki for my self-educating prognosis)

TENOSYNOVITIS is the inflammation of the fluid-filled sheath (called synovium) that surrounds a tendon. symptoms of this include pain, swelling, and difficulty moving the particular joint where the inflammation occurs. when the condition causes the finger to "stick" in a flexed position, this is commonly called "trigger finger," or when a nodule forms on the tendon. affected digits may become painful to straighten once bent and may make a soft cracking sound when moved. the term "trigger finger" itself is used b/c when the finger unlocks it pops back sometimes suddenly, as if releasing the trigger of a gun.

causes are unknown, and the condition is generally seen more often in males.

possible treatments include cortisone injections (followed by varying degrees of painkillers) and an outpatient surgery to enlarge the synovium, where the hand is splinted for a week or so afterwords. fairly less symptomatic cases appear to be treated with NSAIDs and anti-imflammatory drugs.

thankfully i haven't fully developed "trigger finger." i feel like i might as well have seeing as how i can't climb anyway, and it would seem cooler to use it as a party trick or something tonite at the Rock Rodeo. i do have the nice, soft crackling sound when i try to open or close my finger though: definitely not as fun as it sounds.

i've been dosing on sodium naproxen for a few days now and will see how that works after i've reached 7 days of said treatment. if things don't seem to be any better i'm going to look into a cortisone shot, which seems a little less expensive than surgery (especially considering i don't have any health insurance now).

at any rate, i have 9 good fingers... and i may just have to give it the ol' tommy caldwell if it can't pull its own weight (literally, its own weight!).

dealing with the downtime,
ak

SUN'S OUT, GUNS OUT!

2009-02-26T11:05:00.013-07:00

[song: change is hard by she & him]

i'll have to say that hueco has been a complete success for me. new grades (i'm psyched to have done a few soft 10s (you gotta break into the grade somehow, right -if not just bulking up on 9s), new climbs (super-new, hidden away gems -i may have even done an FA, at hueco!), and new friends (people who know people who i know, and now i know people who know people, you know? i know!). good times... good times. .

as my time here comes to a close though, 2 major things come to the forefront which necessitate (hopefully only) a week of rest: 80 degree weather and a knuckle the size of a quarter.

the weather is telling enough. the latter is some sort of joint inflammation due to overuse/overwork/stress; the big knuckle of my left ring finger is experiencing some increased, acute pain. the sheath that surrounds the tendon that encompasses the joint, i believe (based on multiple conversations with people who've experienced similar pain, and who have previously spoken with some sort of finger specialist), is worn down and not getting enough lubrication. if that is in fact correct, i can tape the finger, even buddy tape, and continue climbing, with no ill effects. to be sure, i'm taking time off to help speed the recovery process and to try and ensure no further damage. and of course, i'll have to limit the load i put on it.

i've been nursing the knuckle for most of my trip here, not thinking much more than it just being the usual stiffness. warming it up slow, loosening/stretching it before climbing, taking anti-imflammatories; whatever precautions i can think of -aside from, of course, complete rest. it seemed to have worked, up until the last few days; the joint pain has come to a head though and now i can't even bend it completely. so i am forced to rest (which is no problem because of this coming heat and volunteer responsibilities with the upcoming Rock Rodeo). especially if i plan to continue climbing for the remaining months leading up to this summer: hopefully heading for bishop, ca and cooler temps next monday or tuesday; and on to joe's valley in utah when it seems to hot there.

so raise a glass with me: to personal progression/victories, to friends & climbing partners, and to new climbs... and whatever else may be on your mind...

here's to this season...

cheers!

IT'S SOMEONE'S FIRST DAY AND SOMEONE'S LAST AT HUECO

2009-02-22T10:26:00.018-07:00

[song: interlude & hysteria by muse]

i just dropped kyle and greg off at the airport. yesterday was their last day in the park. we warmed up in gusty winds and sought shelter in the stegasaur (8) corridor. it's a cool fin feature in a roof that leads to 2 tenuous moves on the face. it took a couple go's to figure out the sequence, then we promptly ran the train on it.

after that we met up with mike and steph as greg worked out the first half of dean's journey (10). then we went to the east side of north where kyle dispatched of 99 heroin balloons (8/9) rather quickly. it took a few more go's for me, but i ended up getting this awesome power-compression, overhanging prow.

then on to the front side where we tried a couple other things in the late afternoon. where we met dave g and chad g and somebody olson. ryan, i think managed out an ascent of el techo de los tres b's (11?). the climb used to be a 13 before a hold was chipped/broken last week. there are 2 people i was aware of that were working it, but both of them were surprised to return the day after it happend to see that it might possibly be a little easier now. it's still an awesome climb.

other than that, greg and kyle had a good day on friday as well: sending all their respective projects. kyle got black mamba (10) and greg got pfos (his first 9). they also both quickly dispatched with chris's arete (8)... among other 7s & 8s for the trip. great job to both!

my day on friday was a step into new realms. ever since i started climbing i have watched climbing videos. and ever since i've watched climbing videos i've rarely been able to climb on problems that i've even seen in person. but that's changing apparently.

we took a crew into the spur on east mountain and i was able to do purple flowers again (this time completely clean (felt good, still had to try). then we spent the bulk of the day on 2 classic, harder problems: the flame and rumble in the jungle (both i think may have been downgraded to 11). and i climbed on both. i was able to climb the flame into the crux move, (even though i haven't yet done the move, even in isolation) which is a hard left hand stab into "the ear" that's facing the "wrong" way. and now i've got rumble down to almost 2 sections. i have to do a double step-thru to link the beginning and the end. it's basically doing two 8s maybe back-to-back = power-endurance. we have another tour scheduled for tuesday. i'm resting today and probably tomorrow, so i should hopefully be able to make some progress on both. at least do "the move" on the flame, and hopefully get further into rumble from the beginning. we'll see. either way, they are both super-cool; and the vibe is always positive.

it's fun, this whole climbing full-time thing. one week left at hueco :(

stay motivated!

[fingers crossed: more pics soon]

"ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST"

2009-02-19T09:49:00.009-07:00

[song: right in the head by m.ward]

CHAPTER 1
greg and kyle are down to 2 days of climbing left (after their rest day today). they've been putting a pretty good hurtin' on the rocks here at hueco. it's been fun hanging out when i've gotten a chance. eating burritos & burgers, drinking beer, watching the family guy, talking about funny movies, and getting in a little climbing of course. it'll be a shame to see them go.

CHAPTER 2
in climbing, and oft times in life, i've learned that wanting something and attaining it are one thing, but the process by which that something is attained is often different from the initial perceived means.

example:

i now have done black mamba. finally. but the sequence i used ended up being different from what i first figured out. which on one hand seems ridiculous since there are only 5 holds for the bulk of the problem; but it makes sense that you could reconfigure said holds in a couple different ways, which is what i did. i would have preferred to do it the "traditional" way, but that sequence proved to be harder for me.

in short, as my scottish friend gary says, i am properly chuffed (meaning happy, excited, et al. and in no way similar to being, as the americans say, a chuffer).

CHAPTER 3
having accomplished all goals for the trip i am set to work on a new uber-project: rumble in the jungle. i was on it tuesday and did almost all the moves. then yesterday was royally pysched to get it down to 3 sections. it's the hardest thing i've tried, and maybe the best line. i am excited to get on it again tomorrow with the crew: brian, ander, chris, and gustavo; and hopefully get it down to 2 sections. i'll try to get some footage or pics. . . it's sooo good.

be good and keep it real. . .

hugs and kisses!

BUCKABROTHERBILL

2009-02-12T17:37:00.012-07:00

[song: somebody told me by the killers]

quick note:

first of all, i've been able to climb with 'famous' climbers here at the tanks and it's been fun. they're stronger than me, of course, but above that they are really just down to earth people (most, at least) who love rock climbing... and they also think i'm really funny.

anyway...

stuck the high sloper on black mamba (the 2nd/hard move) from the start, but my lower hand came screaming off: NO!! next day for sure.

i did manage to do fern roof completely clean 2nd go of the day. it felt great! (picture shows me before the bump move with my left hand, before the dyno to the pointy looking jug over the lip off the heel). [you can find a video on vimeo of some guy doing it close to the same way i do (it's at about the 3 minute mark in the video... with good footage of other hueco problems, too)]

super psyched!

good luck to you, dear reader, wherever you are, with whatever you're doing!

WINDY IS AS WINDY DOES

2009-02-10T15:33:00.024-07:00

[song: frontier psychiatry by the avalanches]

the wind gust are crazy today in el paso. up to 40 or 50 mph, and pretty much non-stop. we were on tour in the back country and it was pretty cold with the wind, even though the sun started showing its face this afternoon. yes, and it snowed this morning. nothing stuck but it was half of white-out conditions. pretty cool. did the highball 4 fight or flight in it; the last move being the crux (basically a dyno off a left-facing, good crimp rail to a flat sloper... not to mention a heady top-out) at about 20 feet off the deck, so that was for sure the tick of the day.

i finally feel like i'm coming out of my slump. 2 days ago did a few 6 repeats and a bunch of stuff under that grade. the day was mostly a hangout day though. we had a great day. climbed with some really strong guys. i mean, it's strong when you flash a 10 or two in a day right?!

anyway, yesterday was the kicker for me. wasn't really sure how it was gonna go; felt pretty sore and tight in the morning, but just warmed up slow on a bunch of easy highballs. then broke off from some folks from boone, nc (bill & andy & heath) and tried fern roof (9/10). it actually went really well: 1st go for the day i made the big triple bump move easily (i don't do it the kneebar way [which is like an 8 or 9 now] mostly becos it's more fun the way it used to be done and it suits me better -even though it's supposed to be "harder"), but was a little pumped and fell.. 2nd go i did the same and then caught the big dyno move out over the lip to the jug... that's where i kicked the pad with both feet. i finished it out no problem; i just have to go back and do it without the dab. i feel really good about it though.

after that saw andy almost do power of silence (10), and bill got chablanke (11) down to one move. then we went over and worked on loaded with power (10) with them and mike wohner and this guy alex and a few others. i did all the easy moves, but couldn't trust the heel hook to make a move out across my body to a slopey pinch. i was pleased though. i could get to that move consistently, so i'll work the last half later.
after all that, mike and i wanted to finish up on the front side with some stuff that he hadn't seen. so i showed him a dyno i did the other day, the smooth move (8), and another awesome dyno, slick watts (5). i can now say i've done an 8 in my approach shoes (even the crocs); granted, you have huge feet with 2 good underclings up a blank, slick-rocked face to a flat ledge about 7 feet away. i would have to say it's easier than the cinderella dyno. regardless, it was super fun. the 5 has an okay left foot, bad slopey crimps on a more overhung bulgy arete with a high, core-intesive right foot where you create momentum to go around a bulge with your left hand to a jug about 4 feet up. you feel like kareem abdul-jabar sky-hooking while deciding at the last minute to just slam dunk it! it's super fun as well.

oh, and i saw three chubby havalinas running across a field about 20 yards away this morning. that was cool. moving a lot faster than they first appear to be able to.

"I STILL WISH I COULD BREATHE UNDERWATER"

2009-02-09T10:11:00.003-07:00

[song: rebel rebel by seu jorge]

i want to divulge a little known fact about myself here. something i don't know if anyone who will read this will previously know about me. something you will learn very soon.

it all began back in college. sophmore year, let's say. i used to have the hiccups just like the rest of you. even the "burp-ups" from time-to-time. sometimes they wouldn't last too long, but other times they were just annoying at best with their duration. until one day...

i learned somewhere (or maybe just heard from someone) that in the back of your throat everyone had a little flap (i'm lost for any doctor-speak on specifics) -maybe attached to or connected to the lungs in someway. and when this flap would "malfunction" and stay shut you couldn't get proper airflow and this would cause a hiccup in your breathing.

as it goes, my friend jim and i surmised that if we could use mind-over-matter and control our bodies to do what we wanted we could possibly fix this "flap" problem, and eleviate the DURATION of said hiccups. so not really knowing exactly how to do that i decided the next time i came down with a case of the hiccups i would concentrate on trying to open that flap and to make it stay open.

long story short, next time you're around and i start to hiccup begin to count the number of hiccups i'll incur. i promise, it won't last very long. as it goes, since that day i've not had more than 3 hiccups in a row, within a day; and usually i only suffer 1 or 2. i can't exactly tell you there is some magical encantation to say or some mythical mantra to repeat in your head. maybe god looked down on me and had pity; i don't know. i just know that i tried to stop having lasting hiccups that day; and that day something happened. i'm lucky, i guess; maybe blessed. mostly just thankful.

as it turns out, it is often the little things that make me the happiest.

"THUUGG LIIIFE"

2009-02-06T17:35:00.007-07:00

[song: hard knock life by jay-z]

there's a break in the weather coming here, soon, and that's a good thing. (i know i can't complain with the weather being so hot since they've been having bad luck back east -sorry to hear about all that, and i hope it's getting better.)

i've narrowed my scope of problems by quite a margin in the last week or so. i originally had about 2 dozen problems i wanted to get on/ work. and after having gotten on a lot of them, i've realized i need to put many of them off for the future. i'm down to about 7 or 9 must-do's before the rock rodeo (which is the 28th of this month). that gives me roughly 3 weeks. half or more are 6s & 7s, which i should be able to do with in a day (maybe even knocking a couple out in a day), but there are 3 others that take more effort: black mamba, fern roof, and 1969. i've been on the first two, and came close on fern roof (not the knee-bar way) the other day, but the last one i haven't seen yet -and black mamba might be the hardest for me. but tuesday is going to be 56 and windy (so i'm resting sunday and monday in preparation for that).

today was a shite day of climbing; did get close on 99 heroine balloons (a cool, a-typical hueco problem full of compression -8/9), but i felt horrible regardless. hopefully tomorrow will be better. the day before yesterday was good though: got back on and finished dry dock (7)-fell off the top-out 3 times total before doing it: one of my favorites for sure, though.

anyway, got to run. the park is closing up. love you all, bye!

"REMEMBER SEEK(FORGETTING FIND)"

2009-02-02T11:20:00.007-07:00

[song: le vent nous portera by noir desir & manu chao]

i guess you could say that i've reached the half-way point here at hueco tanks. if i were to leave today, i would be completely satisfied with my trip so far. i have seen old friends, met new friends, and climbed with them all. i have climbed high and low, hard and soft; and it was all worth the while. i could be ready for new adventures, new friends, and new climbs. but as it goes (so fortunate am i), i have another month here at hueco. i have more friends from back east visiting in less than a couple weeks: greg and kyle from louisville. i can't wait for kyle to make a return trip and for greg to make his first visit to the bouldering mecca of north america. i have so much more to do here anyway, so there won't be a lack of any motivation to keep climbing. especially with 'fresh blood' so close to being on their way.

with a little less than a month here at the boulders, i've been able to see alot, climb many, and send a few. i've had tendinitis, which i've staved off by many upon many days of push-ups. of course you take the bad with the good. as the last few days have been the worst so far: not being able to get past the warm-ups. but alas, having a cold-of-sorts doesn't come without a price. i've pushed myself too hard, have fallen too deep, and am stepping back for a long couple of days (practically 4) to fully recover. i've learned to embrace forced rests and let them live up to their own potential; it's been rewarding.

today is another nice, quiet, restful day. kicking back and soaking in the blazing sun, sweating out the maladies and shedding weeks of unkempt hair and dirt. if i am to perpetuate this climbing spree with fervor i am required to be deliberate in taking these simple steps (the resting, not the shower) to assure continued success. with as much time as i have left, it's really little to ask.

so i take to reflecting what's transpired thus far:

remembering the joy of what i've achieved;

reeling from the seemingly-so-close-to-success failures;

smiling in a sigh of contentment all the while. knowing that all is behind, presenting me perfectly to what lies ahead. i am conscious of this moment and aware of its movement. i am ready to face what is to come, presently.

TICKLER... I DON'T EVEN KNOW HER

2009-01-29T16:56:00.006-07:00

went out yesterday with the crew from the red. that was a good ol' time. got shut down on the classic egg (hard 8) and alf in a blender (hard 6), again... on both. managed to do the classic, 3-star new religion (7), so that was a new, fun one.

tried 4 days on today; couldn't get past the warm-ups. it'll be good to rest today and tomorrow, too. then a tour on saturday and sunday! hopefully will get to west mountain finally. there are 3 problems i want to do there. and a couple more i want to try (potential projects).

pretty toasted right now. gonna go into town for burritos tonite. need some extra red meat to speed up the recovery process.

oh last week i forgot to tell you: we had this guy (who told us his name was frank -don't know his real name) that was hiding out, AWOL, here at hueco and at the rock ranch. his mom ended up finding him and came down from NY with an ex-police officer and took him home i guess. he was a little buggy from the get-go. even had a pair of night-vision goggles he tried to pawn in town, which he had stolen from the army (told everybody they were a parting gift).

that's the big news around here. hope the ice melts soon back in the eastern neck of the united backwoods states of america!!

here's mike and chris working the hardest 9 in the park, french tickler. enjoy!

THANKS FOR THE KNEEPAD, MIKE AND THANKS FOR THE PROBLEM, FRED

2009-01-27T09:12:00.012-07:00

got out yesterday with the regular good crew (mike & steph, daniel & nadia, max, john, daniel) on a volunteer tour into the east spur. it was super windy (gusts up to 30 or 40 miles an hour) and mostly cloudy, which made the 70 degree weather a good day for rockclimbings.

we warmed up on the usual stuff at the maze before bumping it up a notch on hector (9). it's super-reachy (even for me: i'm pretty much at my full wingspan), with a pretty intense heel-hook. [you can see video of it in the cut scenes on best of the west, but they misname the problem between the sheep]. i didn't get it yesterday, but figured it all out for next time; i didn't want to spend too much time on it b/c i had other business to attend to. next time it should go pretty quickly, i hope.

next, mike was psyched to try focus (10). so we went over there to get shut down on the initial overhung, super-crimpy lower half. it is a superb climb, and one that we will visit again. after that i rested while john worked out el chupacabra (10) and steph and daniel worked on new religion (7)- daniel did -twice actually- and steph finally got all the moves down; there's a weird dyno at the end, so that was pretty rad to see steph stick that move: she's climbing super strong.

next it was on to my agenda, purple flowers (9/10 -my guess is 9). i'd been on it last week with jimmy and kasia and a few others (the day kasia sent it). i'd worked out all the moves in 15 or 20 minutes, but could only manage it in 3 parts. it's pretty sustained: 2 hard moves to start, followed by fingery, core-intensive roof climbing. so, first go i surprised myself by linking the entire thing to the very end. [you can see video of this problem on the momentum video website]. i used the wrong foot to push off for the swing to the exit boulder and my left hand pinch came loose. oh well; that was super-fast progress for me (i was told it comes together really quickly, kasia was right). so i gave it 2 more bungled go's where i couldn't get the crucial knee-scum (for most people it's a full-on knee-bar and pretty casual the last couple of moves, but my leg is too long and it won't lock in; so i resort to using the knee-pad once again... and a little grunt).

anyway, i was feeling worked and decided i needed more than 10/15 minute rests. so we went around the corner, down to another classic the egg (hard 8). john got close, falling off the top, while others worked out the key moves. after 30 or 40 minutes i felt like my body decided it was done for the day. we packed up to move to some easier, cool-down problems; but, i couldn't let it go. i had to give it one more try, even if i fell trying to do one of the first 2 moves. to my surprise, although a little shakey, i managed to get myself into the knee-scum and grunted my way to the end. my foot scraped the pad after i stuck the swing-over (i don't think it made any difference, but that's how it goes sometimes).

so it should go without saying that i was psyched about another cool problem that i didn't end up falling at the end on. and one that i wouldn't have considered my style. but i think i'm getting stronger on the fingery stuff, which is exciting.

the weather is perfect today; even cooler than yesterday. there's a cool breeze and great cloud cover. i'm off to start working the slopey, temperature dependent (unless of course, you're super-strong like jimmy) black mamba (9/10). this is one of the problems i've been wanting to get on before i even came to hueco last year for the first time.

[photo added after this post: i made some progress; i believe i can do it, if my feet will stay on after each of the 2 moves that comprise the difficulty of the problem. i can hit the holds, i just have to keep the feet on. i know, that's part of the problem, but only less than 50%; so i'd say i'm doing pretty well for the first session.]

hasta...

THE JOURNEY IS OVER...

2009-01-25T10:39:00.016-07:00

"each goal achieved is equally a dream destroyed"
-reinhold messner

waking up yesterday felt like a dream. it was under 50 degrees in the morning, cloudy, and windy. finally a respite from the unseasonally too-hot weather we've been having this past week or so. i was coming off a good 3 day run followed by a great rest day. i woke up feeling like there was lightning residing in my forearms. ...hopes were high; the conditions were good; and i was psyched.

it was clean-up day in the park, so by time we were done scouring the land for trash, after a couple hours my motivation was gone. since i was hungry and had no pressure of anticipation, i just totally relaxed and ate some food.

we finally got to climbing about noon by warming up on some classics in the warm-up area. ready to bump it up to something a little more serious after 30 minutes we got on the slopey/squeezy, powerful stinking jesus (8). after figuring out the best method john & max & i ran the train with this guy andy we met. it was good. the energy was building again.

after that we went to the ultra-classic, 4-star, left-trending highball hershey symphony (1). the climb hovers over a small chasm that's created by an equally angled rock that runs behind creating a "V" which renders the climb unpaddable, but super easy if you keep your head on you. a must-do! a must-repeat. i could feel more electricity in the air.

today was turning out to be a special day, i thought. one full of potential. but then i made myself stop thinking about it, and just enjoy it as it came, no matter what happened.

after that i went and hung out with john, max, and daniel as they climbed on some potential projects -both respectively hard- (sarah and the power of silence), while i rested and waited for a couple more hours until the temps cooled down and my project moved into the shade. i left them, to find ray & michelle on their last day here. i found another classic highball called cast iron (a sandbag 1, felt more like a 3) before i could make my way down "the chains" to the lost boulders . it was a little scarey since i was by myself in this small corridor. the crux is about 10 feet off the ground. it's a dead-vertical face with a commtting high foot off a slopey sidepull/undercling and another slopey dish/gaston to reach a 2-finger crimpy dish. after you get that, another reach on a smeary foot, to what feels like a sinker junk. then half a dozen more casual moves to the end.

the energy of the day was still building; now like a standing wave, ready to crash.

i finally met up with mike & steph, ray & michelle, and the rest of the red crew that showed up this week (roger, corey, matt, eric & jaime) in the martini cave. the sun was fading & the winds were blowing... it was "go time" and i was feeling good!

i had been on the route (i call it that because it is 20 hand moves, with 17 foot moves) my first day and remembered everything i figured out a couple weeks ago up to the first part (probably a 4 if it stood alone).

my first go i didn't throw far enough out of the huge sloper-undercling and fell (the first move of the crux); rested 10 minutes and gave it another burn.

next go i hit the sloper and bumped again to the crimp a little further out; made it to the pinch, got my heel up, and matched hands on the jug. all i had to do was bump my right hand farther out on the jug and swing my foot out. i must not have had the heel-hook in the slot b/c i just fell right out trying to move the right hand: no! a heart-breaker.

at that point most everyone was ready to finish up their day elsewhere and i was left standing under dean's journey (10 -easier if you're taller) with insufficient padding, having how fallen off the last possible place. then max and john and daniel showed up (thank god). so i ate a honey, cinnamon, banana sandwhich and rested 20 minutes before the next go.

the winds were picking up and the sun was retreating more into the mountains. i wanted it this time, and knew i was going to do it...
this time i got the heel to sink in the slot and weighted it...

i get my hands on the final jug and finally got my foot out. i was pressing into the bowl. i'll have to say to topping it out was unbelievable: i couldn't believe it: yes! i was ecstatic! yes! i had done it! woo-hoo! i was standing on top!

i was adrenalized, smiling from ear-to-ear, and the highest i'd felt in a long time (this high was the one of the most natural things i've experienced); with 2 days of work in and now accomplished of one of the hardest, cooleset things i've done.

i was planning on climbing today, but am deciding to rest and bask in the glory of this personal victory.

je suis heureux: i am happy.

FOR THOSE OF YOU JUST JOINING US

2009-01-23T11:08:00.010-07:00

i quit my job back in november. i worked for lexington coffee & tea as a route salesman/ delivery driver for almost 6 years exactly. it was a locally owned small business that was great to work for, but i was ready for a change and ready for a move. so, seeing as how i was going to be in between jobs i thought it a good chance to use some hard-earned money i've saved to make a road-trip out of my in-limbo of employment and living situation. so i'm on a journey around the west before running out of money and finding a place to re-settle for a time. get a job, make some money, maybe go back to school. but most importantly, see the rest of the U.S. and climb in more and more places.

when i wasn't visiting my family the weeks of thanksgiving or christmas, i was climbing. i used a couple weeks in november and a few weeks of december to clean up some projects that i had in kentucky and down south (the southeast: tennessee, georgia, and alabama -although at HP40 the big one got left behind). i was able to climb with tommy and patrick a bunch, as well as dev and greg and kyle a little bit to during that stint. some FAs were made and some new lines were officially established, as well as many repeats of some of the hardest lines in the state. (forgive me for not going into detail for all the players involved). you can check out what's happening back there (along with other great, sometimes vaguely-climbing-related, exposition) at it came from the garage.

anyway, had a going away party and celebrated the new year, and made my way out here to western texas, just outside of el paso, at hueco tanks state historic site. you can google it to find a better overview of what it is since i don't really feel like writing a report on it. thanks for understanding.

so here i am. resting and relaxing. playing and pondering. loving life. and loving the freedom i have, for now, to do only what i want to do. i've met lots of good friends already here at the ranch and at the park. with more time left than what time i've spent here so far. then on to who-knows-where. flagstaff, joe's, maybe bishop (that seems to be the next hot-spot for march -and only for those of us who are at hueco and not out there in bishop with so many others that are having a great season so far). my plan is to end up in denver colorado; to play on the outrageous number of bouldering areas that surround it. will see what happens. here's a picture of the campsite from atop my van.

now i'm living out of my van. sleeping on bed i made to fit specifically for it. cooking out of the tail-end, and riding around with other climbers looking for boulders, burritos, and beer.

speaking of which...

let me tell you about the food down here. when we're not cooking mac-n-cheese, rice and beans, or making a pb&j we're driving 6 miles to el pasito. it's a little market (tiny actually) with a kitchen in the back with some booths. it's satisfying, super good, and only 3 bucks for a burrito with everything. also, we don't refer to it as mexican food down here; just food. cos, well, that's what it is for most everyone: food.

adios, amigos!

"DOES THAT BLOW YOUR MIND? THAT JUST HAPPENED!"

2009-01-21T17:31:00.008-07:00

here's a havalina jaw-bone we saw on a rock art tour last week. there's been sightings of mountain lions in the park this season. this havalina was obviously food for something bigger than itself; and i don't know of any climbers that desparate for food, to illegally kill some hueco wildlife.

...

so, my friends. tendonitis has set in full-force on the left elbow. 2 ibuprofen sets the flame to embers as if the rain were to descend on a wildfire. i'm running out of time here before the park closes, so i will make this 2-day catch-up brief.

yesterday: didn't get to go to dean's journey, but did get to check out dean's other problem: dean's trip (the bane of my trip so far; the hardest 5 in the park). this one, they say, will single-handedly teach you how to knee-bar; apparently they're right; and apparently i didn't know exactly how to knee-bar until then. also the first time i've ever worn a knee-pad (my guess is, wearing a knee-pad is what they meant by "teach you how to knee-bar").

also did pfos; "you know, the problem over by baby face" (that's how everyone refers to it anyway (the full name is pumped full of s e m e n). you just don't get back to camp and tell everyone that's what you got today... was psyched about that though; i had to try hard at the end. fun, powerful, tense moves with a big throw to a half-pad flat crimp rail, big match and a tenuous, sharpest-crimp-i've-used-yet crimping top-out. they call it a 9, but probably not if you're taller.

anyway, today did chris's arete (8) and mouise adame -probably the most fun and weirdest 7 i've done ever. then hiked to the summit boulders and did some highball 0s and 1s; and then stretched and took a nap in the sun.

this week is hot. i know i can't really complain, but it is a little warm for january and makes it a little hard to do some of the problems that are on my list. no worries though. happy to get the new stuff i've found and not fall off the top for once.

peace and love

FALLING FROM THE TOP OF EVERY PROBLEM I DON'T FLASH

2009-01-19T10:44:00.013-07:00

i'm getting more accustomed to hueco it seems. up until this week i've been pretty sore after a climbing day, but today i feel pretty good (coming off of my first 3 day climbing stint; which went pretty well). not to mention last nite was the pimp's & ho's ball. (i'll let you know where there are pictures when they get put up).

as it goes you either dress up as a pimp or as a ho. i went with the former. there was much drinking and much dancing. after 4 glasses of sangria, shots and beer i ended the dizzying nite in a restful stupor. to my suprise i woke up feeling good, but going for a rest day seeing as how we have a big day tomorrow on north mountain with some friends from the red...

fast forward into the future... now is the day after i climbed which is the day after my rest day...

went out with ray and michelle and helped show them around the east mountain with steph. it was a fun day. flashed a long 5 called dragonfly: a 4 out of 4 star gem.

but as the story goes fell off the very top, yet again, of another semi-hard/semi-highball problem; this time it was dry dock (7), a slightly overhung big-moved power/compression somewhat blunt arete. [that's me sticking the first huge move; the left hand is on the starting hold] my 3rd go i fell trying to go out left at the top (which is for the shorter statured). 4th go i fell off the top trying to go out right (which is the way i'll do it when i get back). i did get two moves on full service, a reachy, powerful, good-slopey holded monster to the right of dry dock. full throttle is a sharma problem that links the two.

here's another pic of dry dock. it's not a very good one, but it shows you a little bit of the climb. the lowest hold on the right is your starting heel, and the lowest part of the huge chalked area is your starting right hand slopey pinch.

that makes three 7s and a 10 (which is easier for taller people) that i've failed to do in less than an hour or two, after having pulled through each respective crux. it's only my second week, so i'll be changing that mode of operation tomorrow when i go out with mike & steph and ray & michelle. i'm planning on cleaning up dean's journey and guns of navarone, while hopefully working out loaded with power, a knee-bar/somewhat beta-intensive problem of high-profile half-way up the mountain.

wish me luck!

"IT'S CALLED A BUM, JULES"

2009-01-17T17:42:00.010-07:00

here's where i spend my cold desert nites (average of 30 degrees). this is the barn.

the interweb at the front desk of the tanks has been down for the last couple of days so i have been unable to post anything lately; and for that i am sorry. i'll give a couple photos here to placate your insatiable thirst for information, until i can get online before a climbing day when i haven't done 2 too many scary, highballls. this time a 2 or 3 and 5. all rad, but death-defying i tell you. . . deathdefying.

anyway, some pics and no big sends yet. motivation is hard to muster lately. too much rock -nay, too much good rock. i know, boo-hoo for me.

this is my friend dan on the start of an awesome highball 7 called guns of navarone that he did the other day. i fell off from 3/4s up, which is the top of the photo (there's 2 more moves and the top-out which are not visible in this photo). i'll be back to it next week.

here i am working my own special magic on aforementioned problem.

more tomorrow, hopefully. it's a rest day.

be good. lots of love.

"THAT'S THE WAY WE GET"

2009-01-11T17:09:00.012-07:00

her name was natalie. i'll have to say the hour long massage she gave me was pretty good; never long enough though. as it goes for most climbers, i imagine, she told me i definitely needed another session: "one is just not enough. if i would have known how bad your back was i would have spent more time on it." so, since the offer for a free massage at the technical college stands until friday, i'm making plans with a couple other people to carpool out there. it's about 30 minutes from the rock ranch, but well worth it.

so the rock ranch. a bunch of land in the desert about 8 minutes from hueco tanks front gate. there are port-a-potties, a cooking "shed," a renovated barn to hang out in at nite, and a big circular gravel road with campsites all-along. it's pretty cush for the desert: there is a tv, vcr/dvd, microwave, shower, foosball, and mini-bar. i kid. . . not really: no mini-bar.

on the climbing front. went out on tour with this local named trevor yesterday [that's him in the picture trying to look mean], along with steph and jason. trevor took us around the end of east spur on a bunch of problems they put up this summer. so that was cool climbing on some stuff that's not even in the guidebook. we did flip, and, or, flop. flop was the hardest (got it 2nd GO), maybe a 5, i don't know; the others were 3s or 4s, maybe. super fun though. we also did an awesome squeezy arete problem/feature that came in around 5 or 6 named tremors (which i laid the flash down on- definitely "my style*"). did another real short power problem that came in around 6 on the sandmaster boulder.

got a dabbed ascent of a fingery big cross-over move problem named dune left (7?) (so i didn't really do it yet). the true line goes to the right as you come out from the overhang. all in a super-cool area that felt like an ancient indian world or something. you can see video of jason kehl doing the FA of dune at MVM online.

here's jason working a project that almost went today.

second day on today, we went all over west and east and east spur with another good crew. i didn't know any of them, so met some more new friends. met a cool girl named jackie, a funny, smart guy named kris (we call him beastie), and some other folks. pulled down another 5 flash walrus in a blender (i think), did that hi-pro glow (6) in a couple go's. got bouted on a 7 and another crimpy 5, and was super close on a rad problem called uncut yogi (6). ended the day (exhausted) on a highball 3 called rattlesnake tracksuit: scary, cruxy topout; i knew i was exhausted cos i was struggling on it. luckily i didn't fall.

ready for another rest day tomorrow. thanks for the comments; they are all appreciated. keep in touch and let me know how you all are doing.

*when i say "my style" it usually refers to a problem that relies less on finger strength and more on core, upper-body muscle/power. not that i'm very strong; it's just what i usually do better at.

AND NOW WE CLIMB

2009-01-09T11:19:00.009-07:00

i went out for my first day of climbing on wednesday. it started slow. i was signed up for a tour at 9 and showed up 15 minutes early as is recommended and strongly urged. much to my chagrin there was no guide available for the tour, which was canceled. so i sat as the fifth car at the gate for about an hour and a half until there was availability for walk-in reservations on north mountain. while we waited, inevitably a hack(y sack) circle was formed and i met half a dozen new friends.

inside i serendipitously met up with with some friends i had met back in chattanooga a couple of years ago, along with the others i had met. we had a great crew and fun day all around. we warmed up on a couple v3 highballs and a couple 4s and 5s. to my surprise i flashed all of them. i had been off for 3 days during the drive across country and was psyched to climb anyway.

one of my friends chris is here and got me psyched on this rockclimb called dean's journey (the kids give it 10 points). i got shut down at the crux multiple times before finding better beta. the bad beta was fed to me from my great friend mike. he's a strong climber and a sort-of mentor, but he gets his left and right confused easily. so after he got on it with us we realized it was a key left foot and not a right. after i figured that out i made great progress. great progress meaning falling off the finishing jug! this was a big surprise for me even though i didn't finish it that day. i know i can do it next time i get back to north mountain because i fell three times in a row going for the jug, which is not the hardest move by a long shot. i don't know how i missed it a different way every time, but i did. and even though i didn't send it, i was pleased to almost bag my first 10, in a day at that, and my first day at hueco this year!

don't by any means take this as bragging. because i finished the day out flailing all over a v4 that everyone in the crew sent besides me; i couldn't even do the move in isolation. that's hueco for you (not to mention different climbing styles in general).

it was a good first day.

here's a picture from thursday, on our tour of east mountain. i was pretty much wrecked from the previous day, but managed to squeeze out a v4 flash and a classic v5 second go (hobbit in a blender, i believe) and got close on a 7-pointer (the name escapes me). once again, i got the snot kicked out of me on try hard, v4; so it goes.

today's a rest day. a new friend of mine from british colombia, alysha, and i are going to the technical college a free hour-long massage after coffee and internet. it'll be my first professional massage. i'm psyched to say the least; i would also say it's long overdue.

DAY TWO: LA SAGA CONTINUE: STROKE OF BAD LUCK

2009-01-06T11:06:00.011-07:00

what a monday:
i'm up at 7am for an oil change and out the door by 7:30; on the highway by 7:40 and into 3 hours of freezing rain by 8. . . priceless

welcome to texas...?

first of all, i didn't realize it was cold in texas. ever. sure this acknowledges my ignorance, but it should go without saying that most people probably think the same. which again acknowledges another kind of ignorance, i admit, but i wouldn't have a good lead into this post without it.

i probably accumulated about an inch or so of ice on my van during its (the freezing rain's) duration, which would have been considerable even for kentucky. as it turns out the ice was the least of my worries.

the first of my stroke-of-bad lucks happened a couple hours into the frain (obvious portmanteau of freezing rain). my car stalled out while i was cruising at 70 mph. technically it was still running, the engine was just getting enough fuel to keep it idling- nothing more, nothing less. it was more like a wash of bad gas, i imagined, creeping into the engine -or water that froze -or something like a gremlin hiding under the hood, wreaking the first of many purported havocs.

after 5 or ten minutes of cleaning ice off windshield and wipers, and poking around under the hood like i know what i'm doing to any passerby (which only really included making sure my belts were still attached to their appropriate "wheels") i get back in and do the next logical thing: try again that which previously was not working and i push the accelerator to the floor. this time it rushed fuel into the engine and vvrroooomm! wow, i thought, whatever i did worked! (note to self: don't break my arm patting myself on my back). so i was back on the road and roaming free.

enter again, the gremlin... and again. and again. after another couple of times of the engine virtually stalling out (though still barely idling), pulling off to the side of the road and poking around under the hood at nothing, inconsequentially, i break down at an actual exit with actual gas stations and restaurants. i wait again just long enough for the engine to decide it likes gasoline, and get it to a service station. of course at this point it's not acting up and the mechanic is at a loss to help me only beyond what the computer in my '97 chrysler town & country lxi can tell him (which is barely better than what i could describe to him what was going on when the gremlin was acting up. barely, just barely; i don't want to fain superiority here).

long story short, i am the proud owner of a new fuel pump and fuel filter. most people might have guessed that's what was going on (i had an inkling), but when it's your vehicle you kind of tend to think the best until it's too late. so here i am traveling half-way across the country only 2 days into my journey-come-adventure. luckily it wasn't too late for me and i'm not stuck in the middle of west texas in the middle of the nite waiting on some trucker to pick me up, hoping he's not one of those guys they'll make a movie about in a few years on down the line.

i finally pull into mike & steph's apartment complex at about 10:30pm in el paso, texas.

this is basically what i wake up to the next morning as i climb out of my van. . .

tuesday i take it easy. . .

wednesday i climb!

DAY ONE: LE DÉPART: STROKE OF GOOD LUCK

2009-01-06T10:26:00.000-07:00

so i left lexington, ky on sunday january 4 at noon-thirty for the greater reaches of big sky country out west. hitting memphis in the evening brought storms, and a flashing "your battery is dead" light coming at me from my captains chair... good timing.

i was 6 or so hours in i guess, and making good time. excited for unprecedented living (i've lived in the bible belt for the entirety of my 32 years and was finally leaving the nest of the great southeast) and ready to hit little rock, arkansas and bed for the night. it didn't look like i'd make it that far.

i pulled off in benton, found a wal-mart, and parked under a lamp-post in case this was as far as i'd make it for the nite. i'd gotten as far as i could (comfortably) on what was left of my tank of gas and was ready to see if my battery was in need of a written requiem. i'd learned how to check to the alternator by taking off the positive terminal while the car was still running, and sure enough the alternator was good; that was stroke-of-good-luck number one. stroke-of-good-luck number two came after i turned the car off and upon attempting to restart it, it did just that: it restarted. the crazy dead-battery light went off and i was free to roam.

i overshot my original stop-over, driving around 15 hours that day and made it to fort worth by 4 am and slept next to an NTB awaiting a gravely-overdue oil change early the next morning.

crisis averted. . .