Checklist

"Rope?" "Check." "Rack?" "Check." "Climbing Shoes?" "Check." "Helmet?" "Check." "Harness?" "Harness?" "Ch.............?" Yep, that's right. Yesterday Ryan and I went to Windy Point to climb Vista Cruiser and Burning Apostles. When we got to the parking area we started to go through our gear, and decide who would take what. Guess who forgot his harness? After Ryan got done saying "darn","dang it", and "shoot" we went for a nice walk, and looked at the climbs we had come to do. We also took a look at the only 5.14 on Mt. Lemmon. It looked pretty blank. We then decided to go meet our friends Mike and Teresa. They had invited us to climb with them so we knew where they would be. It ended up being a really fun day. Mike was the only leader in their group of seven so it turned out to be a good thing that we met up with them. We were able to help put ropes up, and everyone got to climb more that way. But really the best part was that Ryan forgot his harness, and those of you who know him know how out of character that is for him. Now I have something to give him a hard time about. Forever.

Perception

The Wednesday before we left for J-Tree several of us went to the Reel Rock Film Festival. One of my friends that went with us was Michelle. She had never been to one of these climbing/outdoor festivals so I was hoping she would have a good time. Michelle is a little reserved. I can never tell when she is enjoying herself when I am around, or if she is thinking "I need to have Brett's head checked. Why does he insist on hanging out with this idiot?" I asked Brett on the way to California what Michelle had thought of the films. Her one comment that really stuck out to me was "she felt sorry for Ueli Steck because his whole life was climbing mountains." He was featured in one of the films. He was shown running, yes running, up the summit ridge on the Eiger. He spent everyday training to be in the kind of shape it takes to be able to solo these alpine peaks in hours instead of days. The reason I remember her comment, and that it made an impression was while she was feeling sorry for him I was thinking "how can I live that life?" All a matter of perception.

Heart and Sole

Brett gave me a disc with the pictures he took at J-Tree the other night. This is a climb that I lead called Heart and sole 5.10a. It was a lesson in learning to trust my gear placements. There were several friction moves that seemed very greasy. After returning home I read about the the climb, and in almost all of the comments people said that it has gotten harder over the years as dime edges have broken off. They also said that they would not do it in direct sun or if the temperature was over 50 degrees. As you can see by great panoramic picture that Brett took it was in full sun, and probably over 90 degrees too.

Here is the friction traverse over the roof on the way to the flake that would finally give a decent handhold.

This is what spending over an hour on Heart and Sole in full sun and tight climbing shoes will do to your feet. I could barely put my shoes on. Mike spent over an hour belaying me on this climb which I'm sure was way worse than a blister. Thanks Mike.

Josh

I promised more pictures of Joshua Tree, but don't have the time to do it justice so I just picked a few photos and slapped them up here. Still more to come I promise. Until you are sick of them, or quit reading my blog. Ryan on Sail Away (in blue, not the cute half naked girl to the left). I was glad to finally get to lead this climb. We had looked at it about six or seven times over the last two trips, but there was always someone on it.

Leading Fote Hog. Most fun 5.6 I have ever done.

J-Tree with Brett climbing in the background. I thought it looked cool.

Brett on the Headstone at dusk.

Strange angle of a J-Tree, a crack climb, and Brett's butt. At least I photographed his good side.

Best Times

I have had several occasions when I thought that, like the old cliche beer commercial, this is "as good as it gets". There was the Grand Canyon, the Tetons, Wasson Peak various times on Mt. Lemmon, J-Tree, Flagstaff, and some times just hanging out having dinner or ruining our diets at BTO. Last week was one of those times. I spent the first five days in J-Tree with the crew pictured above. What a group. I think we all had a great time, and I was always sad to see someone have to peel off and go home. It was like having a member of the family move away. I spent the last four days camping in the White Mountains in NE Arizona with Amy and the kids. That was great too. How lucky I am to have all these awesome people to go on these cool adventures with. Yes, even you Steve. More posts to come on both of these trips.

All Mighty Guarantee

Another new pack. Actually this is a replacement for my twenty plus year old Osprey Silhouette. It was still in good shape and I would have continued to use it if not for one little problem. The waterproofing on the inside of the pack cloth was delaminating, and would get this sticky brown goo all over the pack's contents. The pack always felt slightly damp too. I carried it through the Grand Canyon about four years ago, and had the brown goo problem. I called Osprey and they said that it wasn't a defect, and that I should just line the inside of the pack with a garbage bag. Needless to say I wasn't very satisfied with that answer, but what could I do? I was in Summit Hut a few weeks ago and saw a tag hanging off of a new Osprey pack. It said something about the All Mighty Guarantee. I read a little farther, and it said any Osprey pack, any reason, any era. The "any era" part might be a little confusing. I'll explain. Osprey started out as a small pack company in Colorado. Now they are made in Viet Nam. It has been sold to several larger outdoor conglomerates. Kind of like Dana, Sierra Designs, Mountain Hardware, Black Diamond............. Generally good for profits, but not for the consumer. Long story short they said they would replace my pack. They let me pick any pack I wanted. I picked the Argon 110. That's 110 liters, or about 6,900 cubic inches. It is huge. I figured it would be good for overnight climbing trips, family backpacking trips, or when the day finally comes that I get to do some mountaineering and have to haul some big heavy loads. It really is a cool pack with all the bells and whistles. I am also once again a fan of Osprey Packs. I feel like they did right by me this time, although I think they should have replaced my pack several years ago when I first noticed the problem. It did have a lifetime guarantee when I bought it after all.

Scarry Conversation

Yesterday at work one of the guys I work with said to me "At least we bought a motor home so we can go camping." Really?!?!?!?!?!? I didn't realize that one needed a house on wheels to go "camping". Is it really camping if you are living in a permanent structure (even if the structure is mobile). I feel like a sissy for sleeping in a tent even though weather or privacy sometimes make it necessary. I am going to J-Tree and the White Mountains next week, and am probably taking to much stuff, but I refuse to sleep in a motor home, fifth wheel, or travel trailer. I thought the whole point of camping was to be outside. Not to have a TV, DVD, and a shower (although after three days a shower does sound really good). My dad keeps trying to get me to take his truck and fifth wheel. It would cost more than a hotel to tow it to J-Tree. Besides, what kind of dirt bag climber sleeps in a fifth wheel anyway. *My apologies to all who think living in an RV is camping. I didn't mean you. I was talking about the other people.