June 6th, 2017
More fun stuff that I neglected to report from this past spring…
Our dear Pittsburgh friends made their annual pilgrimage to Hueco Tanks. I’m just going to share what I personally consider to be the highlight of the trip. Jen arrived at Hueco “not in her usual tip-top climbing condition” due to some shoulder problems. Could have fooled us. Here’s a video of her sending a new-ish V5 at The Spur, Tremors. This happened on the afternoon of the last day of their 2 week trip, mind you.
Hardcore.
posted by arr
November 19th, 2016
The expiration of Daylight Savings typically marks when we begin our Hueco rampaging. Even though we’re on Arizona Time (and thus don’t observe Daylight Savings) we are well aware of it’s yearly cycle since it steals an hour from us when we head to Hueco during the warmer months. We have a funny story about this. Our first season at Hueco back in the spring of 2004 we were clueless as to when Daylight Savings started. We had forgotten about it completely, cause well, it didn’t affect us in AZ. And this was back in the day when we didn’t carry our silly cell phones around with us wherever we went (which are now our helpful reminders). Out on North Mountain one late afternoon, we let the hours tick by and stayed in the Martini Roof right up until park closing time, 6pm. Our mistake was that it was 6pm Tucson-time, meaning it was 7PM EL PASO-TIME!!! Needless to say we got a stern talking to the next morning by the park rangers. In our naivety we even argued about it! And then some Tucson friends arrived later that morning and clued us in that the time switch had happened. Whoops. One lets a mistake like that happen only once. haha.
So here we are. The season is ON! Hueco season obsessions commence!!!
Kicking the season off with a new climb. Denizen, v5
Notice the pool shoes on the kids feet. I guess it was our excitement in our first trip back that made us forget one crucial piece of gear: the kids’ street shoes!! We literally had nothing for their feet. $9.99 pool shoes at Target was all I could stomach to spend to get us out of that pickle. For them it was a treat of course. Grrrr.
Paul on a repeat of the four-star Jingus Bells, v5
Precarious pad stacking to work the upper moves of Two Days with Gene, v11. Don’t try this at home kids.
Paul’s birthday! A homemade, not burnt “van pizza”
Is that a tornado I see over the campground bathroom? Hmmmm.
This cracks me up. Rather than putting their climbing shoes on and actually climbing with us, the kids much prefer to “play” climbing. Using bungee cords (that we use to lash pads together so we can carry more than one), they rig up and yell climbing commands at one another, “on belay!” “up slack!” “off belay!”, while scaling some random piece of rock. And yes there is a beautiful rainbow in the background. Is this not a climber mama’s most perfect portrayal of happiness?! 🙂
Up high on West Mountain. Should we stay…
or should we go?
Stay! So Paul can bang out Natural Disaster, v10. Which he did.
Looking for animal tracks in the mud
Back to camp
The kids “cooking up” a “five course meal” in their “ovens”
Paul’s Hueco season obsession: Crown of Aragorn, v13
As for me, I’m posting these photos of me on The Bathtub, v9 because i think they’re rad..or perhaps I’m just secretly diggin’ my green pants. Anyway, I SO WANT to report that this is my Hueco season obsession. But I need one more day on it to suss out the moves a little more before I can decide if it’s possible. It’s very burly. And very long. Two things I’m usually not good at.
The good news is that I had tried this climb back in the spring and couldn’t do the moves you see me doing here in these two photos. Yeah summer training. 🙂 More later… I hope!
posted by arr
February 2nd, 2016
I’ve somehow only managed to snap pics of the kids lovin’ up Hueco this winter. None of climbing! Whoops. I’ll try to mend that soon…and hopefully with some sending pics. I’ve officially committed myself to getting the Bloody Flapper Traverse, v9 finished. Paul’s grade-breaking send has got me a bit envious. I really want one of my own! Wish me some cold-temperature days please (this climb bakes in the sun). 🙂
posted by arr
December 15th, 2015
It’s official, people. Paul sent Slashface!!! Yesterday afternoon, after what started off as a nightmare of a day due to our radio being dead as a doornail because of accidentally being left on all weekend, we finally got things working and bolted up to East Mountain around 2pm. Paul pulled on, and was topping out not three minutes later….first try of the day. It was just us and the kids and we all went nuts when it was over. Paul’s first v13: Slashface.
And although Paul finally doing Slashface is very big news, he wasn’t the only one who cranked hard this fall. We’ve also got some honorable mentions to report:
During the last year of all those Slashface attempts, I had found myself a project nearby to try. Ultramega, v8. Done!
Jen rolled in all the way from Pittsburgh and made very quick work of Hector in a Blender, v7. Done!
….and also Tri Hard, v4. Done!
Brian came heartbreakingly close to completing Mojo, v10.
And a similar story for Jen on Big Iron on his Hip, v7. Next year for sure you two!!
And finally, my last big send of the year was Greasy Kid Stuff, v4. This is HUGE NEWS! Cause Greasy Kid Stuff might very well rank as Hueco’s WORST and HARDEST v4 EVER!!!!!! Woohoo!
And of course let’s not forget these handsome boys. Honorable mentions for good looking boys all around! It won’t be too long before these little crushers start sending hard boulders too.Posted by arr
November 27th, 2015
..from Hueco! Following through with what is now our yearly tradition, we celebrated the holiday climbing at Hueco Tanks with our Pittsburgh friends, Brian and Jen and kids. Yesterday the weather held nicely for the fixin’ of our big feast: turkey stew, raw kale salad with root vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce, applesauce, pickles, olives and pickled beets and pumpkin pie that we made with the Vitamix. Mmmmm. Power food! Having a great time. Climbing news and photos to be posted soon.
posted by arr
October 21st, 2015
Summer is now officially over and the Hueco Tanks trips have started back up. Paul is eager (to say the least!) to get back on Slashface, having fallen off the top of it last spring on our final trip of the season.
Here are some glimpses of our Hueco “pre-season.”
I sent this pic to my parents and siblings with the caption, “Whoever can guess what’s new in this photo is ultimate winner of the year.” My mom guessed correctly immediately – WE’RE NOT CARRYING ANY KIDS!!!!!
After 6 years of kid-hauling, I’m wondering if my v-ability will spontaneously jump three grades, haha. Figured I’d test out this theory on Revenge of the Choir Boys, v9.
I can do all the moves except 1 on this burly beast of a climb. Woo!
It’s been a rainy fall here in the southwest. Check out these skies. Thunderstorm approaching fast.
Paul figures out new beta on Fat Apache Jogger, v8…
…making this climb actually fun now.
Back at it on Slashface, v13
The one drawback to the Hueco pre-season, warm temps and soft skin
My morning cup
The kids have really taken to climbing.
Can’t seem to get enough of it, shown here climbing on the campsite shade roof.
Everybody needs a rock
…and this boy needs a snack
Water-filled Huecos on East Mountain
Mo Mojo, v11
Cuties
Back at it on Ultramega, v8
On East Mountain with West in the backdrop
Porn Again, v7
On a whim we decided to do what we’ve coined a “West Mountain Wild Card” day. The rules: forget the projects and climb as many problems as possible in areas we don’t typically go to
…because they’re hard to get to! Here we are at the Between the Sheets area way up on West Mountain, 1 hour after leaving the van.
Hardcore little hikers
Nice view for a snack
Topping out some warm-ups
The start to Between the Sheets, v4
Between the Sheets, v4
The Umbra of Discontent, v4
Superhero
Silas on an actual rockclimb!!!
Ivan too! …well, sorta.
Homer Simpson, v3
posted by arr
May 23rd, 2015
We’re done with the Hueco season and we didn’t send our projects. That’s the wrap up folks. Paul gets an honorable mention for getting really really close on Slashface though (post-finger surgery!) falling off the top, too pumped to stick the last big pull. I deserve no credit, having totally plateaued and going nowhere on anything hard from February to April. We decided to call it, not because of the heat (cause it actually hasn’t gotten hot yet here in the desert southwest! So nice!), but because my psyche was low and Paul’s fingers needed a hardcore rest. So instead of posting a overly amped video showcasing how awesome and strong and full of ourselves we are, I’ll instead post some cute pics of our kids that never made it to the site this spring. hehe. Enjoy!
Stylish Silas
Cute boys
Silly boys
A side trip to Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico
Who’d ever guess there is an ENORMOUS cave around here?!
What is called “the natural entrance” to the cave
…which, despite the three foot wide paved pathway cut into the side of the cliff all the way down is indeed considerably more “natural” than the alternate entrance, a 500+ foot elevator.
Cuteness in carharts
Silas content with his sketchpad
while Ivan gets grumpy cause he wants to climb NOW!
Campsite hangout time. Get those flip flops off your face! Gross!
Animal track! Whoa!
Site 12 at the campground
A lush Mescalero Canyon in East Mountain
And a bunny chillin’ in the shade.
posted by arr
