apAdventures

After not climbing outside for quite awhile we formulated a plan. It all started with Plan A and then a few revisions followed:

Plan A – Joshua Tree
Plan B – Priest Draw (once we found out our El Paso friends were going to be spending a week there)
Plan C – Hueco (once we found out our El Paso friends were not going to Flag)
Plan D – Something other than Hueco (reservations for Hueco were not available), Priest Draw?
Plan E – Priest Draw again
Plan F – Not Priest Draw (weather looked bad), Cochise Stronghold (for bouldering!)
Plan G – Hairpin Boulders (5 mins from home)

Okay, so Plan G worked out for last Friday but what about Saturday/Sunday?

Plan H………….Z – Variations of the previous plans over and over while talking with various friends and looking at the weather.

Plan Z – The Anvil Boulders outside Sedona! Of course. We’ve never been there before so why not?

It turned out to be a great decision. A big thanks goes out to our friend Gina for helping in the decision making process. I think she was involved from Plan A.

posted by pjv

Over these last few days of the 2008 year I’ve been dabbling in something I’ve never done before: re-reading our web entries. As our big vacation draws to an end I have this urge of somehow trying to summarize it all in my mind. The best parts, the worst parts, a top 10 list perhaps or a pre-canned response to what has become the standard questions “So what was South Africa *really* like?” “What climbs did you send?” “Favorite boulder problems?” I realize though as I page through both my memories in my brain and our web entries in my computer that there are just so many dang parts I can’t even begin to get my head around them all! It’s been a big year. I mean, a REALLY big year. And the further I read the bigger it gets! Such small details are reminded in my blurred memory of adventures.

I was reminded that this time last year I was still relishing my bittersweet send of Left El Murray, v6 at Hueco Tanks, having learned a few days later the Mushroom Boulder had been closed to climbing indefinitely.

I was reminded that the month of January was dedicated to some major home improvements (how could I forget!) with Paul and I tackling both the bathroom in the main house (with hired help) and the shade roof over the hot tub. When not working on the house during the day however, January was also spent out under our woody in the evenings, training aggressively for upcoming Hueco trips.

Which brings me to February: projecting, projecting, projecting. We spent most of the February weekends at Hueco either under the Martini Roof or at the Bloody Flapper Boulder. These weekends I actually remember quite clearly. Perhaps because I was acutely aware of Paul accelerating rapidly towards his completion of Right Martini, v12 while I moped in self-pity over a stressful work schedule which was leaning too hard on my climbing performance.

March. The inevitable sends. Paul finally ticks Right Martini, a huge and memorable milestone for him. And I snag my first v6 send-in-a-day on Hairpin Roof in our backyard on Mt. Lemmon, on my birthday to boot! Ahh, a nice reminder. A nice start to a big climbing year.

I was reminded that in April my parents came out to Tucson for a visit and we traveled up north to the Grand Canyon. Sheesh! That was *this* year?! If my memory serves me well I don’t believe Paul and I had been keeping up too well with our trail running around this time, yet we decided to run all the way down to Plateau Point and back! Huh. Impressive!

The May log shows no entries on the site. I don’t however, need to be reminded about what was going on last May. My memories are crystal clear. Paul and I were quietly packing, planning, saving, and training for the big trip.

Which is a great lead in to June. June is huge. June is when we finally say bye bye to Tucson and hit the road, our embarkment on our long-awaited climbing trip, the dream. Our first stop: Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado. On the climbing front I eat up The Kind, v5 and then The Kind Sit, v6, declaring that the fun moves rival those of the classic Dragonfly at Hueco. Paul makes quick work of Real Large, v9 and Tommy’s Arete, v8 but gets shut down with lack of endurance for The Kind Traverse, v11. On the family/friends front we enjoyed some good times with my sister Holly, her boyfriend Joe and Jed and Rachael, owners of the to-die-for mountain home that Joe and Holly were renting, and superb connoisseurs of Colorado’s outstanding local brews.

July. July is even bigger than June! We’ve got Mt. Evans Colorado, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, Marathon New York and Rocklands South Africa all packed into July! The Mt. Evans summary includes Paul scratching The Dali, v9 off his ticklist and drooling over the too-high-for-just-one-crashpad The Nothing, v8. Two days at Evans was simply not enough. On to east coast family time. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is first, managing to squeeze in a quick day trip to Cooper’s Rock, West Virginia for a little bouldering. Next on the agenda is Marathon, New York for more family time before saying our goodbyes to the North American continent. H E L L O Africa.

The remainder of July, all of August and most of September are pretty much a rushing blur of memories. Beautiful landscapes, amazing animals, new people, and hundreds upon hundreds of stellar boulders….boulders e v e r y w h e r e. This is Rocklands, South Africa. I can’t even begin to summarize these unforgettable days. I page through the 2000 or so photos we snapped while there and try to pick out just a few of the highlights:

Paul’s quick send of Nutsa, v12

The day we saw the leopard

The familiar view of Pakhuis Pass

The de Pakhuys boulders

My v8 breakthrough, Minki

Paul’s devastating knee injury during his best sending go on The Vice, v13

Jeffreys Bay on the Indian Ocean

Addo Elephant National Park

Black Velvet, v11 tick

Roof on Fire, v5 tick

A memorable day at Fields of Joy where Paul and I literally just ran around like kids climbing anything and everything that simply “looked cool”

The Fields of Joy day continued. Im Juli, v7

Another lasting view from the The Fields of Joy day

A beautiful sunset at our darling Weavers Cottage on the Alpha Farm

The Riverside boulders with friends

A quick evening session at The Sassies with friends

Pinotage, v10

An incredible Sassies sunset

More of the Sassies sunset

Our last day in Rocklands, bouldering at our favorite area: The Roadside Boulders. Paul sending Pinch of Herbs, v9/10

After saying goodbye to South Africa the journey continues. The end of September follows Paul and I venturing back west again. Some more time with family in New York and Pennsylvania and then onward to Bishop, California. Like Rocklands, the many many days of Bishop climbing blur into one another, a continuous high of happy times. We got to spend an entire month with our dear friends from Germany, a week with the hometown Pittsburgh crew, and a short but sweet weekend with the one and only Courtney. Paul and I also celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by hiking just about every trail up around Bishop Creek and the Buttermilk Country over the course of our stay. The notable boulder problem sends here throughout October and November are too many to name, haha, so I’ll just summarize by saying we ticked the majority of the classics….and came oh-so-close on all the rest (ahem, High Plains Drifter). Some pics from the archives that never made it to press:

Buttermilk Country

Me on Skye Dance, v6 up at the Druid Stones

My flash of The Solarium, v3

Fire and Stars

Paul warming up at The Sads

Paul sending Shelter From the Storm, v6

My tick of Go Granny Go Right, v5

Pope’s Prow, v6

Me “saving” High Plains Drifter, v7 for next time, boohoo

…and Paul doing the same on Stained Glass, v10

The tail-end of November brings us to a spontaneous Last Horrah to wrap up the climbing portion of the big vacation. Paul and I decide to squeeze almost a week into Yosemite Valley, California. And a horrah it was. Paul wrapped up his climbing trip with ticking the country classics Midnight Lightning, v8 and The Force, v9. And I snuck in one last v6 send with The Font Problem. And let’s not forget about that turkey cooked over the campfire on Thanksgiving Day.

Which brings this trip down memory lane to December. December, the cozy holiday month has been spent relaxing and visiting with family and friends back east again. Our travels were exciting and boulder problems fun, but none of that even comes close to a comparison against quality time spent with those we love most. The month of December has been a warm and content closing to an incredible adventure-packed year.

So as Day 206 rolls around the corner…just two days away…our final day of our exciting 6+ month vacation…the closing to one of the best years of my life, believe it or not I’m actually *not* sitting here asking myself “What’s next?”, “Where are we headed next year?” “What’s the next trip destination?” Nope. Not me. I’m still in that satisfied phase, happy to be simply reflecting on what we’ve done versus what we want to do.

posted by arr from Paul’s parents house in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the night before flying back to home to Tucson

We’re back in the east now! Yes, the traveling continues. From Yosemite we swung through Tucson for a quick status check on our house, then boarded a plane headed east; headed home for the holidays. We’re here in upstate New York with my family now for a couple weeks. Then we’ll travel south to see Paul’s. Definitely enjoying the cozy snow and relaxation.

posted by arr

Finally, the update you’ve all been waiting for. After seven weeks in Bishop it was time for a change in scenery. It’s too bad we had to leave the unfinished Mandala and High Plains Drifter behind but the opportunity of ending this big climbing trip at a place we consider one of the most beautiful on Earth was too hard to pass up. One week in paradise:

One of the most well known boulder problems in the world is marked with this image. With a year packed full of incredible classic sends I knew this would be the ultimate conclusion.

Midnight Lightning, v8, the centerpiece of Camp 4 on the huge Columbia boulder was first established by Ron Kauk in 1978 before I was born. Still to this day it is one of the most sought after boulder problems by all types of climbers. It requires both technique and power and holds the rewarding “Yosemite mantle” as the last hard sequence. After 13 years of climbing I found myself finally standing below the masterpiece, wondering is it now my turn?

Yes!

With Midnight Lightning complete the pressure was relieved. Now it’s time to focus on the beauty of my surroundings (and cheer April on as she works her grand finale).

Tendons Give, v4, a traverse into the fun, bad landing, DO NOT FALL Tendons Mend, v0. After raving extensively about how amazing the moves were I convinced April to not only try it, despite the scary landing, but to send it. And she too got to experience a good old-fashioned “Yosemite mantle” at the top.

The Font Problem, v6, recommended to us as by a couple of friends as “a good ass whoopin.” As the name denotes, you can expect to squeeze your way to the top bypassing nothing more than little dimples in the stone. Very, yes, Fontainebleau-like. April worked it the first day and sent it the next.

Bears in our campground at night, bear next to April as she’s peeing in the woods, bear trying to get into our gear while we are climbing, bear in the tree next to Midnight Lightning while I’m trying to send, bear cruising through the forest on our hike out of the boulders. Bears everywhere.

Rain day in the valley.

Beautifully secluded campsite number 176.

Secluded? Just kidding. Behold the boxed-in future of American Car Camping.

Half Dome on a Thanksgiving Day.

Our first attempt at cooking our very own Thanksgiving turkey.

Stoking the fire under the feast.

Our stuffed bird cooked to perfection accompanied by mashed sweet potatoes, creamed corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls with butter and of course pumpkin pie.

Burning off the Thanksgiving dinner with a hike up to Glacier Point via the Four Mile Trail.

Yosemite Falls.

Half Dome.

April enjoying the view from Glacier Point.

Wait, wait, there’s one more. The Force, v9, adjacent to Thriller, v10, situated in front of the coolest tree in all of Yosemite.

Tick list complete.

And last but not least, our Cute Morgan.

posted by pjv

We’ve ditched the projecting in Bishop and are now refreshing our motivation here on the Yosemite boulders. Stay tuned for a more thorough post of the classics that have already gone down.

posted by pjv

Time for a quick update on the climbing front. Paul and I are still here in Bishop, frantically trying to wrap up our long, long ticklists. We’re hoping to ditch out of here in about a week and move on to our final climbing destination: Yosemite Valley. So needless to say, the pressure is on. At this point in the trip we’ve pretty much cleaned up all the easy/moderate Bishop classics. So all that remains now is the hard stuff. Yikes!

Since we arrived Paul and I have spent the majority of our climbing days up at the gorgeous Buttermilk Boulders. Honed for the gymnastic Hueco-style climbing that we usually frequent, the technically-challenging Buttermilk climbing is quite a special treat for us. (Really! Sending v2 has never felt soooo good!) This combined with an amazing setting with the Sierra Nevada Mountains as a backdrop, we just can’t seem to get enough of these boulders.

I think I can accurately say that I’ve managed to tick each and every one of the easy and moderate Buttermilks classics I had on my to-do list. A few of the noteworthy sends include the tricky Buttermilk Stem (v1), the technical face-climbing highball Good Morning Sunshine (v1), Monkey Dihedral (v2) on the Saigon Boulder (an outstanding little stem problem recommended to us by Grit, Manu and Anke), the beautifully crimpy Green Wall Essential (v2), Birthday Direct (v3), King Tut (v3), and of course, everybody’s favorite (or not!), the Iron Man Traverse (v4)….(which I *finally* just did last week, THANK goodness. I was starting to stress over this one!) If I were to leave Bishop having only completed these easier classics, my trip will have been a success. These are some of the best climbs I’ve ever done under the most aesthetic setting imaginable.

H O W E V E R, having said that,…..if I were to leave Bishop having completed possibly just one more little climb….saaaay…..perhaps…..one of the most famous climbs in all of Bishop, potentially in all of the country…..a climb whose moves I literally have been dreaming about in my sleep…..just one more climb to add to my tick list…….a fun little ditty by the name of……..High Plains Drifter (v7)…..which is loads more than just ‘fun’ and by most, including myself, probably not to be considered ‘little’ by any means……hmmmm……well then…..my trip would be indescribable by the small word “success.” It would be freaking amazing!!!! So yes, one week and only the hard stuff remaining. And for me, this means one climb and one climb only. High Plains Drifter. Fingers crossed. I’m sooooo close!

Enough about me, let’s talk about Paul. He too has quite an extensive ‘moderates’ tick list. He’s ticked off twenty v6’s since we’ve been here! Sheesh! Green Wall Center being #20. Also included is the ultra stellar Saigon, a repeat for him (I’m so jealous). If I might say, I personally think Paul’s extensive ticking can be attributed solely to him avoiding boredom by climbing any and all climbs adjacent to the climbs I’m working…..and working and working and working. A perfect example is Iron Man. Throughout my epic go’s spent flailing and falling, Paul ticked off just about all the other climbs on the stinkin’ boulder, which is quite numerous (and comical) if you’ve ever looked in the guidebook, haha. How about this description: Iron Man Footless (v6), two stars, “Surprisingly, the traverse is not that much harder without using your feet, if you move fast!” Yep, ticked.

Last week during more flailing and falling attempts by me on Soul Slinger (v9), Paul dodged boredom once more by getting motivated to try out Soul Slinger Right (v8), “Cold, cloudy day? Begin as for Soul Slinger and make a big pull from the two good incuts to a rounded hold on the right wall.” It was indeed cold this day and yes, cloudy. Add this one to Paul’s tick list too.

Running around ticking v6’s out of boredom isn’t all that Paul’s been up to though. I’ve gotta give him a little more credit. I think most days are really spent trying to re-grow skin on his fingertips from his Mandala (v12) attempts. And somewhere in there he finds time to throw in a few harder sends, like Center Direct (v10), Acid Wash (v10), Mandance (v11). Saturday we went to the Sad Boulders for the first time and he promptly cleaned up on Beefcake (v10). Not bad. But also not The Mandala. Like me, for him too only the hard stuff remains….relatively speaking.

So one final week here in Bishop. I almost can’t comprehend it! Ahhh! The pressure!!! We’re resting today, hoping to rejuvenate whatever last drops of energy our muscles still have remaining. We’ll be back on the boulders tomorrow….

Paul contemplating which Iron Man line to do next

Me sending Buttermilk Stem, v1

Me falling off Saigon, v6…again

Paul loosing skin on the wicked sharp Junior’s Achievement, v7

The Mandala, v12

Paul’s Molly, v5 repeat. Bored?

Paul celebrating his send of Beefcake, v10

posted by arr

Yesterday was Paul’s Birthday. Hip hip hooray! Keeping with the birthday celebration trend set forth on Manu’s October birthday here in Bishop, Paul and I ventured out on a little hike. This time around Lake Sabrina, our first zero-elevation gain hike….deeeelightful. See the beautiful snowy pics below.

This year, with all this glorious free-time I have right now, I wanted my present to Paul to be geared toward the act of doing, not buying. So last night over a ripping hot campfire at our campsite up in the cold, cold Buttermilks at the base of the Sierra Nevadas, I made Paul a homemade pepperoni pizza in my dutch oven. For those that don’t know Paul, the man would eat pepperoni pizza every single day of the year if I’d let him! To my surprise (since this was my first attempt at campfire pizza), it turned out to be homemade campfire perfection!!! We enjoyed the pizza, our cokes (a double special treat) and the roaring campfire well into the evening, with little Morgie curled up beside us on the crashpad. The moon is almost full right now and from our site we could see the Buttermilk Boulders almost perfectly, gleaming in the moonlight below us. A wintery hike, warm campfire and homemade pepperoni pizza. I think he liked it.

Homemade pepperoni pizza. Mmm.

Our new campsite

Lake Sabrina

posted by arr

I’m not much of a crack climber but the most appealing line at the Happies, to me, is a crack climb called Slow Dance v10. It starts low in a cave and the path of usable holds follows the only separations wide enough in the crack for a few finger tips to fit in. The guidebook describes this climb as finishing to the left of the crack and dropping off. How lame for such a cool climb? In my opinion the line should be climbed through the crack to the right and finish far right, where the crack in the massive boulder continues. The guidebook labels this particular version Mandance and is given a slightly harder grade of v11. For added excitement and to follow the crack to its completion I took it further right and higher off the ground.

I questioned my ethical purity however, as I ventured rightward out the crack, veering away from the jugs of the normal top out. The pure line and the outstanding movement kept me psyched though. Totally pumped and way off the ground I cruised to the top of the house-sized boulder. As I caught my breath and started the down climb I realized that the pure line was the right line. One of my favorites in Bishop.

Executing the sending beta on Mandance v11

posted by pjv

After one full month of bouldering and with one more month to go, Paul and I decided that now is a good time for a little mid-trip rest. With a rainy forecast in Bishop, cozy snow up in Mammoth Lakes was too hard to pass up for these two desert dwellers. We booked a room at the Swiss Chalet in Mammoth for 4 nights, located the nearest coffee shop, settled in and watched the rain and snow come down. Four blissful days and nights of doing absolutely….n o t h i n g. This is the life.

Snow in the mountains! The view from our motel room

Snow on the Sportsmobile! First time!

Our cozy motel in Mammoth Lakes

posted by arr

It’s been a full month now of Bishop bouldering with long time friends. Beginning today though, Paul and I are back to two. Sadly, yesterday Grit, Manu and Anke said their goodbyes to us and started their long journey back to Germany. To no avail, Paul and I jokingly (or not) tried to get them to change their plane tickets to stay for an additional month with us. Ahhh, but life calls…even with the European “5 weeks minimum” vacation time. Until next time, we like to say. Paul and I have quite a good running track record of linking up on climbing adventures with these guys.

Last weekend we were all treated with a surprise last-minute appearance of THE one and only Court-nizzle from the SLC. The crazy nut drove 950 miles (one way) for a skimpy 26 hours of chill time with the Germans and us. And that’s why we like him. Even just a little hang time with Courtney is waaaay better than no hang time with Courtney. Yeah dude.

Before Courtney’s visit came a week with our long-standing Pittsburgh climbing buds from way back in the day. We hadn’t climbed with Jen and Brian since Paul and I lived in the good ‘ol ‘burgh, five plus years ago before little Seb and Oren. This was truly a special treat for me. Over the last five years Jen and I had been “climbing together” through emails, photos and blogs. Whenever I would send, this is the one gal I had to tell. So getting one week of the real deal, working climbs together, spotting one another, cheering one another on was freakin’ awesome. Two kids and five years later, Jen hasn’t missed a beat with her love and drive for climbing. She’s still crankin’ harder than the boys. Love it!!!

And last but BY FAR from least, the always psyched, always climbing (or at least crankin’ pull-ups on their hangboard when they can’t make the gym), easily-talked-into-a-Hueco-climbing-trip, Jason and Kathy even made the journey from Pittsburgh too for a week. And this time with little one year old McKenna in tow! A one year old on a week-long climbing trip sandwiched between two cross-country first-time plane rides?! Now that’s what I call hardcore. Inspiring.

So here we are now, after all the great sends, great falls, great chillin’, and bummed goodbyes. Paul and I, back to two.

Anke flashing the committing highball The Hunk, v2, cool, calm and collective

Kathy’s send of Carrot Top, v3 at the Happy Boulders

Brian’s beta on Birthday Direct, v3

Jen’s beta

Paul’s beta

Paul ticking what might possibly be one of the best v8’s in the country, the beautiful Checkerboard

Anke cruising the classic Hero Roof, v0

Grit carefully making her way up Heavenly Path, v1

Myself, Paul, Manu and Anke chillin’ at the Buttermilks

Grit lookin’ oh-so-pretty in red on The Sixty Foot Woman Traverse, v2

Courtney’s crushing sequence of Lidija’s Mouth, v3

Manu using the force to onsight the classic Pollen Grains highball, Jedi Mind Tricks, v4

Manu sending the surprisingly burly Not The Clapper, v1

…followed by Grit

…followed by me

Anke working her slab technique on an Unnamed, v1 at the Happy Boulders

Manu looking not pretty nor pink on Pretty in Pink, v2 at the Druid Stones

Paul sticking the surprise hold on Arch Drude, v5 at the Druid Stones

Until next time…Paul, myself, Manu, Grit and Anke

posted by arr