consider the climbing

Just like other body movement practices climbing reveals itself more and more with repitition. Yoga postures and transitions flow in new ways with each session. Playing the guitar becomes an expression of the internal once the muscle movements are well learned.

Right now I am in one of those lucky moods where my climbing is an expression comfort. Finger locks reveal themselves and all at once I'm connected to the rock through my senses and emotions. My feet find the holds. My body adjusts and moves up the wall with just the right amount of effort.

Not that it is easy to move vertically. Difficulties are encountered. Technique meets power and you move upward with your speaking mind momentarily silenced. This is when the best moments of meditation are combined with a physical intensity that becomes graceful rockclimbing.

The real trick is carrying this memory when you no longer have the rock to guide your body and mind.

weekend warrior

When you get weather like this there is only one place to be: the Valley. With perfect temps and two days to climb we returned to Yosemite for another serving of granite rockclimbing.
Approaching the Nose with the intent to climbing to Dolt Tower we ran into two parties. One team of two was about to rig the fixed lines to Mammoth Ledges and the other fellow from Eastern Europe was looking for the start of the Nose so he could rope-solo the route.

On pitch one of the Nose I quickly gave up trying to free the reachy 10d pin scar moves and instead grabbed the fixed gear hanging right in front of my face. What can I say? Old habits die hard. Allen had better luck on second and managed to make it through with some funky knee bars. The rest of the pitches up to Sickle Ledge were sweet and I really enjoyed cleaning the last traverse to the ledge. Grated the hell out of two knuckles just by brushing them against some super sticky piece of granite.

At the ledge we parked our selves at the belay and watched a show unfold before our eyes. The party with a red portaledge we had spotted while approaching had only managed to move their bags two pitches up. Another party of two was in the process of retreating from the top of the seventh pitch.

Upward progress looked grim for us day climbers so we did the four raps to the ground and walked over to the Manure Pile Buttress. I pulled the mantle roof on the last pitch of Nutcracker just as darkness crept in. Despite the seriously wet pitches and the long waits behind two uber slow climbers the climb was classic. I hope to climb it many more times!

Spring Fling

Just got back from the Valley over the weekend. On Saturday we were up on Serenity Crack and Sons of Yesterday. Was the first pitch of Serenity Crack wet? It wasn't wet. It was green and slimy and dripping. Wow. But anyway it went down and the rest of the climb was even better than I remembered. Talk about splitter.

At the top of the climb, sitting 900 feet above the Awahnee, I watched the gray clouds move and swirl around the Cathedral group. Just before twilight the sun split through the clouds and two planes left white trails against a blue window.