Monday, January 18, 2010

before the storm...




The rain has arrived and shows no signs of letting up. There should be some serious snow accumulation by the end of the week, up to 10 feet. Luckily, the weather was fine and clear on Saturday and most of Sunday. I snapped the above picture late in the afternoon just as the rain moved into the Valley.

After a quick chat at the Church Bowl lot we decided the day was ripe for Royal Arches. The first time I did this route I went up the chimney pitch to start, but Saturday we went for the crack start to the right. Good choice. That first pitch is fun. After that, the climb started to blend into a mix of hand jams, perfect granite, and occasional smears to avoid water streaks. Some of the face moves to avoid wet sections were more then I would have normally take on, but I had a good spotter. The traversing pitch after the pendulum was wet but not really an issue. After a dozen or so palm and sole smears across the final traverse the climbing had ended, but the descent had just begun! (no camera on this climb, photos are from Sunday's hike up Indian Canyon)

The views were great. We stopped to rest along the way. We soaked it up as much as possible knowing the storm was on track for a week long stay. At the bottom we checked out the start of Astroman. Not ever having been to the start before, I was surprised by how much the Harding Slot stands out. That thing looms. Word on the street is to lay it back until until your shoulders wedge. Then wiggle. And wiggle, until you cut your feet and make one desperate move to get them up into the chimney.

We did most of the descent in bare feet and happily strolled back to the Awahnee lot by 3. Deli. Sandwich. Beer...

Found a seat by the fire in the corner and brought out the Ukulele. No one seemed to mind my strumming, so we chilled for a bit until motivation returned. I would have gone farther into that six pack of green label but my partner was keen.

We finished off the day with After Six just in time to watch the sunset. Lovely red clouds as the sun sunk below the hills. Thankful for another day in the Valley.

Sunday, January 10, 2010

yosemite update



over the river...


through the woods...



to some strange place we go....



Is it Bowser's Castle?

or something else...



location: lower tenaya canyon CA - USA

temp: ~50 degrees F

snow line at base of Mt. Watkins



Spotted new rock fall debris at base of 5.8 ow on approach to the South Face of Mt. Watkins.





Monday, January 4, 2010

Indian Creek Total F-Down 2009



location:

indian creek, UT

date: dec 4 - dec 12, 2009

details:

19 pitches in 40 degree weather
7 inches of snow
1 cave bivy
9 nights at O degrees

Bobby-Joe and Woodsie are recently returned from another winter round in t
he Creek.  For the first four days of climbing the sun was out and we shared the Beef Basin campground with a few other folks.  When the storm rolled in on day 5, while everyone else packed their bags and headed for Moab, the two of us went bush.  

We spent a mystic night under a sand stone over-hang playing songs on the ukulele and watching the snow flakes fall on the red rock.  

The climbing days after the storm saw less sun, but we kept after it, and managed to meet or exceed our "Two Pitch a Day" quota!


team penguin 



scarface!