Busy Season

I am sorry that it has taken me so long to update my blog, but it has been quite hectic for the last few weeks. I have been working nonstop for around 17 days straight now, I am not exactly sure because it seems as though they are all running together now. I never know what day it is anymore, but it does not really matter when you are climbing everyday anyways. I have been having a great time and all of the climbs have been going really well. The only real thing to report is that I was able to help out a climb that was stuck on the summit in some pretty bad weather. I was leading a climb that ending up turning around at 12,800 feet but I kept on going to the summit to help out a team that was stuck in a really bad storm and was able to lead them down to relative safety. It was a great experience and the other guides and clients were extremely grateful for the help. They even took me out to dinner to say thank you, which is nice because a good meal is hard to come by in the mountains. So far I have summitted 7 of the 9 times I have been up which is a great success rate for this time of year. Last June the weather was miserable all month and nobody was summitting. So there is really not much news to report here other than that I am really busy. Right now I am sitting in the Alpine Inn which is where we base out of for the Emmons climb (which is a route up Rainier) and they have wireless internet so I am able to get some work done on the computer before I head up the mountain again tomorrow. I work a 6 day climb then I actually have 2 days off which I am planning on going to climb Forbidden Peak in the North Cascades and I am really excited about that. I am training for some guiding courses that I am taking in the fall so whenever I have days off I will probably be climbing. It sounds a little crazy, but I love it!

Liberty Ridge

I just got back from climbing Liberty Ridge. Liberty is one of the 50 classic climbs in North America and definitely deserves its fame. It is typically done in 3 or 4 days, but Austin and I did it in 2 long days. We got back late last night and I was completely exhausted. It took everything I had to just pick my feet up and keep walking. Overall the climb took us 38.5 hours which I was really pleased with. The entire route was challenging and very exposed. You had to be on your game the entire way because one slip would basically mean death, and since it was so steep and exposed no rope was required for most of the way. At the top of the climb is a few nice ice pitches, these were the crux, or hardest part, of the route. I really enjoyed leading the pitches. This was Austin's first time ice climbing and I think he enjoyed it as well. Then to top things off, the whole mountain was covered in clouds when we topped out, so we got to enjoy some brutal weather and complete white out navigation on the way down. But it was a great climb and I am so excited that everything went well and we got down safely. Right now I am relaxing at the office trying to recover because I leave for a guided trip up Mt. Rainier tomorrow. Life sure is busy this time of year, but it is so fun and I love every minute of it, well maybe I did not love getting pummeled by the wind and snow yesterday evening, but it is all okay now.

Back in Washington

I have been working this week at the IMG Headquarters in Ashford, WA. So far it has rained every day since I have been back. At work on Monday while I was hammering nails I started to ask myself, "Why did you leave the desert for this?" I remembered soon after that I was getting paid which makes it all worthwhile, but I still wish that I was climbing in the warm, dry desert. But alas, I will be in the bad weather from now until late September. It is good to be back in Ashford though, I really do enjoy it here. It is nice to see friends and co-workers again, and to get some actual work done. And I have accumulated more work since I have been back than I originally expected. On Sunday I will be heading out for a 6 day Denali training seminar. This is the same type of seminar that I was on back in March. So I will be hoping for better weather this time around, and maybe we will actually get to do some real climbing. But the weather does not look too promising right now, so I am preparing myself for the worst, which I am sure will not be any worse than the last trip. And after that we are in full swing for the Rainier season, which means I will be working pretty much non-stop until the end of September.

Sending In Joshua Tree

For the last 2 days Austin and I have been climbing in Joshua Tree. The climbing here is unlike anything I have ever been on before. The rock is solid, but it chews up any skin that touches it. It sorts of feels like running your hand up and down on a cheese grater, if that helps to give you a visual of what I am talking about. The grades are also really hard here. For example, the day we left Red Rocks I sent a 5.10a, but today I was destroyed on a 5.9 route, and yesterday I was definitely nervous on a couple of different 5.8 climbs. But it is all really enjoyable, and so far I have a great time in Joshua Tree. And there is so much climbing to be had here as well. We have spent 2 entire days climbing and we have not had to walk further than 4 minutes from our campsite. I could definitely spend a lot of time here. Unfortunately, we plan on leaving on Wednesday morning for San Diego to visit Austin's Aunt and Uncle, and to go to the beach and hopefully go surfing. But who knows, if the next 2 days go well we may just end up deciding to stay here and keep climbing for a couple more months. I would be perfectly okay with that scenario as long as someone is willing to fund my life for the next few months. Do I have any takers? If not, the plan is to start work back in Ashford on the 4th of May, which I am really excited about. It will be nice to start earning a paycheck again. I guess that is all for now because I need to head off to bed so I can get sleep for a long day of climbing tomorrow.

The Black Orpheus

Austin and I capped off our 2 week stay in Red Rocks with a route that I have been wanting to climb for a long time now. It is called the Black Orpheus. The route is a solid 5.10a, which is harder than anything that I have lead before. It is over 1300 feet long so needless to say, it was a major undertaking. I was a little worried about time because it is a really long approach hike, and an even longer walk off, so I made Austin get up early so we could get a head start on the day. I do not think he was excited to wake up at 5:45, but I thought it was a good idea since neither of us have ever climbed something that hard and long. But the day went off without a hitch. We sent the entire route and made it back to the car in 10.5 hours which is really fast! The climbing was unbelievable, definitely a great way to end our Red Rocks stay. I also had the luck of leading the 5.10a pitch, and I really enjoyed it. When we got to the top both of us were excited, but we both knew that we need to keep on upping the ante.

Now, we are showered up and ready to head for Joshua Tree. I am sad to be leaving Red Rocks, but also really excited to head to a new place. Joshua Tree has such a rich climbing history, and many world class climbers call it their home. I also hear the climbing there is steep and hard, so it should be a good place to grind my teeth on some harder routes.

I am still working on publishing all my pictures from the trip so they can be viewed as a slideshow, so keep on looking for those in the near future.

Last night I dropped off Lauren at the airport, and today Ryan and Courtney headed back to their home in Wichita. We had a great visit, and I think everyone really enjoyed their vacation in Vegas. We did some great climbing, had some fun on the strip, and soaked up some rays. It was Ryan and Lauren's first time climbing and they did great, and I think they might both be hooked. By the end of the trip, Courtney was itching for some harder climbing and was ready to get after it for sure. We stepped up the climbing everyday and finished the trip with a great 530 ft., 4 pitch route that we all enjoyed. Austin and I got some good practice guiding, and I think our visitors enjoyed it all, except for the small amount of short roping that we made them endure. But it was great practice, especially since we are both planning on taking the Rock Instructor Course with the AMGA this fall. But right now, we are both ready to get back to some personal climbing. We have our eyes on a couple of routes that we want to grind our teeth on. Austin and I can tell we are getting stronger and are ready for some harder, more challenging routes. It is really exciting to see our progress and to feel like we are accomplishing what we set out to do on our trip.

The weather has been gorgeous, but it is getting hotter and hotter. Today topped out at 96 degrees, and to a couple of mountain bums used to the cold and snow, that is really hot! But I do think that with some time I could really get used to weather like this. The next couple of days will be in the mid 90's and then it should cool off again to around 85. We are planning on staying in Vegas until Friday, then heading out to Joshua Tree, California. We would like to climb for a week or so there, then head up the coast back to the Washington area. The plan is to go surfing while in Cali, which should be fun since I have never been. Then spend some time on the beach working on our tans before we put on the puffy coat and pants for the Rainier season.

Bad Weather

I did not realize that the desert could actually have bad weather. Probably because I have been so fortunate whenever I have been in Red Rocks. But the last 2 days here have brought on some pretty severe weather. Yesterday the wind speeds topped out at about 50 mph, which was enough to blow down Austin's tent, and send quite a few other items flying around the camping area. The wind made it quite hard to sleep so I spent most of the night staring up at the ceiling of the tent. This morning I woke up to a completely strange sight in the desert, it was snowing. For a second, I actually thought that I was dreaming, then I stuck my hand out the tent and I realized that I was not dreaming and it actually was snowing. It was quite a cold and windy day, so Austin and I decided to just go sport climbing. The climbing went quite well, except for the ground fall that I took while leading an easy 5.9. But that kind of thing happens when you climb enough, and I am none the worse for wear, so it all worked out okay.

Lauren comes in to visit tomorrow, and Ryan and CJ the next day. They are all staying for the weekend and I am really excited to have them out to visit. It is kind of strange to have friends and family come to visit while I am on vacation, but I guess that is the way it goes when you are traveling all the time. I think they are all really excited, and the weather looks to be improving so I hope they have a great time.