Vegas
Let's see here.....we drove from Bishop to LV through Pahrump. We randomly stopped to gape at Mt. Whitney (highest point in the lower 48) and I had to use the bathroom, so I stumbled into a museum that commemorated all of the movies filmed in the area. It was mind blowing. They had a car that had coins all over it w/ guns mounted all over it w/ spurs on the mirrors. Other random stuff.....kind of cool actually. We also pulled over at Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, and it had some amazing land formations (would have passed it if we didn't have to pee!!). We drove in from 160 along Black Velvet Canyon and the front side of the majestic mountain range that is Red Rock Canyon. It is 4-5 IMMENSE mountains w/ a ton of facets and walls on each mountain. We drove the loop rode and climbed at the Magic Bus (classic 5.8) as the sun was dropping. We woke Brian up (at ~9:00 PM) and shot the shit for a while (it was his first day back to work the next day after a month off) before he went back to bed. We also met Sandra, his Chilean GF. She's super nice and looks like a gymnast (small little thing that looks like she could pick you up over her head).
Next day went to the Black Corridor in the second pullout. Warmed up on a 10b w/ a cruxy little boulder problem (two crimps to a toss to a jug), then a couple more 10's on the top wall. Then we climbed a 9 on the lower wall, then I climbed another 10 on lead before finally falling on a top-rope 10b on the steeper side of the canyon. We finished the day back at the Magic Bus for some sunset action.
Tues. May 4th
Went to Bootleg Canyon today. Last time I was there I left at ~9AM for the hospital w/ two gashes around my eye from eating it into a rock. This time I was back on the Iron Horse Sunday. I studied the map and decided I wasn't going to warm-up on Ginger since it was the only triple black diamond rated trail there. Well guess what? I ended up on it. It was STEEP w/ loose rocks ON the rock slabs w/ mandatory corners on loose dust/sand/rock. Oh and there was never a continuous line. There was always something that just didn't seem right about "the line." Maybe something to hook a pedal on, or a gnarly G-out, or it appeared that you would pick up too much speed on a steep section and come into the next section w/ WAY too much speed. I walked more on that trail than probably any other trail I've ridden in the past few years!! I felt like a total GAPER!! Lily and I took turns shuttling each other and she picked off some of the blue squares and single black diamonds (w/ one wreck in a rocky swithback). I checked out Snakeback to Kevorkian (double black- had to dab/walk one or two sections), then checked out but didn't ride the Poop Chute (WAY steep w/ jagged rock and pedal catching zones). The Love Channel was a cool small canyon that you could swoop through, riding up on the walls, w/ one steep move to a hard G-out that I talked myself into riding. I also hit the 30' gap a couple times (w/ a loud creak out of the bike every time). Last lap I rode Armageddon, then only trail I on-sight cleaned. It had some cool moves- a turn w/ a rock steepie immediately, a cool rock garden, and unfortunately some chunder that claimed my first flat on the DH bike since I can remember. At the bottom I stuck the road gap a couple of times for the camera. Besides coming out way down the road from the van a couple of times this place was a fun, but humbling encounter. I'd have to get some more armor and get more aggro before sending it all here!!
Wed. May 5th
Climbed Frogland (5.8- 6 pitches- ~800'). Rallied the Toyota Sienna back on some GNARLY dirt road w/ lots of rocks and some steep ups and downs- a lot gnarlier than I remembered it. Grabbed way too much stuff, and waddled off into the desert. We hiked and stashed the packs after ~25 min. I harnessed up and hiked the steep part up to the base of the climb w/ all the gear clanging around w/ each movement. There was a party on the first pitch and they looked kind of slow. We started up the climb and caught them at the second pitch. I goofed up and stopped at a rappel station where I should have kept climbing another ~50' to another small blocky stance. Lily had a little trouble w/ her huge pack on and some solid climbing on exposed moves, but she worked through it. I ran the next two pitches together and had a little mini-epic trying to finagle gear for a belay (forgot my cordolette). It had a sweet move where you had to chimney through this big boulder chockstone that is wedged up in this slot. You get on top of it and set up another belay (super wild belay stance w/ a CRAZY view of the mountains and Vegas). Lily had her second mini-epic while trying to chimney through w/ the pack on. She got stuck a couple of times and I tried to talk her through it. Finally she just unbuckled the pack, got an arm out and put it in front of her while grunting and squirming her way up the last 10 feet. She threw down the pack in disgust and had a few choice words to say to it (she was fired up!!). She mentioned "surreal" a few times while describing the views and the stance that we were now chilling at. I finished up the last pitch on some RUNOUT slab climbing. I almost went the wrong way a couple times because there were a bunch of ways that you could go. It topped out and I set up a belay near some blocky terrain. She finished out the last pitch and we spent the next ~40 min steeply descending a gully w/ lots of sharp, pointy vegetation. Thankfully we didn't have to hike back to the base for our packs!! We wandered out amongst the yellow, red, blue, white, and purple flowers that turned the harsh environment into an "as far as the eyes could see" blanket of color. We finished off the night w/ some turkey burgers, a cold beer, and THE COUCH!! YEEEEEES!!
Thurs. May 6th
Went climbing at the Black Corridor and Sweet Pain Wall. Stuck a 10a, b, and c on lead, then got goofy on a 5.9+ TR and had to take a fall. Undeterred, I went and led another 5.9 on the lower wall, before heading over to Sweet Pain. There was the Nova Scotia group (Sam, and Jeff from Vancouver) working on Sweet Pain. I got geared up and BARELY made it up Glitter Gulch (11a). First good pump of the trip!! There was a horn at the lip of the last bulge that I wrapped my whole hand around (thankfully because I couldn't hold onto anything other than a horn!!). Lily got to the first bolt but didn't get the love from the steeps. Next I went next door and TR'd an 11b that a girl had just lead w/ one hang. I made it but had to utilize the "saddle up" rest where you literally straddle a large feature. It was desperate and there was no way that I could have led it!! We bailed and got Brian off the couch for an evening lap on the Cottonwood Trails (rode from Black Velvet across the street, then DH back to the parking lot, then Little Viagra across the street- a never ending ribbon of flowy trail at the base of the Red Rocks Range. A short climb led us back to the car. What a great day!!!
Fri- May 7th- rest day in preparation for Epinephrine!!
Sat. May 8th
Woke up at 5:15 to get breakfast going. Today was going to be a BIG day.......finishing some business left over from 1997 when Rondo, Bowman, and I tried Epinephrine. We were in Bowman's 4-runner at 6AM and bouncing down Black Velvet's approach road before we knew it. The hike in was fast (trying to keep up w/ Brian). When we got to the base we were dismayed to find a guide and client in front of us (still on the first pitch) and then a very amped group behind us. The group behind us ended up passing us (the leader passed us while Brian was on lead)- they linked a few pitches together that we didn't. The guide group hung us up for a little while and Brian comically climbed RIGHT behind the second, occasionally offering up advice of where to go, or which direction to point. After the second pitch we started hauling the two mini haulbags that we were toting. Brian would lead w/ two ropes, then once at the belay he would have me clip the haulbags on a butterfly knot. When that rope came taught to me I would start climbing (as would Lily). It worked well, and we were in the chimneys before I knew it. The 3 chimney pitches were a mix of funky, strenuous, and tricky. I had to employ chicken-wings, fist jams, foot jams, and lots of "shimmying." Both feet on one wall; one foot on each- lots of weird body positions. Then we were on top of the Black Tower. From there 6 pitches of beautiful climbing led to the top of Black Velvet Canyon Buttress. We started climbing w/ the packs again. At the "top" there was still a 10 minute hike up to the true summit, where we filled out the summit log and reflected on the magical day that had just unfolded. From there, we could look DOWN on the Frogland summit (a good 1000' below). There was one sketchy spot of scrambling that Brain roped us up for. It was a "sidewalk" that was ~1' wide and had over 1500' of exposure. You had to make a few high step moves on less that perfect feet and although Brian only put in one cam, it made or a "piece of mind." We both moved through it w/o any problems- just between our ears!! We hiked along the ride for a while, seemingly on 3 separated summits. Then it got turned downward and we steeply scrambled for a good 90 minutes straight. After ~1 hr we were at the descent for Frogland. By then we were in cruise control and went through the motions of down climbing and scrambling, the ground slowly getting closer. The cars still looked a LONG ways away!! Eventually we found ourselves back at the car and giving out some serious high fives!! We made some pesto pasta, asparagus, corn on the cob, and garlic bread for a worthy feast!! What a day!!!!
Sunday, May 9th.
Official rest day after the full body soreness from Epinephrine. We hung around, made a phat breakfast, and watched the Cavs get dismantled by the Celtics to even their series at 2 apiece. We went to a camera shop in town and I scored a Tamron 18-200mm lens, so that my zoom is much more substantiated!! We went back to the house and caught Brian coming back from the "secret 13's" crag where he got 2 5.13 climbs w/ one hang each. We mowed down some left-over turkey burgers and collapse BACK into the couch!! Rest days rule!!
Monday, May 10th
Rallied out to Pine Creek around 12:30 for a early afternoon ascent of Olive Oil (700' 5.7). The hike took a little longer than I remembered and was very close to the surreal Crimson Crysalis which I had done previously w/ Bowman and Andy (party of 3 epic story for another time). The first pitch (a slabby "rib") was a bit runout, then a quick crux over a bulge and onto the "sandy alcove" where I skipped the first belay point in order to make it to the semi-hanging belay of pitch 2. The second pitch ran up a corner for a while then to a perch off to the R where we could stretch out a little more. Pitch 3 traversed up and R before terminating at the base of the 190' varnished black corner that summits the Rose Tower. I ran the rope out and set up a belay just below the finishing ledge. Lily brought up the last of the gear, I belayed her to the last ledge, then we both untied and scrambled another few hundred feet to the top. There weren't any cairns so we loped along the ridge for a second before plunging ourselves down yet another STEEP hike off. It only took ~30 min to get off a 700' climb!! Before I knew it we were back at the base, retrieving my pack from under a big boulder. The wind picked up pretty good and some gnarly black clouds rolled over the Red Rocks Range as we finished out the hike in near darkness. Back to the car at ~8:15. We stopped by the grocery and made some chicken burritos and corn on the cob before settling into the couch for the end of Silence of the Lambs.
