About rockmaven56

I Love to climb! I started climbing at age 50 & have been making up for lost time. I'm realizing I may have a unique perspective having started climbing so late in life. I also love snowboarding, sculling, running, backpacking and follow closely the crazy politics of California.

Lassen National Park in Winter – My Return to Winter Camping

Posted on January 16, 2017 by rockmaven56

Lassen National Park has been part of my family’s life since the early 1990’s. We starting taking our daughters camping there when they were young and now our grandson. Everyone in the family has climbed Lassen Peak multiple times. We just keep going back because it is such a beautiful place and offered more opportunities for solitude than some of the other national parks near our home. We have been all over the park, hiking on many of the trails – but only during the regular season. I had always wanted to snowshoe and camp in Lassen during the winter. Finally, last year, at the age of 59 I got my chance.

Lassen Peak hike. Mid-1990’s.

I should acknowledge at the outset that winter is my favorite season. Growing up in Chicago I always looked forward to snowstorms and ice-skating. I had done some winter camping when I was in college and had done quite a bit of cross-country skiing. In addition, I am an Ice Climber and Snowboarder. So, the winter clothing routine was something I am familiar with – how to stay warm without getting too wet from sweating. I was rusty on the winter camping routine but I was heading out with a more recently experienced friend. To say I was excited is an understatement!

Snowing on the way in to Lassen National Park. February 2016.

The timeline of the trip was delayed a day due to a snowstorm that rolled in the Friday we planned to start our trip. It was snowing hard when we arrived at the visitor center. We elected to camp at the visitor center instead, and leave Saturday morning so we wouldn’t start out the trip soaking wet from the falling snow. We spent a nice day hanging out with the rangers and visiting the displays in the visitor center. We camped in the area near the visitor center that night. There is a small fee to camp near the parking lot. The vestibule of the visitor center is open 24 hrs, providing running water and bathrooms. Quite the amenities!

Lassen National Park. Looking out the window of the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. February 2016.

Saturday morning dawned clear and cold to Lassen Park covered with the cleanest, most beautiful snow imaginable. After a nice cup of coffee and warm breakfast we filled out the wilderness permit and snowshoed away from the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center.

My home away from home. Christmas present from my husband. Sunrise at the Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center. Lassen National Park. February 2016.

Kohm Yah-mah-nee Visitor Center in Lassen National Park. February 2016. Just a little bit of snow!

Our destination to camp was the Bumpass Hell Parking Lot area because it’s a nice flat area with a great view. The hike is about 5 to 6 miles one-way with approximately 2000 ft of elevation gain, depending on the route chosen. Travel during the winter into the backcountry anywhere requires avalanche hazard awareness. Lassen National Park in no exception.We all had avalanche safety gear, including beacons, shovels, and probes. I also had my InReach Explorer that tracks travel that can be followed via the internet and also allows two-way communication without cell service.

In addition to the usual winter safety awareness, Lassen is a geothermal area. When traveling in the Lassen backcountry, especially in winter when snow can cover geothermal areas, it is necessary to be aware of the location of those geothermal areas. The Lassen National Park website has a map of the avalanche and geothermal hazards in the southwest section of the park. Anyone venturing into the backcountry in winter should be well aquatinted with the information on that map. The visitor center sells laminated copies that are waterproof. We had several copies with us.

When snow is deep in Lassen travel to the Bumpass Hell area is via the Ranger Cutoff to avoid avalanche danger near Diamond Peak. The Ranger Cutoff shortens the hike in miles but it is more difficult than taking the road due to the steep elevation gain around the back side of Diamond Peak.

Snowshoeing along SR89 Lassen National Park. Steam from the Sulfur Works is visible dead center of this photo. February 2016.

The day was absolutely gorgeous. The Sulfur Works area was in full steamy and bubbly swing as we headed up the first significant elevation gain approaching the Ranger Cutoff. This part of the hike follows SR89 until it rounds the corner at Windy Point. Then the route heads up the shoulder of Diamond Peak. I don’t have any photos of the actual Ranger’s Cutoff because I was too busy working my butt off in the soft, knee-deep powder to get to the ridge top! The slope of the climb on the Ranger Cutoff varies between 15% – 30%, at times we were literally using steps in the snow. It was very hard work. However, the view as we passed the backside of Diamond Peak was absolutely amazing.

Lassen Peak visible from the backside of Diamond Peak. February 2016.

We descended the Practice Hill area where we met some backcountry skiers. We saw a lot of skiers and several snowshoers during the day. The backcountry of Lassen is a popular destination. We continued to slog through the knee-deep powder in a winter wonderland. As we descended the backside of Diamond Peak we found SR 89 again and followed until the switchbacks in the road heading up to the Emerald Sidehill area. We took a shortcut evident in the snow left by skiers that skipped some of the road and ended up at the entrance to the Emerald Sidehill area. I am familiar with this area of Lassen and wondered what it would look like covered in snow. It was impressive. The road was not visible at all anymore, being covered by deep snow. The slope of the snow over the road in this area is steep. We sized up the snow condition and the track left by skiers earlier in the day. We then spread out, crossing one at a time, staying away from the edge as we traveled across the area. I was a little nervous but the snow was stable and we all got across without incident.

Snowshoeing across the Emerald Sidehill area of SR89. Lassen National Park. February 2016.

The rest of the hike was easy. Relatively flat and open. We quickly located the Bumpass Hell parking lot and found the flattest area for our tents. Next it was time to dig the tent platform and entry step. Then the tents were all set up. Ready for dinner! But first, the ever-present necessity of melting snow. I brought my Sumo Jetboil pot so the snow melting went pretty quickly and we had enough water for both drinking and to make dinner. I also made a hot water bottle in an extra wool sock for my sleeping bag, something I learned from my climbing buddy when climbing Mt Whitney.

The sunset was amazing. Then, of course, the temperature dropped and we got into sleeping bags since the number one mission during winter camping seems to be staying warm. The temperature overnight dropped into the upper teens. However, I was surprisingly cozy even with my 15 deg sleeping bag but I did use a silk liner. And I had an inflatable pillow – a must for winter camping!

Sunset at Bumpass Hell parking lot. Looking southwest. Lassen National Park. February 2016.

Lassen Peak bathed in golden sunset light. February 2016.

Amazing lighting looking towards Bumpass Hell. Lassen National Park. February 2016.

Sunday morning was glorious. The view of Lassen Peak from the Bumpass Hell parking lot area is amazing. We had hoped to summit Lassen Peak but losing Friday to the storm meant that we needed to pack up and head back to the visitor center. We lounged around the area for the morning – in our shirtsleeves by noon. Then we packed up camp and headed back.

Campsite with a view of Lassen Peak. Bumpass Hell parking lot. Lassen National Park. February 2016

Lassen National Park. Emerald Sidehill on SR89, looking back east on our way back. Such a lovey day! February 2016.

The hike back felt leisurely since it was mostly downhill and the weather was so pleasant. We arrived back at the cars late in the afternoon and headed home. My first winter backcounty camping trip since college as a success!

We repeated the trip one more time in May 2016 hoping to summit Lassen Peak. Unfortunately, we were hit with an unseasonable snowstorm. We were able to follow the road in May making the hike quick and navigation not really necessary. However, to say the weather was inclement is an under statement. Once again I was denied a summit of Lassen Peak in the snow. The photos below show that on the return trip we got our practice dealing with winter storm conditions! I am looking forward to returning to Lassen this winter fo more winter camping adventures and maybe a winter summit of Lassen Peak.

Bumpass Hell parking lot. Not such great weather conditions! May 2016.

The Benson Lake/Matterhorn Canyon Loop Backpacking Trip

Posted on November 21, 2014 by rockmaven56

It started with a somewhat random text from my daughter, Ashley. She wanted to know if she could take my dog, Sport, on a solo backpacking trip. After a little back and forth texting, I invited myself instead. Playing the part of Sport is Terri. After a little bit more discussion about destinations, I suggested we do the 54 mile Benson Lake/Matterhorn Canyon Loop. I have wanted to do this trip for at least 15 years. And, I have wanted to return to Matterhorn Canyon ever since an amazing backpacking trip I took from Tuolumne Meadows to Twin Lakes in 1975. I was excited to share the canyon with Ashley. I did warn her that it would be strenuous. We are both marathon runners but backpacking has been an only an occasional thing for both of us. However, she was definitely game. Especially because this route had the varied scenery she wanted during the trip. It passes through thick forest, travels along beautiful alpine lakes, traverses the wide and long Kerrick Meadow, crosses over several high elevation passes and threads up two rocky canyons, Matterhorn Canyon and Slide Canyon, before descending into thick forest again.

Me in Matterhorn Canyon in the summer of 1975. Photo Credit: Ivan Lee

Among family and friends, I am known as the trip planner. All it takes is a vague suggestion for a trip and in 10 minutes flat I’ve got the itinerary, lodging, and menu planned. This trip was no different with the exception of the menu, which I will get to in detail a little later. Ashley and I settled on a 5 day trip over the Labor Day weekend. We would camp near Twin Lakes Wednesday, enter Hoover Wilderness from Twin Lakes on Thursday, and exit on Monday. We decided to do the loop counterclockwise because I wanted to walk up Matterhorn Canyon from the south. The camp spots were chosen with each day’s mileage charted out.

With only 5 days we would need to stick to the schedule (or better) or we would not make it out by Monday! I typically have a pretty relaxed approach to backpacking planning. I don’t mind carrying a heavy-ish pack for the kind of trips I usually take. But this time the goal was much bigger. In fact, I had not done a trip this big since 1975! So, I did a lot of research on hiking speed, calories burned, and meal planning. We needed to keep things light since we needed to average 11 miles per day. I found the website https://caseyfiedler.wordpress.com by an ultra-light hiker that covers everything you need to know about the calorie to weight ratio approach. I used that approach to plan our meals and snacks. We are not ultra-light hikers, neither of us have the latest and lightest equipment. But the food information was excellent. I developed an EXCEL spreadsheet to calculate the weight of the food and the calories for each day. It totally changed which freeze dried meals and what kind of snacks I chose for the trip. I will never look at backpacking food the same again! By the time I was finished we each had 3000 calories per day with an average calorie density of 150 calories per ounce and our total food weight was 5 lbs apiece. We were never hungry. We ate all the food except for a couple of snack bars and some of the gorp.I also estimated the time each day’s hike would take (It turned out we tended to be faster uphill than estimated but we were a little slower downhill). At the start of the trip our packs each weighed under 30 lbs without water. I added 4 lbs of photography equipment because that was important to me.

Entering Hoover Wilderness

Our first night was at Peeler Lake. This was the shortest day at 8 miles. We found a beautiful campsite on the southwest side of the lake. We had gotten a later start than we wanted so we arrived late. We were setting up camp and getting water in near darkness. Ashley did remark that night that everything about backpacking was harder than she remembered. But she is a tough cookie and took it all in stride.

Peeler Lake at sunset

Once we were finished with dinner and the sun had set, I prepared to take my first Milky Way photos ever. I set up the tripod and camera and realized right away that I had not played with my new manual lens enough at home. I couldn’t get the remote to interact with the camera (that turned out to be operator error!) so I had to use the delayed shutter instead. Oh, well, I still got some shots I really like. In between one of the shots we saw a meteor so big it actually lit up the sky like firework. I wish I would have been lucky enough to get it in one of my photos. But just seeing it was amazing.

My first serious Milky Way photo!

The next day, Friday, we headed to Benson Lake. This is an alpine lake with a huge sand beach. The hike to Benson Lake was lovely. The route travels through Kerrick Meadows and over Seavey Pass. I will say this day was tougher than either of us expected. The elevation gain on the route was not huge and it was net downhill. But once we were over Seavey Pass it seemed like it took forever to reach the lake, even though it was only 3 miles.

Ashley enjoying the hike through Kerrick Meadow.

When we finally arrived we were surprised and happy to find that we had the lake completely to ourselves. Ashley wanted to camp on the beach, which we did. It was nice and soft but I worried about getting sand in everything. But, we managed and it was a really nice view from our spot. Unfortunately, it was too late and chilly for the swim we had hoped to take. We also found we had to stand in the lake to collect water. Oh, well. More information for next time!

Camping on the beach at Benson Lake.

Saturday’s hike was from Benson Lake to the south end of Matterhorn Canyon. This was a big day with 11 miles that included 2500 elevation gain and 1600 ft of elevation loss. And I was not entirely clear where we would camp in Matterhorn Canyon. But the weather was beautiful and we were excited to head to Matterhorn Canyon. Our first climb of the day was from Benson Lake (7581 ft) up to Smedburg Lake (9213 ft). We arrive at Smedburg Lake around 2 pm. Smedburg Lake is one of the most remote lakes in Yosemite National Park. It is beautiful, huge, and 25 miles from anywhere. I wish we had an extra day to spend there. However, the wind had picked up. It was very windy, the white caps on the lake were impressive.

Just the southwest corner of Smedburg Lake. This lake is huge and 25 miles from anywhere.

We had lunch at Smedburg Lake and then headed out to cross Benson Pass. We thought we had crossed the pass several times but each time we were deceived! Once we reached the pass it was unmistakable. The view was amazing. We spend just a little time there because we still had 5 miles to go and it was 4:00 pm. Onward!

Benson Pass, facing east.
Matterhorn Canyon is to the left.

We reached the Matterhorn Canyon trail junction at 6:00 pm. I had thought we would camp close to that junction but there was no convenient water and it was not a great camping location. So, we continued up the canyon. We ended up hiking 2 more miles, the last of it in the dark, to arrive where the trail crossed Matterhorn Creek. That made for easy water collection. Finding a relatively flat spot to set the tent was challenging since the canyon gets more narrow and steep-sided the higher up you travel. And we were in thick forest. We made do with a slightly sloping spot positioning our heads up hill. Dinner made in the dark with the stars above was still better than any day back in civilization!

We hiked a total of 13 miles that day. We were now a little ahead of schedule. That night we discussed the last two days of hiking. The itinerary as planned for Sunday was to have a shorter hiking day and to camp in Slide Canyon. Then Monday we would hike 13.5 miles out over Mule Pass on Monday. We decided, instead, to hike over both Burro Pass and Mule Pass on Sunday, camping just below Mule Pass. After all, Saturday was a huge day, with more elevation gain, and we handled that fine. How hard could it be? This would make Monday a shorter day.

Our first view of the head of Matterhorn Canyon

Our first view of upper Matterhorn Canyon

Re-enactment of 1975.
Photo credit: Ashley Barry

Sunday morning we set out to cross our two passes, Burro Pass and Mule Pass. After a short time Matterhorn Peak came into view. It was just a beautiful as I remembered. Our pace was leisurely to enjoy the canyon but we were mindful of the time. We were at the top of Burro Pass at 1:00 pm. We took our lunch break there. The view in both directions were breathtaking. I had scrambled up Matterhorn Peak in 1975 but there was no time for that this trip. I looked across to Mule Pass and thought it didn’t look too bad…

Approaching Burro Pass.

Our one and only selfie attempt. Sawtooh Ridge behind us.

Slide Canyon and Mule Pass directly across from us on the right.

After lunch we quickly descended into Slide Canyon. This is such a beautiful area that I plan to return next season directly from Twin Lakes. The hike directly from Twin Lakes into Slide Canyon in the clockwise direction is about 14 miles. Ashley loved the Sawtooth Ridge, that’s my daughter! I love the Sawtooth Ridge too. In retrospect, we probably hiked through Slide Canyon at a little too leisurely a pace but we planned to camp just over Mule Pass so it didn’t seem that far. As we hiked along I started to think about the pass name. Burro Pass versus Mule Pass. Hmmm, mules are more cantankerous than burros. I hope that isn’t why the names were assigned that way. Well, Mule Pass kicked our butts. It was long and hard even though the elevation gain was only 1000 ft. That was a big surprise, nothing we hiked the entire trip felt that hard. It could have been because we were tired from the day before or the trip as a whole. But Ashley reminded me that people we talked to way back on the first day said that hikers had to be “dumb as a mule to go up Mule Pass.” The counter-clockwise loop (our direction of travel) takes hikers up Mule Pass. When we reached the top, which is the border between Yosemite Park and Hoover Wilderness, Ashley remarked that Yosemite had just chewed us up and spit us out.

The next surprise was that a party with pack lamas was camped in the only dry spot in the area below Mule Pass we had planned to stop. So we had to continue hiking. I wasn’t sure exactly where the next opportunity to camp would be but I knew it was at least a mile. We were hungry, tired, and almost out of water. I was not happy. Luckily, Ashley became the cheerleader. Then in a talus field along the trail we saw our first, and only, Pika. It was so cute and it really interacted with us. We both enjoyed the Pika visit. We also took that opportunity to also have a snack and a little water. We also put on some warmer clothes since it had gotten quite chilly. Refueled, we headed further down in elevation. We ended up finding a perfect camping spot, flat and nearby water. There was even still a little daylight as we set up camp. That night we had hot chocolate after dinner for the first time during the trip. To make things even better, even tho it was a full moon but I managed to take a few more Milky Way photos. It was perfect!

Ashley relaxing in our tent while I’m taking Milky Way photos. It was chilly!

The next morning we woke early, packed quickly, and decided to aim for lunch at the Cafe at Mono Village. We had 9 downhill miles to cover. Off we went. We passed Crown Lake on the way. It was a beautiful little lake but there were not many campsites and people were camped in all of them so we were glad we stopped where we did the previous night.

Crown Lake. The colors were gorgeous.

We quickly reached the trail junction heading back to Twin Lakes. We had 6.7 miles left that we had also covered on the way in. Ashley experienced firsthand why backpackers heading out on a route that they covered going in have that “look” in their eye and determination in their step! We covered 9 miles in a little over 4 hours, including breaks. We had a great lunch and then left for home. Since it was Labor Day, and Tahoe traffic can be expected to be heavy, we decided to go home over Sonora Pass. It was a nice drive and a nice end to a wonderful, but tough, mother/daughter backpacking trip.

My full set of photo can be found on Flickr in the Benson Lake/Matterhorn Canyon Loop – Backpacking Album.

Ouray! Ice Climbing!

Posted on March 23, 2014 by rockmaven56

Me and my climbing bud, Karen on the bridge above the Ouray Ice Park.
Photo credit: Terri Barry

Every since I took my ice climbing class in January 2011 I have wanted to go to the Ouray Ice Park. On January 2, 2014 I shared to my Facebook page an article about ice climbing at the Ouray Ice Park on a blog I follow. My comment on the post was “Must. Go. To. Ouray.” Early the morning of January 3 my friend Karen responded with “Let’s Go!” And my twitter/fb friend Diane responded “Come on down! We live just 45 minutes away, and it’ll be an opportunity to finally meet in person.” Karen suggested we drive. That removed my final reservation about airfare and rental car costs. By January 6 the trip was a go. We would to be in Ouray February 12-17. Wow, I didn’t see that coming at the New Year!

Karen had been to Ouray several years ago when she took a Chicks with Picks ice climbing class. Base on her familiarity we made a list of what equipment we would need. We planned to top rope, neither of us lead on ice. This would be a bit of a landmark trip for both of us. Karen was excited to return to Ouray on her own. I was the more experienced outdoor and ice climber of the two of us and would be the “lead” in terms of setting up anchors. In the past I had always been one of several experienced climbers, this time it was just me! We also had decided to hire a guide for one day. We agreed that Saturday would be perfect, giving us two days on our own beforehand. Also, the guide would be handy on Saturday since it was the holiday weekend. A guide could help us climb in areas that were logistically more difficult. Karen booked a guide through San Juan Mountain Guides.

Our milage total in 14 hours – Truckee, CA to Ouray, CO. Didn’t even seem to take that long!
Photo credit – Terri Barry

Downtown Ouray. Pretty scenic!
Photo credit: Terri Barry

We left from Truckee, California at 5 am on Wednesday morning. We only stopped for gas so we were in Ouray 14 hours later. Not bad! That night we organized our gear and set the alarm for 6 am. We stayed at the Comfort Inn, which was a great choice. The owners and staff are so friendly, it’s very affordable, and the breakfast is awesome. On Thursday morning we discovered a selection of waffles, eggs, sausage, yogurt, biscuits and gravy, fruit, cereal, oatmeal, coffee, milk, and juice. I listed everything because it was such an impressive spread! We were very well fed and ready for our first day of ice climbing.

Karen at the entrance to the Ouray Ice Park.
Photo Credit – Terri Barry

Day 1- We started out the day walking to the ice park. Karen suggested we walk and I’m really glad she did. As we walked we consulted the guidebook to get the lay of the park. We donned our harnesses, crampons, and helmets at the gate of the park (that’s the rule!). We decide that “Schoolroom” would be the best place to start. The anchors are all located along a catwalk above the climbing area. The anchors are numbered and bolted and there are several WI2 and WI3 climbs to warm up on. We chose our bolts – #10 – and set to constructing our anchor. The anchors at Schoolroom need to be extended, so long static line, cordelette, or webbing is required. I had brought along a 30’ static line. I used several figure-8’s on bights to set up a redundant anchor with two opposite and opposed lockers on the master point. Karen examined the anchor and confirmed for herself that it was redundant. Turns out we work very well together. And, yeah, she was ready to set up her own anchor!

Now, it was time to walk down to the base of the climb. We encountered an icy and steep trail down to the bottom of the canyon. There is a rope hand line to use but with a heavy pack it was a little unnerving. With caution we made it. At the bottom of the canyon I would find my potential waterloo – a ladder bridge over the creek. I’m not known for my log crossing ability so seeing the ladder bridge definitely gave me a pause. I held my breath and took short, careful steps. I managed to not fall in! Small victories.

The ladder bridge… I did not like it!
Photo credit – Terri Barry

The climb we set up on anchor #10 is number 60 “Teacher’s Pet” WI3. There were two lines off of the anchor so we got two climbs for one. It was a nice mellow start to the trip. Pretty easy climbing and a good warm-up. We both climbed both lines. Next we headed back up to the catwalk, which involved crossing that ladder bridge again. Good practice for me! We moved our rope to anchor number #9 and the climb is number 61 and is called “Report Card” WI3. We were able to move our anchor as it was constructed since the set-up was the right length for this climb too, that saved some time. That allowed us to easily get two more lines climbed. Four routes of WI3, all 32m, for the first day was ok with us! I felt like I was getting into my climbing groove and Karen was feeling pretty confident too. It was 3:30 and the park closes at 4pm. So, we hiked up to the catwalk and gathered up our rope and anchor materials and headed back to the Comfort Inn. The temperatures the first day were in the 40’s so we weren’t cold at all. I hardly used my down jacket or down mittens when belaying. That was nice but we were wishing it was a little colder. The forecast was not hopeful though, each day was forecasted to be warmer than the last during our trip.

Our first anchor and climb in the Ouray Ice Park!!! Yay!!!
Photo credit: Terri Barry

Day 2 – Once again, after a full breakfast, we walked to the ice park. This was a really nice way to warm up in the morning. And you don’t have to fight for one of the few parking places near the park. I highly recommend walking! We headed back to Schoolroom mulling over whether we would start on a WI4 route. This worked out well because, although we left earlier than the day before, when we got to the Schoolroom there were already lines set up on all the WI2 and WI3 climbs. Get there early, early if you want easier climbs! So, while we debated how quickly to up the difficulty, today it seemed, we would have no choice. We grabbed the WI4 bolts we were standing at, #8. This climb is number 62 “Recess” WI4 in the guide-book. We continued to use the anchor setup from the day before, it worked just as well on this anchor as the previous two. We debated rappelling this time but we both felt a little unsure about climbing over the railing along the catwalk. Maybe next trip. Instead, we walked down the same trail from the day before, the rope hand line was beginning to feel routine and the ladder bridge not so threatening. The climbing lines on this anchor were definitely steeper than those the day before. I started first and really enjoyed getting on some steeper ice. The temperatures were barely freezing over night so the ice was definitely “hero ice” meaning the tools place very easily. The lines on this anchor were really fun! But I was also eyeing the lines to the right, thinking we would move to those bolts (#7) when we were finished. Then, someone yelled “Rope!” and down came a rope on those lines. Happily for us, the group on that anchor was interested to share ropes with us. This turns out to be common at the park. Of course, not everyone wants to share. And, of course, you should check out the anchor before you share. Karen and I were very happy when Thomas (the owner of anchor #7) said our anchor was bomber! We knew that but it was nice to have someone else say it too.

I’ve had the opportunity to ice climb several times each season since my 2010 class. So, I usually feel pretty confident in my climbing. But for Karen, this was the first time she had ice climbed in 2 years. So, understandably, the first day she was a little tentative. But, each day we climbed, she visibly improved. It very so was fun to see her make leaps in technique and confidence each day as she got her ice climbing mojo back. Day 2 plus steeper ice was just what she needed! We both ended the day on 5 lines. Having gotten some great climbing under our belt, we were ready for our Day 3 with San Juan Mountain Guides.

Schoolroom is always busy, even during the week. Get there early!
Photo Credit: Terri Barry

Day 3 – Guide Day! We headed to the San Juan Mountain Guides office at 7:30. We met our guide, Gary, and then found out Gary would have a shadow guide for the day, Jeff. Jeff is already a guide but is working towards his IFMGA Mountain Guide certification. Gary is already a IFMGA Mountain Guide, thus the shadowing. Sweet! This was shaping up to be a great day. Once again, we walked from the office to the park. We let Gary know that we have a couple of objectives: we wanted to build anchors in more challenging areas, climb steeper ice, and work with lowering a climber into to the canyon and then belaying the climber from the top. We started above an area called Alcove. We located a bolt/chain anchor on Route 79 “Dream Team” M4. Setting up the anchor would mean stepping down the slope and clipping in to the chain with our Personal Anchor Systems (PAS) because the master point would be towards the bottom of the chain. First Karen and then I stepped down on to the groove that the chain was in. It wasn’t as steep or difficult as it looked and I felt quite comfortable once I took the first step. Gary handed Karen and I a variety of anchor materials and said, “ok, show me how you’ll build an anchor.” We consulted each other and then set up a very nice anchor based on a Super-8 master-point. Once we were done Gary pointed out that we had left the rope up on the top of the slope. Neither Karen nor I had even thought about the rope. Luckily Jeff was there to hand it to us! Rope in the master-point lockers locked, rope tossed over the edge and we were ready to set up the next anchor. This one was Route 77 “Flamenco” WI4 and involved stepping out on to an exposed slope to anchor off a tree. We had considered this route on Day 1 but the exposure getting to the tree and the need to rappel into the climb had changed our mind. Today it was much easier! Gary showed us how to approach the tree safely and we had no problem setting up the anchor off the tree. Soon we were rappelling into the Alcove and it was time to climb.

Jeff climbs in the Alcove.
Photo credit: Terri Barry

On Flamenco, Gary showed us a demonstration, the delicate ice climbing dance. He moved so fluidly it was fun to watch. Once we started to climb I found that, although I could climb long WI4 pitches relatively easily, my footwork definitely needed improvement. I concentrated on the pattern of tool work and footwork that Gary had demonstrated. I already had the “monkey hang” down from my very first route 2 years ago – it just came very naturally for some reason. But that was Karen’s lesson to work on. She ended the day with a very natural looking “monkey hang.” She remarked how much easier it was to climb once she got the hang, as in “monkey hang,” of it!

Karen looking good climbing in the Alcove.
Photo credit: Jeff Witt

While we were climbing Jeff had set up a line off Route 79 that was all ice rather than a mixed route. It was a very interesting line that started with a shelf to be gained a couple of moves into the route, then some fancy footwork to move to the right and up on to some very steep ice. It was very fun and a little challenging. Perfect way to step up the difficulty. Both Karen and I learned quite a bit on that climb. Once we were finished with that line it was time to move on to the next area. Jeff climbed out on Flamenco and belayed us from the top so Karen and I could climb out side-by-side. We needed to stay level with each other so we had to work together. It was a great challenge for both of us. I actually had an unexpected fall because I wasn’t paying attention to my tools while I waited for Karen. I felt secure while I waited but the ice was softer than I realized due to the warm day and my tool left pulled straight out of the ice towards me while I had my hand off my right took shaking out. Luckily I didn’t get a tool in the face! That was a lesson learned.

Gary, me, and Karen at the top of Pic O’ the Vic. I’m ready to be lowered it!
Photo credit: Jeff Witt

Once on top we disassembled the anchors, coiled the rope and headed to the next climb. This is where we would work on lowering a climber in to the canyon and then belaying from the top. We would do this on the classic route, Route 93 “Pic ‘O the Vic” WI4. We set up our anchor slinging a large tree using the climbing rope and a Follow-Through Figure 8. Then we worked on the lowering setup and how to change to the belay from above, off the anchor set-up. I had done both before but this was new to Karen. She picked it up very quickly and soon Gary was asking me if I was ready to climb. After spending the day together he had (correctly) sized me up as ready to be lowered into the canyon and climb out. Of course I was!!! I was hoping to get on one of these long, steep climbs. Pick ‘O the Vic is 45m. We worked out our signal system since we wouldn’t be able to hear each other. Loud whoops and/or rope tugs. I step backwards toward the edge as Karen lowered. I couldn’t see the bottom for probably the first 10m. Then it finally came into view. It was awesome! So far down there. Karen lowered me smoothly. Towards the bottom the ice disappeared and a giant chasm opened up. My feet were suddenly free in the air. I had to keep myself right and aim for a stable point on the ground as it came up to me. Standing on the ground I though, “uh oh, how do I start this climb?” Then I remembered that Gary said that my route and the route immediately to the right started in the same place. There to my right was a giant pillar. Whew!

That’s me in the blue jacket. I’m climbing Pic O’ the Vic. So, so fun! Gary checking my progress from the top.
Photo credit: Jeff Witt

I made my two whoops but heard none in return. So I waited for rope tugs. When I though I felt them I made a couple of move off the ground but I had slack in the rope that wasn’t pulled up. So I down climbed back to the ground and waited. Then I felt two distinct tugs and the rope stayed taught. Ok, time to climb! It was a joy to climb that route. I couldn’t see the top from the bottom, just as I couldn’t see the bottom from the top. So much ice! And the climbing was easy, even though it was relatively steep. I was having the time of my life. I practice my ice dance, rested, and danced some more. If I could do nothing but climb long, steep ice the rest of my life I would be happy. At one rest as I shook one hand out, then changed to the other, I realized I could do a both hands off the tools shake. It was absolutely awesome – and Jeff, who was on the bridge taking pictures, got me taking my both hands off rest!

Hands off rest! It felt great. Pic O’ the Vic is an amazing climb.
Photo credit: Jeff Witt

As I move closer to the top I saw Gary peaking his head over the edge, checking my progress. I yelled up a big “Hi, this is awesome!” When I reached the top I was sorry it was over but so happy I got to do that route on this trip. Before the day was over I practiced lowering Jeff into the canyon and belaying him up. That was a perfect way to wrap up the day!

The drone photo of me on Pic O’ the Vic. I’m on the left in blue.
Photo credit – Kevin Koprek

We found out as we left the park that the park manager, Kevin, got some photos of me with the drone he flies each day. I was pretty excited to get those photos in addition to the ones Jeff took from the bridge. Plus Jeff posted a photo of me on the San Juan Mountain Guides facebook page. That was a nice surprise when I came across it as I scrolled through my facebook feed.

That night we headed to Montrose for dinner with Diane and Charlie Winger. I was very excited to meet Diane and Charlie “In Real Life.” Diane and I had become good Twitter friends, then facebook friends, over the last year or so. I knew of the Wingers even before that because of their excellent climbing guide “The Trad Guide to Joshua Tree: 60 Favorite Climbs from 5.5 to 5.9.” They have a great website with quite a few books that they have written together and separately (link). Karen and I met Diane and Charlie at a Thai restaurant in Montrose. We had a great meal and talked up a storm. Charlie and I talked ice climbing practically non-stop, interjected with talking about Chicago since we had both grown up there. But we also talked about the novel Diane had just released on Amazon called “Rockfall,” and Diane and Charlie’s adventures as part of the Highpointers Club (link) which is a group dedicated to bagging the highest point in every stated. Diane has 49 peaks – she says “Just say NO to Denali.” Charlie has all 50, plus all the highest points in every county in Colorado, Utah, Nevada, and Arizona. So, it was a wonderful evening and I feel fortunate that we were able to get together on this trip.

Day 4 – Way too soon it was our last day of climbing. But Karen and I were excited to put our lessons learned on our day with Gary and Jeff to work. We decided to head to South Park, the furthest reach of the park from town. This would give us an opportunity to see the entire park before we left. The hike was a little longer but beautiful.

Karen walks along the trail with South Park in view to the left. Another very busy place!
Photo credit: Terri Barry

When we arrived at South Park there were already a lot of people there. But we found the anchor open for Route 14 “Not Without My Anus” WI3 (yeah, that’s the name… in keeping with the South Park TV series theme). Note, there is also a second set of bolt anchors just a few feet to the north that are not in the book. Karen wanted to set this anchor up on her own so I observed and took photos of the area (and Karen) while she worked.

Karen setting up her very first anchor.
Photo credit: Terri Barry

Once she was finished we headed down to the bottom of the canyon via the rope hand line trail. The canyon was full of people but everyone was sharing ropes so that meant we could all climb lots of climbs without moving anchors. In addition to multiple lines on our rope, we also climbed the unnamed route on the anchor next to our rope, Route 13 “Mr Hanky” WI2, Route 15 “C.H.T” WI2, Route 16 “Super Fun Time” WI4 (it was a super fun time!). The routes were easy enough that we could work on the technique pointers Gary had given us the day before. By mid-afternoon we had climbed a whole bunch and were ready to call it a day. We resisted the urge to climb one more line and hiked back to town. The trip ended on a definite high note!

The sun came out finally for our walk back. Ouray Ice Park is beautiful!
Photo credit: Terri Barry

Walking past Schoolroom on our way out. This is the catwalk with all the bolts on the left. Climbs are to the right.
Photo credit: Terri Barry

The next day we departed Ouray at 5am. The weather was beautiful so we decided to take Hwy 50, The Loneliest Highway in America. After a detour due to a cattle drive in Utah we arrived in Truckee around dinnertime. I dropped Karen off and headed home to Sacramento. I was home before 9 pm. Another 16 hour drive under my belt. I can’t wait to head back to Ouray at least once next year!

Seriously, this was the detour off Hwy 6 in Utah for the cattle drive!
Photo credit: Terri Barry

My full Ouray photo set can be found here.

#JTreeTweetUp 5!

Posted on January 20, 2014 by rockmaven56

The view south from Hidden Valley Campground. Joshua Tree National Park.
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

I love Joshua Tree National Park (JTree). I have lived in California since 1974 and have been all over the state, but I had never been to JTree until 2009, shortly after I started rock climbing outdoors in ernest. I have visited JTree many times since that first trip in January 2009.

My second climb ever in Joshua Tree, 2009. Learning the fine are of friction climbing.

My second climb ever in Joshua Tree, 2009. Learning the fine art of friction climbing. Photo credit: Emily Barry

This last November I attended the 5^th Annual JTree Tweetup (#JTreeTweetUp). Yes, it is just like it sounds, a gathering in Joshua Tree of climbers who met on Twitter. I had no idea when I started using Twitter that it would be my most productive climber network. I met Eileen (@rockgrrl), the originator of the #JTreeTweetUp, early into my Twitter life. She is very friendly and helpful and has a great website. Three years ago she encouraged me to come to a #JTreeTweetUp. So, off I went for the first time to climb with a group of climbers I had never met in-real-life. I had a great trip and I have returned every year for the #JTreeTweetup. For this #JTreeTweetup, we were met with fabulous weather and awesome climbing! We spent some time in favorite areas like Thin Wall, but also climbed areas that I had never been to before. This trip was about more than climbing, though. For example, my husband (the Huz), Sport, and I spent a week camping in Ryan campground with our new R-Pod trailer. In 33 years of marriage we always camped in tents or backpacked, but finally decided this year we would upgrade to a trailer. I may never camp in a tent again! I slept well, cooked actual meals, and stayed remarkably clean. I’m sold!

Sport love our new R-Pod. We occasionally let him up on this bed... unlike at home! Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Sport loves our new R-Pod. We occasionally let him up on this bed… unlike at home! Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

I had several other objectives for this trip. First, I am a 2013/2014 Stonewear Designs Ambassador, and brought several pieces along to product test and review. I had hiking, running, and climbing plans for product testing. Second, I wanted to devote some serious time to using my Cannon 60D camera. The Huz & Sport went off to the Colorado River for a few days so I had some time alone before the TweetUp. I brushed up on my photography skills by taking a hike up Ryan Mountain at sunset to take photos. The hike up Ryan Mountain was great, I highly recommend it. I returned by headlamp as it was getting dark. That alone made for a wonderful hike.

Sunset from atop Ryan Mountain. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

My last objective was to get some serious running in while on the trip since I was training for the California International Marathon in December. A friend suggested taking Keys View Road for my long run, which was a great workout. Except for a few spots, the grade is not too steep, just enough to get your attention. I wanted to run on a road because I was alone. In addition, many of the trails in Joshua Tree are sandy, so running can be a bit of a challenge. This route was beautiful and just about perfect for what I had in mind.

Beautiful run on the Key View Road in Joshua Tree National Park. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

That night I met up with Eileen’s group to get the climbing schedule. People came and went according to their own schedules, but climbing was planned for each day Friday through Sunday. We started Friday at Atlantis Wall, which was exciting since the year before we were unable to climb that wall, but climbed Minotaur Wall instead. The climbs at Atlantis Wall were great – I climbed Solar Technology (5.6), Men with Cow’s Heads (5.5) and Wet Pigeon (5.8) and I attempted Ceremony (5.10c). I will definitely be back to this area on a future JTree trip!

#JTreeTweetUp folks climbing on Atlantis Wall, Joshua Tree National Park.
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

We spent most Saturday at Thin Wall. I’ve climbed at Thin Wall more than anywhere else in JTree, but I always enjoy the routes. Plus, it was verging on hot in the sun but chilly in the shade so the shade was very welcome! The route difficulty ranges from 5.6 to 5.11a. I’ve climbed or attempted to climb every route on this wall, so each trip I have a comparison to make. I was very happy with how familiar the routes felt. Part of our group spent the afternoon at Brown Wall and climbed Captain Kronos 5.9 and Brown and Serve 5.11a.

Thin Wall, right side. Joshua Tree National Park. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Thin Wall, left side. Joshua Tree National Park. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Sunday the group split with some going to Hemingway Buttress – East Face Left and my group going to Hemingway Buttress – East Face Right. This was a completely new area for both me and Eileen. We wandered around looking for it until we saw some of our group climbing on the routes. This part of Hemingway Wall is located in an alcove, almost like a grotto. It’s quiet and hidden, pretty fun on a very busy and crowded day in JTree. The routes were really fun, but be warned, we all agreed that the ratings on this wall seemed a little sandbagged. We climbed For Who the Poodle Tolls 5.9, A Farewell to Poodles 5.9, and Head Over Heals 5.10a.

Hemingway Wall – East Face Right Side. Joshua Tree National Park. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Eileen on Head Over Heals 5.10a Hemingway Wall – East Face Right Side. Joshua Tree National Park. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

This was my first time at JTree as a Stonewear Design Ambassador and I was really looking forward to testing out my selections. I brought my Lola Hoody, Alpha Hoody, Crossback Top, Rockin’ Pants and Sprinter Capris. It turned out that I basically lived in my Stonewear Designs clothing this trip, especially my Rockin’ Pants, Crossback Top, and Alpha Hoody which I wore every day to climb. These pieces were so comfortable and perfect for the weather that I just didn’t want to change! It was chilly in the shade so I needed layering and a warm – but not too warm – top. The Alpha Hoody layered with a silk weight thermal was perfect. Joshua Tree rock is rough, like really rough sandpaper, and I tend to use my elbows and knees to brace when I climb in general, but neither the Alpha Hoody nor the Rockin’ Pant pilled or tore and the dirt brushed off really easily. I have to add that the Alpha Hoody/Rockin’ Pant combination is also great for hiking in chilly weather. It was perfect for my sunset Ryan Mountain hike.

My first self portrait with my Cannon 60D and my tripod. My Alpha Hoody and Rockin’ Pants were perfect for this hike! Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

From Left: Thin Wall climbing rocking the Alpha Hoody and Rockin’ Pant.
Photo Credit: Jeremy Shapiro. Ready to climb in my Alpha Hoody and Rockin’ Pants!
Photo Credit: Eileen Ringwald

When it was warmer I put on my very favorite Lola Hoody. And, as my earlier review of this top said, it continues to perform like a champ. I did my long run in my Sprinter Capris, and Crossback Top. I have found that the Crossback Top is so comfortable that I it feels like it was custom made for me. It has become my long run go-to sports bra. I always make sure it’s ready to go when I have anything over 6 miles to run. It has been washed and washed and washed countless times, yet it still looks and feels new. The Sprinter Capris are lightweight and breathe well. They also have a pocket in the back that is perfect for a key + one container of Gu. That outfit was a perfect combination for the weather that was unseasonably warm in the sun. Ladies, have a look at the Stonewear Designs catalog. Great clothes perfect for climbing, running, and hiking. And, it is important to me that the their clothes are assembled in the US.

Me and Sport on a run at home – not Joshua Tree but I wanted to show off my Lola Hoody and Sprinter Capris! Photo Credit: Dan Ledesma

This was one of my best trips to JTree. I didn’t necessarily climb many routes, but I enjoyed what I did climb. I got to visit with my #JTreeTweetUp friends. I explored new areas, I did several really nice runs, the hike up Ryan Mountain was beautiful and I learned new photography techniques. I look forward to the trip every year now!

Campfire fun! #JtreeTweetUp 5 Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Check out my post on climbing in Indian Creek with Eileen in March 2013!

The Summer of Semi-Successful Alpine Climbing

Posted on September 10, 2013 by rockmaven56

Me on Bear Creek Spire. Photo credit: Josh Ulloa

Alpine climbing is a high-overhead activity. Carefully planned long hikes into the back country culminating with an intimidatingly large mountain presenting itself to you. Not much room for error or you risk benighting at the mountain’s hand. But it is precisely those qualities that draw us to alpine climbing. I am relatively new to true alpine climbing. After this 2013 alpine season I realize that I was extremely lucky with my previous two alpine climbs. The first was Cathedral Peak in Tuolumne Meadows in 2010. And that climb wasn’t immediately successful. It was delayed twice – first by late snow then by a fire closing Tioga Pass Road. My partner and I finally climbed it in windy and cold conditions. At one belay my jacket whipped in the wind making the same sound flags make in high winds. I could barely stay upright. We opted not to finish the climb to the postage stamp sized summit block in the gale force winds. Instead, we stopped 25 ft from the top and descended the backside. So, although we climbed all but the last 25 ft, I have not summited Cathedral Peak. The second was the East Buttress Route on Mt. Whitney in 2011. That was the climb of my life. My trip report from that climb is on the Chicks Climbing website. The climbing was absolutely gorgeous. But we were benighted, summiting at 7 pm and arriving back in camp at 2 am after endless rappels in the dark over the steep snow covered the Mountaineers Route. My first outing in crampons, I wasn’t sure I could successfully self arrest so slipping was not an option!

Sometimes I wonder whether I am cut out for this alpine climbing stuff. But then I find myself looking through guidebooks at new alpine challenges. It’s like the marathons I run, this one will be different… With that thought, my climbing partner Josh, and I considered several Sierra Nevada alpine climbs for the 2013 season: Tenaya Peak, Cathedral Peak, Matthes Crest, and Bear Creek Spire. We chose Matthes Crest and Bear Creek Spire as our focus and set two dates. As with most climbers, families and work compress our time to try to achieve our alpine climbing goals. We set two dates and knew we would likely only have those two chances. Luckily, Josh and I share the same philosophy that just being in the back country is a reward. Summiting the project peak is gravy. Our friend, Teri, was also able to join us on both dates. So, we planned the trips as a party of three.

Matthes Crest was our first goal. At the end of June, we camped in Tuolumne Meadows campground and planned a car-to-car climb. It’s six miles to the base of Matthes Crest but most climbers I know who have climbed it have done it as a day trip. So, how hard could it be? Famous last words. Teri, thankfully before the hike, realized it was 3 hours, not 3 miles, to the base of the climb. She had been having knee issues and decided the round trip of over 12 miles would be too much for her at that time. So, that left just Josh and me heading to the climb. The weather that day was ridiculously hot. California was suffering through a very significant heat wave. Even at 10,000 ft it was oppressive and humid. We were down to our short sleeve shirts and sweating at 6:30am as we left the car for the trail head. Being fresh in the morning, we still were able to set out on the trail at a speedy but comfortable pace. Unfortunately, we managed to miss our Budd Lake turnoff and suddenly were at the base of Cathedral Peak instead of across the canyon. It turned out we could head off cross country to the shoulder of Echo Peak but this detour ate up precious time.

Matthes Crest in all it’s glory. It is truly beautiful. The route starts at the steep edge all the way to the right of the crest. Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We hiked over the west shoulder of Echo Peaks and were presented with the Matthes Crest, which was absolutely beautiful. However, there was a large wash between us and the base of the climb. Added to our unplanned detour was the vague description of how to get to the base of the climb once we were over the shoulder of Echo Peak and close to Matthes Crest. Based on the guidebook, we elected to hike down one side of the wash and up the steep other side to reach the base of the climb. As I looked across I was worried about the slabs below the base of the route. They looked very steep. It was slow going in the late morning sun. Luckily, once we were working our way up towards the climb we found that the slabs looked much steeper than they actually were. Finally, we caught a break!

The base of the Matthes Crest route. There is a climber in this photo. He’s the black speck towards the top, and just about dead center left to right. That gives a sense of scale to this place! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We arrived at the base of the climb at noon on a very hot day. We both agreed that since it was noon, the route is 0.8 miles long, and neither of us had ever simul-climbed we would enjoy our lunch then head back to camp. There was a party on pitch 2 of the climb. We watched their progress, which was pretty slow, and decided we had definitely made the right decision. We now had lots of information about how to get there and what the route looked like in person – for next time!

The view south and east from the base of Matthes Crest. Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Josh leads the way back towards Echo Peaks on the way out. Sticking to the contour was the way to go!

Josh leads the way back towards Echo Peaks on the way out. The route passes along the left side of the peak. Sticking to the contour was the way to go! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Next up, a month later, was Bear Creek Spire in Little Lakes Valley. The approach to Bear Creek Spire is also 6 miles but 2.5 miles are over talus slope. Hazardous and slow going. So the three of us agreed that we would backpack in to Dade Lake and establish camp. We would have a full day to concentrate on the climb without worrying about a huge car-to-car pressure. Our wilderness permit was for three days, hike in Friday, climb Saturday, hike out Sunday. Too bad our weekend coincided with heavy smoke in Little Lakes Valley from forest fires burning over the crest of the Sierra to the west. The smoke was so heavy that the surrounding mountains, including Bear Creek Spire were obscured. We had discussions on Thursday night about whether we would continue with our plan. On the positive side, the forecast for Saturday was for no smoke and clear weather. But, it was only a forecast. Friday morning was clear so, off we went.

The crew on our way to Bear Creek Spire, me, Teri, and Josh. Bear Creek Spire is the peak just to the right of Josh’s head. The route is the sweeping left to right arch.

Little Lakes Valley is gorgeous. Some of the best views in the Sierra. We were quickly at Gem Lakes and the base of the 2.5 mile talus slope.

There it is – the start of the talus shlog to Dade Lake. Here’s some beta: stay to the center or climber’s left. We went right, not the best choice! Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

After several very mentally focused hours of boulder hoping with heavy backpacks on, we were on the fell field at Dade Lake below Bear Creek Spire. I cannot over state the focus the talus field travel required. We were all glad to be at Dade Lake. The smoke, however, crept up the canyon behind us and soon we were surrounded by it in camp.

A smoky view of Bear Creek Spire. Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Our pika friend in camp. He was very entertaining!

Can you find our camp pika? He was very entertaining! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

That night we slept with smoke. I have exercise induced asthma and I wear contact lenses so my throat and eyes were not happy. We wondered what we would find the next day.

A smoke free morning below Bear Creek Spire. Our route is the sun/shade line arching left to right. The descent is off the right had side behind the peak. Note the talus! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Thankfully, Saturday morning brought no smoke at camp but it was visible lingering down the canyon. Would it come up to envelope us while we climbed? We set off for the route just before 7am. More talus confronted us to get to the route. The guide book said it should take 45 minutes to get to the North East Ridge route. It took us almost two hours. It was not clear which way was the best to get to the route start. We wandered a bit, avoiding steep looking slabs and black ice, and we were not on the route until 9am. As we looked south we saw in the distance thunderhead looking clouds. Above us were wispy, swirling clouds. We once again had a discussion about how we should proceed. We decided to start the route while keeping an eye on the sky.

Smoke and clouds to the southeast of Bear Creek Spire. Hmm… Photo credit: Terrell Barry

The North East Ridge Route is 1200 ft long so, if we wanted to avoid descending in the dark there would be little margin for error in assumptions about how long it would take us to summit. However, the first third of the route is 3rd and easy 4^th class climbing. We were all still in our approach shoes. I was having a really good time just enjoying the views and the ridiculously easy climbing. Very quickly we were at the first tower.

Yay! Climbing Bear Creek Spire! This part was very easy and very fun.

Yay! Finally climbing Bear Creek Spire! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Just beyond this point is the crux of the route across 5^th class rock fins. Retreating after this point would be doable but complicated. We were worried about the thickening clouds drifting up from the south and the swirling of the clouds above us. We had most of the route still to do and we couldn’t see the easy 4^th class beyond the crux that was described in the guidebook.

The view looking up from the first tower on Bear Creek Spire. Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We decided, given the potential for bad weather, and the fact that we were climbing in a party of three, that we should retreat to camp. Disappointing, but better safe than sorry. We turned back and headed to camp. We found a better route across the slabs and scree back to camp. Information for a possible next time.

Our snack break at the first tower on Bear Creek Spire. Josh and Teri. Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Teri having a look back at Bear Creek Spire on our way back to camp. Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Clouds building behind us on the descent. We were unsure whether they were friendly or unfriendly clouds! Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We were back at camp just before noon. Josh and I, always on the same wavelength, were thinking that hiking out that day was an option. It would make Sunday a much shorter day for the drive home. Teri elected to stay the night, preferring to hike out the next morning. She told us she often solo backpacks so we felt ok about heading down without her. Josh and I packed up and headed back to the trail head. About 2 miles into the 2.5 mile talus hike Josh muttered that he didn’t think he needed to do this again. I agreed. But I did point out that memory is a funny thing and we may change our mind later… We were back at the campground, where my husband was camped, by 6:30 pm. We had beers and dinner together. I don’t think we had even finish dinner before Josh and I were plotting our next attempt on Bear Creek Spire. Memory is a funny thing!

So, this was an unsuccessful summer from a goal achieving standpoint but successful in that we learned a lot about two climbs we want to do. The hiking was beautiful and we enjoyed the backcountry. Successful alpine climbing partnerships are built on agreement about when and where to turn around. This was a very successful summer from that standpoint. I’m disappointed that no summits were bagged but planning for 2014 has already started!

A full set of photos is posted here.

The Central Yosemite Tour – A most excellent trail run!

Posted on July 24, 2013 by rockmaven56

I have run thousands of miles on the road, including 11 marathons and countless shorter races both on the road and on the track. Although I do more climbing than running now, for a long time I was among those people who could say, “I think I’ll run a half marathon this weekend, for fun.” However, I never did much trail running. My friend Lizzy is an ultra-runner. She loves long, long, trail running and is like a gazelle, hopping and skipping down the trails for miles and miles. She has run The Zion Traverse (50 miles) and is training for a 50 mile race this coming August in Squamish, British Colombia. Lizzy invited my daughter, Ashley, and I to join her on a training run on the Skyline to the Sea Trail in Big Basin Park this last spring. Ashley and I only did the second half with Lizzy but it was very fun – even including my face plant into the fire road with 6 miles still to go to the car.

Ashley and me on the Big Basin run.
Photo Credit: Colin Delehanty

So, when Lizzy posted the Central Yosemite Tour Event on Facebook and it included a 16-ish mile portion I signed up to go. The entire Tour was 50k, which Lizzy was doing as another training run for Squamish. The Tour was on July 14 so everyone showed up at the Tuolumne Meadows store July 13 to start the process of car shuttling. We would leave cars in Yosemite Valley and Glacier Point.

Five of us (Lizzy, Julie, Kate, Geoff, and me) would start the run at Tenaya Lake. Julie planned to run either to Glacier Point or to Tunnel View with Lizzy via the Panorama Trail. Kate, Geoff, and I planned to run to Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley via the John Muir Trail. The run day car plan was that I would run to the Valley and then drive to Tunnel View where Lizzy would finish the run with her husband, Luke. Luke planned to start running at Glacier Point and run to the end with Lizzy. The car shuttling always takes quite a bit of time but we were headed back towards Tuolumne Meadows by mid-afternoon. We stopped at Tenaya Lake for a swim and nap on the beach. They swam… too cold for me. I napped and had weird dreams that incorporated all the conversations I heard among beach goers while I was sleeping. That night we had dinner at the Whoa Nellie Deli at the Mobil Station in Lee Vining. It was a beautiful evening and great food, as usual. You just can’t go to the Eastside without at the Whoa Nellie Deli!

Me, Julie, Lizzy, Kate and Jeff at Tenaya Lake
Photo Credit: Luke Stefurak

The next morning we quickly packed up and were ready to run at the Tenaya Lake/Clouds Rest Trailhead. I had never been on this trail so I was excited to see the views from Clouds Rest. The trail starts out pretty flat but then heads steeply uphill. It became clear to me Luke’s reason for yelling to us to “enjoy the first 2.5 miles” as we started out of the parking lot! Switchback after switchback. I had made a promise to myself that I wouldn’t hammer the beginning only to be in agony at the end of the 16.4 miles. So, I followed Lizzy’s advice and power walked up the switchbacks rather than trying to run. Luke had said sections of the trail were too steep to run – coming from a guy who runs anything that can be run.

Kate on the trail. Lizzy and Julie are ahead in the upper left corner

Kate and Geoff on the trail. Lizzy and Julie are ahead in the upper left
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

The trail to the top of Clouds Rest
Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Even with power walking we were on top of Clouds Rest in less than 2 ½ hours. And none of us felt taxed. Good news! The views were astounding. I highly recommend the hike from Tenaya Lake to the top of Clouds Rest, it is totally worth the effort to get there. We actually spent more time than intended on top of Clouds Rest – just soaking in the views,taking pictures, snacking, stretching.

That’s me approaching the top of Clouds rest. Tenaya Lake is above me to the left – the turquoise lake
Photo Credit: Julie Jakoboski

On top of Clouds Rest. Yippie!
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Yosemite Valley and Half Dome from the top of Clouds Rest
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

Eventually, we all agreed we needed to move on. Clouds Rest is the highest elevation point on The Tour. It was pretty much downhill from there to Yosemite Valley (my destination), with only a few sections of flat and gently uphill. I quickly felt the effects of running downhill and tried to take it easy. I worried about the last part of the John Muir Trail into the Valley because I’m familiar with that trail and knew it was uncomfortable to hike, let alone run. So, I tried to save my legs for that. The trail was beautiful and well maintained in most sections so the running was technically easy – good thing for me since I’m a known face-planter…

Time to check the map!
Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We stopped together at the bottom of Clouds Rest to check the map. Lizzy and Julie would set a quicker pace from that point on since they had much farther to run than us. There are a couple of trail junctions we needed to be sure we would not miss.

Half Dome from the east. Note the faint white like on the right hand shoulder. That’s the cables
Photo credit: Terrell Barry

It was fun to see Half Dome at completely different angle than I have ever seen it. The faint white streak just to the left of the right edge is where the cables are positioned for all those day hikers who want to summit Half Dome. Interesting to view it from that perspective. The permitting system certainly seemed to reduce the number of hikers on the trail up to Half Dome (for the better in my opinion). We saw a few people but nothing like the last time I was in the area to climb Snake Dike. We were quickly running through Little Yosemite Valley. We stopped at the Merced River to fill our Camelbacks for the last 10k (6.2 miles) of the run. Nice cold water from the Merced River was heaven at that point! Unfortunately, my GPS decided to dump the run up to then and restart in Little Yosemite Valley. So all I would only have our total time, including stops, at the end. Oh well. Not too big a deal. I sort of wanted to know the details but like most of my marathons (except my Boston Qualifier), my main goal was to finish this run, not time it.

Kate on the trail below Clouds Rest
Photo credit: Terrell Barry

We reached Nevada Falls in no time. That’s where we hit our first bona fide crowds. I noticed on woman looking at me and my hot pink support sock with an expression of “fashion fopau” on her face. I wanted to yell – “Hey, I just ran from Tenaya Lake” but instead I ignored her. We enjoyed the view of the falls. Kate did a cartwheel for fun. I decided I’d better keep moving…

Nevada Falls from the John Muir Trail
Photo credit: Terrell Barry

My legs and knees were ok until about half a mile down the John Muir Trail. Then my knees tried to take control of the situation. A move I was having none of! I managed to keep moving at a decent pace for a little while longer but the trail got very rocky so I ended up power walking quite a bit of the last 3 miles. The last thing I wanted was to blow a knee at the end of this run! Vernal Falls came up fast with the sign indicating that it was 1 mile to the Valley Floor. Yippie!!!

Photo credit: Terrell Barry

Kate had waited at the Vernal Falls Bridge for me and we agreed to run the rest together. But, when she took off on paved but very steep downhill trail my legs just wouldn’t let me follow at her pace. She was quickly out of sight. Oh well, I would see her at the bottom anyway!

Geoff had hung back to take some photos and he caught me towards the end so we finished together. It was that wonderful long run/marathon just done feeling. Tired but ok. Enjoying the accomplishment. Our total time was 5 hrs 44 min. And that included the long stop on top of Clouds Rest, stopping to check the map below Clouds Rest, and a fairly long stop in Little Yosemite Valley to get water from the Merced River. Not bad! And right about where I estimated – 20 to 21 minute miles for total time. I’m liking this trail running.

Yeah! That’s 16.4 miles in the log book
Photo Credit: Geoff Cotter

We had someone take our photo at the Happy Isle Bridge then began the 1 mile walk to Curry Village. Walking was wonderful! We all stretched out as we went. At the Curry Village Store I got my usual recovery drink – chocolate milk. Then I bought some flip flops because my pair were up at Glacier Point in Luke’s car. I wanted my running shoes off. Next time I bring 3 pairs of shoes!

Geoff, Kate and me at the Happy Isles Bridge. And, yes, we were happy!

We waited to hear from Lizzy, Julie, and Luke. Julie let us know she finished at Glacier Point and would be at Tunnel View around 4:30. Earlier than I expected. So I was even going to get home at a decent hour! This was a great day all around. I picked up my things from Luke’s truck and, after getting cold water and some salty snacks, I was on my way home.

Lizzy texted me to let me know they had finished. She had a great run too. She is truly an inspiration. I’m looking forward to hearing all about the Squamish run.

Lizzy proudly displaying her “This Doesn’t Suck” pin on top of Clouds Rest
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry

As the days afterwards went on my quads got as sore as when I did my first marathon! The downhill was brutal. I think that’s what I have to work on now. I really enjoy trail running and want to continue to do more of it. I’m looking at the back country in a whole different way now! What loop shall I pick next???

My full set of photos are here.

I’m a WFR!!!

Posted on June 18, 2013 by rockmaven56

Me and Emily. Garnet Lake. Ansel Adams Wilderness. 2007.

My daughter, Emily, and I just finished our Wilderness First Responder course taught by Dave Yacubian of ReadySF under the Wilderness Medical Institute (WMI) curriculum. Both Emily and I are now certified Wilderness First Responders (WFR)! My journey to earning my WFR certification began in October 2008. I was sitting at the first belay of my very first outdoor rock climb. It was a multi-pitch climb on the Hogsback formation at Lovers Leap near Lake Tahoe, California. As my climbing partner took off to lead the second pitch, leaving me alone at the belay ledge it occurred to me that I had absolutely no idea what I was doing. I was totally dependent on her, even though, in fact, I had her life in my hands. The climb was scary, we were not on the route we planned to climb. It was difficult but when we were finished it was satisfying and I wanted to do it again and again. However, I also committed to take classes to learn to be a self sufficient partner. I took a rock climbing anchors class, climbing self rescue, and wilderness first aid (WFA). At the end of the WFA course I think I knew eventually I would take the WFR course. Then, I climbed Snake Dike on Half Dome in Yosemite National Park with a group from the ClimbOn! Group of MeetUp. The climb was awesome, all five of our parties summited and we and a celebration that night in the Little Yosemite Valley backcountry campground. On the hike out the next day one of our party fell. We were hiking in the middle of a cold thunderstorm and she had on a very heavy pack. It was easy to see she had sustained a tibia/fibula fracture. It was not open but the bone was clearly visible just under the skin. I was the only person in the group with any first aid training and the group looked to me. I put my WFA training into action that day. I remembered the importance of assigning specific tasks to specific people. We set about getting her as warm and comfortable as possible. We found a passerby with a working cell phone to call for help. Then we waited for the rescue personnel to arrive. We were only about 2 miles from the trail head on a very well traveled trail. There was intermittent phone service. I decide not to splint her leg since it was so close to being an open fracture and we were so close to medical help. This was a best case scenario. I wondered about the same injury but a day or more from the trail head. I knew at that moment I would take the WFR. The question just was when.

The “when” happened earlier this year. My daughter, Emily, expressed interest in getting wilderness first responder training. I had no idea she was interested! So, I told her we should take it together. We enrolled in the 10 day/80hr class given by Dave at the Marin Headlands. It’s a beautiful location and close to home – although a too far to commute daily. We would stay at the Marin Headlands Hostel. (Be forewarned about the hostel, many school outings stayed there during our stay. Lots of kids, some groups as large as 30 kids plus chaperones, so it was a chaotic at times.) The class is 8am to 5 pm for 9 days. There two evening session and one day off. So, obviously, we would be busy.

Our class room for 9 days. The YMCA SF – Point Bonita.

Emily and I arrived bright and early the morning of May 24. Our instructors for the next 10 days would be Dave and Becca. It turns out this was Becca’s first time teaching the class. That was not apparent at all during the course! Her infectious enthusiasm and detailed instruction were excellent. Dave, the seasoned veteran, was also excellent. Not only does he know the WMI protocols cold and is a patient and thoughtful instructor. He also had many firsthand stories from his experiences in the backcountry to round out our instruction. The first thing we saw in class was Dave and Becca going through the steps of caring for an injured person they come upon in the hiking trail. They were so smooth and seamless, it was hard to believe we would be even close to that skill level at the end of the class. But, spoiler alert, we all had the protocol down pretty well at the end of 10 days! A testament to Dave and Becca’s teaching.

Our class had 29 student with ages varying from 17 at the youngest to 56 (me) at the oldest. Most students were in their 20’s and 30’s. Many were in the class because they had employment working as guides or assistants in youth programs. A few, like Emily and I, were in the class because we wanted personal training. We would all end up getting to know each other pretty well, between the roll-playing scenarios and the studying at night. It was a great group!

Our gorgeous break & lunch view.

The course format was introduction of a topic or topics, then outside for a scenario related to those topics. Typically during a scenario a third of the class was victims (complete with realistic looking makeup) and the remaining two thirds divided up into two person teams. We occasionally did scenarios with half the class victims and the other half the rescuers so we could learn how to do all of this if it was just one us alone and a victim. The first thing we learned was the “12345ABCDE” method of initial assessment. The 12345 is the scene size up protocol, principally meant to prevent the rescuer from becoming another victim. The second half is meant to discover any “life threats” present in the victim that need to be dealt with immediately. This would include airway blockage (the “A” for airway) or sever bleeding (the “C” for circulatory). The “D” is for decision about the spine – hold the head or not. We spent much of the course learning about spinal injuries and how important it is to be very aware and careful about those injuries. Basically, fall from height, at high velocity or associated with loss of consciousness are modes of injury that can lead to a spinal injury. I never thought I would remember what that all stood for but eventually it came naturally, except the “E” (which stands for expose the chief complaint) seem to evade me until the second half of the course. The scenarios at the beginning covered the initial assessment and any other topic we had just cover, such as splinting or wound care. Next we learned the Head-to-Toe exam, the important vitals to take (early and late changing), and the patient history interview (SAMPLE). Between these three new steps in the patient assessment and all the new aliments and injury care, my head started to swim in details. Thankfully, it all began to come together for me after the Wednesday break day but up to that point I really didn’t think I would be able to remember everything.

Trauma injuries were covered first in the class. We learned how to clean and bandage wounds. Irrigate with drinkable water and nothing more. Use sterile tweezers to carefully remove debris. And bandage.

A well dressed wound. He can probably “stay and play.”

The simulated burn was particularly real looking. Pour cool water over the wound to cool down the skin. Then evaluate the depth of the burn. The burn below would be full thickness. That’s immediate evacuation time.

Serious burn. Cool it down immediately!

Dave showing us the basics of litter setup.

We had a beautiful “classroom” to spend part of our time in. When we learned backboard and litter use we had a lovely view of the Pacific Ocean. We learned our backboard lesson well, our patient allowed us to turn him completely upside down and he didn’t move at all! Dave said that was a really good job because some movement is expected. We managed that without cutting off circulation!

Patient all secure on the backboard!

Let’s check… looks he doesn’t move at all!

We also learned to roll a patient, both with two people and by ourselves. It was much easier than I expected but there is technique to master to make it “easy” on both the patient and the rescuer. One thing I wish I had brought was my pair of knee pads. The head holding job is harder than it seems. I thought I was the only one but several other classmates also said their knees hurt.

Becca demonstrates a one person patient roll.

On Monday we had our first of two night sessions. That first night session we learned how to fashion a splint out of just about anything. A good splint needs to be rigid. Immobilization of the joint above and below the break is required. No splint? Do you have hiking poles? Sticks/wood found on the trail? The frame from a backpack? Sleeping pad? The list goes on. Padding? Unneeded clothing (the key there is “unneeded,” never use clothing you may need to keep yourself or the patient warm) or an extra sleeping bag is perfect. Clothes can be shredded for tying. A jacket the patient has on can be zipped and folded up towards the shoulders to start constructing a sling

A sling fashioned out of my jacket and a triangle bandage. I’m good to self evacuate now.

Improvised lower leg splint.

We learned to be creative. The patient’s shoe can be turned upside down and placed against the foot to stiffen a leg splint. The most fascinating backcountry splint was the traction splint for a mid-femur break. After this class I think I will always bring my hiking poles.

Improvised traction splint.

Emily taping my ankle. I’m being a good patient, assisting by holding my foot at the proper angle.

Our first of two outdoor scenarios was at the beach near our classroom. It was a “mass casualty scenario” and those of us who were not victims were assumed to be part of a search and rescue team. We had an incident commander, assistant commander, and a gear management person. The rest of us were broken up into teams.

On our way down to the beach for the mass victim scenario.

When we got to the beach we found 7 victims of a fishing boat wreck. Two of the victims were either in the water or very close to it. One person was running around with only a mark on her head yelling that we needed to help her friends. Shortly after that she dropped to the sand and became unresponsive. My partner and I were assigned to a person who had lost his eye.

Me attending to my patient on the beach. Notice I’m stabilizing his head. Photo credit: Dave Yacubian.

Yes, it looked real. And he behaved as if it was real. He asked for his wife, he kept trying to touch his eye, yelling, “where’s my eye!!! I can’t see.” He kept asking about his friends and whether they would be ok, who’s that down in the beach? Is he going to die? Could he work again? It was very realistic. We got a lot of practice calming him down and not giving answers that would lead him to believe everything would be ok. That is really important. We said we were taking good care of him and his friends and nothing beyond that. We did our complete patient assessment, including a Focused Spinal Assessment and we bandaged his eye. Meanwhile, the other groups were attending to the other victims. There was a mid-femur fracture victim who was down near the water. Both the victim and the rescuers ended up overrun by the surf

A moment of back turned towards the ocean can be serious. Photo credit: Dave Yacubian.

A lesson in don’t turn your back on the ocean – someone always must be watching. Apparently, just about every class that happens. Good learning experience. It was amazing that after just three days were able to evaluate and treat all 7 victims in about 90 minutes. Dave asked us to consider what we would have done if this scenario was on the very first day. I pictured total bedlam. I guess we were learning quickly after all. Once the main part of the scenario was over we decided to carry the mid-femur fracture patient all the way from the beach to the parking lot in the litter. That included up stairs and then a 1/8^th mile hike on the trail. It was very hard work and illustrated why it takes 18 people to evacuate a victim on foot. We used the passing technique to negotiate the stairs, then hiked the rest of the way. It went very smoothly but it was clear that carrying out a victim even a short distance is very hard work.

After trauma we covered environmental hazards. This included heat, cold, altitude, lightening, and critters (snakes, spiders, etc.). We learned how to make a hypothermia wrap which is a sleeping bag wrapped inside a tarp. The victim is gently placed in the bag after wet clothing is removed. We also learned it is more effective to place warm water bottles in the sleeping bag (inside a sock) than another person. We even watched a clip from David Letterman! It was with Dr. Popsicle and it was fascinating. I couldn’t find the video but click here for a NOLS link. It turns out that a person does not become hypothermic immediately upon falling into cold water. The key is taking a minute or two to calm down and keep your head above water. The saying is “1 minute, 10 minutes, 1 hour” which means control our breathing in the first minute, you have about 10 minutes to move slowly in order to get out of the water before cold incapacitation occurs (if possible, lightly kick your legs to get into swimming position to climb out), and it is 1 hour before we are gravely hypothermic. So, there is time to get out, don’t panic! Dave told us a story about a person who got just his upper body from the shoulders up out onto the ice. His beard actually froze to the ice and kept his head above water. He was successfully rescued!

The hypothermia wrap.

The last major area we covered in class was medical illnesses. While some of these topics were mundane (e.g., garden variety stomach ache), these are also the most common things that occur on a trip. It was important to learn how to distinguish the garden variety from the must evacuate variety. We spend quite a bit of time on how to tell the difference. The diabetes section was very interesting. I will always remember to consider diabetes if I come upon someone who is very groggy or unresponsive. We also got very thorough coverage on cardiac issues to go with the CPR training we received on Day 2.

On our way up into the hills for our night scenario.

I think my favorite part of this course was the second night session. This was a night scenario out in the Marin Headlands. I can’t give away details on this one, but I will say that it had to be dark before we started. We were told to bring only what we would take on a day hike under the forecast conditions. Fortunately (or unfortunately depending on how you look at it), the weather was absolutely gorgeous.

Beautiful sunset over the Pacific Ocean. The calm before the night scenario storm…

It was clear and we saw a beautiful sunset, then the lights of San Francisco after dark. None of us knew what to expect. Once the scenario was underway it was wild. I would recommend the course just to do the night scenario. I learned so much about being prepared and how to manage an evolving crisis. That’s all I’ll say about it other than brought the class together in our common experiences that night. Those of us staying at the hostel enjoyed hot chocolate and each other’s company when we returned to the hostel that night.

One really important part of the course wasn’t actually anything to do with the “nuts and bolts” of how to care for a patient. Instead, it was how to be a good partner in care for a patient. The patient in the back country is totally dependent on the person caring for him or her. Sometimes this can be a period of days. That’s what really distinguishes wilderness emergency care from urban emergency care. Being a supportive and considerate caregiver was stressed, no matter how dire or unpleasant the situation. The patient will need to urinate or defecate, they may vomit. They won’t like it any better than you. But they need your help. Once the responsibility is accepted it should be carried out with compassion. What is said around the patient should be mindful, including unresponsive patients. We talked about the fact that some unresponsive patients can hear and remember what is said around them. Most importantly, no complaining. The injured patient already feels bad enough. Being made to feel like a burden is not something that needs to be added to that. Dave also continually stressed the concept of slow down to go fast. Hurrying for hurrying sake leads to mistakes and tragedies. In the wilderness there is time.

So, that’s my story of becoming a certified WFR. Emily is also a WFR! I recommend this class for anyone who spends time in the backcountry. It is a big chuck of time and a little expensive but well worth both the time and dollars. You may save a life.

Terri, Leo, and Eileen’s Excellent Indian Creek Adventure

Posted on May 4, 2013 by rockmaven56

Ahhh, Indian Creek. Where do I begin? When I started climbing outdoors in late 2008 I read everything I could about where to go climbing. I live near Sacramento, California and we are lucky to have many day trip destinations. Lake Tahoe, the Sierra foothills, the San Francisco Bay area, even Yosemite. Easy weekend trips can be made to Yosemite or the Eastside of the Sierra. I actually made a day trip to Lee Vining to ice climb this winter! Longer weekend trips include Joshua Tree, the High Desert, Smith Rock in Oregon. The list goes on. But it wasn’t long before I began to look afar. I discovered Indian Creek in Utah pretty quickly. It stuck firmly in my psyche. The photos grabbed me. I wanted to climb there. The question was… when would I be ready. Even at the naive beginning of my outdoor climbing it was not lost on me that climbing in “The Creek” would be difficult. So, over the last several years I focused on developing crack climbing skills. I moved up the grades outdoors. Last season I followed some 5.9 and 5.10a crack climbs and have top roped up to 5.10d face climbs. I’ve lead a little here and there. I’ve been to Joshua Tree enough times to figure out the minimum skills needed to crack climb. One of my early partners, Jason, donated an entire trip to Joshua Tree to helping me learn to crack climb, bless his heart!

Me doing laps on
Double Cross/Joshua Tree
Photo Credit:
Sean Barry 2011

But I wasn’t sure when the opportunity to head to Indian Creek would materialize and if I would be even remotely ready to climb there when it did.Then one day this last February, a discussion began on Twitter about an Indian Creek trip. Suddenly it seemed possible. When my main outdoor partner, Leo (@LeoDClimber), said he could go this spring it became inevitable – we would go! Was I ready? I wasn’t sure. He wasn’t sure he was ready (I knew otherwise, he was ready!). So, we spent several sessions at local climbing gyms (Planet Granite SF and Granite Arch in Rancho Cordova) known for their awesome cracks to convince ourselves we could make it off the ground (in my case) and lead climbs (in Leo’s case). We planned the trip. The cracks at Indian Creek are long and often the same size. So, many cams of the same size are needed. We borrowed cams from all our friends – we needed 12 #2 Black Diamond Camalots alone. We would drive there in one day. Climb four days. Drive back over two days. Happily, my friend Eileen (@rockgrrl, coordinator of #JTreeTweetup) was able to join us. She flew into Sacramento from Southern California and drove with us. My friend Haley (@climbliftrunmom) came from Salt Lake for the weekend with her friend Matt (@provotrout). Haley and I had conversed quite a bit by Twitter and Skype but we would meet in real life (IRL) for the first time in Indian Creek. That was exciting! Our friend Luke (@lstefurak) was already in Indian Creek. Good thing too because we ended up crashing his campsite in the Creek Pasture Campgrounds when we couldn’t find an open site at 11pm the night we arrived. Big, big thank you to Luke! It was suddenly a mini-tweeup!

So, after driving 15+ hours on Wednesday Leo, Eileen and I were settled into our sleeping bags around midnight. We had decided during the drive that we would head to a climb called Bunny Slope for our very first Indian Creek (IC) climb. Sweet dreams! The next morning the weather was glorious. We sort of slept in but it was chilly anyway so no worries there. We met all the people staying in Luke’s campsite. What a great group. Lots of activity and talk about all the climbs people planned to do.

It was just the three of us heading to Bunny Slope 5.9+ (160’) on Critic’s Choice Wall. This was the climb that required the 12 #2 BD Camalots. We also would need to tie our two 70m ropes together to top rope it. Quite an introduction! So, off we went. Leo and I have gotten much better at finding climbs and Eileen had been to IC once before so we found the parking area with out to much trouble. We spotted the climb immediately and found the trail. The question to myself, “I wonder how you get up to those climbs…” was answered. The trails are steep and, in most cases, long. But the trails are also well maintained and marked with cairns. Thank you to Friends of Indian Creek!

Critic's Choice Wall. Bunny Slope is just to the right of the dark vertical line on the far left side of the wall.

Critic’s Choice Wall
Bunny Slope is just to the right of the dark vertical line on the left side of the wall.
Photo: Terrell Barry 2013

So soon we were at the base of the climb. Leo was racked up and ready to lead his first IC climb. About 25 feet into the climb he remarked that he hoped the #2 size section happened soon since he hadn’t brought much else. I read the guide book beta to him and sure enough, he hit the first #2 placement just where it said he would (several of the other descriptions in the guide book would not be so accurate…). It was clear this climb was both long and hard work. I don’t often hear him breathing hard when he leads. But he finished it in great style.

Leo on his first Indian Creek lead.
Bunny Slope 5.9
Photo Credit:
Terrell Barry 2013

Next it was my turn. The moment of truth had come. Could I even get off the ground, let alone get to the top… The start was hard – that seems to be the case on many of the IC climbs. I was thinking that I would, indeed, not make it off ground. Then I managed to make a few moves off the deck (Leo may have helped me there a bit…). I gathered myself up onto the first small ledge and got ready for the rest of the climb. I’m not sure how many takes I required. I lost count. But I made slow, steady progress. The jams got a little better as I went but the difficulty did not let up. It looks like the steepness of the route eases up as it approached the anchors but it was only an optical illusion! And at the very top there is a pretty wild set of moves. Fun but unexpected. I won’t give it away tho! Eileen saw a side of me she had not seen before but Leo knows well. That’s the “Terri climbing at her limit, lots of noise, foul language” side of me. Yeah, I did a lot of that this trip. But guess what, I made it to the top! And, I liked it! Next was Eileen’s turn on Bunny Slope and she did a great job. She followed it cleanly. I watched her technique, trying to learn tips for the next climb.

That speck on the wall is me top roping Bunny Slope
Leo belaying me.
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

Me on Elephant Ear 5.10+
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

Our first climb of the trip was under our belt. The other climbs on the Critic’s Wall were more difficult than we wanted to tackle the first day. So, we headed back to the car and off to Donnelly Canyon. It was late in the day and the hike is short to Donnelly Canyon from the parking area. We had hoped to get on Binou’s Crack 5.9 but a group was already on it. So, we chose Elephant Ear 5.10+ (120ft) instead. Leo made quick work of it. I think he hit his stride right away on the first day! I watched Eileen climb it, noting that she said it was indeed “funky hands” as the guide book said. I had less trouble with this climb, but yes, it was funky. I didn’t climb it clean but I did climb sections of it well (no clean climbs this trip but that’s ok!).

The last climb of the day was Chocolate Corner 5.9 (60’). Leo led it and left the gear in so Eileen could pink pointed her first IC lead. She looked very solid!

Eileen leading
Chocolate Corner 5.9
Photo Credit:
Terrell Barry 2013

When it was my turn, I thought, hey, it’s 5.9 – easier grade and shorter than the other two climbs we did today. What could go wrong… I needed to clean the anchors. I had to make it to the top. It was getting dark. The climb is a somewhat tight corner. My left leg didn’t want to bend the way it needed to in order to have a solid foot jam. The hand jams were not solid for me. I struggled, I cried, I swore, I had a mini asthma attack. At one point I wasn’t sure I could make it to the top. But I did. It wasn’t pretty. As he always is, Leo was very patient on belay. It had been a very long time since I struggled that much on a climb. I am still angry at myself for crying and subjecting my partners to that. I certainly learned more new lessons. Personal growth, personal growth. Never to old for personal growth. As a reward to all of us for a day of great climbs and hard work, we treated ourselves to dinner in Moab that night. Pizza & beer. Yay. Back to camp at midnight… Boo.

The view from Super Crack Buttress. Not a bad place to spend the day!
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

Our plan for the next day was to hang out at Super Crack Buttress. Leo had his eye on The Incredible Hand Crack 5.10 (100’) as the first climb of the day. It is billed as perhaps the most climbed route in IC. But when we got there it was open! So, Leo, the leading machine, jumped on it. With just a little trouble at the overhanging roof section, he made it to the anchors. It was fun to watch. I have no idea what it feels like to climb like that but it looks very fun. Great job!

Leo leads
Incredible Hand Crack 5.10
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

I had predetermined that I would not attempt the roof section if Incredible Hand Crack. Instead, I aimed at making it to the ledge just below where the roof starts. The route start out as an off-width and it’s slick from being climbed so much. I was worried again that I actually wouldn’t make it off the ground. But eventually I made it to the first ledge. It was surprisingly difficult to get up on the first ledge. I used a right knee jam and grunted up onto the ledge. The crack was still a little wide moving from the first to the second ledge. But then, there I was on the second ledge! After that there is a vertical section on this climb that is the perfect size for me. It turns out the perfect size for me is #2 Camalot, not #1 as I had thought. Perfect hand jams, perfect foot jams. I actually climbed probably 10 moves without doing a take! All the way to my predetermined goal. I was happy! Eileen was last and “had to make it to the top” to clean the anchors. It was hard work, but she did a phenomenal job and didn’t swear at all… hmmm. I need to be more like her!

That’s me climbing Incredible Hand Crack 5.10
Photo Credit:
Leo Ramirez 2013

Next Leo headed to Super Crack 5.10 (100’). This climb was perfect for him. He was like a sewing machine, boom, boom, boom, one move after another. And then he was finished. It was beautiful.

Leo cruising his lead of
Super Crack 5.10
Photo Credit:
Eileen Decallar Ringwald Photography 2013

I don’t normally sit climbs out. But, no, I didn’t need to climb Super Crack this trip. It takes 5 #3 Camalots. That’s big. Not off-width but too big for me right now. I would surely have been finished for the day and wasted a lot of climbing time in the process. Eileen gave it a go and she did a great job. The little roof in the photo is harder than it looks. She worked the moves to get over it. She also kept repeating that the crack was big. I think half her arm disappeared into the crack!

Eileen working Super Crack 5.10
Photo Credit:
Terrell Barry 2013

I saved my energy for Twin Cracks 5.9 (60’). Again, I thought, it’s short and 5.9, it looks doable. I should be able to handle this, maybe I’ll get it clean. Well, I struggled again. No crying this time but there were some choice words. Man, I had to work really hard just to make it to the top. More crack climbing lessons learned!

Me on Twin Cracks 5.9
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

Leo finished the day up on No Name Crack 5.10 (120’). Neither Eileen nor I climbed it, and that was ok with us! It was in the sun and it looked really hard. But the route is beautiful. Next time!

Leo leading No Name Crack 5.10
Photo Credit:
Terrell Barry 2013

We went directly back to camp at the end of the day and enjoyed relaxing with Luke and his friends. We had a nice campfire, stayed up too late having fun visiting, and just as we were turning in for the night Haley and Matt arrived from Salt Lake. Haley and I hugged our IRL hug and then off to bed for all of us. Yeah! On Saturday, the late night and chilly morning led to us getting a little later start than we planned.

On our way to Selfish Wall
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

We ultimately decided to head to Selfish Wall. Haley knew the way so we saved some time finding our way. This is one of the steeper hikes. Not as long as the hike to Critic’s Choice Wall but every bit as steep. However, the hike is totally worth it. I had hoped to lead Hand Solo 5.9 (30’) but after my experience the first two days I thought it was safer to follow first, then decide. I’m glad I did. I wasn’t ready to lead in IC this trip. I enjoyed Hand Solo and climbed it well but I still came off more than once. My hand and foot jams were getting better by the day. However, I wasn’t solid enough on any climb to consider leading. Next time!

Finally starting to adjust to Indian Creek.
Me on Hand Solo 5.9
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

Everyone in our group climbed Hand Solo. Eileen and Haley led it. It was Eileen’s first on-site lead at Indian Creek!

Haley leads Hand Solo 5.9 while Matt belays
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

Leo leads The Duo 5.11- on the left while Eileen leads Hand Solo 5.9 on the right
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

Leo’s next lead was The Duo 5.10 (50’). As he was climbing he said it was really fun and I had to try it. So, I made it my second climb on Selfish Wall. I did pretty well on this climb. The start is very wide but I did it as a layback, per Eileen’s suggestion. There is a section of traverse in the middle that was scary because a swing would be big and into the left facing edge. But the top of the climb once again was the perfect size for me. That #2 Camalot. I truly enjoyed that part of the climb, even the bulge that was challenging to get over. Solid hand and foot jams. Progress! I belayed Matt as he climbed The Duo. While we were climbing, Leo was leading A Breakfast Social 5.10 (40’). This route would be my last climb of the day. Leo said he thought I would like it. He knows my climbing style well! The guidebook says “ramping fingers in a right-facing dihedral with features.” I loved this climb. It made the trip for me. Much of it was finger jams rather than hand jams but there were steming opportunities for the feet. I came off only once. And I felt pretty solid. Perfect end to the day! I had made a pact with myself that I would not talk to myself while I climbed A Breakfast Social, but I was woefully unsuccessful. Haley laughed and said it was like a narrated climb. So, I didn’t feel so bad about it!

Leo’s last climb of the day was the hardest climb of the trip, Solo East 5.11 (55’). A finger crack . This was a climb that the guidebook did not deliver on in the way of beta. I was belaying and about half way up Leo remarked that he was out of gear that was small enough. He decided to back-clean and continue. He worked really hard and did an awesome job. But, eventually, he took his very first whipper, which meant I caught my very first whipper. Needless to say, it was “exciting” for both of us. After injury assessment he called down that he was ok. Being the awesome climber he is, he continued and finished the climb.Then both Haley and Eileen followed it! That was impressive.

Eileen following Solo East 5.11
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

The crew heading up to Way Rambo for our last day of climbing
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

Our last climbing day was Sunday. We selected Way Rambo to end our trip. We had hoped to get on Blue Sun 5.10- (65’) but when we arrived a large group was already climbing the routes on that section of the wall. So we moved around the corner and waited in line for Rochambeau 5.9 (75’). The guide book says “a little bit of everything” and it was right. Leo made quick work of the route, it was more of a warm-up for him. Then Haley followed. I climbed it next on what I knew was my last climb in IC. It is not completely a crack route. There are holds outside the crack. The moves are interesting. The balance is delicate. The route is really a series of small roofs and it gets more overhung as you reach the top. I really liked it and I only came off once. That was a perfect end to the climbing trip for me! I certainly ended the trip a much better crack climber than when I arrived.

Leo leads Rochambeau 5.9
with me on belay
Photo Credit:
Eileen Descallar Ringwald Photography 2013

Leo, Eileen, and Haley were not finished however. Eileen climbed Rochambeau then all three gave Fuzz 5.10 (115’) a go. It was Leo’s last lead and it was fun to watch. The start was very awkward and bouldery. Then it transitioned to an increasingly vertical to slightly overhanging crack. I wished I had the energy and skill to climb Fuzz that day. Eileen cleaned the route. This route takes some big gear – 4 #3’s, 3 “3.5’s and a 4. So, it was not ideal size for Eileen. But she worked it and made it to the top.

Eileen doing the bouldery start to The Fuzz
Photo Credit:
Terrell Barry 2013

Eileen at the top of The Fuzz
Photo Credit: Terrell Barry 2013

So, our climbing in IC was over. What a great trip! We hiked back to the car and headed to camp to pack up. Haley and Matt were off to the Salt Lake area.

Happy Crew!
Left to Right: Matt, Haley, Me, Eileen, Leo

We headed west, making a quick stop in Arches NP where Eileen got this awesome photo of lightening.

Then we traveled on to a small town in western Utah for the night. On our drive home we took Hwy 50 – The Loneliest Road in America. It was a great drive.

Somewhere in Nevada…

So, it turned out I could make if off the ground in Indian Creek. I struggled quite a bit but I learned a lot and actually did enjoy all the climbs… except for Chocolate Corner. Indian Creek is certainly a harsh environment. It was windy, dusty, and hot. The hikes to most of the climbs are strenuous. And the climbing is strenuous. But it is worth every moment of effort. I would return in a heartbeat. And I continue to feel so fortunate and lucky to have my climbing friends!

Click the text for my Indian Creek photo album

Lee Vining Canyon Ice Climbing: Even More Lessons Learned and Fun Had

Posted on February 11, 2013 by rockmaven56

My second ice climbing outing of 2013 was a marathon day trip to Lee Vining with a friend of mine from Pipeworks Climbing Gym. Larry has been ice climbing for the better part of 35 years. I knew he was an ice climber and had talked to him about the long trips he makes to New England, Canada, and Colorado several times every winter. He and my friend Lewis climbed Yellow Brick Road WI3+ on Drug Dome when Hwy 120 was open in December 2011, a rare opportunity. In January I overheard Larry talking at the gym about not being able to find local ice climbing partners. I totally stuck my nose in the conversation and told him I would go anytime. Last week he invited me for a day trip to Lee Vining. He started the conversation with: “We would have to leave from Sacramento at 3am but a day trip to Lee Vining is doable. We’ll climb the 2 pitch center line on the Main Wall.” I was definitely game. That meant only the cost of gas and not being gone from my family for more than a day. Yes, I would get up at 2am, no problem. Alpine start – from my house.

I carefully pack my backpack, employing all those clothing and food lessons I learned at Coldstream Canyon. Once again, I put all my climbing and belay clothes in waterproof sacks – that would turn out to be a very important choice. I took equipment inventory three times the night before and placed everything except my backpack in my car. I was to be in bed at 9pm. I ran marathons for 12 years and found that I rarely slept well the night before the 4:00am alarm. This night was very similar. Luckily, I had also employed the “get a good night sleep the night before the night before the marathon.” When the alarm when off at 2:00am I was out of bed with no trouble. Tea and hot water made, I was on the road to Larry’s house by 2:30.

We took little time to transfer my gear. Time was ticking and there were chain controls in the mountains so the drive would take longer than the usual 4 hours. Unfortunately, my hiking poles were deep in the back of my trunk and in my haste I didn’t notice I left them. That was a mistake I would pay for later. Although it was a little slow going where chain controls were in effect, the drive was uneventful and we were at the PGE power station and ready to hike by 8am. It was 22 degrees. There was only one car in the parking lot, a good sign. Larry loaned me one of his hiking poles since I managed to leave mine back in Sacramento. I felt pretty stupid about it but was not too proud to take a pole!

The PGE Powerhouse at the trailhead.

We elected not to wear snowshoes and also not to put our crampons on even though there were clear crampon tracks from the party ahead of us. The snow was very firm and frozen, the footing was treacherous. I should have stopped to put my crampons on but I figured it would get better – it didn’t. We had to cross a stream and both the snow and the rocks were icy and slippery. Larry deftly crossed, much more experienced in ice climb approaches than me. Not only should I have had my crampons on, I needed two hiking pole and I only had one. I lost my balance and my heavy backpack caused me to fall backwards into the stream. My right leg and arm were immersed. I felt a little bit of water go down my pants under my backpack, the bottom of which was clearly under water. Worst yet, I couldn’t get up. I was like a turtle on its back. Larry rushed back and helped me up. Time to assess the damage… Interestingly, I didn’t seem to be that wet. Of course, my jacket and glove instantly froze but my hands and feet weren’t numb. So, we decided to hike on. I can be a trooper and Larry got to see that part in action. We could turn around if I needed to. I didn’t feel so stupid after Larry told me about all the ice climbing stream spills he and his partners have taken over the years.

Early in the hike. Beautiful scenery!

Highway 120 covered with new snowfall as viewed from Lee Vining Canyon.

We pressed on to the climbing area. As we gained elevation the snow field got steeper and the snow even more firm. I had trouble with the footing and endeavored not to look back at how far I would slide if I slipped. In fact, slipping was not an option. I kicked little stairs into the snow. It was taking way to long. Larry went ahead, dropped his pack off and came back for mine. Traveling without the backpack was easier but the footing was no more secure. I had taken my frozen glove off for a moment and then couldn’t get it back on. That was great. I slipped my hand into it as far as I could and hiked on. I was very happy to be at the base of the climb and decided that my crampons would be on for the hike out.

Lee Vining Canyon finally in view. The snow field is much steeper than it appears here.

I quickly changed my clothes. It was very fortunate that I had used the waterproof bags because the inside of my pack was very wet. On my harness my PAS was frozen into a bizarre sculpture and my crampon bag had a solid block of ice frozen over the top. I had to blow warm air on the zipper to get my crampons out. And, yes, my butt was wet… but I still seemed to be warm enough so time to climb. I looked up at the Main Wall, and took a big gulp. Don’t panic, don’t panic. It was huge. Just about a full 70m to the top. Larry would lead it in one 70 m pitch. I would follow. He would lower me, I’d tie the second 70m rope to the first and he would haul it up. Then he would rappel off. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this…

Larry testing out the ice at the base of the Main Wall. Looking up was daunting for me…

Larry climbed with precision. He took his time. He only place 7 ice screws in 70m. It was very impressive. I didn’t take any photos while he led, better to focus on the belay. Although later he remarked it would have been fun to have a few photos. Next time! He called that I was on belay. Ok, here we go. I started to climb. I felt solid. The climb is WI4 but there were good rest spots. The climb required some route finding but that made it interesting. I had little trouble finding tool or foot placements. I realized that I was having a great time and doing a pretty good job! I remembered all the techniques I had learned. I forced myself to rest and shake out, 70 m later I was at the top. That was the longest continuous ice climb I have ever done! Larry said he was impressed at how fast he had to take the rope in. It turned out that the guide I took my ice climbing class from, Ian, was in the canyon with clients. They were in a position to watch us climb. When I finished the climb one of the clients remarked that I rocked it. That definitely made my day. I told him that I had learned from the best and he should pay attention to what Ian told him!

The bridge of my nose took home a souvenir of the day.

Larry rappelling. Two other parties on the Main Wall.

Larry rappelled down as a light snowfall began. It was beautiful. We thought about doing a lap on top rope but it was getting late. Between the hike out and drive home it would be 10pm before I was home. So, I pulled the ropes, we packed up and headed to the car. I left my crampons on and used both poles to cross the creek.

Gorgeous view on the way out too. I love the Eastside.

.
Aspens asleep for the winter.

A great end to another landmark day for me. Sometimes I can’t believe I have the opportunity to do these amazing things. I would have never guessed even a few years ago any of this would happen. I am so grateful to have the company of all my wonderful climbing partners. More lessons learned and fun had!

Ice Climbing at Coldstream Canyon: Lessons Learned and Fun Had

Posted on February 4, 2013 by rockmaven56

I had the pleasure of attending the 2013 American Alpine Club (AAC) Sierra Nevada Section (SNS) outing to Coldstream Canyon for ice climbing the weekend of January 25. This has been an annual AAC trip for some time but this was the first time for me to attend. I was apprehensive about attending without a partner for several reasons: I’m relatively new to ice climbing, I had only snow-shoed once and that was in a 5k race, I hadn’t met many of the attendees and didn’t know anyone well except for Karen, who is the current Section Chair. But my friend, Lewis (past Section Chair!), said I should give it a go and I’m really glad I took his advice. Karen is fond of pointing out that “it takes a village” to get things done and this outing was a perfect example of that adage. Like other AAC outings I have attended, it was a remarkable group of people.

The climbing area in Coldstream Canyon is 6+ miles from the parking area. The adventure to the climbs begins with the snowshoe hike (or skiing) to the Lost Trail Lodge, 4 miles from the parking area. Lost Trail Lodge is off the grid and snowbound during the winter. A beautiful place to forget the stuff that isn’t really important. At the lodge about 32 people eventually assembled for the weekend. But first many of us met at 1 pm on Friday at the parking area to help with the task of loading the group supplies for the weekend onto the snowmobile sled. This was followed a few miles down the trail later with helping transport the loads across the double railroad tracks to the snowcat that would take the supplies to the lodge.

My fellow climbers ahead on the hike to Lost Trail Lodge, several hauling sleds of equipment.

Listening for trains and moving supplies

It was fun to help with the process of supporting our outing. We were responsible for transporting all of our own personal and climbing gear on foot but, thankfully, the food and drink were on the snowcat.

Lost Trail Lodge

That night we had a pizza and salad dinner prepared by Karen and others from the group. Karen kept us all well fed that night and the next two mornings. I woke at 5:30 Saturday morning to the smell of coffee, pancakes and bacon. I tried to do my part by doing dishes. Feeding that many of us looked to be a daunting task and I am grateful and amazed at how seamlessly Karen pulled it off.

I planned to leave with the early Saturday morning to help with the group climbing equipment transport. I brought my 70m rope which was needed for the longer climbs and I didn’t want anyone else burdened with the task of carrying it along with the other group climbing equipment. We headed out at 7am for the 2.5 mi hike to the climbs, and I was barely able to keep up with Ridell who was on snowshoes hauling a heavy sled full of climbing gear! My job was to keep the sled from falling into the stream at crossings.

My first view of the Coldstream Canyon Cliffs and climbs. Notice the grey weather.

I found out when we reached the climbing area that I knew next to nothing about how to manage clothing when the hike to the ice climbs is strenuous. The places I had been last year were nothing like this place. The approaches to those places were either downhill or easy. The hike to the Coldstream Canyon climbs includes a 1000ft elevation gain. When I took off my goretex shell I found my synthetic nano puff jacket was soaking wet. I could have wrung sweat out of it! Not a good start to the day that was overcast, damp, and breezy. I dug out of my pack my remaining layers, dressed up and hoped for the best. I would spend the rest of the day working to stay warm with my feet and hands alternating who was more frozen. Luckily, I took notes from Kristen about dressing very light for the hike and having a full set of dry clothing in my pack for a waist up change upon arrival. The ideal being literally to strip to the athletic bra, towel off and get dry clothes on. I would implement that plan the next day. That would do me no good on Saturday however…

In addition to my clothing fail, I discovered I forgot my thermal cup at the lodge and I couldn’t find my tea. So, I resorted, for the first time in my life, to drinking hot water. In graduate school, fellow students from China frequently drank hot water. I always thought I wouldn’t like it but it was satisfying in the cold. The next mistake I discovered was not bringing enough food. Geesh, how many mistakes could I make in one day? I carefully rationed what I had brought with me, and I’m sure that contributed to the argument between my hands and feet over who was the most frozen. One thing that did help everyone was the tent that Ellen brought to shelter us from the wind. First you dig a pit with a “table” in the middle, then set up the tent. It was somewhat warm in the tent, thankfully!

Our tent kindly provided by Ellen

But, now, back to ice climbing. Upon arrival the group of climbers who planned to set up top ropes sprang into action. The temperatures were warm for ice climbing so the ice was not in the best condition. We ended up with only two top ropes and probably 20 or so climbers. I was so appreciative of the guys that set up the top ropes. It was not an easy task and none of us could have climbed without their dedication to the group. It was a hazardous job. One climb at the anchors had a lot of running water underneath the ice that got several of guys setting up the climb pretty wet. Fred was assisting the setup at the bottom of the same climb. Suddenly, he fell into a hole and all we could see was the top of his helmet. Then just as suddenly, he had his legs out of the hole and was belly flopping right back onto the snow. Although I know it was not easy to get out of the hole, Fred’s experience in snow really showed at that moment. Lesson learned: snow at the base of climbs can be unstable, know how to get yourself out!

First climb. Pretty soft ice in warm and damp conditions.

I have to admit, on Saturday I pondered why I wanted to ice climb. The conditions are harsh and unforgiving, the physical demands are very high, and mistakes can be paid for dearly. But with my brand new BD Cobras in hand, I finally got on a climb at about 2:30pm. But by then the ice was soft and slushy. I had climbed soft ice before but this ice sunk downward under my crampons. And big pieces of ice were detaching under my tools. I had a very solid belay from Rand but it wasn’t enough to make up for my fear of just how much ice might come off as I climbed. After 30 ft I called for a take and came down. Other people climbed after me and made it past where I was but I just didn’t have the skill and experience to deal with the ice conditions. However, I love my tools, as I knew I would!

The hike back to the lodge was a bit of a slog, even though it was downhill. I think the quick pace on the way out that morning set up my day to be difficult. I spent the entire 2.5 miles back thinking about clothing management, how I wanted a pair of down pants, and whether I would be able to handle the next day hiking out to the climb, climbing and then hiking to the car to go home. That would be a total of 9 miles of hiking and several ice climbing routes. I considered staying at the lodge while Fred (my carpool buddy) climbed.

That night we had a dinner catered by a Nepalese couple from Reno. The food was out of this world. I started to feel recharged after a good meal and great conversation. We talked about climbing as a metaphor for life, and great classes and trips we had taken, After dinner I decided to pack my bag for the next day. I used everything I learned from my missteps the day before. I had my stove again but this time I also had my thermal cup and tea! And plenty of food I would force myself to eat. As Kristen advised me, everything I planned to wear from the waist up to climb in, including an extra hat, was put in a waterproof bag. I decided my pants would just have to be a little damp, they had dried pretty fast the day before and I didn’t want to deal with taking off my gaiters and boots. I would endeavor to start my snowshoe hike just a little cold. So I laid out my light weight long sleeve shirt for the hike. I was in bed by 9pm. I missed most of the bluegrass band performance held in the grand room downstairs but I was just too tired to stay up!

My alarm went off at 5:40am and by 6:00 I was down in the kitchen where, once again, Karen had hot coffee and breakfast going. A smaller group of climbers was heading out early to set up top ropes. And they were taking my 70 m rope with them so I didn’t have to carry it this time! I planned to go out with the next group just a little later. After hearty breakfast of French toast & sausage I was ready to head out. Karen, bless her heart, encouraged me to go when I was ready rather than waiting for the next party. It had snowed the night before so following the tracks from the first party would be pretty straightforward. And the trail was marked with flags. So, I took my first solo winter hike! Thank you Karen! It was beautiful and inspiring. The temperature was colder than the previous day but there was no wind. I traveled at my own pace, which turned out to be still a pretty good clip. I took photos along the way and arrived ready to climb.

New snow on the hike

Same place, next day. What a difference a day makes!

The first task when I arrived was to get all those dry clothes on. I was amazed at the difference it made compared to the day before. I was instantly comfortable and my hands and feet didn’t go numb at all Sunday even though it was quite a bit colder than Saturday. My first climb was on the same line I attempted Saturday. This time the ice conditions were much better and I climbed it with very little trouble. I remembered why I love to ice climb! Ridell and crew were setting up an awesome but intimidating climb off to the left of the main area.

Ridell ready to rappel down from the top of the cliff.

I then watched Ridell float up this climb, traveling to the right on the top third of the route. I watched several other climbers on the route too.

Ridell on the climb

I made a cup of tea, had a snack and decided that I would give that climb a go. I mean, I’d be on top rope so I needed to at least try it! It was very steep, depending on the season it is rated WI4+/WI5. The consensus this season was that it was on the more difficult side. But before I talk about the climb I will digress into a side story about Ridell pointed out to me that the buckles of the crampons and gaiters should be on the outside to avoid kicking the buckles while climbing. Then I check and saw I had both the gaiters and the crampons the wrong sides! Yes, I climbed the first route of the day with my crampons on the wrong feet. I can still be quite the newbie sometimes… So, finally, with gaiters and crampons properly place, I tied in and looked up at the 150ft+ practically dead vertical climb thinking, “Well, this is it!” Somehow I got into a rhythm as I climbed. I also responded to the “stem your feet!” reminder yelled from below. The ice was better than I expected and there were sections of chandelier ice to hang the tools securely rather than swing into the ice so I was able to rest on the go. I confess I love chandelier ice. Suddenly I was at my potential stopping point about two thirds of the way up. The anchor placement was set in a way that traveling to the right was off anchor. I weighed my options. I was too apprehensive of a pendulum single with sharp things in my hands and on my feet to continue. The ice on the left, straight under the anchor, looked really difficult. I probably should have tried to left but that will have to wait for next year! I am so happy with the climbing on this route that I did do that “what-if’s” don’t matter.

Me getting started on the steep stuff.

That’s me! About 10 ft below where I stopped.

Climbing for the day was done, time to hike to the lodge then out to the car. Fred and I set a good pace to the Lodge.

Me still smiling on the hike to the lodge. The Coldstream Canyon climbs are visible behind me.

There we had a cup of hot coffee made by Joachim and a quick snack. Backpacks packed we headed out around 2:30 pm. The railroad tracks are the one real hazard on the hike to and from the lodge. We listened carefully as we prepared to cross. But it was more feeling than hearing a downhill freight train coming. Sure enough, suddenly, there it was. Once it was past we listened for an uphill train, didn’t hear one and crossed. But not 2 minutes later, after we crossed, there was an uphill freight train! Fred said he had never seen two trains so close.

Here comes the freight train. Glad we waited!

We made it to the car just before 6 pm and never needed our headlamps. I was home by 8:30 pm. Ending a great weekend full of new skills learned and with a wonderful group.

rockmaven56

The mountains are calling

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