Lovinworth

I managed to make it out to Leavenworth for two days last weekend, and it was incredible. The temps have finally started to drop, the weather was bluebird, and the changing leaves on the hillsides formed a gorgeous pastiche of red, yellow, and green. I didn't manage to take that many pics, but I got a few of Johnny, Joel, and SchickD, and I at the 420 Boulder in the Icicle. Not much else of note occured during the weekend, except that Johnny got the second ascent of Joel Campbell's Angelina Jolie, and Joel snagged the first ascent of the Africa Project at the Labyrinth, followed shortly thereafter by Johnny. James and Ryan were out on Saturday, which always makes for some good fun. I tried the Practitioner a bit but I think I'm going to start calling it the Practushioner because it kicks my ass every time. Joel Zerr was on loan from Reno for the weekend again and crushed some gnar, including sends of The Coffee Cup and From Russia With Love. Hopefully he'll follow through on his plan to move back to Washington...

I hope to make it outside for two days again this weekend, but it seems equally likely that I'll just climb one day. Law school has started to get a bit rediculous, and the hours I spend away from school each day seem to have dwindled permanently into the sinlge digits. I have re-discovered climbing at the UW Rock, however, which has been a great stress reliever. Hopefully the Seattle rains will hold off for a few more weeks so I can continue to enjoy the sunny concrete climbing by Lake Washington...

Joel and Ivy are psyched

Joel on a new slab problem at the 420 Boulder

The Meadow

Two Old Videos

I'm feeling a little bored studying so I'll post a couple of old videos here. The first is me on the FA of Right Angles in the JY Boulders in Leavenworth, and the second is the FA of King Kong at the same area. I can't wait to go climbing...

Oktoberfest

Even though the last weekend was Oktoberfest, Cortney and I decided to join the masses travelling over the mountains. We camped on Saturday night and then climbed at Mountain Home the following morning with Joel, Michelle, Jeanna, Blue, and Leah. The weather was incredible and everyone was in high spirits. Cortney climbed quite well, sending The Barn Door and Andy's Arete, on her first try of the day. I had a good time repeating many of the wonderful climbs in the Pasture, and made a quick excursion down to the South Seas, where Joel and I climbed Desert of the Real, which is strangely listed as a project in the guidebook (what were they thinking??) It is a high slab with a tough start followed by enjoyable moves on gorgeous granite holds. Much credit goes to Joel for opening it on the day, although this one has to have been climbed by someone else before...

After our extended morning session we headed up the Icicle to climb at Forestland. We went straight to the Practitioner where I made a bit of progress but still flailed. I am making better linkage through the lower part, but the very last move remains super-hard for me and is going to take a seriously good day to stick on link. Fortunately, it's such a good climb that it's even fun to fall off of... over and over again.

Happy Monkeys

Jeanna tops out a warm-up in The Pasture

Cortney tops out The Barn Door

Michelle working on Darth Maul

The view from Mt. Home

The Practitioner

Cortney working on The Pony Ride

The Swiftwater Cave

Leavenworth Again

I headed out to Leavenworth again this past weekend with Cortney. We arrived on Friday evening and camped in the Icicle. Saturday was a gorgeous day with perfect fall weather. We started at the Fridge Boulder, where we met up with Jessica Campbell. I had fun warming up on the classic lines while Cortney worked on the center line and Jessica worked on the left line. I was psyched for Cortney to climb with a strong chica like Jessica instead of just listening to me spray beta all day...

Cortney on the Fridge Center

Jessica working the Fridge Left

After hanging out at the Fridge for a while, Jess went to work and Cortney and I went up to try an unclimbed dihedral on the same clean face as Kyle's line From Russia With Love. Johnny had come close to climbing this problem a couple weeks earlier, and I wanted to see how it felt to me after two years away from it. It still felt hard, though a little better. Maybe I could send this one with a bit more work. Johnny will probably send it first try on his next visit... it's a good thing I'm not competitive. Anyhow, our plan had been to come home on Saturday evening, but we felt the need for another night under the stars, so Cortney and I headed up to Mt. Home and camped for the evening. On Sunday, we climbed for an hour before starting the drive back over the mountains. I was feeling pretty frustrated on Sunday evening as I sat in the library trying to focus on the immense amount of reading I had, and I was playing catch-up until I stayed late to finish old assignments on Tuesday night. I'll finish all my work for Monday before I take off this weekend...

Me, in the role of amateur contortionist