Fog

It was another decent weekend in Leavenworth, although it definitely feels like winter there even though the snow hasn't begun to fall. It gets dark in the canyons before five these days, and a thick cloud hung over the valley the entire weekend. We managed to get some climbing in on Saturday, then camped and had a decent day finding dry rock on Sunday. In the morning, we were up above the clouds, but unfortunately, all the boulders were in the clouds... Kyle the newlywed made it out on Sunday morning, and it was great to climb with him, as well as Joel, Michelle, and Cortney. Jens and SchickD even made an appearance in the afternoon. After hanging out at the Pony Ride for a while and watching Joel crush Johnny's problem on the Cotton Pony Pointer, we headed into the Tumwater Canyon to climb at the Pitless Avocado area. It was getting dark when we made it to the boulders, but we had plenty of people and plenty of pads. Kyle sent the burly low start to the Pitless Avocado for its second ascent, a problem that's off-limits to most of us because of the 6-foot dyno required... Jens and I worked on the stand start for a while and I managed to pull it off, which made my trip goal of one climb I hadn't done before. I was glad to climb the Pitless Avo in the traditional style, that is, at night... Kyle put the problem up in the dark, and most subsequent ascents I know of have been made by headlamp. With the loose, 25-foot top-out over logs and boulders, it's probably beneficial to have your vision limited to a small circle immediately in front of your face. We finished up with a group session on Slingblade, grabbed a burger, and headed back into the city. I've been completely swamped with school and thoughts about impending summer job applications this week, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to make it out again this weekend. I'm going to miss Leavenworth this winter...

Two views from the top 'o' the hill

Michelle coming super close on Slice of Cake

Joel Crushing on The Cotton Pony Pointer