Thursday, September 16, 2010
Sunday, September 12, 2010
A few more pics
The rest of the weekend followed similar suite. Sleep in a tent, go climbing, go slack lining, sleep in a tent. I'm pretty sure I could have done this for SEVERAL more days.
Here are some more pictures from the great weekend!
Hexar on his way down from what appears a great lead with someone else in the background.
Here's The Group! 
I look at this wall and wonder, how it's even possible to climb, it looks flat. It's possible! Maybe someday I'll do it cleanly (no falls!)
High Flying High Five!
That's me on the right, Nicole on the left. She beat me to the top.
Seattle Dreams Come True
Is the title a little dramatic? Perhaps, but it was a great Labor Day weekend. The first 3 things I packed for living in Seattle were my bike, rock climbing shoes, and tent. Up until just a few weeks ago, I had used my bike extensively (and continue to), but the tent and climbing shoes were rather lonely in the closet... until I met The Group.
For Labor Day weekend, The Group planned a 3 night camping and climbing trip to Skaha Bluffs near Penticton, British Columbia (that's in Canada!). After precisely 87 organizational emails, we were on the road for a 6 hour drive over the Cascade mountains and north into Canada.
Forty miles across the border and we neared our campsite. We drove right past all of the "sardine" campsites in the city, where everyone was packed like it was New York City, and on up into the hills. Our site put us twice as far from the rocks (an extra 12 min) but the extra space was completely worth it.
We settled in before sunset and headed out for dinner.
The next morning we headed out for a day of climbing. It was a quick and beautiful hike from the car to the base of the rocks, everyone with gear in tow.
Once we got to the rocks, there was a bit of confusion as to which routes to climb. For those interested in outdoor climbing, it is almost imperative to have a guide of the area you are climbing in. The guide has pictures of the routes along with the names (which can be entertaining), difficulty rating, and quality. Once again, see Kristina's Blog for more information on climbing terms.
We quickly got to climbing. Hexar, Michael, Abbie, and Kristina lead the way and strung a few ropes up for the group. We spent the next several hours going up and down the rocks... a beautiful day to spend outside.
After we were sufficiently fatigued from climbing, we headed to the nearby lake (where the sardine camping was located) for some slack lining, but not before "the guy with a blog" could snap a quick semi-group shot with his portable tripod.
Slack lining consists of a nylon strap (like on your backpack) loosely strung between two trees. Participants then balance (or attempt to in my case) on the "slack line" and walk back and forth. Like most things simple, it's very addicting, with each attempt I was able to stand a bit longer. Hexar, the slackline master could walk forwards and backwards and almost could spin around!
The Group pulled together and cranked out some taco's and guacamole for dinner. Sarah (on the right) cranked out the guac, Nicole (in the white hat), chopped everything while Hexar manned the burners. Kristina... well... cleaned up! Everyone was hungry and the meal tasted great! While probably not the best meal anyone had ever had, it hit the spot. Nicole said it right "everything tastes great camping".
Day one, complete. More to come!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
More Real Rock Climbering
The Group headed out again on Sunday for more climbing. This time to Exit 38, thus marking my 2nd time rock climbing. This time it was BETTER. I'm sure you might be thinking, how? We'll, the rocks had better grip and were taller! Much taller.
The wall that were climbed was about 100 feet tall, with routes that topped out at about 90 feet. Someone called my name after they finished lead climbing (thus the route was set up for top roping) indicating it was my turn. I started climbing, paused for a moment and was feeling pretty good. I continued for a bit longer until I realized I was getting a bit tired. I then looked down and noticed that I was really high up there. I then looked up and realized I had a LONG way to go!!! I wasn't even half way!
I continued to climb, saving my arm strength for as long as I could and taking "standing breaks", where your weight on your feet and your arms can rest. While you can always rest using the rope and harness, if you do that, to me the route doesn't count as a successful completion because you needed the rope to take a break.
I got within an few feet of the top, my arms were on fire, the rope anchor was in sight, and I had NO WHERE to put my feet. Knowing my arms would give way soon and being so close, I threw all "climbing technique" out the window. I called down to my belay-er Gwendolyn "I'm going for it!", giving her warning that I may be falling soon! There I stood, 85 feet off the ground. I looked up and JUMPED, leaping for the next hand hold hoping it would provide a decent grip because if it doesn't, I'm gonna fall (only a few feet because of Gwendolyn's killer belay skills). My hand made perfect contact with the next hold and stuck like duct tape to itself! I made a last effort to pull my weight up, reached out and slapped the top of the rope and then joyfully relaxed into my harness, 90 feet off the ground!!! Incredible!
The afternoon continued into the evening with several other climbs up and down this wall of rock. We hiked back to the cars in the dark and headed back into town, with the real world facing us the next morning!
Enjoy a few pictures!
Rockstar Kristina lead roping with green shirted Jere lead belaying. Look at all that gear (including helmet... safety first!)!
My first repel, thanks to the instructional help of Kristina. Yes, it was awesome.
Tony and Kristina working their way up the 90 foot wall!
A look down at the two belay-ers!
The base of the wall!
My view from a little over half way up. Sorry for the blur, my hands were a bit shaky
This coming weekend, The Group is heading up to Skaha, British Columbia - a sport climbing mecca - for a 3 day camping and climbing excursion! Once again, more pictures to come!
The wall that were climbed was about 100 feet tall, with routes that topped out at about 90 feet. Someone called my name after they finished lead climbing (thus the route was set up for top roping) indicating it was my turn. I started climbing, paused for a moment and was feeling pretty good. I continued for a bit longer until I realized I was getting a bit tired. I then looked down and noticed that I was really high up there. I then looked up and realized I had a LONG way to go!!! I wasn't even half way!
I continued to climb, saving my arm strength for as long as I could and taking "standing breaks", where your weight on your feet and your arms can rest. While you can always rest using the rope and harness, if you do that, to me the route doesn't count as a successful completion because you needed the rope to take a break.
I got within an few feet of the top, my arms were on fire, the rope anchor was in sight, and I had NO WHERE to put my feet. Knowing my arms would give way soon and being so close, I threw all "climbing technique" out the window. I called down to my belay-er Gwendolyn "I'm going for it!", giving her warning that I may be falling soon! There I stood, 85 feet off the ground. I looked up and JUMPED, leaping for the next hand hold hoping it would provide a decent grip because if it doesn't, I'm gonna fall (only a few feet because of Gwendolyn's killer belay skills). My hand made perfect contact with the next hold and stuck like duct tape to itself! I made a last effort to pull my weight up, reached out and slapped the top of the rope and then joyfully relaxed into my harness, 90 feet off the ground!!! Incredible!
The afternoon continued into the evening with several other climbs up and down this wall of rock. We hiked back to the cars in the dark and headed back into town, with the real world facing us the next morning!
Enjoy a few pictures!
Rockstar Kristina lead roping with green shirted Jere lead belaying. Look at all that gear (including helmet... safety first!)!
My first repel, thanks to the instructional help of Kristina. Yes, it was awesome.
Tony and Kristina working their way up the 90 foot wall!
A look down at the two belay-ers!
The base of the wall!
My view from a little over half way up. Sorry for the blur, my hands were a bit shaky
This coming weekend, The Group is heading up to Skaha, British Columbia - a sport climbing mecca - for a 3 day camping and climbing excursion! Once again, more pictures to come!
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