jessbee

Yes, thanks for signing in just to shit on me. That's totally helpful at this point now. What happened to me could have happened to nearly any of us, and it was crap luck that got me this time. Hundreds of people file through that place each day with gear in their car and it's the luck of the draw who gets nailed. Now I could just stop climbing all together, strap myself to my couch and never travel with gear in my car if I wanted to reduce my risk to zero. Shit happens. You can't prevent it all. I was doing the best I knew how. When I took out my insurance policy I made it clear to the agent this was exactly the scenario I needed protection in. Why I ended up with a policy that is not covering me know, I don't know. And yes, NOW I know I need to find a new insurance agent and policy. Congratulations, you did a better job of getting appropriate insurance that replaced your skis. So I know it feels really smart to be the lucky guy sitting at home who hasn't suffered this way. I was that person not too long ago, thinking about what some poor whining sap online could have done to prevent their situation. Unfortunately, shit happens. And I'm trying to get my story out so people are a little more aware and more vigilant in protecting what's valuable to them. I can't afford to run out and replace all the gear that was taken. It will be years before that happens. So it's been a big hit to me and I feel like I need to talk about it.

I filed a police report, called my insurance company, set up a fraud alert on my credit file, and bitched to everyone I know. I had REI send me a report of everything I ever bought there so I can pick out the model/make/size of the things I know were stolen. About half of the gear came from REI, half from other places. I was able to estimate about $4100 of gear was stolen. Now, as for insurance, I was not aware that if your property is stolen from anywhere OUTSIDE your home, you can only recover 10% of the value--minus the deductible, of course. So that means the insurance company is looking at $1300 - $500 = $800 max in my pocket. Why the hell am I paying for insurance? So if you think your insurance covers you, I strongly suggest you call your agent and make sure your policy does what you think it does. This is a terrible time to be finding this out. OH, and quit shopping at REI for last minute items. I was in the store for 30 minutes. The person who broke in obviously had a quick and efficient system for getting in and out.

Hello all, I should be sleeping under the stars tonight in the North Cascades, preparing for 5 long hard days of climbing. Instead, I am writing to report that my backpack, along with its contents, and other gear in my car, was stolen while I was picking up a few last minute items at the Portland REI. Some big things off the top of my head... Rack of BD cams Crampons Ice axe 32 degree down sleeping bag brand new Mammut 45 L climbing pack brand new down jacket Rock shoes, harness, associated 'biners and slings Thermarest prolite pad 2-person Mountain Hardwear tent Nikon Coolpix camera AW 110 1st generation SPOT tracker food, clothing, misc for 5 days of rock and snow climbing and the list goes on and on........ I was told by the REI employees that this is not an unusual event and they've had an uptick in theft lately. The police officer on the phone was also not all that surprised, although he was much nicer than the REI employees. They said that security was too expensive, and they posted signs warning of theft, which was good enough for them. The thief/thieves obviously were pros and had some device to break the lock on my passenger door. They didn't get all of what was in my car, but it looks like they grabbed as much as they could--the large pack loaded up with 5 days worth of gear, my apres-climb bag with snacks, clothes, and toiletries, a small backpack with my checklist of items to bring, plus some medical paperwork I needed for an appointment this afternoon. So yeah, they've got my SSN and medical history as well. Please be vigilant. Anyone else have similar stories? Advice?

Hi, I've just moved to Corvallis and know no one here. Looking to connect with climbers to hit up local areas outside, OSU rock gym or split a ride to Smith sometime. I'm happy to lead 5.9 trad or low 10 sport and will follow 11's. PM me if you are interested.

Awesome! That is a spectacular face. I remember reading your summit log book entry after we climbed the much tamer SE Ridge of Asgard in August. If ever I am capable of 11c trad I will put this one on my to-do list

Yup, we spent a week in Mulvey Basin just about a month ago. PM me if you want some info. We climbed Niselheim, Asgard, and Midgard. There were tons of other options as well.

Trip: Mt. Cruiser - South Corner Date: 8/5/2011 Trip Report: We hiked up to Flapjack Lakes to set up a base camp for several days of exploration, including a climb of Mt. Cruiser-- to complete my friend Rick's lifelong to-do list. Approach trail from Staircase: now, with goats! We got a casual start the next day, leaving camp around 9:30 am. About an hour of following the half-snowed over trail heading to Gladys Divide, we reached the boulder field below the gully leading up to Needle Pass. Right now it's completely covered with snow. We put on crampons here and ascended to Needle Pass. The snow was hard, but not incredibly steep. Ascending the snow towards Needle Pass At the top of the pass we stowed axes and crampons and scrambled up the slab (3rd/4th class) and then followed the many ups and downs to reach the summit area. The rock here was mostly snow-free. Scramble time We got a nice view of the summit block before the clouds rolled in for good. Mt. Cruiser When we dropped down the last dirty gully to where I remember a talus field being (a few Septembers ago) there was a sizeable snowpack that had pulled away from the rock face, leaving a nice moat. We had to choose between crossing the snowfield or scrambling along the exposed, ledgy rock adjacent to the moat. We had left crampons behind, so the group was more comfortable with traversing the rock. Being the only rock guru in the group I decided to protect this pitch and belay my team members up. The moat. We scrambled on the rock to the left. I slung one rock feature and used a tricam before reaching the gully and climbed up to the rap station below the chockstone. From here I brought the other two up. My tricam is still wedged in the rock, sadly enough. I should have had a gear removal seminar before we began. This was my first time leading the summit pitch so I wasn't sure what to bring. The guides mention a #3 Camalot but I never used mine, just a few slings for the few bolts up there and a nut to put in a directional at the ridge. We were completely encased by clouds and didn't get a very exciting summit experience. But I was happy to devour my Whatchamacalit candy bar as my teammates arrived behind me. By the time everyone was huddled on the summit, it was already 3:45 and we hadn't even stopped for lunch yet. All the gear swapping was arduous and time consuming. We really wanted to get out before dark. So we downclimbed to the rap station below the ridge, rapped to the belay spot, and climbed down through the cannon hole to get to the second rap station. While we were coming up I pondered the possibility of using both ropes to rap down so we could avoid the moat and sketchy traverse. It looked like we'd have enough line to do it. So I went first, having an interesting time hauling the rope out of the moat, tossing it onto the snow and chimneying between the rock wall and the snow about a legs-length in front of me. I'd never been so happy to be standing on a solid patch of rock when I finished the rap with between 5-8 feet of rope left. Bottom of rappel: from the middle of the chimney to a snow-free patch of rock. We reversed the ups-and downs, guzzled some water and downclimbed the scrambly bits with no need to set a fixed line. We contemplating rapping from Needle Pass as well but by then we'd already dumped rock gear into our packs. We used crampons and axes to descend, and walked back to camp, returning at 8:15 pm. It was a long day and it was much more sporting than the last time I'd been up there. Descending snow Somehow it wasn't entirely clear that the last person needed to clean gear so I'm missing one double length sling and its 2 associated biners. I guess that's my fault for not doing a complete inventory of my gear before rapping off. Lesson learned. More photos can be found on Picasa. Gear Notes: Axe/crampons for gully leading to Needle Pass Nuts/ tricams/slings to protect rock scramble above moat. Handful of slings for 5.0 pitch We used 2 ropes, helpful for clearing the snow below the chockstone gully. Approach Notes: Huckleberries.

Nice work guys, I thought that was a really fun climb. The loose rock made it a little spicy for leading but all in all 'twas a great way to spend the day! I'm glad we didn't send anything down on you. I only pulled one hold off on the sporty pitch 6.

Trip: Joshua Tree - Date: 3/23/2010 Trip Report: March 23 – 26, 2010. A day of driving brought us to the desert in Southern California. Joshua Tree is a climber's paradise; hundreds of routes exist right in the campsite, and hundreds of others are within a driving distance of 5 minutes. Average approach time on foot is between 1 and 5 minutes. I could live here. Most climbs are single pitch. I've listed the climbs we did below, sorted by climbing area and grade. Echo Rock Area (Echo Rock) Double Dip (5.6): This route follows slab up to a flake and then back to pure slab. There are 4 (?) bolts on the route, 2 of which you can see from the ground. I felt like this was a very heady lead, as the bolts are placed sparingly, as well as by someone several inches taller than me (grrrr...) and they feel like they're light years away. I protected the flake in a couple of spots with big cams. Pope's Crack (5.9): Kevin led this crack/slab traverse combo. I left some blood behind where the rock dug deeply into my jammed fists and hands. Some of the jams were marginal, and it helped to stem on the face as much as possible, although I managed some decent foot jams. Atop the crack there is a slab traverse and another short bit of vertical to reach the belay station. The location of the rap anchors and traverse make it impossible to top-rope so Kevin belayed us up from the anchor he set above the route. Echo Rock Area (Snickers) Funny Bone (5.8): Tyler picked another sweet, sporty climb to lead. Lots of fun, varied moves made this an interesting and enjoyable climb. Where else can you pull off a heel hook on a 5.8? Echo Rock Area (Touch and Go Rock) Touch and Go (5.9): I followed some random climber's lead, as his partner was not interested. This felt like a stiff 5.9 to me. It starts with two nice cracks, but soon one peters out, leaving only the left side to follow. Some stemming and face holds vary the route a bit. There is a “convoluted” downclimb, which makes this climb lose a star in my book. Hidden Valley Campground (The Blob) Buissonier (5.7): Tyler led this interesting, curving crack. It starts in a cave created by stacked boulders, making a precarious belay station. I seemed to have an easier go at it than Tyler because my smaller size allowed me to walk, delicately, straight up the crack like a ramp. There were some nice finger jams down low, and some big chimney moves up top. I imagine the start is the worst part of the lead, and it improves from there. Hidden Valley Campground (Chimney Rock) Howard's Horror (5.7): Tyler led this beast of a climb. It involves quite a bit of traversing across a slab up to what looked like a nasty offwidth. I did not do this climb, but attempted the 5,10d direct start. It looked tasty, but I was stymied by the bulge, where I tried multiple times to pull up over it on two sketchy thin, flaring finger jams. I couldn't get enough purchase with my feet to make it happen. The Flue (5.8): Another fail. I started to lead this climb, but when I couldn't find protection in the first 10 feet I downclimbed, which was super sketchy. Tyler helped ease me back onto the ground. Neither him nor Kevin wanted to lead it so we moved on. Hidden Valley Campground (Old Woman) Toe Jam (5.7): This was my first lead at Josh. Sure, there were one or two good toe jams on this climb, but there was much more to it than that. The crack was at times shallow and/or flaring, so I found the protection lacking. I did manage to place a tricam in the crack and my best piece in the anchor was a tricam . Double Cross (5.8): Kevin led this hand crack, and I do believe he was in heaven. For me, there were a variety of hand and fist jams, as well as a plethora of choice foot holds on the face. Orphan (5.9): Sonia was really excited about showing off her chimney prowess, so she led this climb. It begins as a steep crack in a left-facing corner requiring some wide stemming moves, then transitions into a flaring squeeze chimney. Ugh. I slipped once below the chimney, then somehow managed to hack my way up through the chimney, losing much blood and integrity in the process. Sexy Grandma (5.9): Tyler led this super cool, mixed sport/trad climb. The most awkward move is at the bottom, where I had to high step out of a flaring chimey up on to the face. From there the climb moves out onto an arete, then pulls around a roof and comes back to the arete. There are lots of face holds and some airy exposure. Classic! Lost Horse (Hemingway Buttress) Dung Fu (5.7): Kevin led this unusual climb! It follows a hand-to-fist crack up to a big cave. Once inside the cave, you have to move up a narrowing chimney to the top. I hate chimneying! Feltoneon Physics (5.8): Sonia encouraged me to lead a 5.8, so I took this one on. This was another incredibly varied and interesting climb with face and crack moves on it, as well as some route-finding and problem-solving. The crack at the bottom widens quickly into an unpleasant offwidth, which I tried to ascend multiple times before bailing off onto the face to the left. Some balancey face moves took me back into the crack, then to a series of slab traverses with nice hand ledges. The top of the climb requires a bouldering finish over a bulge with the help of a nice fist jam and poor feet. Very heady, but super fun and rewarding! White Lightning (5.7): This was a challenging lead for me. It is a long crack with a small cave near the top leading to two options. Not knowing where to go, I started towards the crack on the right. It was a vertical finger crack with lousy protection; after placing one shaky nut I decided to pull it and climb back into the cave. Scary. I then headed left to a wider, blockier crack with a small bulge to pull over. Although the hand jams above were solid it was very mentally challenging to make the moves, not knowing what lies ahead. After some mental wrangling I was able to complete the climb. With so few pieces of pro left it took some time and creativity to build a belay anchor. The ensuing rope drag was horrendous, perhaps due to poor planning on my part. I'd like too do this one in better form next time. The rest of the photos from this trip are here. Boy it sucks to have to go back to work now... Approach Notes: Roll out of tent. Climb. Repeat.

Trip: Yosemite Valley - Nutcracker and others Date: 3/20/2010 Trip Report: Yosemite Valley March 20 – March 21, 2010. I arrived at Camp 4 in the late morning and managed a quick nap before rendezvousing with my two climbing partners for an afternoon multi-pitch climb. We set out for the Manure Pile Buttress to climb Nutcracker, a 5-pitch 5.8 trad climb. Kevin led the first pitch, a mixture of slab, crack and lieback moves to get to the top. I took it from there up a 5.4 ramp, my first (and very easy) trad lead of the spring. It was a nice, easy way to get back into it. Next, Kevin led the slimy third pitch, which was terrifying enough to follow. Water streamed down the face and into the crack; I had to use chalk to help dry out my hands. Tyler led the fourth pitch, which involved a slabby traverse and an interesting crux at a bulge. Finally, Kevin took us to the top on the fifth pitch: more slab with some nice finger jams and hand jams to keep us thinking. The view from the top was incredible, and it was a fitting way to be welcomed into Yosemite. We descended down a gully filled with boulders and littered with dry pine needles otherwise known as ball bearings. My Crocs were insufficient for the walk off, I would soon discover. Pitch 1 Pitch 3 Looking down at Pitch 4 Tyler finishing up Pitch 5 The next day we headed over to New Diversions wall, where Kevin led Chicken Pie (5.9). Here, a finger crack in an open book leads to a knobby face and ramp to the top. I had to employ some butt smears on the right side of the wall as the crack threw my body out in that direction. I also recall having to dyno to a hold near the top of the face because I was too short to climb it otherwise...I am sure I made that move harder than it needed to be. Feeling intimidated to lead anything else there, we drove back to Camp 4 and over to Swan Slab just a few minutes walk from camp. Tyler led his first 5.9, Grant's Crack. We opted for a sporty direct start up the slab, then went up the slanting finger crack. This one felt much more buttery than the last; it is probably climbed much more frequently. Lastly, I led Penelope's Problem (5.7), and likely earned the longest ascent time award. It felt scary being on lead, especially near the bottom with nothing to protect a fall. I placed a 0.5 cam in a pocket on the way to the flake that I doubt was of any use beyond psychological. Once on the flake I fumbled with gear, trying several cams to get the right size, and timidly moving upward, placing gear as soon as my last piece was at my feet. Oh, the mental strain of leading. Once I reached the anchor at the tree I felt so relieved; I finished my first real lead on Yosemite granite, whew, what an accomplishment! Onward to Joshua Tree... All photos from the trip can be seen here. Gear Notes: Standard rack. Hairdryer for the third pitch of Nutcracker. Approach Notes: 2 minute stroll from the car.

Hey, it was nice climbing with you guys up there on Saturday, what a great day on the mountain!

We climbed at Goose Egg and Royal Columns Memorial Day weekend and there's no snow to speak of. We didn't encounter any ticks or rattlesnakes either.

FYI we couldn't drive to the Mt. Ellinor trailhead yesterday. The last 7 miles of road is snowed in. I bet a truck could get back there, unless the snow gets much deeper. The cars were very close to bottoming out at the base of the road. We hiked up Mt. Rose as a consolation. Perfect weather day.

My report from mid July Have fun!

Congrats!!! I was one of the "party of 6" you saw that day--actually we were 7 . You certainly were cranking out miles and I was jealous of your teeny pack. Glad you made it, what an awesome day to climb!