Dru Posted April 28, 2003 Posted April 28, 2003 04/11- left Chilliwack. arr. pullout 20 miles N of Madras 1 AM. bivy. 04/12-breakfast @ Black Bear Diner. soloed Squaw Rock at Smiff in between t-storms. That 5.1 route is bouldery at the bottom, had to use Moccasyms. Finished reading "Journey to Ixtlan." Saw several vultures and deer skeletons picked clean by big cats. Explored irrigation tunnel by headlamp. Trippy. count: 5 jackrabbits. 04/13. Met JKreuger, Texplorer, Dave. JK and I sent 5 pitch 5.8 on Kiss of the Lepers, good fun. Bolted 4th class traverse pitch???? Also some stuff on backside. Hooked up with Tex & D. just as thunderstorm occurreed. 2 inches of hail!! Saw lightning hit Vulture Ridge etc. Saw girl on Heretic get hit by flash flood down crack above as she dogged on 4th bolt 04/14 Drove to central California. Illegal bivi in orange grove. 04/15 Made it to Ventura. Little bit of buildering in evening. Finished "Tales of Power". 04/16 To J Tree. Lots of Mexi Baking. Sent Orange Flake to Right On ( 4 pitch squeeze chimneys) at sundown. count: 2 coyotes. 04/17: Wonderland of Rocks. High Strung, MentalPhysics. Stuck behind slow Canadian party on Mental physics, 2 hour wait. Much sun tanning. cactus flowers. count: 100 lizards. 04/18: Split Rocks. Got bitch slapped into humility by 5.7 OW known as Dolphin. Sent Bird of Fire and Invis. Lessons. No peyote = no during full moon. 04/19. Drove out into desert. count = rabbits, many different lizards, kangaroo rats. Climbed "booming Dune" near Kelso. Sort of like snow slogging but warm sand. Reminiscent of WEedge N. arete otherwise. 04/20 Decided to check out distant granite spires. Hiked 5 hours cross country through cactus and flowering desert scenery. count: everything but a puma (but we saw the scats and skeletons). Climbed granite spire on amazing granite with huge feldspar knobs (5.1 ish easy way up). Ancient, collapsed cairn on top, no register. Discovered old jeep road on other side of spire. Hiked out that way, much faster but less adventurous. 04/21 To Red Rocks. Lost Layton's #. Hiked into Dark Shadows. Slow party ahead took 2 hours to lead 10 meters of 3rd pitch placing hexes Hiked out of Canyon. Climbed some 5.9 crag routes on "car talk Wall" area. 04/22 Wind, snow and rain storms. Bitchin thrift store shopping spree. 04/23 Jubilant Song, windy Canyon. Saw detached block belay where Fern's partner experienced near death flashbacks to epic Sports book in casino saw Canucks win and Wild also. Awesome to sit around watching TV and have scantily clad waitress bring you free drinks after a day of multipitch. 04/24 Started hiking to Black Dagger, changed plans, sent Rainbow Buttress with only Urioste guide book for beta. Good fun. Howling winds sent me for 50 foot sideways air on summit. Back to car at dark. Rehydrated in Vegas. Heard news about the Thumb 04/25 Drove Doug back to Ventura. Saw huge 20 mile long traffic jams going other way on I-15. Saw B2 stealth bomber returning to Edwards AFB. (Hate war but like war toys) 04/26. 16 hrs Ventura to Coluimbia. Decided not to beg for couch surfing space late night & unwashed in Eugene or PDX, slept in graveyard on WEash. side of river. 04/27 6 AM, pulled over by cop for doing 95 MPH, she lets me go with warning on seeing tears and being told I'm rushing home for funeral 1 PM, lighthouse park, with 50 others, jumar and climb to top of 95 meter old growth fir tree to honor fallen friends. John and Guy we miss you. Quote
specialed Posted April 28, 2003 Posted April 28, 2003 Too bad you didn't have Ralph (this Canuck I met and climbed with in the valley who's now on YOSAR) with you. He would wake me up at five in the morning to get going so we wouldn't get stuck behind "Helga and her five fat ugly lesbian friends hang-dogging their way up the approach pitches." We'd get up so early, crush the route, and be back at Camp 4 at like two in the afternoon. Quote
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