One More Hibiscus

A water-covered tropical hibiscus in Arizona.

Have some Fun - make your own tombstone

Dick Eastman posted Make Your Own Online Tombstone with a link to the site. There is a maximum of 16 characters, including spaces, in each of the first 2 rows and 25 characters in the third row.

Mr. Eastman has issued a challenge from his blog: "... submit humorous or otherwise interesting words for use on a tombstone and post those words in the comments section" on his blog post." He will change the image in his post every day to reflect one of the latest submissions. Two weeks from today, he will change it to whatever he deems to be the funniest or most interesting tombstone message received and will leave that image online there forever. Here's your chance to have your words etched in (digital) stone!

Try it, Have Some Fun!! Here is what I came up with:

Cold-Blooded Spring

High Falls at Grand Portage State Park, MN. There is a lot of snow in the woods this spring, and thanks to a recent week of warm temperatures combined with a nice rain storm the Pigeon River opened up nicely a few days ago. However, winter is not quite ready to let go and last night cold temperatures returned to Grand Portage. The cold air meant that all the mist at High Falls was freezing to the trees, shrubs and grasses throughout the night and all day today, making for an amazing icy scene.

I'm Nice! Miriam says so!

I've been honored by receiving the Nice Matters Blog Award from Miriam Midkiff. This award was created earlier this month by Genevieve Olsen at Bella Enchanted to "be awarded to those that are just nice people, good blog friends and those that inspire good feelings and inspiration! Those that care about others that are there to lend support or those that are just a positive influence in our blogging world!" Two versions of the award are available, one for the ladies and another, less feminine, for the gentlemen.

Actually, I think that most all genea-bloggers could receive this award. They are investing a lot of time in blogging because they want to share their family stories and research and many of them have certainly inspired me. So, if you haven't already done so, click on some of those blogs in my blogroll and check them out! Anyway, I've selected the following five genea-bloggers (in no significant order) to receive the Nice Matters Award. . .

• Denise Olson at Family Matters for sharing her passion for research by providing detailed tips on new technology and resources that we can use in our own research. On her personal blog, Moultrie Creek, Denise shares stories and memorabilia of her family.
• Janice Brown at Cow Hampshire for her unique perspective on genealogy and for her wry sense of humor - and her interest in outhouses (and their contents) . . .
• Chris Dunham of The Genealogue fame for brightening my day with his humorous and touching stories and for creating the "Genealogy Blog Finder" and I'm really enjoying his "Genealogy Challenge" series.
• Tim Agazio at Genealogy Reviews Online for the unusual and interesting stories and websites that he finds and shares with us.
• Stephen Danko researcher extraordinaire at Steve's Genealogy Blog who sets a high standard for documentation with his translations of Polish documents. It only follows that if I'm a nice person, then someone who shares the same personality type as I do must also be a nice person!

Blue Morning Glories

Pink Elephant Balloon

Bring your shovel, it's still snowing

Here is some cool historical data collected from the Longmire weather station. It was gleaned from the National Weather Services by NPS employee Bret Christoe and graphed by Crystal Raymond.

Bret listed the years when the accumulation (not total snowfall) at Longmire reached at least 60 inches, going back to at least 1932. Although 2007-8 may seem "big" now (particularly as we shovel into our houses and offices) you can see that there is still a ways to go to catch the really big years like 1949. Here's the graph:


Folks, bring your shovels, because according to the National Weather Service, our forecast for LONGMIRE this week is:

Tuesday and Tuesday Night - Snow
Wednesday and Wednesday Night - Snow
Thursday and Thursday Night - Snow
Friday and Friday Night - Snow

Berry Creek Falls

Berry Creek Falls, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

This is Berry Creek Falls, a 70-foot waterfall in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. The falls are surrounded by huge, majestic redwoods. An amazing place.

The Bigger Picture?

I get a lot of email here from climbers just beginning to get out and get serious about their owntechnical climbing. Over the last week I had a conversation with my climbing partner about the "bigger picture" and our own personal climbingobjectives.



Neither of us likes crag climbing in particular. Truth is, likemost of us we'd rather be in the mountains. The flip side to that is it takes a LOT more effort to get out in the mountains and get somethings done. As in something actually climbed. By this time of year, every year I have usually had a full belly offrustration with the bad weather and the dangerous avalanche conditions.



We came up with a less than 50% percentage of successful trips compared to what we have actually attempted in the mountains. Alpinists are a hardcore and stubborn tribe! Attributes I can admire even if I don't always possess them. By this time of year I can moreeasily turn to rock climbing and riding my road bike. I hatebeating my head against the climbs I still want to get done before the temps soar and the snow and ice disappearsfor another year. My lack of motivation can be telling this time of year. But it is also the time of year I most want to get my alpine projects done.



One of the many discussions we had this last week was the difference between crag climbing and actualalpinism. From that discussion and the local conditions we were experiencing the conversationsplitinto several topics. One of the most interesting topics to me was how I end up labeling"little picture" and "big picture" climbs.



Hopefully what Irelate from those conversations my help others sort out their own projects.



"Little picture" climbs in the context of Cold Thistle and Alpinismare generally crag climbs. Climbs that are close to the road, little objective danger and generally (but not always) at the upper limit of one's technical skill level. Little picture because you really don't have to concentrate on much past how hard the climbing is, what gear will I need and how will I get back down.



Small picture climbs generally allow you to make huge errors in judgment and the gear selection with little consequence for the mistake. It is a great place to learn from mistakes.



The ice climbing in Ouray and Codywill generally fall into this category. As will most of the top roping and smaller cragging areas around the country. But there are "big picture" dangers anywhere it snows. Ice always falls down when it gets warm or cold enough. Bozeman at any given time gets snow and wind as can Cody. There is no easy label when it comes to ice climbing.



Hafner and Johnson Canyon are other "little picture" climbing areas. The places you might head whenthe overall conditions are dismal in the Canadian Rockies.



Alpine objectives in the Canadian Rockies are not "little picture". When it snows, the wind blows, or there is a radical temp change there, the actual technical difficulties will mean almost zip. What really matters in Canada and the Alpsis what might drop on your head at any given time, It might well be rock, ice, lightening,rain or snow! The climbing might well be "easy" by comparison.



If you spend enough time out you get to know what the real timepicture is for your own objectives. Small picture or Large picture? Some climbing areas might be little picture in summer (few issues that need to be on your mindbut the actual climbing) and big picture (a laundry list of objective dangers) in winter. The "picture" and what is required of you mentally canchange by season or be the same year around.



It is easy to come from a strong technical back ground and jump into "small picture" objectives safely.



"Big picture" objectives on the other hand might well have little patience for strong technical climbers without the ability to process all the issues alpinism will eventually require.



The climbs that I generally see turn onto epics are where the climber's technical abilities get over whelmed by the bigger picture of the climb's objectives dangers. That in turnforces the climber into a mental and physical state oftunnel vision. Call it "sketched out". But things go bad quickly when it happens. Once you are forced to deal with the world via tunnel vision it is very easy to over look the environmental details that defineyour safety and well beingon a big climb.



I think it is better to first label and then study your climbs. Note the avi terrainon the approach and decent. What are the snow conditions you want as compared to what you have. What is the hour you want to be up and off the climb? Will conditions allow you of attain your goals? What is your plan if you can't maintain your time schedule?



There is a reason we look for "perfect conditions". Perfect conditionsmake ourclimbs easier on the approach, decent and the actual climb. Perfect conditions make the picture smaller.



What I learned, again, from the conversation is notto let anyone or any one climb over whelm your ability to appreciate the "picture" fully. If something "feels" wrong, it generally is. Don't let your inability to articulate what is wrong stop you from making good decisions. The mountains have been there a long time. They aren't going any where.



Postscript:



I suspect it has something to do with the conditions in Canada last week but it is worth checking out Will's recent comments as well. Same idea,different voice.



http://willgadd.com/?p=668

Go-Anywhere Gearing: SRampagnolo Drivetrain with 'Frying Pan' Cassette

For the past few weeks I've been riding with an experimental drivetrain on my main roadbike "Desdemona" (a Seven Axiom S).The goal of this drivetrain was to achieve very low (sub 1:1) gearing, for hilly long distance cycling, including brevets. There are several ways to get that kind of gearing, some of which I've tried in the past with mixed results. The tricky part is not the gearing in itself, but achieving it with a modern (i.e. integrated shifters), lightweight road drivetrain, while keeping everything working smoothly. At the moment no road group from Campagnolo, Shimano or SRAM is designed to handle gears quite this low, so modifications are needed.



A hybrid drivetrain means that the parts making it up (cassette, derailleurs, crankset and brake/shift levers) are not all from the same manufacturer or group.Since modern road groups are designed for all the parts to work together, modifying or mixing them is generally not advised. That said, there aretwo general methods of doing so in order to get low gears. One is to keep most of the group intact, except for the crankset - replacing it with either a triple, or a double with much smaller chainrings (either way, inevitably foreign to the group). The other is to keep most of the group intact, except for the cassette - replacing it with a wider touring cassette (and long cage derailleur to accommodate). Speaking purely for myself, I have not been 100% happy with what happens when a modern road group's native crankset is replaced with a foreign one. So this time around, I opted for the other method.After 600 miles, what impresses me is that, in addition to being useful, this is also the least finicky hybrid drivetrain I've tried to date.





The setup here is a "SRampagnolo" hybrid. We've kept the front end of my bike's native Campagnolo Chorus drivetrain (50/34t crankset, front derailleur and 11-speed ergo levers), but used a SRAM 10-speed 11-36t cassetteand a SRAM X9 long cage rear derailleur.





A Jtek Shiftmate (model #4 I believe) makes the SRAM 10-speed cassette compatible with the 11-speed Campagnolo levers. You can read all about this neat little converter here. Obviously, if you are starting with a SRAM or Shimano drivetrain, your setup will be different. Going with all-SRAM should be the easiest, because, as far as I know, their road and mountain groups are compatible. Shimano I am less sure about.







The decision to go with the SRAM X9 long cage derailleur was made, despite some reports that the new SRAM WiFli road derailleur (designed to handle up to a 32t cog) can in fact handle a 36t. Seven's Rob Vandermark tested the WiFli with the 11-36t cassette, and was not happy with the outcome. That was good enough reason for me to go with the X9.




As far as functionality of the drivetrain, there is not much to say other than "It works." The entire range of cogs, from 11t to 36t, is usable in both rings. Cross-chaining has not been a problem in either combination (the derailleur does not explode in big-big and the chain does not go slack in small-small). Chain drop has not been a problem.The fact that the shifters are 11-speed while the cassette is a 10-speed is not noticeable. The Jtek converter works flawlessly and does not call attention to itself. After 600 miles of using the entire range of gears and switching between big and small rings constantly (including under load, and including when cross-chaining) I have not yet dropped the chain, gotten the chain stuck between rings, or even mis-shifted. In all ways, the drivetrain functions as smoothly as it did when the original groupset was intact. To be honest, even in the best case scenario I did not expect it to work quite this well.





As far as usefulness of the gear range, this too has exceeded my expectations. The cassette is spaced asymmetrically, so that the smaller cogs are closer together and the bigger cogs wider apart. The exact combination is:11-13-15-17-19-22-25-28-32-36. With the 50/34t compact double, this combination almost feels like having two separate cassettes at my disposal: One for fast rides and the other with bailout gears for climbing either very long or very steep hills (or both!). Normally, I find myself riding in the big ring, in the middle of the cassette. One unexpected outcome of this, is that the setup encourages me to use bigger gears - something that has proven helpful over the past weeks of learning different climbing techniques and trying some interval training on flats. I was so focused on getting the low gears I wanted, it did not occur to me how much I would appreciate having the really high gears as well.The small cogs are not quite as tightly spaced as they would be on a racing cassette, but they are tight enough for me.



And of course at the low end of the range, the sub 1:1 ratio offered by the 34/36t combination is a dreamy bailout gear - especially considering how lightweight my bike is and how nicely it climbs in general. This end of the spectrum does come in handy on long rides over steep hills. For paved riding, this is now truly a go-anywhere bike.



While I expected the wide spacing to feel like a compromise, in practice it doesn't. On my dirt road bike, the spacing is tighter with a 12-29t Campagnolo road cassette. While my low gear on that bike is very similar to what is described here (28/29t with 650B wheels), on the high end it maxes out at 42/12t. I notice this more than I notice the difference in cog spacing.To be able to fly in 50/11t with my legs on fire and the next day spin up a vertical hill while humming happily in 34/36t,on the same bike,is, like, wow.



On the downside, the wide cassette does mean a bit of extra weight in the rear coming from the bigger cogs, long cage derailleur, extra chain length and Jtek pulley. Around 200-300g is the difference between this and my original drivetrain. Holding the bike up in my hands, it does tip to the rear a tad now, whereas before it was a masterpiece of perfect balance. In motion, I do not feel the extra weight. And whether it's bike related or not, my average speeds over the past few weeks here in Northern Ireland have been faster than previously. I really feel that I have the best of both worlds now with this bike.Since this is a temporary setup (an experiment for Seven Cycles, as much as for me - they may offer this option on custom builds in future), a different rear wheel was built for the purpose of testing it. I still have my bike's original Campagnolo wheel, derailleur and cassette, and can get my old setup back fairly quickly. But I think I will end up keeping this one, at least for the time being.



Visually, I admit the huge cassette does not exactly look elegant. The local roadies here have quickly dubbed it "the frying pan" and I've adapted the term affectionately. I may not be able to fry eggs on it, but I can can go far and I can go fast. Now we're cooking!

Moving On :: Back in the Lower 48

Wednesday, September 1st - - It was cool this morning when I woke up but there was sunshine and blue skies overhead, for which I was very thankful. After finding free wifi (at a Safeway grocery store!) in Smithers and spending an hour uploading and scheduling blog posts, it was almost eleven o'clock before I was on my way once again.

Yesterday I had gotten to the end of the Cassiar Highway and turned east onto the Yellowhead Highway (Route 16). The last two hours on the Cassiar I saw perhaps two dozen vehicles. That number was surpassed in two minutes on the Yellowhead. It was as though I had turned the corner and gone into a whole different world. Not only was there more traffic, but the landscape was different too. There were still mountains and forests but there were also open areas of pasture and farmland. Houses, and buildings, and utility poles lined the highway for miles. Towns! And traffic! Civilization? Instead of watching out for bears and moose and other four legged critters I had to watch out for other drivers.

I continued east on the Yellowhead Highway to Prince George where I turned south on the Cariboo Highway (Route 97). There was road construction on the Cariboo, which caused some delay but it wasn't too bad although traffic was backed up for quite a ways. In one section they had completely torn up the road bed and it was a big mess. Concentrating on getting through that area I caught a glimpse of something walking along the side of the highway. I couldn't hardly believe my eyes – it was a black bear! And a pretty good-sized one too. There were no construction workers nearby so no one was in any immediate danger but still, it was there amongst all the noise and traffic, out in the open, and I could see it in my rear-view mirror as I drove on.

A short time later I stopped at the Canyon Creek Campground and RV Park in Hixon, about 35 miles south of Prince George. It had been a short driving day, only 265 miles. And it was only 410 miles more to the U.S. Border.

I would be remiss in not mentioning the fact that today - September 1, .. - marks the beginning of the second year of this incredible journey. One year ago I embarked upon an odyssey that has taken me places I had only dreamed of and some places that I had never heard of...

==========

Thursday, September 2nd - - It was another chilly morning. Cloudy but no rain. Continued heading south on the Cariboo Highway to Cache Creek where I turned west onto Trans-Canada Highway 1. By the time I got to Cache Creek at two o'clock the temperature had risen to 74 degrees – the warmest temperature I'd seen in three weeks! And it felt good. At 4:30, even though I was only about 60 miles from the U.S. border, I stopped for the night at the Telte-Yet Campground in Hope, British Columbia - it was 77 in the shade! Awesome. After paying for the campsite, I had $10 in Canadian currency left and figured this would be my last night in Canada, so I walked across the steet to Dairy Queen and had a banana split to commemorate the occasion!

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Friday, September 3rd - - Sunny skies once again. Left Hope at 9:30 this morning and got to the Sumas, Washington border crossing at 10:45 along with lots of other vehicles. I lucked out and got into a fast-moving lane - it only took twenty minutes to get through. There was no fancy sign, like in Alaska, welcoming me back – just this electronic billboard flashing its message...

I was “home” again, and happy to be here!

Sun Rise and Time Change

Took these photos of the sun rise the morning after the time change for spring. Spring Forward and loose an hour. Do wish the goverment would set the time to one or the other times and leave it alone instead of this spring forward and fall back an hour ever six months.

Entering Oregon

A Wet Week at the Gunks: Stannard's Roof (5.10a), Uncle Rudy (Pitch 1, 5.7+) & A Lesson in Aid Climbing

(Photo: Approaching the big overhang on Stannard's Roof (5.10a).)




I just finished a whole week in the New Paltz area with my wife and kids. It has become our tradition to rent a house in or around New Paltz for a week in July every year. It is my wife's way of indulging me. She likes running in the area, there are great family hikes, and the community pool is nice. But we wouldn't do it if I were not a rock climber.




Last year we got into a nice groove in which I met up with Gail for several days in a row to climb. We would get up early, spend a few hours at the cliff, and then return to our respective families. These short climbing days allowed both of us to climb before it got too hot, and without taking too much time away. This year I hoped to repeat the same system. I was going to climb for one full day on Saturday, June 29, but apart from that day I expected that during our week in New Paltz I'd get out climbing for just a few mornings with Gail.




I hoped to hit several of my 5.10 targets, some old, some new. I wanted to try a second run at Balrog, P-38, and maybe even Simple Stuff or Directississima. And I hoped to flail away at some new ones. Probably my top candidate was Feast of Fools (5.10a).




As the trip approached I made plans to climb on Saturday with Maryana and Nani. I hadn't climbed with either of them outside in a while. As the day neared Gail decided to join us as well, so it looked like we'd have two parties. Maryana suggested we meet up in Lost City, where we could set up top ropes near each other and hang out. I was agreeable, but I knew I wouldn't be happy just top-roping all day. I had some trad-lead goals in Lost City, chief among them two new 5.10's on my list: Lost City Crack (5.10b) and Stannard's Roof (5.10a). I figured we could top rope for a while, but I intended to do some leading when the right time came along.




On Saturday, Gail and I arrived at the parking lot before Maryana and Nani. We headed out on the High Peters Kill Trail until we reached Lost City. We wandered straight up the boulder field to the cliffs and found ourselves in one of the spots I'd previously visited. I later heard another climber call this area the Amphitheater. This area has several easy climbs in the 5.6 to 5.8 range, a rarity at Lost City. Most of the walls at Lost City are so steep that the entry level climbs are 5.10 or 5.11.




It had rained a bit on each of the previous two days but the climbs seemed dry enough. Gail started us off by leading an easy corner climb on the left side of the Amphitheater (mostly 5.easy, maybe 5.5 or 5.6 for one or two moves?), and then I led a very nice vertical crack climb right in the middle of the wall. It starts off steep and committing, up a slanting crack, but then after about fifteen feet a ledge is reached and it gets easier. The angle lessens and there are frequent rests. But the good moves just keep on coming. I really liked this pitch. I would say it is a good Gunks 5.8 (Gail thought maybe 5.9). I don't know if it has a name. We named it the "5.8 Death Warm-Up."




While Gail and I were warming up in the Amphitheater, Maryana and Nani arrived and went over to the Corridor area, setting up a rope on Gold Streaks (5.11b). I've been on that one twice before and although it is really good I wasn't that psyched to hit it again. But I was keen to get back onanother great 5.11b just around the cornercalledForbidden Zone.So I set that one up for us and then nearly sent it on the first go. At the upper crux I missed the key hidden hold and fell off. As soon as I looked up I could see the hold I missed, and then I went up and finished it. Gail did really well on Forbidden Zone. It was her first time on the climb and she got through the crimpy, tense start and the steep, bulgy middle without a fall, struggling only with the technical moves to the hidden hold at the final crux. Forbidden Zone is such a great pitch-- if every top rope were this good I'd consider converting to the top rope lifestyle. I can't imagine ever leading it. I'd have to have it really wired. There is gear here and there, but nothing for the really tough moves right off the deck. The landing is not good: it is a pile of pointy boulders. I think for me it will forever remain a great top rope.









(Photo: Getting ready for the big reach into the ceiling on Stannard's Roof (5.10a).)




Gail and I left our rope on Forbidden Zone for Maryana and Nani and took a little walk around the right side of Lost City, finding a wet, slimy Lost City Crack and discovering faces and chasms we'd never seen before. There is so much exploring one can do at Lost City. By the time we got back to the Corridor I was ready for my big lead of the day. We took a pass on Gold Streaks and headed with Maryana's rope over to Stannard's Roof. This impressive overhang is a bit to the left of the Amphitheater. I had taken a peek at it earlier in the day and it looked nice and dry.




I had asked Gail to bring an extra yellow Number Two Camalot for me because Parker had once told me that the ceiling takes two of them. I'd also heard that the face beneath the roof goes at 5.8 and that the belay right below the roof is optional. That was about all I knew about Stannard's. We got racked up and I started climbing.




The start goes up an easy chimney and then some very nice 5.8 moves take you up a crack through an orange face. Soon the angle eases and you are beneath the huge ceiling, which looks even bigger once you are really up against it. As of this writing there is a small fixed nut in the crack at the back of the ceiling, and you can get up there and clip it, then return to the optional belay stance and think about how you are going to make the first big reach out to the good holds in the roof.




It is very intimidating. This first big move out is committing, and it is the hardest move of the sequence. There is a little creaky flake to grab, and then a big move to the jugs. I looked it over from several different angles. I shifted my gear around so that, in theory, my two yellow Camalots would be easy to reach.




Then I went for it.









(Photo: Fully in it, right hand on the creaky flake, left hand in the jugs.)




Once you do the big reach you are fully horizontal for the remainder of the roof. There is no time to dilly-dally. When you make it to the first good hold you can throw in a yellow Camalot and make the moves to the next great horizontal slot. I managed this first part just fine.




As I reached the next great horizontal, the end was already in sight. I wanted to place the second yellow Camalot and get out. I could see a positive-looking hold at the lip of the roof. If I could get there, just one move away, I figured I was as good as done.




I want to note here, before I go into my old familiar story of failure, that I really should have gotten this route on-sight. My footwork was solid. I had a good plan. I tried really hard. I had a great handhold and a wonderful heel lock. I just needed to plug and go. It kills me that I messed this one up.




Poor gear management was my undoing.




I reached for the yellow Camalot but I couldn't get it free. I struggled like mad to unhook it. I was wearing a gear sling and everything was difficult to reach, hanging way down beneath me.




I know what you're thinking. I am aware that wearing a gear sling is the mark of the gumby. But I have never liked the weight of all the gear on my harness. Usually I prefer using the gear sling, no matter what other people think. But not this time. Under Stannard's Roof the sling turned out to be a big liability. Even though I'd put the yellow Camalot in the first section of the sling, I had a devil of a time prying it loose. It seemed like I was fumbling forever, just hanging in there. My left hand was on a great hold but it was getting more and more sweaty. I could feel my grip getting weaker and weaker. I had to get that cam! Finally I got the cam off of the sling, reached up to place it.....




And it was the wrong Camalot, the green! I had been blindly grasping for the piece, and I grabbed the wrong one. I was officially screwed, and I knew it. I stuck the green cam on my harness and started fumbling for yellow all over again, but my left hand slipped and I took a fall. I had blown it. It was a good little whip but the fall was clean.









(Photo: Trying to place gear on Stannard's Roof, but grabbing the wrong cam.)




I don't know why I didn't just take the yellow cam off the gear sling then and there and put it on my harness, but I didn't think of it. I went back up again, fumbled all over again, and this time ultimately placed the cam. But now I was exhausted and took another fall reaching for the lip. Finally on my third time up I didn't need to place gear and I just executed the moves, getting over the lip and finishing the route. It actually felt easy without all the idiotic fumbling and bumbling.




I can add Stannard's Roof to the long list of Gunks 5.10's that I have failed to get on-sight. Even more than the others, I feel like I can just fire through it next time. It is a three-star experience, for sure. The 5.8 face is really nice and the roof is everything the Gunks is all about. I just know I can do this climb. Next time I'll keep the gear on my harness. And I'll probably split it into two pitches. Doing it as one pitch made for truly horrible drag at the top.




By the time we were done with Stannard's I felt like I'd been put through the wringer. We went looking for our friends but it took a while to find Maryana and Nani. We went to the right side of Lost City to look for them while they went left to look for us. Eventually we found them beneath an incredible-looking finger crack called Resistance (5.10c). But none of us really felt like climbing it. We sat around and talked instead. It was a beautiful afternoon. I wasn't in a rush to do more climbing-- I figured I still had several good days ahead.




Sadly, it was not to be. On Sunday we went out to Bonticue with the kids and did the hike/scramble up the middle to the top. This was our second family trip up Bonticue. It is a beautiful cliff, white like Millbrook, and larger than I remembered. I've never climbed there. It looks like there are lots of fun lines to explore.









(Photo: My son Nate atop Bonticue.)




Storm clouds were rolling through as we did the Bonticue hike and we got just a little bit wet on the way back to the car. Later on, after we returned to our rental house, the skies really opened up. It poured like crazy for the next twenty-four hours. Gail and I had hoped to climb on Monday but we had to call it off.




The rain seemed to stop on Monday evening so Gail and I planned to meet on Tuesday morning. We knew it would be wet but Gail brought her aid gear, figuring we could get some practice aid climbing while we waited to see if the cliff would dry out.









(Photo: I'm not sure I've ever seen it running off quite this fiercely behind the Susie A block.)




When we got to the Trapps the whole area was covered in a misty fog. So we aided a wet Oscar's Variation (normally 5.7, but A0 for us). Gail went first so I could watch and learn. I'd never aid climbed before but it seemed simple enough. Gail was methodical about it, stepping up, placing gear, bounce testing, shifting weight to the new piece, clipping in with a fifi hook, then cleaning the aiders off the last piece and clipping the rope to it. When she finished the pitch she cleaned all the gear so I could lead it fresh. I found it difficult at first to trust the gear and step up, which is funny because I trust it enough to fall onto it all the time! After a few moves I got used to aid climbing and enjoyed it... to some extent.









(Photo: Gail aid climbing pitch one of Oscar's Variation (5.7 or A0).




It started to dry out a bit while we were working on Oscar's Variation. I ran up a slightly damp Ribless (5.6 and not so bad) to the first set of bolts, and from there I could see that the crux of Strictly From Nowhere (5.7) appeared to be dry enough for us. So even though the bottom part of the route was still pretty slimy I led that one too. The crux is always really good, the rest is fairly forgettable. It is much nicer to start Strictly's from the Oscar's corner when it is dry.









(Photo: My first time in aiders, climbing the wet Oscar's Variation.)




Conditions were finally improving but we both needed to leave for the day. There would be no big milestones on this day. We packed up and headed out.




The next day was Wednesday, our departure date. I negotiated with the wife for a few more hours of climbing and hoped against hope that it wouldn't rain overnight. Gail and I planned to meet early so I could get back to our house by check-out time.




When the day dawned I thought we were in luck. It was partly sunny at the house. Maybe the cliff would be dry?




Alas, I was too optimistic. The cliff was again shrouded in fog. As I arrived at the Trapps it seemed to be sprinkling a little. Gail and I headed to the Mac Wall to see if anything was in shape for climbing. When we got there Birdie Party and MF were both seeping. It was wetness everywhere.




Frustrated, I decided to lead Three Pines (5.3) to the GT Ledge, even though it was soaking wet. I just wanted to climb something and I figured it would be good practice. And I guess it was, although I wouldn't really call it fun. At times it felt more like wading through a running river than climbing.




Once I had the rope up we descended to the lower set of bolts and top-roped the first pitches of the two climbs underneath: Something Boring (5.9) and Something Or Other (5.7). These were both new to us. I didn't care much for either one. Something Boring is aptly named. It has unremarkable face climbing and no pro for most of its length. Something Or Other has a bit more to offer. In the early going you are supposed to use a wide crack that is filled with vegetation. I made it more interesting for myself by mistakenly staying right of the crack and doing some hard 5.9-ish moves on little crimpers. Next comes a good 5.7 move off a little ledge up to a jug. Not terrible for a rainy day, but I can't imagine we'll ever do either of these climbs again.




After four crummy pitches it was almost time to go. The sky was brightening but it was still quite wet. Gail and I started walking back to the parking lot, looking for one dry pitch that we could do. It wasn't long before we found ourselves beneath a good candidate: Uncle Rudy (5.7+). I have been interested in this roof-problem pitch for years but have never managed to get on it. (I have done pitch three, and it is really good.)












(Photo: Gail at the crux roof on pitch one of Uncle Rudy (5.7+).)




I liked this pitch. The roof is good, and the pro for the crux is great. The crux is actually two moves: one to get over the roof, and then another thin move up right after the roof. Dick Williams implies in his guidebook that you need a big cam to protect this second crux move, but I found it not to be so. The crack narrows to the right. I got a bomber gray Alien in this crack; lots of other cams would also work.




After the crux, pitch one of Uncle Rudy is pretty dirty and run out, but the climbing is easier. When I got to the belay ledge I considered continuing with Dick's 5.8 PG variation to pitch two, but as it seemed to be covered in wet lichen I decided to leave it for another day.




Uncle Rudy is no great classic, and sending it was no great achievement. But at least it was a pleasant little climb, which was about all I could ask for by the time our wet week was finished.