Thanks!
Colin was overjoyed by all the emails he got for his birthday--you guys rock.
Due to work schedules, we didn't get any camping in, but we did manage to spend all day Sunday at Mt. Diablo. The boys (Colin, Mike, Trevor) did some climbing, and I did a lot of picture-taking and managed to hike all the approach paths to the rocks (inclines, leaves, unstable rocks, boulders, trees, and even a nice easy little scramble to the top of the Middle Tier). I got on the wall once, but it was a climb that even made Mike a little uneasy, and I got down pretty quickly. Was aching to try the first clip of bolt-route (a start I really enjoy--crimpy, balancy, delicate work to an otherwise poor hold which is absolutely gorgeous relative to the rest of the holds on the route), but I contained myself with Colin's help. But this is no way to tell a story. So perhaps I'll start from the beginning:
Colin and I pulled into our parking spot near Rock City at 9:31. Within minutes, Mike and Trevor called to let us know they were running a little late, so we sunscreened up, drank some water, and checked out the restrooms. We all took off with our packs (climbing gear, lunch, water, warm clothes, first aid supplies, a crash pad, two 60m ropes, the camera, etc.) and headed down the lovely trail to Boy Scout Rocks. It's only half a mile to the Lower Tier along the path, but we were trigger-happy and took a side route too quickly, wandering up and down some steep gravely bits until we re-oriented ourselves and realized that this wasn't the rock formation we wanted. So we took another jaunty path to the Boy Scout Rocks, meeting them around the Middle Tier. Down to the Lower Tier to scope out Amazing Face (Adam, you really ought to come back and climb this one), but there were already several teams there, at least one of which had claim to Amazing Face. So back up to the Middle (and abandoned) Tier we went, and Colin and Mike took the walk-off up to the top to set up an anchor (accomplished by slinging a cottage-sized bulge on the top of the formation using Trevor's 60 meter rope). This set us up for a couple of climbs with nothing more than a re-direct on the anchor for the second route. Mike was sweet enough to accompany me up to the top to watch the re-direct, and Trevor got to perform his first rappel. (Getting down over the edge of the rock and below the anchor is always the scary part.) Also there was a small bit of chatting with a pair of guys setting up a Tyrolean Traverse as they sought out two really solid anchors on two different Tiers for their project (they ended up using a bomber anchor at the top of a large crack system on the Upper Tier and a huge tree on the far side of the Middle Tier as the second anchor). In turns we climbed, ate lunch, encouraged each other to make it to the top, and chatted about everything under the sun, from ice anchors in Alaska to the latest research in hedgefunds. And then we packed up all our gear and headed down to the Lower Tier to wait for Amazing Face to open up.
A team of three had it before us, so Colin, Mike, and Trevor worked on the first couple bolts on Bolt Route, just to the right of Amazing Face. I'm sure I was annoying, making suggestions and encouraging them with too much enthusiasm for such a difficult and intense problem, but I got some good footage of the progress they made on the route despite my desire to be on the problem rather than watching it. The team on Amazing Face finished pretty quickly, and got wrapped up in our Bolt Route attempts even before they'd all finished. But when they had, the boys happily abandoned Bolt Route for Amazing Face. Colin went up first, leading the route solidly for the second time. It's a beautiful sandstone 5.10a with a fantastic view, and it ends approximately 91 feet higher than it starts, which all adds up to a pretty exhilarating experience. Colin set up an anchor on the bolts at the top (and I'll leave the diatribe about the team that set up an American Death Triangle variant for another day), and came down to let Trevor have a go via toprope. Trevor, who has never been on real rock before, did really well. Mike climbed it solidly as well (also for the second time), though the length was unusual for everyone involved and it was dark enough to send us home when he finished. Turns out the group next to us was friendly, experienced, and climb in Mike and Trevor's home gym, Mission Cliffs. The climbing world is always a surprisingly small one, even when it includes a Russian family of four (such blond and tiny children!) and a pair of Portuguese or Spanish climbers, we couldn't make out which.
We hiked out with a flashlight, and followed the nice trail all the way to the car. A brief discussion about dinner ended quickly with unanimous support for Chipotle when it was suggested, and the whole day was happy, sunny, and friendly, and ended with giant Peppermint Patties, scenes from Quentin Tarantino, and honest laughter.
It was good.
Due to work schedules, we didn't get any camping in, but we did manage to spend all day Sunday at Mt. Diablo. The boys (Colin, Mike, Trevor) did some climbing, and I did a lot of picture-taking and managed to hike all the approach paths to the rocks (inclines, leaves, unstable rocks, boulders, trees, and even a nice easy little scramble to the top of the Middle Tier). I got on the wall once, but it was a climb that even made Mike a little uneasy, and I got down pretty quickly. Was aching to try the first clip of bolt-route (a start I really enjoy--crimpy, balancy, delicate work to an otherwise poor hold which is absolutely gorgeous relative to the rest of the holds on the route), but I contained myself with Colin's help. But this is no way to tell a story. So perhaps I'll start from the beginning:
Colin and I pulled into our parking spot near Rock City at 9:31. Within minutes, Mike and Trevor called to let us know they were running a little late, so we sunscreened up, drank some water, and checked out the restrooms. We all took off with our packs (climbing gear, lunch, water, warm clothes, first aid supplies, a crash pad, two 60m ropes, the camera, etc.) and headed down the lovely trail to Boy Scout Rocks. It's only half a mile to the Lower Tier along the path, but we were trigger-happy and took a side route too quickly, wandering up and down some steep gravely bits until we re-oriented ourselves and realized that this wasn't the rock formation we wanted. So we took another jaunty path to the Boy Scout Rocks, meeting them around the Middle Tier. Down to the Lower Tier to scope out Amazing Face (Adam, you really ought to come back and climb this one), but there were already several teams there, at least one of which had claim to Amazing Face. So back up to the Middle (and abandoned) Tier we went, and Colin and Mike took the walk-off up to the top to set up an anchor (accomplished by slinging a cottage-sized bulge on the top of the formation using Trevor's 60 meter rope). This set us up for a couple of climbs with nothing more than a re-direct on the anchor for the second route. Mike was sweet enough to accompany me up to the top to watch the re-direct, and Trevor got to perform his first rappel. (Getting down over the edge of the rock and below the anchor is always the scary part.) Also there was a small bit of chatting with a pair of guys setting up a Tyrolean Traverse as they sought out two really solid anchors on two different Tiers for their project (they ended up using a bomber anchor at the top of a large crack system on the Upper Tier and a huge tree on the far side of the Middle Tier as the second anchor). In turns we climbed, ate lunch, encouraged each other to make it to the top, and chatted about everything under the sun, from ice anchors in Alaska to the latest research in hedgefunds. And then we packed up all our gear and headed down to the Lower Tier to wait for Amazing Face to open up.
A team of three had it before us, so Colin, Mike, and Trevor worked on the first couple bolts on Bolt Route, just to the right of Amazing Face. I'm sure I was annoying, making suggestions and encouraging them with too much enthusiasm for such a difficult and intense problem, but I got some good footage of the progress they made on the route despite my desire to be on the problem rather than watching it. The team on Amazing Face finished pretty quickly, and got wrapped up in our Bolt Route attempts even before they'd all finished. But when they had, the boys happily abandoned Bolt Route for Amazing Face. Colin went up first, leading the route solidly for the second time. It's a beautiful sandstone 5.10a with a fantastic view, and it ends approximately 91 feet higher than it starts, which all adds up to a pretty exhilarating experience. Colin set up an anchor on the bolts at the top (and I'll leave the diatribe about the team that set up an American Death Triangle variant for another day), and came down to let Trevor have a go via toprope. Trevor, who has never been on real rock before, did really well. Mike climbed it solidly as well (also for the second time), though the length was unusual for everyone involved and it was dark enough to send us home when he finished. Turns out the group next to us was friendly, experienced, and climb in Mike and Trevor's home gym, Mission Cliffs. The climbing world is always a surprisingly small one, even when it includes a Russian family of four (such blond and tiny children!) and a pair of Portuguese or Spanish climbers, we couldn't make out which.
We hiked out with a flashlight, and followed the nice trail all the way to the car. A brief discussion about dinner ended quickly with unanimous support for Chipotle when it was suggested, and the whole day was happy, sunny, and friendly, and ended with giant Peppermint Patties, scenes from Quentin Tarantino, and honest laughter.
It was good.