Britton Portrait Session - 08/24/09

Katie and I had a great portrait session photographing Britton at the Arboretum. Pictures can be found at http://katieandjoshua.com

The Tooth (South Face) -08/23/09

Katie and I enjoyed a wonderful day on the tooth. The hike up went really fast, but with the usual Bandit shenanigans it took us 3 hours to reach the base of the climb and we had to leave Bandit below a gully. When we got to the base, we noticed that we were about to be a part of the biggest cluster the tooth has ever seen. There was a group of six climbers all tied together by half ropes simul-climbing the tooth at one time. One person led the climb and five others climbed after him, but were all tied together. Just to reiterate, a six person simul-climb for a three pitch route. I asked if I could climb around them, but they were not into that. Nobody was moving and it felt like an eternity. One of the climbers mentioned that this was the best way they thought of and it should be faster than a party of three, but I don't know what he was talking about. Eventually after an hour or so, the sixth climber got on the wall and I led out right behind him. I would make a few moves then have to wait, and then repeat. Then all of a sudden a group of two, who were apparently in front of the group of six, started going down and threw their ropes over mine. Great times mate! I definitely acted like a big jackass when I was yelling down to Katie and asking her if she would like to join my tea party. Eventually we got to a place where I can sort of pass this mess and on lead, I spotted the sixth climber while he climbed with lots of slack in his line. Once to the left of the mess, the rest of the climb went off without a hitch and we were standing on top of the tooth in no time. Luckily we were able to rappel down before the party of six. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/tooth-08_23_09/

Exit 38 (Club Paradiso) - 08/22/09

Katie and I spent an afternoon up at Club Paradiso and climbed 3 routes.

Lush 5.8
Luscious 5.9
Just Because You're Paranoid 5.8

Exit 38 - 08/16/09

Katie and I took advantage of the nice weather, but unfortunately so did the rest of Seattle. Most of the climbs we wanted to do were extremely busy, so there was no time for a warm up. For the first climb, I lead a 10a which was very pumpy. Katie styled the climb even though if she fell that meant she had to redo the crux. Oops. Then Katie led the 5.7 which was very slippery at the start and I slipped off of it while following it, which definitely scared me. Everyone was alright though. Great times.

Led:
Lovey-Dovey 5.10a

Top Roped:
Rug Monkey 5.7

Rachel and Jon Wedding - 08/15/09

Katie and I attended Rachel and Jon's wedding in Whidbey Island. It was a great celebration and they both looked beautiful. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/seattle/2009/racheljon-08_15_09/

Phish and Vantage - 08/07-09/09

Katie, Matt, Emily, and I drove to the Gorge for two nights of Phish and two days of climbing. We also met up with Matt's brother Brian and his girlfriend.

Friday night's Phish show was the first show I have seen in about 10 years and it definitely brought back the memories. They played many new songs which I have never heard before, but still plenty of the classics. The first set opened with Down With Disease and also included Stash, Possum, Destiny Unbound (a first for me), the ultra classic Sneakin' Sally Thru The Alley, and ending with the every funky Cavern. The second set opened nice with Moma Dance and included Taste, Fluffhead, Bathtub Gin, and Harry Hood. They also encored with Slave! After the show we drove back to the Feathers to camp and found people climbing at midnight with an insane lighting setup and huge speakers. It was quite annoying, but Emily got them to kill the music.

We were all pretty lazy Saturday morning, but eventually we got in some climbing at the Feathers in the shade. I led a 5.7 to warm up on and everyone climbed it, even Matt. Then Katie led a really fun 5.8 in style (her second 5.8 lead) and then I led a 5.9 to finish off the day. It was overhanging for a short section and got me nervous, but was not that bad. We were all pretty hot by then so we drove down to the river and had a great refreshing swim.

After the swim, we drove back to the Gorge, made some dinner and relaxed. The second night was also very good and I was able to run into my old friend Matt Owen during set break. The first set opened with an old tune, Mango Song. The first set also included excellent songs such as Tweezer, It's Ice, YaMar, Wolfman's Brother, and Antelope. The second set did not include alot of songs, but each one was extremely long and equally insane. The set opened up with a 23 minute Rock and Roll which went into Makisupa. We even got to hear our YEM. What a great night.

We had another lasy start to the day on Sunday, but eventually we got more climbs in. Katie led two 5.8's (her 3rd and 4th 5.8 leads) again in style. I am definitely proud of her and how fast she is improving and how her confidence is building. I then chickened out on leading a 5.10a, but waited till the 5.9 was open and climbed that one. Katie then ran up the climb after me. After feeling more confident, I attempted a different 5.10a, which looked easier than the other one I didn't climb. Of course it turned out to be harder. It was steep, pumpy, and sustained. And about half way through the climb my arms were exhausted and I couldn't hold on to anything which made the rest of the climb pretty scary. I hung on a bolt for a long time and thought about bailing, but Katie, Matt, and Emily kept their faith in me and I finally finished it. After that climb, it was getting late and we were again very hot. So we drove down to the river for a swim before the long drive home to Seattle. Lucky for us, there was a 1-2 hour traffic jam at Cle Elum to make the drive longer.

Climbing pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/vantage-08_07_09/

Led:
Altar of Sacrifice 5.7
Shin Smasher 5.9
Satan's Little Helper 5.9
Blood Blister 5.10a

Top Roped:
Jesus Saves 5.8
The Uprising 5.8
Don Coyote 5.8

Exit 38 - 08/05/09

Katie and I went climbing at Substation. Katie started us off by leading a 5.7 and which allowed us to top rope the 10b. She then led another 5.7 and I led the 5.8 variation off of it. We finished the day with the overhang pumpy 5.9, which Katie styled up. Another great day.

Led:
Glob Don 5.8
Hurly-Burly 5.9

Top Roped:
Turf Safari 5.7
Bwana Be Your Man 5.10b
Glob Job 5.7

Mount Townsend - 08/02/09

Katie and I joined her parents for a beautiful hike up to the top of Mount Townsend. It offers great views of Port Angeles, Sequim, the Puget Sound, Hood Canal, Mt. Constance, and the Brothers. It was quite hot out, but the breeze on the top cooled us off. Pictures can be found at http://alpinenapping.com/main.php/v/mountains/2009/townsend-08_02_09/