The Land of Gnar-Nhia

The land of Leavenworth.

Monday was a great day for sport climbing. My friend Nic and I both made it out to World Wall One where Nic was eager to wrap up his project Viagrophobia(5.12d). A great line that climbs up two bulges and is a good 30 meters long. He got on it first thing and a few minutes later, and a good amount of effort, he clipped the chains bagging his second .12d. I was pretty amazed that he was able to ‘warm up’ on and send his project all in the same swoop, but Nic was not done yet. We moved over to Techno and Psychosomatic and he repeated both first go, not to mention making good progress on his new project Californicator and warming down on Deluge. It was quite the day for him and very impressive to witness 5 hard pitches being climbed in a single session. I just had a lot of fun monkeying around on some of the classics and was just glad to get out and up some great climbs.

The next day we decided to head out to Leavenworth. The weather was pretty sleepy around North Bend but Leavenworth, which is usually hot enough to melt your skin to the rock at this time of the year, was actually boasting highs of 72 degrees. I leapt at the chance to get out to one of my favorite bouldering spots and Nic was happy to come along. The last time we climbed at Leavenworth was supposed to be the last time for the summer, and the last time for Nic period since he is leaving for D.C. in a few weeks, but what the hell, cool temps in late July don’t come around very often. Our friend Jimmy was unable to make it which bummed us out, but he had just returned from a trip to Leavenworth so no harm done. We threw all of my pads in the car and kicked rocks. 2 hours and 40 minutes later we pulled into the pull out for the Fridge boulder and took a deep breath of the fine air Leavenworth has to offer. We were at this particular boulder so Nic could clean up what was left in the fridge, The Fridge Left(V.8). A super, mega, timeless, all around classic problem that involves some serious thug hugging up a fat granite prow. One of my personal favorites in Leavenworth, or anywhere for that matter. We went through the motions of warming up on the other problems on the boulder which are stellar in their own right and were greeted by a local named Dale who joined us in a little early morning session. Nic soon got to work on his project as I lay on top of the boulder trying to get some footage. Here is a video of Nic coming so close to latching the ever elusive victory crimp.

Nic gave it a good effort but eventually had to let this one get away. His forearm was getting pretty chewed up from the constant slapping and groveling on the grainy texture of the prow. I managed to repeat it, with a nice lack of style, and was psyched to start the day on a good note, although breathing quite heavily. We were both pretty warm after spending some time in the Fridge and moved on to our arch nemesis The Millennium Traverse. Last time we were here we both got worked on this problem and came agonizingly close multiple times to sending it. The boulder that the problem is located on is a beauty, and can be found in a sparsely populated forest that eventually leads to the shores of Icicle Creek. The setting is awesome and there are a lot of good problems on the boulder that are worth doing.

Millennium Traverse revisited.

I was feeling a little intimidated by the problem after our experiences with it last time but I managed to send it after only a few tries. The last move of the problem that had shut me down last time felt a lot easier and I was glad to have this in the bag early. The texture of the rock can really eat up your skin dollars. Nic was psyched for me and we both felt a little sense of revenge as I jumped down from the top. Nic was climbing the beginning of the problem really well but had some trouble with the cruxy campus moves in the middle. He started to get a little frustrated so we went around the corner to a sweet V.4 called 2001 to release a little sending angst.

2001(V.4)

After doing 2001 Nic assessed what kind of day he was having and decided to just go with it. We were both just happy to be outside in this beautiful place one last time before he left. We packed up our things and headed across the road to a truly awesome boulder called the Lonely Fish. This boulder is home to a few V.9’s, a V.10, and super hard project. It stands about 20-25 feet tall and is HUGE and overhung. There are some really sweet features on this boulder and all the problems on it are stout and worthy of anyone’s time. We had tried the Lonely Fish last time and had some good progress but I was staring down a problem called Dirty Dude that I had seen a video of and was interested in doing. It starts on a low sharp crimp and high gaston crimp. It’s overhung and powerful. You pull on with one foot hold and make a savage lock off and lunge to a high crimp rail above. Part of the crux is just pulling on to the starting holds and then the real crux is the lunge. I wanted to try it so we spread our pads out and gave it a whirl. At first I couldn’t even pull up off the ground. A bit discouraging for sure, but we kept at it. Nic and I both started to begin to understand the kind of body tension required for the first pull off the ground and we got thus far. I finally pulled off and held it together, relaxed and shot up towards the rail slapping just beneath it. That was all the encouragement I needed to keep going. I got closer and closer and more excited. I started to pace back and forth underneath the problem mumbling to myself and looking like a complete loon, but I was simply trying to convince myself to commit. Finally, I pulled on and hit the rail! It wasn’t over yet, I had to get both hands on the rail which required some sketchy foot maneuvering, but once I did I hit a good jug on the corner and shakily slapped up the arête until I was able to stand up and scramble on to the top of the boulder.

Pulling on to Dirty Dude(V.10).

Going for the lunge.

Well, to say I was pleased would be an understatement. I think I remember screeching like a girl but you’ll have to ask Nic. I can’t imagine what the nearby tradsters thought of my victory display(‘Goddamn pebble wrestlers!’). I eventually came down from the boulder, and my sending high enough to complete a full sentence. Nic was proud and we both declared it the send of the day. After that we made our way to a problem that I had never seen before called the Cotton Pony. I was really impressed by the quality of the line and the moves were savage. Two big lunges, the first to a pinch and the second to a notch in the lip, very powerful. Nic managed to latch the pinch from the start while I just flung myself at the ending dyno not really getting anywhere. It’s BIG!

Nick latches the 'star trek' pinch on the Cotton Pony(V.11)

This little guy would not budge, and he was right on a hold we needed.

We both did a great problem right next to it called the Pony Ride and then Nic cleaned up on another problem around the corner called Tampax Arete. If you see Nic in the near future ask him about the mystery substance on the jug.

After gawking some more at the Cotton Pony and low start to it, we walked a little ways down the road and found WAS. A large and looming boulder that has a huge hueco in the center of it’s face that either leads you out right to crimps or up the center of the face pinching an arête to the lip. Nic chose to do IS the problem that goes out right on crimps and involves making a shouldery lunge to a good crimp rail. I watched and had some lunch and after a little while he sent. Nice job Nic!

Nick sending IS(V.7)

I finally put my shoes on and we both started to work WAS. A killer problem that starts by leaping to the huge hueco in the center of the face and then reaching way out left to the arête and then up to the lip. After only a few goes I latched a sloper just beneath the juggy lip but dropped off!! Aaaahhhhh! I guess I’m a little more intimidated by the problem than I thought. I didn’t manage to get back to that spot again but I am really looking forward to coming back this Fall to work it.

From there we walked back up the road to make a quick stop at another crazy good problem called Batman. I managed to snap a couple of cool photos of Nic doing the first move.

Batman(V.8)

It was getting late and we were only here for the day so as a last ditch effort we drove to the Sword boulders to try a couple of problems we thought would go quickly. While it was good to be surrounded by the friendly giants of the Sword the two problems we came to do, Zorro and the Tree Problem, decided to stomp our good intentions into the crash pads. We fiddled about on a few other problems and then hit the road, but not before stopping at the Hiedleburger for a victory milkshake and a damn good cheeseburger. Thanks for getting out here with me one last time Nic, can’t wait for next summer. Gnar-Nhia!!!!!

Youngblood, Madness, and Highlander

A nice view of Squamish from a view point reutrning from Cheakamus Canyon.

It has been a little over a year since I have been able to get back to the place where it all started. Squamish was the home of my first outdoor bouldering experience and my first trip to the bouldering hot spot was a very humbling one indeed. I had always considered myself a bouldering connoisseur since I had learned to climb in a bouldering gym and I thought I would take Squamish by storm. Quite the contrary. I can remember last summer(my first trip) staring up at Sloppy Poppy thinking to myself, I’m gonna flash this no problem. I pulled on and made it to the slopers at the lip before falling to the hard ground, luckily not breaking my ankle on the gnarled root behind me. At that point, I knew Squamish was going to be a challenge. Over the course of the following summer I returned to Squamish several times and grew more and more accustomed to maneuvering up, across, and eventually over the top of many of the awesome granite boulders that litter the forest floor. This past weekend I finally made it back to Squamish with two of my good friends Jimmy, and Nic. Both strong climbers in their own right and even stronger boulderers.

Nic staring up at Dream Catcher. Maybe one day...

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock around 4:45 in the morning and painfully rolled out of bed and into the shower and eventually into my packed car. I swooped up Nic and Jimmy and we hit the road with much psych. We made the border in good time and we were at the new and improved lower parking lot of the Stawamish Chief by 10:35. I was stunned to see all the new parking and it took me a while to get used to the new look. I was also amazed at the fact that we had a parking spot since we had arrived on a Saturday morning in the middle of the Mountain Festival. We took little time to gather ourselves and our pads and we headed straight into the forest and landed at the feet of the Titanic boulder. This was Jimmy’s first time at Squamish so we decided to start at the beginning and slowly make our way through the thick of things. The forest was eerily quiet and there was no one to be found or heard, at least for the first ten minutes. Then we started to hear the agonizing grunts and growls of someone who was trying to get to the top of their project. We had made a deal with each other that we wouldn’t get star struck if we ran across any ‘big’ names in climbing due to the Mountain Festival and it’s pull on pro climbers but no more than 5 minutes into our warm up a woman came around the corner who we recognized as Audrey Sniezek and we couldn’t help but talk her ear off and shower her with our awkward praise and enthusiasm for her stunning sends. She is kind of a local hero to us because she is one of the strongest female climbers in Washington and has sent one of the most impressive 5.13b’s at our local craig. Anyway, we warmed up on Titanic and the Titanic Dyno, and Jimmy really got our blood flowing by flashing both of those problems as well as a cool V.4 call Mantis. We finished up there and Audrey had suggested that we try a cool V.8 called Mantra. It was right up the hill from us so we figured why not. Mantra is a sweet fat prow that boasts some excellent sloper slapping with a big dyno to the semi lip before an engaging press to the real lip. Nic and I tried it a few times and came close on the dyno before realizing we needed to save our skin dollars for some other large grained granite purchase. I knew of a cool V.7 that would be perfect for our first hard problem of the day so we headed down the hill to the overhung mini roof of Anubis. This was a cool problem that jump starts you right into a severely overhung crimp and then slap to a grainy lip, get the heel on the starting hold and up to the jug. A powerful problem that requires some severe squeezing with the legs as well. Jimmy got it right away, I think it took him around 5 goes or something but it was cool and he walked away with his first Squamish V.7! Really good start to the day. Nic made short work soon after Jimmy with a huge slap to the lip disregarding the intermediate crimper and topped it out as well. I had some trouble holding onto the flat ‘shelf’ at the lip and just couldn’t piece it together. I was anxious to move on anyways and we went right down the hill once again to a problem called Airtight Garage. I had worked this with my friend Dom last summer and got my ass kicked but it was a new day and I felt like it would go. Nic had already sent this on a previous trip and it had turned out to be his first V.7 ever. Not really the proudest line but a hard little technical piece of work. Jimmy once again made short work of the problem with some different foot beta and a knack for slopers. I managed to send as well with the foot beta Dom had showed me and I was very pleased because it went quickly and this would be my first Squamish V.7.
So far we had all sent some hard problems and Jimmy was on fire and feeling the Squamish vibe.
Now for some name dropping: we saw Liv Pinter and Cedar Wright strolling through the forest and we all got a little giddy. Everyone except for Jimmy who had no clue who Cedar was.
We walked past the Thighmaster area and around the Black Dyke boulder; we stopped at the Super Fly boulder and showed Jimmy the Egg and Baba Hari Das before continuing on through to Easy in and Easy Chair and eventually broke free of the forest just before the Kakedemon boulder. We were on a mission to find Gibbs Cave. A problem that Nic had some bitter sweet memories on. Last summer he came disgustingly close to sending it for his first V.8 but fell inches short of the victory jug and was ready for revenge. We found the problem and got straight to work. Jimmy and Nic both put the moves together quickly but I lagged behind struggling with the first move for a while. After we were all on the same page and Nic and Jimmy had made some serious progress Nic had a go that looked as if he was going to send. He hit the good sloper before the victory jug but slapped just inches before the jug and fell, I felt as if I had been transported back to last summer when he had almost sent it. Nic had to walk away for a moment of reflection and Jimmy and I just stared in amazement. As Nic returned I could tell that he was in another world, his eyes were locked on the problem and he pulled on and absolutely murdered it!! With a growl that suggested he was saying ‘FUCK YOU!’ to the problem he latched the elusive victory jug and did the 5.5 scramble to the top. He laid down on the top of the boulder and let his hand dangle over the lip which made it seem as if he was dead. I don’t think Jimmy and I could/wanted to top that and after a few more goes we moved on to another problem that I personally wanted to do called Tatonka.

A food bandit at the Animal Magnetism boulder.

There was already a group of people working the problem and we sat back and drank Gatorade and ate jerky as we watched for precious pieces of beta. Tatonka is such a cool piece of rock, could almost pass for art. The features and holds that make up the problem are really well sculpted and make for unique and powerful movement. Jimmy and Nic jumped right into the rotation and tested the waters of the first move. I finally made my way into the mini cave and decided to give it everything. I pulled on and made the cruxy first move, I was a little stunned but I kept working up the big fin and almost latched the incut flake before peeling off. I was really surprised at how fast the first move went. After that we all made good progress and before you knew it Jimmy pulled the crux and beached whaled the mantle for his first Squamish V.8! After seeing that I was inspired and sent it directly after him for my first Squamish V.8! We both came down and cheered Nic on as he sent it as well, big time Oly represent for that one!! We were all riding the climbing high after that one and we decided to head to a more ‘chill’ spot, so we made our way to the Animal Magnetism boulder. However when we arrived we found out why it is called the animal magnetism boulder because apparently many ‘animals’ had been magnetized towards its problems. We made our way past the teeming masses and found ourselves face to face with an absolute gem of the area, Worm World Cave. This had been my personal goal for, well, the entire summer, and although I had never tried it before I had seen plenty of footage and the problem pretty much speaks for itself. I’ll just say this, it’s SICK!! There is a stand start that clocks in around V.9 although the guide book says it’s a softy for the grade, and a low start that is given V.10. Just as a side note, for anyone who has never been to the almighty Squa. this is a boulder problem that should not be missed. We gawked for a little bit and then got to work. The first move was a real doozey and will throw any comitt-ophobe. Even when you do commit to the teeth of this crimpy rail you have to bear down pretty hard to stay on. We all tapped the rail several times before I finally decided to just hold on. When I did the next move was okay and then after grabbing a good pinch you throw way out left for a unique swooping fin-like feature. It is a big move and I wussed out a couple of times before finally getting the animal growl started. My best go involved a lot of loud growls and an almost send, I fell getting my foot up high just before the press to the jug. This, for me, was a victory in itself and I knew that I could send this problem. I gave it a few more goes before giving up and deciding to come back to it tomorrow.
We had a really good first day, Jimmy sent two V.7’s and a V.8, Nic put away two V.8’s and a V.7, and I managed to keep up with a V.7 and a V.8, not bad for a days worth of work.

A wee little grasshopper.

On our second day we decided to head up to Cheackamus canyon. Neither Jimmy nor Nic had ever been, so I thought it would be a good idea to start the second day off at a cool wall called the Forgotten Wall. It was very similar to the kind of crags we have back at our local spots so we felt right at home. With zero approach time and a good idea of what I wanted to start off on I found myself warming up on a very short 5.12a. I wanted to try to onsight it but I fell at the crux. Nic stepped up and flashed it calmly and I was sure I could get it second go. However I fell once again at the crux failing to heed Nic’s beta of getting my foot high. I was pretty disappointed in my performance because I felt that the route wasn’t even really that hard. We moved on to a cool route called Creepy Crawlers recommended to us by one of the locals. Jimmy stepped to the plate and hung the draws for us on a nice onsight attempt. Nic went soon after and I followed; I must say it was quite a good route and we were all pleased and ready to go back to the boulders, but I decided to give the .12a one more go. Jimmy said he would hang the draws for me and ended up flashing it easily. Okay, I knew I couldn’t be the only one to not send this damn little thing and I made it through the crux rather shakily and almost came off on the finishing jugs! My performance was sub par but I was just glad to have sent the route. After a stop in town and brief lunch we were back at the boulders. We couldn’t leave without climbing at the Animal Magnetism boulder and after yesterday we were determined to get on something there. We arrived and although there appeared to be a lot of people they all left. SDS Holm Boy and Goldne Boy were wide open. Jimmy got to work on SDS Holm Boy and after a mini session ended up sending it, NICE! We then moved over and started to work Golden Boy. Nic was determined to send and said that the moves had felt a little better then the last time he was on it. I had little success but I wasn’t really eager to waste skin on it in the first place. I do look forward to working it next time. Jimmy made good progress as well but just couldn’t get that darn heel to stay. Nic was a beast and made it to the slopey top out rail but didn’t have the right beta and fell. We were all crushed at how close he came but not for long. He worked the top out and came back with a vengeance sending it directly after. It was a pretty stout send for the last day there with little skin left. Good job Nic!

Nic sending Golden Boy(V.7)

We packed up and headed over to my project Worm World Cave. I was a little nervous because of my skin but I knew I could do it, I just had to bear down. After testing the waters, slapping the rail a few times I decided to just do it! I hit the rail perfectly, pulled up to the good pinch and vice gripped it. Got my feet in a good position and lunged out to the swoop feature and finally stuck it without coming off. I readjusted my hand, got my foot on the crimp rail and pressed up to the jug rail. I was literally in a dream like state at this moment because I really didn’t expect to send it today period.

Me on Worm World Cave(V.9)

I stood on top of the boulder and gave a victory shout and then came back down and celebrated with my friends. After that we all headed over to the black dyke boulder so Jimmy could get on some of the classics. He flashed Sloppy Poppy, got Viper in 2 goes, flashed Tim’s Sloper Problem and Thighmaster. Nic and I just hung back and took it all in, Nic did manage to send T-bag Undies in his flip flops which was cool. I just flailed on everything I got on and we eventually got the hell out of there. It was a great trip and we will return very soon, hopefully in the company of our long lost friends Dom and Laura. Thanks Jimmy and Nic for the awesome time.

Jimmy sending Viper(V.5)

Techno Music

A picture of me redpointing Aborigine more than a year ago.

Well, it finally happened…I sent Technorigine!! I guess the first time I set foot and hand on it was over a year ago and it was more like I clipped the first bolt and fell. Hardly an attempt. However I have been feverishly working the 30 meter beast for the last month or so and after 11 goes it finally went. I made it to Little si with my usual climbing compadres Jimmy and Nic and we decided to do Techno as a warm up. Nic, who has really been on fire lately hung the draws for me but just couldn’t find the mojo to clip the chains. It was okay though, he has sent the rig and since repeated it with style and without using the toilet bowl rest. Jimmy fired up Abo but fell on the first move of the extension. Last time I was here with him he really made good progress and got through both cruxes before falling. He’ll definitely send it soon. I was up last and just felt completely dialed. I took a good shaje in the toilet bowl and then fired up the last bit of Abo into the extension. Every move felt a little bit easier and it really made a difference at the end. I made the committing high step and clipped the chains with a victory shout that rocked World Wall. This route had really been a goal for me and I was so ecstatic to have sent it at the very beginning of our session. World Wall was pretty packed already and our friends Rob and Leslie were already there and congratulated me as we made our way to the Rainy Day corner. They were working a super cool route called End of the World which I haven’t done in a long time but remember that it was a really exposed and fun route.

Leslie sends End of the World(5.12a)

Leslie ended up sending it and it was a cool feat to see. As more people showed up we mainly worked on Viagro and Nic repeated Deluge, and worked on Californicator and almost sent Viagrophobia. He has really been pushing himself lately to climb not only hard but with as much effort as he can muster. Jimmy had a slightly off day but had a good warm down burn on Rainy Day and we are all looking forward to our upcoming weekend romp in Squamish. Mountain Fest here we come!!!!

Jimmy on a clean up burn of Aborigine(5.11b)

A Room With A View

Some dew covered fungus.

I woke up around 5:00 in the morning. It was a Saturday but there weren't any good cartoons on. I drove out to my brother’s house in Everett leaving Olympia at 6:30 and making it there by 8:00 on the dot. I was meeting my brother and my dad to go hiking on Mt. Pilchuk, a place I had never heard of but, we were going to do a trail that my brother had hiked before. The weather was crazy good and I was so psyched to get outside and get up the side of a mountain. The trail head wasn’t very far away, around 40 minutes but the very last part of the road, 3 miles or so, was unpaved and had a few potholes. My grip on the steering wheel tightened as I had flashbacks of Gold bar. Once I unfolded from the fetal position I realized this road couldn’t hold a candle to the grotesque features of the approach road to Gold bar. We made it safe and sound to the trail head, strapped on the back packs and started hiking. The Mt. Pilchuk trail is a 3 mile hike to the summit and is hailed as the easiest, and closest, peak in the Cascade range. We started off hiking through an old growth forest and in many areas there was still dense snow pack that we had to hike over. As we got a little higher the snow disappeared and we hit the switch backs and passed several enormous tree’s covered in moss and large toad stools. A little over a mile in we hit a cool talus field and our first look out.

The first clearing we came to. You would be able to see Mt. Rainier in the distance if it wasn't washed out by how bright the sun is.

We could see Rainier in the far distance and the sun felt good. I couldn’t help but to flip into climber mode and I started looking out for any good sized boulders. Everything by the trail was mostly smaller sized boulders but I could tell farther up the hillside there were probably a few nice chunks of rock. Anyway, we continued on and eventually broke free of the forest and onto the open side of the mountain which was covered in thick snow pack.

My brother and dad.

Fortunately some brave soul was kind enough to stomp out a clear trail and we followed in his/her footsteps. We definitely were not the only ones on the trail that day. I have to admit it is quite a popular trail and we passed several groups as well as got passed by several groups on their way to the top. The hiking started to get intense as we cautiously walked along thinner stretches of the snow pack that were also a little icy from being in the shade but the tough part was going up hill. It was like doing a snowy stair master from hell for a good hour. It was so luminously sunny and beautiful all around us that I must have stopped a dozen times to snap pictures, and catch my breath.

Trudging up the hill.

I was also scoping out the rocks that began to jut out of the mountainside that looked really cool, forming slabs, arêtes, chimneys, and cracks of all kinds. The snow was everywhere and I felt like a hardcore hiker in my tennis shoes slogging along with a goofy grin on my face. As we climbed each hillside we got closer and closer to a huge jumble of rocks that stuck out of the mountain like a big thumb. As we finally broke free of the snow we were faced with a huge mess of boulders to meander and scramble our way between and over.

The rock is a type of shale that resembled a pale white granite. It’s texture was extremely similar to the granite in Swiftwater, very fine grained with almost a sandstone feel to it. The boulders also looked as if someone had loaded a paintball gun with white, black, green, and yellow paint balls and went nuts!

They were extremely cool looking and there were so many different kinds of boulders. Some had a bunch of features, while others were as smooth as the blue sky above. Arêtes, swoops, depressions, lips, laser cut corners, blobs, faces, and prows were chaotically strewn amongst the hustle and bustle of boulders that we sorted our way through until we finally reached the top.

Now that's arete!!!

The TOP!

Our prize was a little house; well it was more like a room, with windows all around it and a wrap around deck. It was neatly placed on the very top of this rocky peak and gave an excellent panoramic view of, well, everything. Mt. Baker, Mt. Rainier, Puget Sound, and the entire Cascade range were all within a head turn of each other. We sat in the little room and had lunch accompanied by several other hikers.

The TOP, again.

The room with a view.

We also learned a little history about the place. The room we were in used to be a fire look out that was built in 1918 and was actually staffed until 1960. In 1957 a ski resort was opened but closed in 1980 because of poor snowfall, kind of hard to believe since this was the middle of June and there was still an abundance of the white stuff everywhere.

Remnants from the ski resort days.

My brother and dad at the old fire watch.

The cascades.

After sharing a few good laughs and snapping off several pictures we headed back down. As we hit the steep snowy parts we simply leaned back on our feet and skied down the slopes. We undid a good hours worth of work in a matter of minutes, and had a lot of fun doing it in the process.

Snow.

Comin' down the mountain.

Now, I seem to remember passing one of the coolest boulders I had seen so far and it happened to be right off the trail. There was no way I was passing this thing by without climbing it, and I had fortunately packed my climbing shoes and a bag of chalk.

I think I was in a state of shock.

The boulder stood about 15 feet tall in the middle of a circle of packed snow. The landing was perfectly dry but was a jumble of railroad ties, rusted bolts and spikes, and gnarled tree branches. The rail road ties actually served as a nice flat jumping off point and I stood beneath the vertical face and plotted a course to the top. There were just enough holds for a good problem so I put my shoes on chalked up and got to work. A few flat crimps, a lunge to a crimpy rail, slapping up a slopey lip to the boulders apex and a pointy jug and then the top out. It had a clear path and great movement, and I definitely was holding on a little tighter than usual because I did not want to fall. It was a pure moment in climbing for me and I sat on top of the boulder and celebrated my good fortune. What a lucky find and I couldn’t have anticipated it any better.

I came down and did the problem one more time as some hikers looked on. One old guy yelled up, “You hiked all the way up here to do some bouldering?”. I smiled and said, “It’s a really good problem.”

We packed up once again and headed on our way. The walk down felt incredibly long and I began to feel the days toils wear on my knees and energy level. We were all beat by the time we reached the car but the highlight of the day was that we didn’t get a ticket for not having a parks pass.

Heading home.

On a side note: (Jimmy, Whitey, and Nic, you will appreciate this story.) As we were driving down the dirt road my dad rolled his window down and I heard a noise that sounded as if a rock had gotten stuck in the tread of my tire. I paid it no mind and kept driving as my dad put his head out the window periodically and stared down at my front right tire. I started growing suspicious and as we talked about what the noise could be my tire pressure warning light went on and I was immediately transported back to the hellish experience of leaving Gold bar. Shit! I thought, I’ve got a flat. I stopped the car and we all got out to inspect the tires. Sure enough my front right tire was low and my dad got on his hands and knees and said, “Yep, you’ve got a nail in your tire.” This perfect day had come to a crashing halt, as the stress set in. We drove down the last bit of the dirt road and pulled over before getting on the real road. I figured it would be okay and we drove to a gas station and filled it with air until the warning light went off. It was a slow leak, so we hauled ass back to Everett and to the nearest Les Schwaub. Their hassle free tire patching policy worked to a tee and we were in and out in 20 minutes with no charge. We then made our way to the closest Mexican food place and stuffed ourselves before heading back to my bro’s place to play some Ninja Gaiden II. As I hacked the limbs from an unsuspecting Wearwolf my eye lids grew heavy and I bid farewell to my brother, his wife, and his little dog Apollo. I made it to my mom’s house in Seattle around 9:00, and an hour later was sound asleep.


Breakfast in Bainbridge

Good morning Seattle.

The next morning I woke up at 6:00 and felt like sleeping for another 8 hours but had to get up so we could make it to the ferry by 7:30. We were heading to Bainbridge Island to check out a place called Island Wood. This early in the morning on a Sunday yielded very few people on the ferry and I walked from port to stern snapping pictures.

Check out the rock wall on this beast!

The ferry.

Goodbye Seattle.

We arrived at Bainbridge shortly and our stomachs pointed us in the direction of the nearest breakfast place that looked and smelled good. We ended up at a place called the Steamliner Diner, which was pretty packed, always the sign of a good local eatery. We got in quick, to our stomachs delight, and well, I’ll let you make the call by the looks of the pictures.

The hard working people of the Steamliner Diner.

This is the Sockeye special, damn, it was better than good.

After reaching a euphoric state of culinary delight, we rolled out of the diner and into the car. We drove out to a place called Bloudell Reserve which is so dedicated to preserving the area it is located on that they only admit a certain amount of people by reservation. We, unfortunately, did not have one and were turned away by an elderly lady whose glasses sat on the tip of her nose, clutching a clip board, with pursed lips. We were bummed but had many places to choose from so we drove out to a place called Bainbridge Bay point(?). A small, but beautiful stretch of beach made up the entirety of the park and we had a refreshing time walking up and down the beach soaking up the sun and watching the sail boats roll by.

The beach.

My mom.

After that we sought out a place called Gazzam lake. The trail head was easy to find but there were two different trails. A sign and an arrow pointed down one of the trails so naturally we followed than one. After hiking for half a mile we came to a tiny pond. We both looked at each other and said, “Is that it?” We were both a little under whelmed as we headed back to the car. As we arrived at the trail head a group of people showed up from the other trail. We asked them if that was the trail to Gazzam lake and they said yes. OOOPS! We decided to give up and headed over to Island Wood because our tour started soon anyway.
‘Island Wood, A School In The Woods’, the sign read. We drove up the forested driveway, parked and made our way to the welcome center. For those of you who don’t know, which included me up until yesterday, Island Wood is a school that is dedicated to teaching children, more specifically 4th, 5th, and 6th graders, about the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest IN the natural environment of the Pacific Northwest. It is an incredibly up to date facility, from the welcome center, Great Hall, dormitories, school rooms, labs, and gardens to other gems located on the 1,100 acres such as the suspension bridge, tree house, and Living Machine. It also has a bog, marsh, pond, and ravine all used to educate the kids about the aquaculture, ecology, and biology of the Northwest. As we got there I almost fell asleep on a bench I was so tired but we started the tour and embarked on a 3 hour trek around the campus. Our tour guide was an awesome lady named Lyla who led us through class rooms, dorms, labs, and a guest house before leading us down the many trails that snaked and streamlined their way through the forested campus. We walked across the suspension bridge, hung out at the bird blind, played in the tree house, and ended it all at their organic garden. It was a really cool tour and my mom really enjoyed it. She is a Montessori teacher who is always psyched about other approaches to education, especially environmentally friendly ones. Our tour guide Lyla is a tough old bird and I can only hope to be as active as she is at that age. As we got back to the welcome center she checked her pedometer and said, “Good, just about 4.5 miles.” My mom and I were beat, and the first thing we thought about was ICE CREAM. We asked around and ended up at one of the most over the top, uber riche, high tek ice cream parlors I have ever stepped foot in. ‘Mora’ was made up of white walls, and hazy pictures of the different kinds of ice cream they offered that looked as if the pictures were taken in a dream. The staff was made up of High school seniors and we were hustled down the line, paying first and then receiving our ice cream. We sat inside the deserted seating area, everyone else was outside, and wolfed down our waffle bowls filled with cool, creamy, glucose and M&M’s, YUM! We made it in time for the 5:30 ferry and were home in an hour. I sleepily drove myself back to Olympia and when I got there subsequently laid in bed trying to recover from the weekend. And what a weekend it was…

side note: I had more photos but they wouldn't load. Maybe later.