Yes, it’s back.

Life On Hold Trailer 1 from Outcrop Films on Vimeo.

Posted on 19 October 2011

I’ve been meaning to write. Really. There are a handful of draft posts sitting in WordPress, all seemingly useless to finish at this point. I’ve been busy filling my journal, and perhaps this will serve a catch-all for those random thoughts.

Over the years, I’ve been generally fortunate to avoid climbing injuries. Yes, I injured my finger at Hueco Tanks, but aside from another minor pulley injury many moons ago, I’ve been generally free of any major issues. I wasn’t able to maintain that, however, after injuring my neck and shoulder in mid-August. I’m fairly certain it happened while working out on our DIY gymnastic rings in the basement, doing core exercises. I was left with what seemed to just be a strained neck, so I took it easy for a few weeks and figured it would work itself out.

A few weeks later, and it wasn’t working itself out. The pain migrated to my shoulder, my right arm was weaker, and, as a bonus, sometimes my arm would go numb. Bad news, it would seem. Off I went to see a specialist. The news was good–I likely strained a muscle in my neck and pinched a nerve. The physical therapist also suspected that I strained the joint between my clavicle and shoulder. I was given a handful of exercises, told to keep at the climbing, and check back in six weeks.

Four weeks later, and I’m doing better. I’m training again, a bit, but my arm is still fairly weak (the therapist measured the arm to be roughly 25% weaker than my left arm). Last weekend, we did two days of hard climbing at Summersville (four trips up B/C and a couple up the POD). Some moves still feel impossible, but I was able to thrutch my way to top of just about anything. (The undercling move on the POD is frustratingly impossible at this point. What’s really bothersome is that prior to the injury, I was routinely doing this move easily–something that never happened–and now, I don’t even bother trying.) I’m not setting any goals for myself, knowing that the combination of a weak arm and a general lack of route fitness means I can’t really push my limits. Such is life, so I’ve been focusing on just having fun (there’s a thought) and not getting caught up in sending hard climbs. If age has given me anything, it’s the ability to take the long view on certain things–these climbs aren’t going anywhere, and I don’t seem to be getting weaker with age, so letting a season pass isn’t the end of the world.

My thoughts now turn to the spring (I do need a goal somewhere on the horizon) and where we’ll point the van (assuming it lasts that long or I don’t sell it in a pique of frustration at the high cost of stupid little plastic parts). Hueco Tanks is always in the discussion, but we don’t want to commit to much than three or four weeks. Of course, the three day drive is getting a bit old, too. I do like the desert, but at the same time, the obstacles of the rules at the site always make for stressful preparations.

Rifle Mountain Park is another option. It’s an easier two day drive, and I like the narrow canyon, too, with its cryptic limestone climbing (oh, and I don’t mind the 30 second flat approaches, either). Of course, that means being in route shape, which means actually training endurance. And there’s the little obstacle of the cryptic climbing–choose the wrong project and your trip goes pear-shaped pretty quickly (I’ve experienced both the highs and lows that Rifle has to offer).

Truthfully, it’s easier to be in shape for a bouldering trip–a couple nights on the fingerboard and another day at the gym each week and you’re set. Route climbing requires a bit more work and, truthfully, more time on real rock. That latter will be the challenge. And, of course, there’s the matter of climbing with friends–always an option at Hueco, but perhaps less so at Rifle.

But, for the moment, we need to take what Fall gives us.

Posted on 16 October 2011

I’ve reached an age when, again, I lament the passing of summer. After college, it was liberating to know that I was no longer constrained (as much) by the seasons, and life was not strictly marked by their passing. These days, however, I wonder where the time goes. Looking out the office window, I noticed the South Side pool had been drained–already!–and with only a week left in August, some kids are preparing for school again. (Interestingly, the same patterns don’t exist in our home, as the kids started school yesterday, and worked well into the start of summer, thanks to our extended road trip.) Ironically, I don’t like summer much. I’m not one for the heat and humidity. The benefit to this is that my lament quickly becomes celebration, as the Fall brings cooler temperatures, colorful leaves, and better climbing.

Oh, yes, climbing. I am drifting a bit these days. I had plans, big plans, for what I’d accomplish this year, but training has been sporadic with random bits of traveling and family visits. I have found, however, that I am enjoying climbing a bit more, even though I’m not always pushing myself physically. This is a good thing, and will perhaps, with a bit of actual training, prepare me well for harder climbs once the proper weather arrives. While I muddle along, however, Sebastien has found his way. Over the past eight months, something has clicked in his head, and he enjoys climbing, and enjoys pushing himself a bit. This past weekend, he grew as a climber, doing several long pitches (upwards of 50 feet), including a 5.7 (he also cleaned his first bit of protection, managing to get a recalcitrant stopper out of a crack). The boy is growing, and it’s a sight to see.

Posted on 23 August 2011

It has taken a few years, but Jonathan Vaughters’ team is finally living up the expectation heaped upon it. First, Garmin wins the team time trial, putting world champ Thor Hushovd in the yellow jersey, then Thor turns around and delivers Tyler Farrar to his first TdF stage win the next day. There was some concern about a single team having two green jersey contenders, but, thus far, it has been smooth sailing (unlike the “failed” Classics campaign). This softens the blow of having the team’s two GC contenders, Tom Danielson and Christian Vande Velde, a bit back in the overall table after getting caught behind a crash on stage 1.

Speaking of the crash, many critics have been clicking their tongues at Alberto Contador for getting caught behind the crash as well. Why was he riding in the back, they wonder. Truthfully, Contador wasn’t that far back, but, this isn’t the first time he’s been caught out. Bike racing 101 hammers home “ride near the front to stay out of trouble.” Contador may have missed that lesson. To add insult to injury, this SaxoBank team had a forgettable team time trial, further losing time to his rivals. One minute, forty-two seconds is not an impossible deficit, but heading into the mountains, it allows his main rivals to simply sit on his wheel.

Lost in the Garmin’s thrill of victory and Contador’s agony of defeat is the good fortunes of another U.S.-based team: BMC. Cadel Evans rode a fantastic race on Saturday, finishing second behind Phillipe Gilbert. Evans was boxed in a bit when Gilbert made his move–it is entirely possible he could have challenged the Belgian if he had a clear shot (not to take anything away from Gilbert’s win–the man has been stellar all season). BMC followed this up by taking a surprise second place in the team time trial, always considered a bit of liability for the team. This has given Evans a small buffer over the other contenders, with several other bumpy stages this week giving Evans the opportunity to force his opponents to work a bit harder than usual. Since his world championship win, Evans has been a joy to watch (after many years of being a bit of boring racer). I still contend he could (and should) focus on the one day, Ardennes-style races, but if he can hang in the mountains (and maintain a bit of good luck), this could be his year.

Posted on 4 July 2011

We put Betty to sleep yesterday. She was apparently suffering from a terminal illness, but her condition worsened significantly over the last two days. The vet made it clear that getting a proper diagnosis might actually push her over the edge, so after some soul searching, we made the decision to relieve her suffering. Because I was at the vet’s office alone, we decided that I would bring her home for a few hours, then return with the whole family. We took our turns holding her, and eventually she sought the comfort of the closet (where she had spent the last few days). Secretly, I hoped she might just pass away there, but alas, it wasn’t to be, and we said our tearful goodbyes.

She and Wolfgang have been with us since right after our marriage, so her passing is not without a great feeling of loss. She did, though, live a full life, nearly fourteen years. In many ways, she was the essence of cat-ness: sweet, beautiful, graceful, aloof (particularly with the kids and visitors), but fiercely affectionate toward Jen and me. I will miss her routines: jumping on the bed after I’ve climbed in the night for her dose of petting. Sleeping between my knees, often under the covers. Curling up on my lap when I worked from home. The tippety-tap of her back claws on the hard floors.

Now we are a house of five, with the lone Wolf (who, it should be noted, actually appreciates the kids). Betty will never be far from our memories.

Posted on 16 June 2011

Via Dana and Jeremy.

Jen doing Isabella (V5)

The name of this one escapes me:

Jeremy on the same problem:

Posted on 23 May 2011

From RoadTrip2011

Posted on 16 May 2011

Yes, it does actually rain west of the Mississippi, apparently. We’re in a Barnes and Noble in downtown Salt Lake City after being chased from Little Cottonwood Canyon by thunderstorms. We had two good days of bouldering there on the granite blocks, and, truthfully, it was probably our favorite spot. I managed a few good problems over the last days, most notably Barfly (V8), Mr. Smiley (V4), and Twister (V4). I was absolutely cracked after doing Barfly at the end of the day on Thursday, and Friday was mostly a wash, aside from Mr. Smiley. I put in a decent effort on Copperhead (V10), but the starting hold was bothering my left hand, so I wisely backed off rather than risk another injury. I couldn’t manage to muster up the courage to do the the final jump on the Dean Problem (V6), either, and that was my final effort before the skies opened in earnest. While it is disappointing to finish the climbing portion of the trip with a rain day, we’ve had good weather for the last four weeks, so I can’t complain too much (aside from mostly losing a day yesterday “saving” myself for today).

So, tomorrow, we begin the drive east, with a stop in Colorado for a few days. While we’ve certainly had a good time, we are also looking forward to our home, too.

Additional photos will be posted early next week.

Posted on 14 May 2011

From RoadTrip2011

After a few days of work, and nearly a week of being sick, we left Santa Cruz for the day, heading up the hill, and bouldered at Castle Rock State Park. Though hardly a destination spot, Castle Rock has its place in U.S. bouldering history, as many west coast climbers cut their teeth on the Fontainebleu-esque sandstone blocks scattered in the forest. We spent the day at the Magoos, and tight collection of blocks just below the Castle Rock itself. The rock was, mostly, very interesting to climb on, with lots of big, gritty slopers and poor footholds. Many of the moderate problems were exceptionally fun, with big slopers and interesting top-outs. I didn’t do much hard stuff, only working briefly on the Bates sit-start (V9/10). I did manage to do the Hueco Wall (very hard V5 and, unfortunately, a bit chipped), SLAP (super fun V5 arete), and Bates Left (V6). We walked past Deforestation (V7) at the end of the day (made famous in Rampage), but I was feeling knackered enough to just walk past.

Our time on California ends on Tuesday, then we’re off to Salt Lake City for a few days of bouldering in Little Cottonwood Canyon.

Posted on 7 May 2011

We arrived in Santa Cruz this evening, after a bit of a bumpy ride. We spent three days in Tucson, AZ, with Paul, April, and Silas. This was wonderful, aside from one small detail–I got a vicious cold on the drive from Hueco Tanks to Tucson. I spent most of the time in bed, or sitting at a desk working, rather than doing stuff like visiting Mount Lemmon, drinking, climbing on their backyard wall, or swimming. This was not fun. But….I am not alone on this journey, and the rest of the gang had a fine time, and we miss our friends already.

We spent an evening in Joshua Tree, stealing away a few minutes to sample the boulders around the Hidden Valley Campground before the sun set. We ate dinner, then the fun started–Seb had picked up whatever I had, which it made it difficult for him to sleep, which meant it was more difficult for us to sleep. I ended up sleeping in the top of the van with Oren. While the pop-top bed is great for the kids, it closely resembles a coffin for an adult. Add to that my waning sickness, and temps that flirted with freezing, and it is safe to say we’ve had better nights. But, the sun rose, the air warmed, and we were okay again, enjoying the scenery along the central California coast. The rolling, pastoral hills between Fresno and Watsonville were my favorite bit of the trip so far.

So, we’re in Santa Cruz for about a week, while I work in my employer’s Scotts Valley office. We hope to visit Castle Rock State Park near San Francisco for a day or so of bouldering, then we begin the trip east, with a first stop planned for Salt Lake City.

Posted on 3 May 2011