life on the road

Sawtooth Canyon- Sport Climbing

/ bens game / 3 Comments

So, this week we have- Started climbing properly, discovered my fear of bees and wasps is very real, ran and trained in the desert heat, ripped a hold off the crag low down, rigged the little solar panel to the roof tent, and posed for lots of climbing pics.

So taking off from the last post, after discovering the parcel was going to be a week longer we drove to Sawtooth Canyon back in the middle of California where we had stopped previously. The canyon is filled with hundreds of sport routes up to 120ft and as it is free camping seemed like a logical place to be. The second day after a couple of easier sport routes to warm up on I decided on something harder and went into the 5.10s’. It was a relief that after so long off climbing I could still climb a reasonable grade. The first route over 100ft with interesting huecos (hollow features in the rock) , the second route being an awkward corner requiring a little technique again rising 100ft.  After climbing we drove to town and loaded up with water and cheap tinned produce after struggling to keep fresh goods cold in the heat.   This gave us a lazy afternoon sat back drinking wine, eating snacks and reading.

cool silhouette
solar panel rigged for early morning phone charging
one of the holds that ripped off while trying to climb, this was followed by loose bolts and a retreat.
sizing up the first 5.10
karli relaxing after the climbing in shade

The next day climbing was hard and very sustained around the 5.10. If I am honest it was painful, after yesterdays climbing my fingers hurt and the little crimps were not fun, nor were the cruxes or gaining the last 10ft on one route to the top bolts/chains which took several attempts to reach. We finished the morning climbing on a beautiful 5.7 route on red and white swirly rock which was a nice warm down. Climbing out here seems tiring and hot. Which it is.

The final day climbing was a fail, during the night I picked out three awesome routes that went to the highest points on some cool lines. 120ft (36m) in length being slightly past the limit of the 70m rope (you require enough rope to get up and back down on a sport route), but as the route had intermediate anchors half way, would be a good intro to multi pitch sport for Karli. After taking a while to find the start scrambling up and down little canyons, we arrived at the base. Looking at the rock I was sceptical. We roped up and I started climbing, 6 feet of the ground the first big jug hold ripped off the crag. That was disappointing. The next few holds looked of a similar manor. Cracked, flaky, hollow sounding and felt slightly loose. We decided to cut to the next route before more holds came detached. I should mention this area of the canyon doesn’t see too much traffic, being a 10 minute walk as opposed to roadside, and the rock being lesser quality. The next route I started climbing on similar looking rock and found the first bolt loosely spinning. It was a dismal feeling, well within my ability, but bad vibes coming from the route. We descended back down the canyon. Karli received a message saying my parcel had arrived. Within a few minutes we packed up camp and started the drive back.

Parcel collected, today-Mexico. Wish I could say more but there is lots to do.

 

After The Basin, from Rawlin to Steamboat

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I’ve just felt my face. It felt like it was covered in grit. I’ve looked in the mirror, its covered in salt, white from the effort and sweat. Today I cycled 85mile off road and 30 miles on. I felt unstoppable, until the climb, then i felt like a uncooked beef steak chucked over the handlebars. The end of the gravel cycle had a 1500 ft climb, but the road kept dropping hundreds of feet every few miles adding hundreds more to the ascent. All I could think is the surveyor who planned the road despised cyclists, he probably sits at the front of a log cabin on the way up. Smugly grinning each time he sees a cyclist collapsing over the handlebars with exhaustion, covered in sweat, trying to suck in air that doesn’t seem to exist. After the effort the reward was a smooth paved descent through a lightning storm towards Steamboat Colorado. It was brilliant.

 

sunrise under tarp
sunset
rattle snake
humming bird

This day started with the sun beaming at my face under the tarp sheet, the wind had been flapping it all night due to my lazy attempt of stringing it up, I envisioned it blowing away in the night but it held on.  I packed quickly, I drank a one dollar energy shot and hopped on the bike. Within a few miles a rattlesnake blocked the route, at first I thought it to be like every dead snake, stretched out along the gravel after a driver swerved to get it, but this one was slightly different in that when I drew closer and it snapped up into a coil. I hastily braked. I feel positive of my identifying this as a rattle snake due to the rattling its tail made. Fortunately the road was wide enough for both of us and I carried on with my odyssey.

I met a few CDT hikers, one called J who happened to be in the right place for a kinda cool photo. Later in the day up the pass where I rested for ten minutes I was entertained by many many humming birds. I have noticed the past couple of days the variety of birds along the way. I don’t know what they are called but keep meaning to snap some photos of the colourful ones, but it seems like effort to stop the bike and so I have only the two photos so far. I have made a few frantic grabs for my phone, but by the time the pin is typed in and camera activated, the desired shot is one hundred meters past already. And so, I sigh.

Its nice to have a motel bed tonight.

Ps. I have noticed when cycling and nearing or cresting a summit, Americans do this fist pumping action thing like a sign of victory along with an agreeing nod and big smile, sometime a ‘Yeah!!!!’. If it happens again tomorrow, I will fist pump back!! Goodnight world.

 

 

Climbing Up A Teton

/ bens game

 

view from campsite at jenny lake
sw ridge of middle teton from saddle
looking at Grand Teton from the summit of Middle Teton
summit
view to middle teton from just below south fork saddle
morning up in the tetons.
snow slope up south fork to saddle
i think this is pretty cool
sun rise on way up

PRE-CLIMB

This Was a Pretty Cool Day for me that nearly didn’t happen. It started two days before, trying to collect my ice axe and crampons from the post office. I went in to enquire if a parcel had arrived and there was no parcel but the lady took my name and said she would set it aside. When I went back to collect it the next morning I was greeted by her saying. ‘They tried to deliver it but I had to refuse delivery as you hadn’t paid to have it left here, you better call UPS and find out where its gone before its lost’.

‘Thankyou’ I said in slight disbelief. I walked out and cycled back to camp.

A while later in the afternoon, and after calling UPS I found it had been take to a depot 27 miles away. On my bike I hopped and peddled as fast as I could to Jackson. I collected my parcel and cycled back. O well, 54miles isn’t too bad. When I arrived back it was around 6pm. I didn’t want to use my legs but it could have been worse.

At the campground the attendant came around for money for the night. I had only a couple of dollars left in my wallet. ‘You’ll have to go to moose to get some cash then’. second sigh of the day and i hopped on my bike and peddled the 7.5mile there and 7.5mile back. It had been a hot day, I hadn’t eaten properly and my legs were slightly cramped. This was not the easy day I imagined. Instead of 15miles, I did around 84. I rolled out my sleeping bag on a tent pitch and lay down.

SUMMIT DAY.

I woke at half 4. I was late. The plan was to be up at half 2 and start walking to the trail head. I lay there, trying to dig for that determination I had years ago. I twisted the nozzle on my camping pad and it deflated. I was committed now! No going back.

I chucked my sleeping kit into a bear box(large metal container that stores food away from bears) and pulled out my rucksack. I started walking. It was 2.6 mile to the trail head, when I arrived, I could tell sunrise was close. Half 5- I ate a choc bar, drank a 5 hour energy and started walking up. At the treeline daylight was breaking. Some of the trail i was running up. When I reached the snow in Garnet canyon I walked as high as I could then put on crampons. Up the South Fork I kept pushing fast. Suddenly it ended. The ground dropped away, I could see for miles. I was at the saddle already. It was around 7.45 am. After a few quick pics, I looked up towards the summit and started up the ridge line and into a hidden gully. It was joy, just out of the gully was good clean easy rock to climb up.  At Half 8- I was on the summit. I checked the time. Then I sat down. No one in sight. This was a pretty special feeling. The ground dropped away in all directions, I turned off my music………silence. I dithered a bit trying to get a few good pics, then after about 15 minutes I started descending.  The way down was as nice as the way up. An interaction with something natural. When I reached the saddle between the South and Middle Tetons, I decided one was enough for the day. I walked to the snow and started sliding. It was joy, glissading till it was too steep to stand. I came across another climber on the way up. ‘Butt-slide it man!!!’. And so I did. All the while fearing my lycra cycling shorts (yes I was wearing my cycling clothing) would rip and leave me in a precarious exposed position. At the end of the snow I started running, this was it, a perfect day. I reached the trail head at 11am. It was a quick day. A climber also finishing at the same time from another peak gave me a ride back to the campground. Harry and Roelie were there making lunch. They gave me fresh coffee and delicious apple and I told them of the day I had.

AFTER CLIMB.

Most would probably stop after a good alpine day, but I decided while on a roll to roll on to the next pass. a nice 43 miles , with around 8 of them near 6p.c. gradient. The flies loved me. I did not share this feeling and spent the whole ascent swinging a bottle of bear spray in the air. just over the top and I realised my back tyre was bald. I decided to change it. This was a terrible idea as the next hour was spent like a mad man fighting mosquitoes while trying to fit the new one. With the tyre barely on right i lumpily rolled down hill to the campground a mile away.

Today I cycled 103 miles to Lander where I have showered for the first time in days, this is a good thing. Tomorrow will be iced coffee and feet up.