The Land of Milk and Honey

After the defense La Lissa and I went on vacation to the Buttermilks.


I think this is like the 6th time I visited Bishop in last 8 years. Every year I go I think that i've nearly climbed out the boulders at my grade level (v0-v7), but each year I find new gems. After buying the very thorough new Bishop guidebook i'm sure I could spend another 6 years there. Because of the frequent visitations, Bishop has a unique place in my life. Every time I visit the environment is the same, but I am different. I take stock in life, gauging the past by the present, and look to future. This time was no different. With just defending and now done with school (I've been in school all my life, save 4 years before Kindergarten), with getting a job and moving to Canada on the horizon, as well as getting married, I had plenty to think about.

However, mostly I just climbed everyday (i'm still sore), read books (fiction), went on runs and hikes (everyday), and relaxed in the hot springs (once). Here are some photos and a sideways video of me climbing the wave boulder "roof" at the Druid Stones.

Carpe Diem

Yesterday Will-squared paid a visit to Dry Creek. Conditions were perfect for some higher-altitude fun: For the previous five days the Wasatch received 12 inches through continuous very light snowfall. There were a few warming periods that caused the deep faceted weak layers to heal, leaving a very stable snowpack with the benefit of fresh but "packed" powder on top of it all. Over the pass at 10,000 there was some thick clouds early day completely enshrouding the Phiferhorn. We skied down Dry creek to warming temps and clearing skies. On the skin up we kept eyeing the receding clouds on the Phiferhorn. We decided to have a look into Hogum at western base of the Phif where I snapped this photo of the other Will

, showing the very imposing north headwall and couloir. After digging yet another pit, we decided to go for it. With a little rock climbing, some kick steps, and some piolet work, we were on the top.


After a long-ass ski decent from Phif into dry creek. We skined up and back over the pass in the aplpenglow to a dim ski descent into the red pine drainage. Then we had some tree-dodging-by-headlamp fun down to the car.

Someone Broke The Switch On The Wasatch Snow Machine

Two Seats, Twenty One Gears

We just got this kick-ass ride off of craigslist as our mutual birthday present. We paid 400 for it, which is a good deal for a tandem, I think. It should be nice for dirt roads and touring. Ever since we rode one on Friday Harbor we wanted to get one but most are really expensive. We are going to get some racks and sew our own panniers for it. I have no idea where we are going to store it in our house. I'll probably have to reconfigure my office to make it fit.

I will also entertain myself on it by riding it solo on the shoreline, which will make that old trail interesting again. I'll also see if I can ride it solo from the back seat using strings to control the brakes and steering. I bet two coordinated people could pull off a rolling chinese fire drill on it: switch seats while rolling without touching the ground. I wonder how many people we could have riding on it at the same time? I am open to any suggestions on entertaining things to (try) to do on it.

lcc and diverse media

thanks for the invitation, will.

remember that day we went climbing in little cottonwood canyon this summer?

here is a picture of you.

here are some more:

LCC

i had just been in the wind rivers. i also posted some pictures of that trip:

Wind Rivers

here is a movie:

Wind Rivers movie 1
Wind Rivers movie 2

while we're on the subject of pictures of things i did that these are links to, here are links to pictures of my trip to china, in 2005:

Beijing
Shangha
Yangshuo
yunnan
szechuan

here is a movie of my bike ride in yunnan and szechuan:

ride video

thats all for now.

peace and sunshine upon you.

--bobby in nh

Rock Hounding in Triassic

I went bouldering with a whole crew of folks down in Triassic this weekend. I went with John, Christine, Scott, and the Benster.



From these unnamed friends I learned some new words to enhance my climbing vocabulary

Crank and spank ---- lock off and slap indiscriminately for unknown holds.

Hippie climbing ---- Trads

Hippie skiing ---- Telemarking

That Weird Time of the Year for Sports

Every fall is that weird time of year when all four major professional sports are in season: baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. Similarly, fall is that weird time for imbuildingarockwallers when all major unprofessional sports are in season: climbing, hiking, skiing, and cyclocross. All of the following pictures were taken in the last month. We start with Gavin Noyes' "Homespinin on the Homestead" annual event which takes place at his primitive cabin between Hanksville and the Henrys.

Gavin is a professional potter. The cabin is on the left and his giant kiln, built into the side of the hill, is on the right. On the same trip M and I went bouldering at Triassic and hiking at Goblin Valley.


From my last post many wanted to know my secret bike-bouldering pad transportation technology: You take a stick and jam it in your bike frame and tie it down with string and straps. Done.

Fall is fun: go skiing one day and climbing a few days later, both in the Wasatch.