Lydia's Mouth

Lina on the unique Lydia's Mouth

Reaching for the slopey jug

Dad Camp

It has been a week since Hammie and I dropped Lina off at LAX and other than missing her things are great.  We spent our first week of "dad camp" back in Bishop hanging with friends and frolicking among giant granite eggs.  It was a bit hard to leave such a Hammie-friendly area but we have loaded our van and are in route to Joe's Valley to try our luck there.  I'll try to post more frequent updates from our adventures.

Here are a few pictures from before "dad camp".

Lina and Hammie hiking to the Pollen Grains

Hanging at the boulders

Lina gives Hammie a tight spot

 Lina on one of her projects in the Happies

Bubba Gump

Bubba Gump is one of those boulder problems I was certain I would do the first day on it but then continued to fail over multiple days until finally excepting defeat.  Maybe next year

 Lisa dispatching Bubba Gump

Magnetic North

One of the cooler new problems I did in Bishop was an awesome highball on the Grandma Peabody.  Magnetic North was put up a few years ago and I'm not sure it gets the traffic it deserves.  The height deters most suitors as the crux requires a big move off a tenuous heel-hook.  Fortunately a good spot and a couple pads actually make a fall from the crux quite safe and while I highly recommend this problem I don't advice falling after the crux.

 Gearing up for the crux of Magnetic North

Post crux is a few big moves of jugs before a couple easy slab moves way off the deck.  Falling is highly improbably for anyone that can get to that point

The Buttermilk top-out

My Backyard

Outside my front door in Bishop, CA.

Bishop Bouldering

The giant granite blocks of the Buttermilks have been working us.  We've been here for under a week and our skin is totally wrecked.  It's hard to pencil in an off day when there are so many things I want to climb but I'll have to show some restraint if I want to send anything new.  We'll see how it goes.

I've been a bit behind on updating the blog as my computer seems to be on the way out.  I just hope it doesn't take my whole harddrive with it when it dies.

For the time being here is a repost of a couple videos I made from bishop back in the day.

Slip it In (Chong Li)

Scott get a tentative hold on the shallow pockets of Slip It In.  

Snake-Charmer and Whispers

 Jim on Snake-Charmer

Finishing the high slab topout on Whispers of Mortality 

My Life in a Tank

Our time down in Hueco Tanks has been good.  Both Lina and I have managed to tick off projects but we've certainly left a few undone.  I've managed to maintain a fair degree of psyche and it actually feels good to leave the Tanks before getting sick of the climbing.  I'm already looking forward to next year.

Here are a few pictures.

 Katherine on her project

 Coming back from a day of climbing

 Lina crimping on B-Flat

 A painted mask

 Prairie gearing up for the big move on T-bone Shuffle