It has been prime Little Cottonwood Canyon bouldering season lately…
My first attempt on ‘Helen Keller’. I didn’t get much farther than this … and yes, those are the starting holds. Picture by Trevor.
… but Rafiti did. He picked up the send this past weekend!! Woot, woot! Picture by Trevor.
Nathan at the Goldy boulder.
Emil on ‘St. Nick’.
Me on ‘Sweet Baby Jesus’. I have only given this line one attempt but would *really* like to try it again. Only problem is it is a high-ball with a crappy landing, so basically you want to avoid falling at all costs while fully knowing the crux is at the top.
Where to Visit – Crags to Visit as a Solo Traveler (Perhaps I will later make a post of all climbing destinations)
Tips and Tidbits
I don’t plan very much when I travel. I usually pack up the bag and car and simply take off, figuring my path along the way. I usually will have a couple destinations in mind, but fill in the majority of the trip along the way (this goes for backpacking trips through foreign countries and rock climbing road trips).
I realize this spontaneity isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, so I have created a map of climbing destinations that are good stops for a solo traveler (meaning ability to find climbing partners). This map is public and editable, allowing anyone to add markers and information. (If you can not edit for some reason, please leave a comment and I will add your suggestions to the map). It is definitely missing information as I can opine only on places where i have visited. For instance, the only place I have climbed in Colorado is Rifle, meaning this really is the only destination I have added.
Map legend: The markers are colored for the type of climbing for which the area is known. Green = trad. Blue = Bouldering Red = Sport. Yellow = All.
If you are fortunate and have a traveling mate, your options are definitely wider. I came across a google map of rockclimbing the world. When I first came across it I thought it was fab, but now I realize it is incomplete. Still a good resource and should be included on this post, but also means that perhaps I will make my own map of world destinations.
Rock Climb the World Map. Author unknown. He/she states it is open to public edit, but I don’t see how I can edit when I am logged into my account.
Do you have any suggestions or thoughts? If so, please comment or reach out to me.
I stopped by my friend Erich’s blog the other day. He lives in Boone and is always taunting us blog readers with his pics of fabulous gneiss lines. Sigh. So, I thought I would throw up some pics of my own from this past summers adventures.
Ben going for the redpoint attempt on ‘Social Values’ in Causey. Such a great line!
The view from Dog Lake trail in Millcreek Canyon (in Salt Lake).
Pang insisting that we do all crack boulder problems in Joes. I insisted on all crimp lines.
Josh in Indian Creek. Yes, we climbed there in August.
Ben on a variation of ‘Variety Delight’ in Little Cottonwood.
Guillaume bouldering in Big Bend.
Pang on ‘Big Man on Campus’ in Little Cottonwood Canyon.
Today I was the recipient of an act of kindness by a complete stranger. My computer was having MAJOR issues (wifi card not working, logic board needing to be replaced, and for some odd reason it kept waking itself up from sleep mode). Long story short a stranger fixed all my problems, free of charge. Not sure why this person decided to be so generous, she simply said, “since you have been so friendly I can waive all these charges for you” and that was that. I thought I had misheard her, but today I picked up my machine with all its new hardware with a total amount due of zero. Unbelievable. I will definitely make sure to forward on this kindness to another person in need.
Talking about being grateful, there are many other things for which I want to give thanks to at this time.
The above forecast is for this week and makes me truly happy. Yes, Little Cottonwood bouldering season, which I have been patiently waiting for, is finally here.
I am off to San Francisco next week where my good friend, Mark, is allowing me a place to crash for the entire week. I appreciate the hospitality, but I mostly appreciate his continued friendship.
My British friend, Steve, is coming to visit the States soon. I can’t wait to show him LCC and Joes.
This summer was a really trying time for me. Looking back it was a good learning experience, but I must admit I am glad that Fall is upon us.
I have been striving to learn French, studying daily. So far, it seems to actually be working! I am still real slow to form a sentence, but I catch myself remembering the grammar rules and being able to jam through my flashcards. Perhaps one day I will be a fluent speaker.
What about you, dear readers? What in your life currently makes you smile and whisper thanks?
A good handful of my friends like to use the bowline knot rather than the figure eight when sport climbing. The reason of preference is usually because the bowline knot is easier than the figure eight to untie after loaded with pressure (a fall) making it ideal when projecting a line. I had yet to learn this knot well enough to visually check it, having to double check the knot by inquiring of the climber if it looked correct. As a belayer I feel like I should understand everything that is going on with a climb, including the knot, ensuring that I can personally double check everything. So today I watched this video to learn. It’s cheezey, but does a good job at explaining the technique.
If you have any other useful resources to learning the bowline or other important knots, please feel free to comment.
