June 12, 2010

It's the first REAL nice day in a long time. And my first hike of the year. Sad that it took this long to get out, because the weather has been so terrible. Even on days when it's relatively nice in the city, it's raining or snowing in the mountains.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/604 sec.

80 ISO

We were fortunate enough to be out early enough that there wasn't much traffic on the trails when we got here. This trail is a rather easy one and fairly common. It connects to a small river that you hike along until the end of the canyon, where you can hear the falls, but unfortunately, it's around a bend in the rock that you can't quite see. However, there is a deer trail and a dried up river bed you can follow to get to the top of the fall. It's a little on the sketchy side, and there's some good scrambling on all fours in some places, but the payoff is worth it. However, today we're not doing that. We're staying in the canyon.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/400 sec.

80 ISO

There's not a cloud in the sky and it's about 25ºC in the sun, making it the perfect day to be in the mountains. The shade keeps it nice and cool once you get into the shadow of the mountain, or down into the canyon/valley that we're heading into. But it's not so cold that you need any extra layers.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f9

1/125 sec.

80 ISO

Today, this is our destination. All along the trail are areas for climbing. They're bolted and ready to go. Me and my climbing partner have never done an outdoor climb before, so we're both pretty excited. This will also be the first time since December that we've done a lead climb.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/400 sec.

80 ISO

A beautiful climb, and a great job at leading the rope. A few areas he was obviously getting nervous and really had to force himself to relax. Once he was able to clip into a bolt, he took a couple minutes to catch his breath and calm is nerves. He did the whole thing without a single fall which, I'm sure, made him feel much better. Now that the rope is clipped in to the top, it's just a matter of lowering him down and doing a standard top rope climb, same as at the gym.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/320 sec.

80 ISO

Now it's my turn. Outdoor climbing is a completely different beast than indoor. The footholds aren't anything near what the use in the gym, and you encounter real hazards, like wet rock, or mossy holds. But it is definitely a lot more fun! I love a challenge, and this is definitely a challenge. Not just the actual climb, but knowing that if you fall, it's going to hurt more than in a gym. There's no padding here, and the rock is a lot more aggressive. I tore up my ankle and my thigh a little, and absolutely loved it.

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/640 sec.

80 ISO

From the top of my climb. There are more places to climb as you work you way further upstream (and downstream) through this valley. Next time we do this route, I think we'll work our way all the way down to the end and stop a few of the locations. But for now, we stuck with just this one wall, as my climbing partner had to be back in town by 3, so we had to cut our trek a little short.

This just means more for next time!

Canon Powershot SD1200 IS

f2.8

1/160 sec.

80 ISO