cactus

My cactus bloomed.

Bee Balloons

This is Lilly and Joey Bee. They hold hands when going up. Maybe with velcro.

View from Sunrise Peak

A view of the Sonoran Desert and the mountains of Arizona.

Mountain Photos

Up next? A soft shell review

In the early part of this century I purchased a set of clothing that while not new to me made a big impression. It was a Gamma MX top and pants from Arc'Teryx made from Polartec Power Shield. Likely one of the first really popular soft shells in North America.



Certainly not the first soft shells available though as I had been climbing in wool blend Schoeller materials since the early '80sthat came from Europe via Canada. The Arc'Teryx gear offered similar performance and a lot more stretch. The stretch is what impressed me the most. All of the garments have proven themselves durable even in the nastiest limestone off widths.



A few years climbing it the Polartec products had convinced me that I never wanted to be without that "action suit" again in the mountains. So I bought spares on sale and put them away for safe keeping.



Today my spares sit unwrapped in the closet and I have for the most part moved on from soft shells. The one strong hold is pants but even there my soft shell pants have gotten lighter and more breathable than my original Gamma MX gear. Gamma AR maybe. The GammaLt version I use a lot winter and summer. Or the NWAlpine Saloppettes.



But the newGamma MX hoody...hangs unused for good reason.



An Arc'Teryx Gamma MX Hoody on Curtain Call, .



The reason I mention all of this is I am about to start a new soft shell review. So to get much traction the newest soft shells have a lot to live up to. I have climbed and skied a lot in different versions of the older models. And I have indeed gone on to products I think work much better in a winter climbing environment, like the Atom LT and Nano Puff. We'll see if that still holds true from all our gear testersthis time around.

What the newest versions can do differentand better is worth looking into.



Here are the hooded jackets I will or want to be testing in this review. Currrently the listis stacked in Arc'Teryx's favor. No intentional just what I have easily available for comparisons.



Arc'Teryx:

old Gamma MX

old Gamma SV

new Gamma MX

new Venta MX

ACTO Hoody



Patagonia:

Knifeblade



Outdoor Reasearch:

Albi



Mammut:

Gipfelgrat Jacket



RAB:

Alpine Jacket

Baltoro Alpine Jacket

Baltoro Guide Pro Jacket



Eddie Bauer:

First Ascent Hyalite



I am open to any suggestions for any similar garments.



And if anyone has a contact they are willing to share at Mammut USA I could use some help there.





Photo courtesy of Dave Searler and Ally Swinton on Pinocchio, East Face of Tacul, Chamonix.

The kind of place a good soft shell garment excels.

Gunks Routes: Snooky's Return (5.8) & Friends and Lovers (5.9)

(Photo: working on crux #1 of Friends and Lovers (5.9))



This is a bit of a redemption story.It also involvesasmidgen of humiliation.



Snooky's Return is a 5.8 I've been wanting to do for quite some time. It has eluded me until recently in part because of the curse of the bolted anchors above the first pitch. Without these bolted anchors Snooky's wouldsurelybequite popular.But with those anchors, oy! The chainsmake it so easy to do just the first pitch and then throw a rope over the harder Friends and Lovers(5.9) next door. As a result the climbisconstantly occupied by partieshogging both lines.



Back in , Snooky's was high onmy hit list. I had burning questions I wanted to resolve. Many people claimthe routetakes great gear, but others say it is difficult to protect and requires small wires. Williams says in his guidebook that if you do the entire climb it is "one of the best," but it seems like most people don't bother with pitches two and three. I wanted to find out the truth about these issues for myself. Butthe climbwas always occupied. Weekdays, weekends, it did not matter. I could never find it open.



Then one day earlier this year, during my backing-off phase, I was climbing with G and found Snooky's suddenly available. So I jumped right on pitch one, got off the ground, and promptly confronted the low crux moves at the beginning of the thin vertical crack thatdefines the pitch. (Why do the crux moves always have to come so low?)I only had onesmall nut in the wall for protection. As Ihung outthere, looking up, I couldn't see any obvious placements coming up. So then I looked to the right, because Williams says if you step right, move up, and then come back to the crack it is only 5.7. And the climbing over there didn't look bad; it was just that I couldn't see where I was going to find pro.



After thinking it over for a minute Iaccepted thatI didn't have a good feeling about the climb. Idecided tobail without even trying the moves. My head just wasn't in the right place that day for the low crux.I was preoccupied with worries that I would fall onthe nut andtweak my bad ankle orend upon my ass.



So then I tried to pull my little nut out of the rock and found it was pretty well stuck in there. This was a good nut! But no matter, I'd already decided to bail, and so after I got the nut out I climbed down and we went to do something else.



Ever since, I've been meaning to go back and confront the climb again.



Last week I walked up to Snooky's and just sent the stupid thing. I placed a cam horizontally right off the deck in order to protect against a zipper pull, slotted the bomber small nut right below the crux again, and did the old-school trick of attaching two 'biners to the nut instead of a sling, to minimize extension. Then I went ahead and did the crux move. It'sall about getting your feet up so you can reach the good holds; it is literally a single move of 5.8 and then the crux is over. The rest of theway up to the anchor is a lovely, consistent 5.7 face-climbing pitch, straight as an arrow to the bolts. There's great pro, and you don't need any specialty gear like micronuts.I know I passed up a placement I shouldn't have, right after the crux move. It was just another step to a better stance so I went ahead andmade the move before placing gear, surely moving into ground-fall range in the process. But I felt the step was very secure at the time. Next time I'll place another piece, I promise.



We were a party of three and one of my partners, A, led the second pitch. Also rated 5.8, it too probably has only one 5.8 move on it, asingle delicatestep to the right just past an angle piton. The pitch has nice face climbing and the pro is good, but the line isn't really natural or obvious and the crux isn't terribly interesting or unique. I believe we followed Williams' instructions exactly, up the corner directly above the chains, heading left at the little overlap for about 10 feet, then up a steepening face with a step to the right at the piton and then straight up to the GT Ledge.



Pitch threeis a short roof escape pitch, rated 5.7. I regret that we did not bring the book up with us, because I forgot whether we were supposed to escape to the left or the right. From below, it appeared that the escape to the right would involve a couple awkward, overhangingmaneuvers under the roof, whilegoing left would require a committing layback move or two. It looked like there was a path through the lichen in either direction. I decided to justclimb up there and see what I found.WhenI got to the roof both paths seemed feasible, but I couldn't see what the holds would be like once Iescaped the roof to the right, while I could tell that the path to the left looked easily climbable. So I took theconservative path and headed left; the left escape also seemed likethe more natural line. One awkward laybacking move up (at probably 5.5 or so) and the pitch was over, save for some dirty scrambling to the top. As soon as I got above the roof I knew I'd picked the wrong direction. From above I could see a slightly cleaner path through the lichen on the other side of the roof. Even though I now know I went the wrong way I can tell you that pitch three of Snooky's Return is kind of a throwaway.Assuming there's one great move in the part of the pitch I skipped,thatgreat moveis bookended above and below by dirty, uninteresting climbing. If you do pitch two you may as well do pitch three, as it's the easiest way to get off the cliff.If you wish to skip it there is no easy tree from which to descend in the immediate vicinity on the GT Ledge.



Having done the whole climb, I see why pitch one of Snooky's gets most of the traffic. It is a terrific pitch. It looks hard to protect from below but it isn't. Pitch two is pretty good, and pitch three is kind of a waste. If you go all the way to the top, descending is easyso long as you are familiar enough with the cliff to recognize the Madame G rappel station from above. Walk to climber's right as you top out and a trail will take you to the short scramble down to the bolts. Two single-rope rappels or one double-rope rappel will get you back to the ground. (You also probably can walk to climber's right on the GT Ledge to the bolts after pitch two if you wish to skip pitch three, but I have not tried it.)



As we walked back to our packs I was feeling great about making progress and conquering situations that had intimidated me in the past. Then wereached the base of Snooky's and found a family of four climbing the route. Leading pitch one was an eight-year-old boy. His ten-year-old brother also led it. These kids were using pre-placed gear put up by their dad, butnevertheless I was pretty amazed and humbled to see these kids climbing at such a level. I mean, these kids weren't just working on a 5.8. It was absolutely clear that this climb was far below their abilities. It seemed they could climb circles around me today and who knows how good they'll be by age 15 or so.



As impressive as it was, there was somethinga little disturbing to meabout watching such a young kid, sixty feet off the ground, arguing with his father about the sorts of things kids and dads argue about.



Dad: Clip both of those pieces, son.



Son: Why?? They're right next to each other!



Dad: Because I said so! Clip them both or we're not climbing tomorrow!



I want to be clear that I do not disapprove of this family in any way. I thought the boys were both incredible climbers and very well behaved. The parents were extremely nice and the dad really protected the heck out of the pitch, placing much more gear than I did when I led it, so that it was basically sport-bolted for his children.



But I still couldn't imagine myself in the same situation with my seven-year-old son. Partly this is because I know I couldn't trust my son as much as these parents clearly trust their boys when it comes to safety. My son is just too impulsive; I would constantly worry that, sixty or eighty feet off the ground,he would do something in an instant to jeopardize his life that I would be powerless to prevent.



I also don't trust myself enough. I would be constantly worried about the gear. It is one thing to place trad gear for yourself, but quite another to place it for little kids. When I imagine myself standing below my son, watching him move past a cam, thinking about where a fall wouldtake himif the cam blew... I just shudder.



A part of me wants mykids to fall in love with climbing. (I think it is much less likely to happen with my daughter, which is why I'm writing mostly about my son.) I picture us in ten years taking a day every weekend to climb together and it seems like heaven. But another part of me worries about what could happen. And that part of me wants them to reject climbing entirely. Let it be dad's crazy obsession. My kids are still young enough that I haven't had to confront what every parent deals with eventually: they will make their own decisions and take risks in their lives. I know that day is coming, but I don't want to feel I put them in a position to take more risks than they should. I can't imagine potentially putting them in that position now, when they are still so young.



After we got back to our packs A said he was looking for a 5.9 to lead. Friends and Lovers seemed likethe obvious candidate, since it was sitting there unoccupied right in front of our faces. I knew that most people do it on toprope after leading Snooky's, but Williams calls it a PG lead and I recalled a threadon Gunks.com in which the consensus seemed to be that it was a reasonable lead. I did not know that Swain says it is rated R.



Well, I can tell you I won't be leading it any time soon, even though A did a fine job and I really do think it is a PG lead.



The first crux, working over a small overhang twenty feet up,is very well protected. A had two pieces nearby and worked in a third, a nut over his head, just before pulling this crux.



The second crux, however, cannot be sewn up. There's great gear at your feet, but the move is stiff for 5.9, in my opinion, and involves a very insecure smear-step up, and then at least two more moves before additional gear can be found. My partner A hemmed and hawed at this second crux for a good long time before he made the move on lead and I was the same way following it. It is an intimidating move even with a rope over your head.



You may recall thata few weeks ago I said the 5.9s werefeeling easy (on toprope)? I thought Friends and Lovers was hard, with two different, tricky, thoughtful cruxes. I actually misread the firstcrux and took a fall, then got iton mysecond try. The secondcrux I thought was the more difficult of the two, but I got that one on the first try. I'll wait until I'm more confident before I consider taking the sharp end on this one. It is a high quality pitch, though, and A said he'd happily lead it again.

No, it's REALLY raining up here

The southside of the park is closed; the rain has started to wash out or significantly threaten a number of roads and access points. For updated information about weather and access, call 360 569 2211 and press ext 9.

Updates: the weather observations for Paradise measured 11.3 inches in the past 24 hours! At Camp Muir, the temps hovered in the mid 30's (probably rain) but it was the wind speed that remained impressive. Gusts of 121 MPH were recorded and the average wind speed for one hour in midday was 101!! The Nisqually River (pictured right) is nothing short of a boiling chocolately torrent, as is every other creek and stream around here. The river sounds like a freight train and the ground trembles as large boulders and old-growth trees jostle into the flow. The air even smells of glacial mud, cedar and pine.

As it stands now, the NPS is evacuating any non-essential personnel from the park before the roads completely wash out. The Carbon River road is also closed, as is the rest of the park.

Trends I'd Like to See in the Bike Industry

With Interbike coming up this week, discussions regarding what trends to expect have been coming up. Last year was big for transportation cycling, but where will it go from there? To be honest, I have no idea. At the small but influential New Amsterdam show earlier this year the biggest specific trend I could spot was an increase in casual reflective gear. Hopefully Interbike will surprise us with something more substantial.



Meanwhile, instead of making predictions I thought I'd list some of the things I'd like to see myself. In no particular order...




Transportation bicycles for long distance

Most transportation-specific bicycles on the market today are designed for fairly short trips over easy terrain. But for a huge segment of the population, longer commutes over hilly terrain are more typical. Granted, cycling is not feasible for everyone. But I believe that for many, undertaking a long commute by bike is possible without sacrificing personal style and enjoyment. With that in mind, I would like to see more performance-oriented yet transportation-specific bicycle designs. While road, cyclocross and touring bikes can be adapted for long-distance commuting, it is exactly that: aftermarket adaptation. For every person who goes through the trouble, there are probably 100 who will not bother. A transportation-specific design will both validate the possibility of long distance transportation cycling, and make it easy to actually do it.


Affordable, quality dynamo lighting packages

The options for bright LED dynamo lights and light-weight, no-drag dynamo hubs have never been better. However, that's the good stuff and it is very expensive. And the inexpensive stuff - particularly what tends to be bundled with typical city bikes - is not great. Consumers complain about the dim halogen headlights, the heavy, lackluster hubs. It would be good to have an affordable middle ground. Bike shops that specialise in fully equipped bicycles tend to agree, and some have taken to modifying stock bikes with upgrades. But to see an across-the-board improvement in quality of bundled lighting packages, the initiative must come from the manufacturers.





Decent cycling trousers

Normally I wear my everyday clothing when riding for transportation and do not feel a need for cycling-specific designs. One exception is trousers. As it stands, I ride mostly in skirts and avoid trousers, because the crotch seams on most of them - particularly jeans - cause me discomfort in the saddle on anything but the shortest rides. Considering the growing selection of cycling-specific trousers on the market, it amazes me that virtually none of them aim to address this issue (which I know others experience!), focusing instead on bells and whistles such as U-lock pockets and reflective tabs. Somehow the idea of a seam-free gusseted crotch either escapes the designers or does not seem important, but I hope to see this feature in future.


Easy to use mini-pumps

When I talk to women about self-sufficiency on the road, a lot of it comes down to finding the equipment physically difficult to use. This is particularly true of portable bicycle pumps. A few months back I attended a "fix your flat in 5 minutes flat" clinic, and most of the women present admitted they were unable to use the mini-pump they carried with them on the bike - telling stories of roadside frustration, ripped out valves and ruined tubes. In fact there is exactly one mini pump I know of that is agreed to be fairly easy to use, but the complaint is that it's heavy; few are willing to carry it on their pared-down roadbike. It would be great to see manufacturers come up with designs that are both easy to work and lightweight; it would be a game-changer for many.



Road component groups designed for low gearing

For those who prefer low gears on their roadbikes forclimbing-intensive riding,it is not easy to achieve a build that is in equal measure modern, lightweight, and perfectly functional. Road component groups tend to be optimised for racing and therefore geared on the high side. Setting up a bike with truly low gears (I am talking sub-1:1 here) usually means resorting to mixing and matching components and brands, switching out chainrings to non-native ones, installing mountain bike derailleurs, sourcing vintage parts, and so on. While I am sure some will disagree, according to my observations and personal experience it is rare that these hybrid drivetrains will function as flawlessly as dedicated component groups where everything is designed to work together. This year SRAM has begun to venture into the low gearing territory with their "WiFli technology" - lightweight road derailleurs designed to accommodate wider cassettes. I can't wait for others to follow suit.





Mainstreaming of 650B



There has been talk about the rising popularity of 650B for years, and I am looking forward to this wheel size finally becoming mainstream and unremarkable for both road-to-trail and transportation bicycles. Increasingly, cyclists are choosing bikes built for 650B wheels: Framebuilders are being asked to make more of them, DIY 650B conversions are all the rage, choices for 650B rims and tires are expanding, andsome fringe manufacturers are offering dedicated 650B models. There are benefits to 650B wheels, including wider tires and no toe overlap. But there is also concern about the longevity of the trend, as well as about mainstream bike shops not stocking relevant parts - which could pose problems for those experiencing mechanical issues on long trips. I hope it is only a matter of time before affordable and mainstream manufacturers normalise 650B and put those concerns to rest.



So that's my wish-list. I don't think anything here is especially radical or too much to hope for. Mostly I am guessing it is a matter of time, but hopefully sooner rather than later. What trends would you like to see in the bicycle industry in the years to come?

Jemez Fire Smoke

These are photos I took from my yard of the smoke cloud that we can see of the Jemez fire that is near Los Alamas, New Mexico. It does look like a normal cloud but it really is smoke. We have seen it every day since the fire started last Sunday. This morning it had come over us even more and is making it hard to breath. We hope they get it stopped soon. The Los Conchas fire is now said to be the largest in New Mexico history as the Wallow fire is the largest in Arizona history.

Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Ninth Grade

Independence

Some of the fireworks in Tahoe City, California on the 4th of July.

Grand Canyon :: Indian Gardens to Plateau Point

This is the third installment, before continuing you might want to read the first and second parts of the story! For whatever reason, most likely just plain tired, I didn't get any pictures of our campsite. Like all of the sites at Indian Gardens it had a picnic table with a shelter over it along with metal boxes in which to store your food and toiletries (the odors will draw the critters). After a brief rest we ate our lunch of pita bread sandwiches, protein bars, and trail mix. For some reason it tasted quite good!

Then it was off to our second destination of the day – Plateau Point, which lies 1.5 miles north over a relatively easy trail. The trail to Plateau Point can be seen in the second photo of the second post in this series.

As we were coming off the last switchback and down into the canyon at Indian Gardens we had noticed a change. More trees, brighter green, and glorious Red Bud trees in full bloom! Just beyond the campground, alongside the stream, there was a grove of Red Buds. Their flowers contrasted brightly against the green of the surrounding trees and the grass growing beneath their branches.




And the little cactus plants literally covered the ground in some spots. And they were nearly ready to burst forth into bloom! On the way out to Plateau Point, we saw just one cactus in bloom with gorgeous deep red flowers, but it was too far off the trail. However, on the way back, Fred spotted another blooming cactus, just a few feet away. I just had to stop and get a few pictures of it. Amazing color. And it wouldn't be long before the desert floor was carpeted with their color. It had to have been an incredible sight.



The view of the Colorado River from Plateau Point, looking east.

Looking west.

We spent several hours at Plateau Point. Much of the time we were alone and it was so peaceful and quiet. People would come and go, make noisy chit-chat, then leave us. For a while we watched a group of six Condors riding the air thermals until they disappeared into the distance. You could occasionally hear the water tumbling over the rapids far below. Ravens soared and swallows flitted over and around us. Sitting on the rocks, on the edge, yet in the middle of the Canyon is indescribable. As the sun lowered in the sky, the air took on a chill, and we reluctantly left Plateau Point.

We thought about staying and watching the sunset, but we didn't have any lights with us. Instead, we went back, got our lights, then walked to a point that provided a decent view. We knew we wouldn't be able to actually see the sun drop below the horizon but thought perhaps it's waning rays would add some color to the Canyon. It wasn't spectacular though it was quite nice. A fitting end to an incredible day. One that started out a little “iffy” but turned out great. We really couldn't have asked for a better day to make the trek into the Canyon. Quite memorable.

Spring!

Its spring - or at least it is for today. Here in the desert we only have a bout a week of spring and then it jumps right into summer. Trees are blooming, horses are shedding. So we have flower blossom petals and horse hair blowing in the wind. What a combination. He is a pic of some of the redbud tree blossoms. I adore flowers, and leaves on trees. I admire and marvel over each and every leaf, petal, stamen, and the unique colors that are so brilliant against the desert tan, and dirt colors. Each one is special.

Rail Fence

Ice Cave Sunset

This view was the perfect end to a beautiful day. I had spent a couple of hours photographing ice along the shoreline when I came across this small cave. The cave had a rock in it that was just the right size and shape to make a comfortable seat. When I sat down on the rock inside the cave, the view looking back out along the shoreline was magical. The sun was just starting to dip below the trees and the hanging ice framed the scene beautifully. Like I said earlier... the perfect end to a beautiful day!