That's a Problem

Nope, it just isn't right.  My thoughts were not complete.  I wasn't willing to say what I wanted to say... After some discussion, and the fact that I'm awake at 4 AM to remove this post -- I will rework my thoughts and find the courage to write clearly what I intended, or find something else to say.

Quick Hit -- Thank you, Access Fund!

I just wanted to put a thank you out to the Access Fund. The other week I posted a video of the port-a-can's at the Frenchman Coulee Climbing area. When I returned for climbing last weekend, the port-a-cans had been removed. I don't know if my video had any impact, but I'm truly grateful to know that these items are no longer a blight on this climbing area. Of course, I was never certain the Access Fund was the group providing the port-a-cans, it was only my impression, but non-the-less I targeted them so my thanks and appreciation will also target them. I wish that this climbing area had the respect of non-climbers and there was a way to provide a climber/public potty. For now, climbers will just have to carry out their waste. Not a bad practice to get in the habit of doing. Again, Thank you, Access Fund!

Climbing @ Frenchman Coulee

Tuesday, instead of working, I headed out to Eastern Washington with my friend Laura for a day of climbing. The weather looked horrible. I woke early and made my way to Seattle, the rain was dumping and the thought to carry my ski gear didn't cross my mind. I wanted to climb. I'm going to climb!

I got to Laura's about 7 o'clock and we moved my gear to her car. She made me a quick egg salad sandwich and we were on our way. We didn't even put on music as we talked the whole way across the mountains. The rain didn't stop until about Ellensburg where we could finally see some blue sky breaking through the clouds. Chances of climbing didn't look good but we were still optimistic.

When we arrived we could see the ground was still wet and the rock was not the driest it could be. Oh well, what are are you going to do, the sun is out... lets chill in the rays and wait for the walls to dry. In the camp ground below, an all girls school was on a field trip learning to be empowered... I guess. Lots of squawking for certain. Sorry, I shouldn't make fun of young impressionable girls... yep, lots of squawking.

We talked with a few of their guides and counselors. An amazing group of women... these young girls were in very good hands. They scoped out plans to take over the Feathers climbing area, so we planned to get up a few routes before they finished their belay safety.

The sun dried a couple of routes pretty quickly, so I was on lead for the day. Laura is a more experienced climber than me, but she's been injured and her head isn't ready to take on that challenge... yet. I can feel her just waiting to take the sharp end though.

We started a few short and easy warm up runs. Surprisingly, it wasn't so easy. I sagged the first lead, but I decided to go back and re-climb it clean. It was my first lead since October of last year. I hadn't even lead in the gym since then. I guess it is time to get a gym rope and start practicing. Aside my lack of leading skill, the sun was warming our backs and the walls were drying out more. I sagged a lot this day, but I never totally freaked out and never was out of my skill range. I need to get my head focused for a longer climb. I'll take the sags though. Some would say it wasn't a good climb... I say it was 5.FUN! (Yeah, Laura, I stole that from you...)

Eventually, after a few climbs each and a snack, we made our way over to Sunshine wall. The sun became less pronounced and more clouded. You can see from the picture that the sun was cloud dodging most of the day. At Sunshine Wall we mostly scoped out the climbs and got in one more long pitch up Clip'em or Skip'em. It was probably the hardest 5.8 I have ever done. Not because it wasn't a 5.8, but the bolt placements sucked. Seriously, if I were a braver man, I would have skipped a few bolts. And the top out was naked... I was able to balance my way up, but it was still difficult. Laura thinks she found the hold that I missed that was bomber, and I just made it harder than it needed to be... Big surprise there. Where are my taped holds? Way too much time in the gym.

Back at the car I decided to make a little video. At the Frenchmen Coulee climbing area there are a couple of sani-cans or port-a-potty (what ever you want to call them) with a long history of neglect and abuse. On our visit the cans were in no condition to be used. They clearly hadn't been serviced in a very long time, and had become a place to dump garbage. These cans come as a courtesy of the Access Fund. Or so I am lead to believe. I apologize if I am mistaken and will gladly make a correction both here and in the video below. However, I feel it must be addressed in some form. First, if these cans are provided from any of our beloved climbing communities that we all rely on to help make climbing available, it is important for them to leave a good impression. These toilets are disgusting. Second, if these toilets were once provided as a service and are no longer... it is unacceptable to leave them unattended in the climbing and camping area. Have I mentioned that these toilets are disgusting? Third, and finally, I'm not here to abuse my beloved Access Fund as I love my t-shirt, and other gear they provided when I was given this a gift a couple years ago, and I continue to maintain my membership. I love what you provide, inspire, and help make available. Someone -- PLEASE -- prove me wrong. This is just sad.

[ The Video was removed, and so were these port-a-potties. Thank you to whomever responded and made the change! ]

Hurricane Ridge

I went to carve my name is the snow. CHRIS WAS HERE!

I woke up at 6:00 AM and printed out a avalanche report, left it on the printer and started to get ready to leave. At 7 o'clock I watch my ride drive past my house. He'd figure out soon enough that he'd have to turn back around. Mack had been here before, turns out that he was still waking up and had missed a couple of turns already along the way. I went out to the road to flag him down, my gear in the driveway, so we could get on our way. Loading up took just a minute, and the drive was quiet.

I poured Mack some coffee he brought in a thermos, and watched out the windows at the white peaks I wanted to drop into and ski. Somewhere before Port Angeles and after Sequim we stopped at an organic grocery store, I picked up a Naked Green Machine to start my morning. Mack grabbed some veggie sandwich, and I took over driving for a short bit.

Mack pulled out the transceiver to give me a quick review from the passenger seat. "On at the car, off at the bar." Easy enough to remember. I began the short portion of the drive to the National Park Gate at Hurricane Ridge. I missed a turn, we had to back track a little. Apparently, a theme for the day... Lots of back tracking.

We arrived and got the prime parking spot. We went into the lodge to sign in for the day, an use the facilities. Got our boots on, backpacks prepped, and transceivers strapped on.

We walked over to the trail and tested the equipment. I skied past Mac, then he skied past me. The transceivers worked. Down the trail we made a few easy turns. A nice opening in the trees -- we turned off the trail. We headed into the trees. Mac first made some turns and came out to a flat area. I cut my turns and followed into the trees. I told Mac on the way up, I don't fall. You know that is a sign your going to fall. We hit our next hill, and Mac took a small spill but was up right away. I followed a similar path and turn over into the snow. Pillow fight! I stepped out of my ski. It didn't take long to get the ski back on and catch up to Mac.

We eventually got caught in a gully that was sluffing in front of us. No way out but down. Some tight turns and eventually we were caught in tree line that was not going to let us through easily. Eventually, after some tree climbing and breaking through the branches, a few final turns led us into a field of some twiggy bushes that made skiing a bit difficult. We decided to stop for a quick break.

We grabbed a quick bite, and tested out the transceivers by burying them in the snow and locating them each in turn. A pretty simple process really. I would hate to have to actually find someone buried though. We put the skins on and made our back up the hill. The initial trekking wasn't too bad, but getting through all the branches wasn't easy. There were a few areas that even the skins wouldn't keep you from sliding backwards.

We eventually got through the tough part and started switchbacks up the open hill. Trekking uphill isn't that exciting, but the views and the exercise is fantastic. I never once thought about the fact I had left the iPod in the car. The air at a mile up is thin for my amphibian lungs, and I quickly realized I needed to manage my breathing. Breathe in with two steps, breathe out with two steps. That seems to work well.

As we approached the top of Steep & Icy we started a dug out for some avalanche testing. Mack started while I peeled his orange and took a few more pictures of the surrounding areas. Okay, Mack did all the work. I simply took pictures and was learning about how it all worked.

We did some avalanche tests to which it was concluded that on the NNE slope at 30 degrees we had CT21Q2 at about 9". We saw natural slab and point-release mischief on the 45 degree slope. A couple skied past us down the lovely face. I trampled the dugout to prevent someone skiing into it.

My knees cramped up and I had to stop and stretch. That was more fun than I could have ever hoped for really. We had a short trip to the hill top where Mack gave me something to put under my tongue that supposedly would help with the leg cramps. I definitely slowed down at this point. Trekking is hard work for sure.

We made our path back to the car for lunch. Again, Mack cruised and even with twenty years on me, he put me to shame. At one point I looked up to see him giving a young asian boy some tips for cross country skiing. Clearly the kid was having some first time fun. The trail was full of people walking out for the views. Many people were snowshoeing and cross country skiing. We ran into a few people along the way that Mack knew. We even saw a small group putting up an igloo and preparing for a night in the snow. Look forward to doing that myself one of these days.

At the lodge we snacked more; I had a Zing Bar. This bar was amazing! I bought it on accident but what a treat. I highly recommend giving these a try. But enough of the plugs for my favorite foods to eat on the trail. I filled up the water jug and looked forward to some additional runs.

We decided to do some last runs on the Lodge Run.

It was a short run of maybe 340 feet. The view was truly beautiful. On one side Cascades and on the other, the Pacific. We did this run a couple of times. I was so slow behind Mack on the trek up after the last run, when I got to the top and asked him if he'd had enough time to have a beer and sober up already?

We packed up and began the drive home. Mack had a swank party to attend, and we had to be back by 5 o'clock. All in all, the trip was a great success. Mack invited me to join him again which I took to be a great compliment. It was a short day and we had lots of fun, but not as many runs as I would have liked. Then again for $12 in gas money you cannot do much better.

What a great day to be in the snow. And now it is raining... bring on the snow!

The Anticipation.

I'm sitting at my kitchen table. The world before me is forcing me into decisions. I don't want to make a decision. I want to sit here and read my favorite blogs, and listen to my favorite podcasts. There are opportunities before me but they aren't the opportunities I want or need. My needs are screaming at me. It is time to go.

Tomorrow morning, I head up to Hurricane Ridge. Got my shovel, probe, pack, boots, poles, skis and skins... Do I need an avalung? Nah, I'm already borrowing a transceiver. Heard the snow is great. The Ridge just got a another dump of snow. At a mile up I can wave to Mom and family in Denver. Hope I don't freeze... Layer, layer, layer.

No, I won't forget the camera. This time the battery is charged... I better go double check that. I hear the views are great. I cannot remember the last time I was at the Ridge... I don't think I have ever skied there... though it is hard to say. Anyway I look at it, the adventure will be something to remember.

The crew tomorrow all have much more recent backcountry skiing, so we are going to play in the snow pack and do some avalanche tests, and practice with the transceivers. And then it is all skiing. For me, skinning up is a lot like racking up for a climb. There is an anticipation and excitement, a bit of self consciousness, a bit of fear, and a touch of self doubt too. The funny thing about all those things, I know that ultimately I will come out alright. It isn't about an adrenaline rush for me. It is about that moment when my tunes fad from my awareness, and my heartbeat picks up, my thoughts clear and I think about the next turn, the next hold, the next breath. Yeah, I too sometimes forget to breath.

I couldn't sit at the table all day, so I met up with my friend for some gym climbing. The gym has some pretty good climbs up lately. The only problem... I've been training so much that I'm basically repeating the same climbs. It is okay... I'm having fun. I'm smiling. I need to go to bed... Got to get up early. I'll be back here soon with some pictures and a trip report. If you want hear about it.

G'night, and sweet dreams of your next adventure!

Bends it like Beckham

Well I scored my second goal ever. Indoor soccer just too much fun. I'm surprised how much I enjoy playing. I'm not good by any stretch of the imagination. I'm lucky. Last Tuesday night we, the Burninators, had a game against a team that didn't have enough players show up. I decided I would be a player on the opposing team. This worked out great for me, because I like to spend as much time on the field as possible. That isn't always the case with my regular team as we often will have some nine or more players show up. That means we have to watch so subs get a chance to play. The Burninators did a good job of winning the game, but there was a moment where the team I was on was moving forward down the field and the ball came to me. I was outside the goal box and I heard "shoot it, shoot it!" so I stopped the ball and turned to shoot. Dave, who's a fantastic player and has had lots of experience was being the goalie, was charging at me to stop the shot. I took my shot, and the ball swept past Dave's right side, and curved into the far corner of the goal.

I had to look twice, I was in a bit of shock really. No skill, pure luck. It felt fantastic! My regular team cheered me. Dave was the one tell me to to shoot. That just cracks me up. It was all too cool. And my temporary team was pretty excited with the score as well. The rest of the game was probably the best game I had ever played. As I tired, I started playing defense. This I seemed to do well at too. All the fancy foot work of the more skilled players didn't distract me from ruining the shot on our goal. Dave said I set a new bar and now he expects me to play that good all the time. I guess I better go buy some new shoes... I'm still playing in my street shoes.

I would have never guessed I would like all the running. I used to joke, if you see me running don't wait to find out why. Generally, I don't like to run, but soccer has kind of changed that. Running down the valley feels pretty good. The quads are a bit sore but it doesn't hurt as much, and my knees seem to be doing really well. Maybe all that yoga is paying off.

The days are warming, so got to get my last few ski runs in, and prep for the climbing season. Been in the gym more and have found that the lost of some 25 pounds has made climbing the harder stuff much easier. That is always a bit exciting but I don't want to be a numbers guy. I'd rather climb something easy and have lots of fun than be the best climber. Maybe that is why soccer has been so much fun. We are a bunch of desk jocks and we are all out there to have a good time.

I can hardly wait for the next soccer season to start and this one is not even over yet.

Moving into Life

I am currently on a short sabbatical from work. A little mental health recovery. I seem to need more these days. Some people might understand, others might tell me to suck it up. Right now? Won't do it. There is something else driving me. Call it a mid-life crisis. I deserve to have one. You've heard my story... it's a fricken country song. I lost my dad, I lost my wife, and my dog ran away. Well, my dog didn't run away, but I have to share her with the ex-wife. I think Hana is worth it.

In the meantime I'm trying to figure out how to make balance of the situation. This weekend was not balanced. It was pure fun and good times. Last Friday, I met up with someone I hadn't seen in 27 years. We had a blast with good conversation, lots of laughs, and a few really bad jokes. The story of Tara and I is kind of weird because quite frankly, I don't remember her. I am glad though to have established a connection with her. She's an amazing person... I like having those type of people around me.

I followed up Friday with Wine Night. A group of friends get together and drink lots of wine and eat good food. It was so much fun, and I brought my good friend Laura as requested. The usual conversations came up and the kid competitions were had and laughed at... All the kids are wonderful, cute, sweet, terrors. I actually find these kid stories to be too hilarious. These people are good loving and caring people. I'm thankful for them every day. Thanks guys for taking good care of me!

Laura and I had plans to go skiing so the following morning we rolled out of my drive way and made our way to Crystal Mountain. Sunday and Monday were days filled with skiing. The unfortunate part was I forgot to charge my camera battery and Laura got just a couple of pictures before the batteries on her camera bailed. The usual hold the camera at arms length and smile. Laura took the one of me above... I think I need to eat a sandwich...

The best part for me was on Sunday, Laura and I put on our skins, plugged in our iPod head phones and trekked up the trail. At some point I took the lead, maybe two miles in or so, and we came into a clearing. Just a bit of snow was falling and I stopped to look back at the view. There was Laura, with her tongue sticking out to catch snowflakes. What-a-dork. This moment though reminds me of how important it is to keep moving into life. Laura has been a bit of a life coach -- though she probably wouldn't agree. I find her to be brave, and often beyond description. That doesn't mean she's "perfect" it just means she is doing what she can to find her way into the life she desires -- and she does it with out stomping on other people to get there. So much learning to be done.

After two days of skiing, I pushed my body a bit further, I went climbing with my friend Amy, and then played soccer later that evening. I pushed my body, and asked it for a bit more. I also respected the limitations, sore muscles, and now am providing rest. I watched a movie. Worked on this blog. Now, I think I'm going to find a burger and some parts to fix a leaky faucet.

Hard work deserves reward. So this is how I'm moving into life. Maybe a bit more selfish or maybe just finding ways to balance what I give of myself. I know that I give without expectations, but when taken advantage of I turn off all support and extras. This brings me to another thought -- I love the work I do.

I have been doing computer things for as long as I could wrap my brain around the concepts. I'd do it even if I wasn't paid. I feel lucky that I have a career that I love. Yet, even as much as I love what I do, I don't want to be tied to the concept of corporate slavery. That seems to be the modus operandi though eh? The -- You do as I say or I will make your life hell -- mentality that I know we've all seen and experienced. I don't share it. I want something more from my corporation. If a corporation is going to have person rights, then they should also have a heart and soul. When the body complains there might be good reason.

So as you move into life remember to say "Thank you," and "You're Welcome." Be appreciative of people who do a bit extra, and don't take advantage of those that give of themselves.

Onward Ho! No -- I'm not calling you a Ho.