Summer

The heat has come.

Hard and fast. It sucks. A lot. I think I got in on the last good day for Castle till the bugs and heat subside. Until that time, I will be looking at my guide books reading about future problems that sound cool to try. I do remember there are a FUCK LOAD of problems I want to do in Yosemite this year. And Bishop. I can not WAIT to get back out there in the cooler temps. Even in the summer at night is amazing. Headlamps and easy highballs in Buttermilks. Way Lake is a go for this summer. I feel stronger and more ready this time around than being in the snow and hating the fact that I couldn't walk without sliding ten feet back down. That's slightly frustrating. I wish I had boots or something so I could walk in snow. Oh well. Not a lot to do about that.

My buddy Ben Eastman and I went out to Mickey's Beach Thursday. Mickey's has sport and bouldering and sit about one mile due south from the little beach town of Stinson Beach. Normally I sleep when I try to go bouldering at beach areas. I want to boulder but somehow, it ends up too warm with no breeze. But it was prime conditions. Not too warm, slightly breezy, the rock wasn't wet...PERFECT. It was just us and another group of two on their honeymoon from SoILL (not the company but from southern Illinois). Ben got me motivated to get up some shit there. A first for putting on my shoes at a beach area.

Ben Eastman (BE)

The one thing I was excited about was the classic arete problem, Orange Buddha Arete. Something looked askew. After returning to Bridges, it was confirmed that the boulder that created the pit you sat into was missing. This missing rock made the problem substantially much less awkward, eliminating all chances of dabbing backwards.*

video still of myself doing Orange Buddha Arete

I would like to go back and try some more boulder problems soon. The long traverse and theres something that Ben did a couple years ago on small, thin holds that LOOKS doable, but convincing myself I could hold on long enough is challenging in its self. Good to have things to come back for.

*I really have NO clue about the grade and just went with the guidebook (which I feel could be better in the future if someone took the time to revise it). I think I skipped some holds or something. If you watch and see something I did wrong or missed, let me know and I'll go back and try it a different way.