tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34362080149819324022024-03-05T16:05:45.590-08:00california dirtblogDavi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-6753024138114307552017-02-06T10:23:00.001-08:002018-02-28T09:55:26.342-08:00On the Down Low <div><br></div><div><img id="id_93eb_a1e8_3a81_8350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiihOm-S6RVsBUxRvtZ8e_EIYoSbYbFPbOijEcHtKQLutYEoDZyCbdH_2GG9m02jooxoIIgMYuV9oVtE-rmD3GO42mtZ2hKfNayvjyO9cjTASGw_9f0huUUZ9RGn6p7rs4CHaMVMbEByU4/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 718px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div> <br></div> <img id="id_dec1_3cc7_c5c7_fb8e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-qBlEA41VLSE/WJi_LyOT7aI/AAAAAAAABNw/9aC7Ud2gjTU/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 718px; height: auto;"> Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-59325013798395222672017-01-02T19:51:00.000-08:002018-02-28T09:55:10.580-08:00Mt Pinos<b>Mt Pinos Nordic Ski Area</b><div><br></div><div>A couple of days after Christmas, my son Carlo and I were able to get away and put down some miles up on Mt Pinos.</div><div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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height: auto;"> <div><img id="id_6dd3_86b_b75b_53ef" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNV-QeWWEF78nPeZfFz7dSsHJNf6Fq-VvBLnAryFrv_lxJpt1xUBBU51Z0OF8FLNOu2HLXmoDqQTJXwPnzjoXdw0RiF9X6RbDTlx_pkWmO7iTXIeQQm2ZHteO0mck2dZPQWSLHOQdhlQo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 718px; height: auto;"> </div><div><img id="id_8e6f_c800_f8c6_7d44" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Cup-BCFENVYXEM481-YeNzbFyxvcwkEecYtt_qxnklAoT6IVeNswl1JpAR4SaL0Ewx6OjD-HTKi58RZxRAqerm7roMG66vnuU2JV-ldyg0vFRQukVNcZaczwGHEzSdLc0jfceM06Rdw/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 718px; height: auto;"> <br><div><img id="id_cbe3_40df_2dc2_2338" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-s6_beFSn494/WJi-ISxBFgI/AAAAAAAABNo/2kBFdt6kJmo/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 718px; height: auto;"> <br></div></div><div><br></div><div><br></div><div style="text-align: start;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPA1nCbIBnfs3St3a0C5KUfsmEMyIIDOTXhSN_CJVPNuSf5MWhII6BpOVxXQ3b46aF8ehCjqJ8Qkn-4AUy5gapC8RCVC_o7Z8mllA890s01KkHcshAvYl_s32HwRw7Wc1u0cxbKiJ_co/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="text-align: center; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font color="#000000"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPA1nCbIBnfs3St3a0C5KUfsmEMyIIDOTXhSN_CJVPNuSf5MWhII6BpOVxXQ3b46aF8ehCjqJ8Qkn-4AUy5gapC8RCVC_o7Z8mllA890s01KkHcshAvYl_s32HwRw7Wc1u0cxbKiJ_co/s320/011.JPG" width="320" id="id_947e_f806_df4f_6a5b" style="width: 320px; height: auto;"></font></a></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-50555696988625726522016-12-08T10:51:00.000-08:002016-12-08T11:40:42.940-08:00Cerro Noroestre and the Carrizo Plain<br>
I spent a weekend hunting for climbable rock on one of my local peaks, Cerro Noroestre aka Mt Abel.<br>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);">Originally named Mt Abel for county supervisor Stanley Abel, it was later changed to Cerro Noroeste (northwest mountain) due to Mr. Stanley's affiliation with the local Ku Klux Klan chapter in the city of Taft. So yeah, fuck that guy.</span><br>
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<img alt="" id="id_b514_d3e9_d508_ef76" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgegZmy_4iEQQDRaDdQEpANI3j5MRmZlule0jTCMxDOmH7hJXcLhe5oTxy3bLR_W0ZPoCsbyxoGMjo20_zI-LpXyDbV0dOh9_SAmsdM-H9L2pe8jgAEJhAJQM4SznOGIqRlZkNmyOPgb58/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""> </div>
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<span style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Some of the oldest rock in California can be found here. Ive been getting after it at this location for a few years, so Ive got a few things worked out like, where the goods are.</span></div>
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<img alt="" id="id_cebf_27e2_f185_a648" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3EO1t38N9QuD7g1pOYn_suoSMYmEdmCdreZuSMm_OYWfTzcgPoJIVNDz1t2hZMQh8vyoJAA_rEB0qk04YQmMZoqCVQl31-bmn6ix87YKEoGzyiX-duDypMWZyfagjcqTgvHk-dNhuTrs/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""> <img alt="" id="id_797a_1d85_cce6_4fae" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jnYJSgtQR5Q/WECqzTfoZKI/AAAAAAAABJk/tfAPULbsb6w/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""> <img alt="" id="id_6d27_c8f9_5b8_3b2b" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHCZls8yehNEfaVndscjU8aOKZJCJk3ONjxiQcfeUd6mTSRNQXoT75XJxqTN8YfyeQ-g_Z4wb3pkOgUU7iQy98aqPc-CzJK6il76p2dhy8fHbazRXF7YaI1TDOnV6XRUWB5gayloBUyU/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A8XQuYNULVc/WECqzU0R5jI/AAAAAAAABJo/OUPykj5RDw8/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_c837_3119_cbd4_9c5d" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-A8XQuYNULVc/WECqzU0R5jI/AAAAAAAABJo/OUPykj5RDw8/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a></div>
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The granitic gnesis (metamorphic) rock found on top of Cerro Notoeste, Sawmill Mtn and Mt Pinos comes in varying quality. For the most part, once you've broken off the outer exfoliation, the stone beneath is not bad. The orange and yellow/green lichen gives these boulders a unique look.</div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j_3nkBuirC8/WECq1HciqTI/AAAAAAAABJ4/URfip-F9s8s/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_af6a_8141_7220_590e" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-j_3nkBuirC8/WECq1HciqTI/AAAAAAAABJ4/URfip-F9s8s/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a><br>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WnrPk_E75NhKJOg7hOrt1tbwgoxtZJOYWaiq93QOYGzCQy2i7McDJTe3iaJfl3aGI8jDtr4-S91Wa58fFxX8c_kLrg9wqBDDAgl71DM2YY9qVxgLw1tpoVSjvUqUbQoxS5AvhDRbI9w/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_42b7_cb03_d2e1_56" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9WnrPk_E75NhKJOg7hOrt1tbwgoxtZJOYWaiq93QOYGzCQy2i7McDJTe3iaJfl3aGI8jDtr4-S91Wa58fFxX8c_kLrg9wqBDDAgl71DM2YY9qVxgLw1tpoVSjvUqUbQoxS5AvhDRbI9w/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a>After a day and a half on Abel, I drove down the hill to the town of Maricopa, and jumped off to the Carrizo Plain.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ08P3kcR3ky53sEluA_KIq4kXiO_s7VoWZnLVZypKFwNHMmYqLDkXyN46r1vHWExQPOPSV7To3qeTakkCAHYYX8yhAAmb9UxQkYIkBRq7gcl5NZWqsVdpWJ10QTCBu5jgw0Zb1siK4Lg/" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_24f2_bac3_73d5_1f33" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ08P3kcR3ky53sEluA_KIq4kXiO_s7VoWZnLVZypKFwNHMmYqLDkXyN46r1vHWExQPOPSV7To3qeTakkCAHYYX8yhAAmb9UxQkYIkBRq7gcl5NZWqsVdpWJ10QTCBu5jgw0Zb1siK4Lg/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a></div>
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The Carrizo Plain is a unique bit of terrain, not quite in the coastal range and not really part of the Central Valley. It sits adjacent to the San Andres fault and was once part of a large inland sea. We can see evidence of this in the calcium deposits at Soda Lake.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGM4nvP3SVYWs4oY1nTsmUZv_meYFuU7GqB6Pf3HhtKwdtCau3y7BYJdb5Amx_EjLP6oLlj-b4gGxXt16GBSRySm4HWwaSDHFKpYLzmy1L09dSdEkBQ0wtXC7OAY_IN6QJY7W8HI2lryQ/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_3e89_11b0_71a6_1b7b" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGM4nvP3SVYWs4oY1nTsmUZv_meYFuU7GqB6Pf3HhtKwdtCau3y7BYJdb5Amx_EjLP6oLlj-b4gGxXt16GBSRySm4HWwaSDHFKpYLzmy1L09dSdEkBQ0wtXC7OAY_IN6QJY7W8HI2lryQ/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a></div>
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The Carrizo Plain has considerable geologic and archeological significance. The San Andres Falut runs the length of the Plain and can be accessed at Wallace Creek.</div>
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<img alt="" id="id_36eb_1e17_1fe2_75cb" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3JLrjcvCX2yLUBc_LMLasDcwEcJ6J3sSox3jQHS6D_X6wLLV7JaT7xNCeFdsEEPZe1dwqDJegbVNF32jq7XTtPn0fFHch6o3p45TfXATpaJHcI_ke4Z4-4rnyzWvL_NrNk1gJZJ5XrY/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""><br>
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Carrizo, at one time, must have been a nice place to live with plenty of water, edible flora and abundant game. We can see evidence of people past in the numerous rock art locations throughout the Plain.<br>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pgbslNPk3Ls/WECq2e5HYmI/AAAAAAAABKE/VJsugYUzYGo/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_6360_19ef_bc16_7f95" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-pgbslNPk3Ls/WECq2e5HYmI/AAAAAAAABKE/VJsugYUzYGo/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a><br>
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I'm gonna stay out the native rock art sandbox and hold back my own photos of Carrizo's pictographs. My good friend and alpine climbing partner, David Stillman has walked further than most and has written extensively about Carrizo. You can see Dave's blog here.........</div>
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<a href="http://davidstillman.blogspot.com/2014/08/then-and-now-painted-rock-carrizo-plain.html?m=1">http://davidstillman.blogspot.com/2014/08/then-and-now-painted-rock-carrizo-plain.html?m=1</a><br>
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<img alt="" id="id_8811_2bf1_a6d0_78e6" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBoQ4yxWw3EKG1lRuRXThctViaT5aY33mxIBFwlo9i4kJ54vd7GwkDvLVevYj2iTp92oSXsMuD2S6xhswySok5SQhnxkH4cR2-xeEL95OzUvFHnWt1iw9_4_v4BvthsmYFlRYOb292FQ/" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></div>
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There are a couple of camping options here as well. There are two campgrounds, Selby and KCl, both were full when I visited, and there are some 'dispersed' camping around the Plain. </div>
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<img alt="" id="id_f863_da2d_ba2b_926" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-4l09YxGDAFw/WECq2Yb1NxI/AAAAAAAABJ8/e8mKtkZif4s/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></div>
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High clearence, 4WD vehicles are not necessary to visit/enjoy this place. Though it dosnt hurt.</div>
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Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-76276496728457952622016-12-02T06:01:00.002-08:002016-12-09T17:53:07.499-08:00First Snow<div>
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<a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VspOYEvY4QY/WECtd0bDKpI/AAAAAAAABKY/OhE2VipYHeA/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="id_468f_ec28_cb6b_76b9" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VspOYEvY4QY/WECtd0bDKpI/AAAAAAAABKY/OhE2VipYHeA/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" style="height: auto; width: 298px;" title="" tooltip=""></a></div>
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We got some of the white stuff in my local mountains. Had to go see what's what.</div>
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<div><br></div>The first corn is the worst corn. <br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="text-align: start; clear: both;">I don't care.</div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Boulder Canyon trailhead to Reyes Peak.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img id="id_6e70_d6dd_5b5a_bd99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitKYtMC42Iqrj8rLpxKcPjddgzfJoXMii2sddDTebQBPbiVF8EymD7HocEnzju7_TvMCvNTpHNvpZGJvnab-nS3yOmnFr-_JRSfPfbzEewd-khjSp0Ug7wFZBC3zjpMNPz5eFd29FPIBo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <br></div>
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<span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0);"><br></span></div>Above the Snakepits.<br></span>
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Get some.</div>
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Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-22542215742737239672016-11-20T15:44:00.001-08:002016-11-20T17:58:22.906-08:00Old FriendsI left the machete, tools and brushes home today.<div><img id="id_362e_93d7_62a3_5041" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI84P50T1U6wAIRUjV_ZUsAn0KrrDNrd0JiWCAphOQjpoFKVYPdv-OAhRFhem-HaDI6WsBejf34k5k0CWfDsx9BCEQsD5xBo_ASGggV-5PiPMiJNlmldyb9UXFtYfvLYSn_l5J_JaRKtI/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>No projects. No bush whacking. Just perfect fall weather.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_5554_3381_93ab_2500" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEzqM948MJTLrIrZEPBUP0wNXskjUxaEiOeIeo2lS_gedOtETOZ76dYexcCr67hWTg2NytM_uzTP-q8ErkjN2Gdi3pIMAcCefJIB1Tg8yAQIolZxBvRmillyPcH1K56ZM65MKwv0idoRc/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div><br></div><div>Perfect for climbing old friends.</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_4b2d_4ed5_882d_ddad" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif47SlnFACWqDbqTLUyXfu95e5n4z1OUNdkiNi-0lIwZXCagGywlF6yVb-CxRKQk9M5NoQt9UZ5d30bq9nI1us_H7-TPgDtCSf-5ySStzm9RS31KS3ZcI0LzA3BO5V1vUWIs9jXXq_3Is/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"></div><div>Cartographical Inhibitions</div><div><br></div><img id="id_96a3_a718_f65_dbca" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7hLXBy5PWw3gnGjddKgGDTuQA73U7KmxrRV0qfjdYEqGEsxlHToIr89O5F3ruKo49eSKLNOzmg_CwiWLDm_opkAeT0V8XCH_2PbCBwvjBKi3AIzj6xhD6LCmTtya-1IC0oCM7IMwhrpU/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <div>Dreams</div><div><br></div><div><img id="id_1f6_c019_d226_ba45" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-c-WkAW796VI/WDI1afy2SxI/AAAAAAAABIw/l5Tkn_EXHMA/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <br></div><div>Hueco Solution</div><div><br></div><div>I didn't see a single person until I was on my way back to the ship. </div><img id="id_6f36_2b67_5a6a_d2c1" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbLkm5n8v-V21g_pkKBcjq46IwuCfDN6ak-nu78pOYnoBjf9EgDm0Op5Q7MvzXwJZHE1ak7HldZotU5GoNSJQCEEV52grtMO6jWQKIMC7PigO36el3gYJwaGd-6nEe69R8LBdRDW8ij08/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <div><br></div><div>Sux to be me.</div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-79364512980748691582016-10-04T14:08:00.001-07:002016-10-04T14:08:14.938-07:00Sailing OnThis last weekend I laid down another GPS trak for my map project. This time I started at the Chorro Grande trailhead in Pine Mtn Rd and walked down to the Chorro Spring campsite. There are dozens of boulder problems between the trailhead and trail camp.<div><img id="id_af85_cd41_d75b_f750" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Z6qyH-Qi8k4/V_QZ6wR1DcI/AAAAAAAABH0/zNGGYArgyv0/%25255BUNSET%25255D.png" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <br></div><img id="id_a0e8_af91_1681_abfd" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguzxmjsSGctMGS91nPD49guD9Oed6U1GiLtScuBAAyOAv6r818TREfeU4s0VUPPhshx-MGoQtthf2Or7-gsnUOOosLx8ZI3dWaD6kaD4_nA9pctb1p3AP9Fo9o1XG_e8vy0hFvX1Dl2Gw/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_34ba_2fcc_421a_1f93" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvVnYg8M_7o0E_1N-ol67TDraDsMdWC8lZ671ZNEv13Yac1fgfyj4DvMThVZLPzMa75yFzDWdQJx1vcRh4gxKC7reUx710rD_GkDfgOFWXOUTA_tdGAEW5sKEvsoHkck_TLAXvJtJHrYw/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_8ea3_5890_128d_26d5" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjA-bG_jVS-Rotxj8QkY8zKGo8p1O6ZYNqlkpqRTqvPUZBPFiPgXq27bqkUnnnJjfH_RIXBTMw3jQ29mpIpDTIRINpfYJRMdVevJl77QmyoiZclRUQgWBkcoCkRdqU-HdCpViS9hlWfKiQ/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-14973288275756131422016-09-07T12:20:00.001-07:002016-09-07T12:20:38.296-07:00Pine Mtn Soloist<img id="id_4a09_37f8_e61c_eef8" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVTgwKqHeCw_WwY97s3AZCbnzrXYd5hEcy-N-se7UtwNmIUWllnf0MhohwKovGH7DdknYp4F5j7ITD4N-aJto9JeUYjnA-17lk3wCuiM9EVLpMF7PrjP2f0V3EYP4YjQe8UouKGdwybbU/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"><img id="id_3be2_ba5f_17ab_bd99" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihVqsOb-he7cn5kr04uuWJiuUaeOs8UeICTbgulRne9jEymWlry7qFwenU-1lExF1FJf6mHfgPF6rh1WmJpTWo-a5HY2cDjNcV9EEQMKZLQEOXH4auaVbkLXJ5Uq8ET0GLLjG2Vtw9rkU/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_648f_2d06_bd71_9562" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzI58qUP3bYdW1JoCwODxL-aPvmVsdA3v7-eNzv_uvjfufaq2P-Bar59pa2rQKphGpBuUDL9ip3akD9paWAntKu4RR3a3p_oYg0cWIdApwcLpDoy52f8KkeG5Mh11mTS_bGZQx0ScZIKo/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_29dc_8270_7cc4_f7bf" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP2D8eq0OO6aHTtn9xYn0OYIn1y0TkAj39el-3icvn093MGv9GWLSO-8mOHUxu5X3YNQlrE5FIZvd_f7Uhv0IkJl3nTlAVfiPORntqeSM02rYdTijNtx7fUgIP4DHOm2w2Xn1M30Mz3yw/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> <img id="id_6fde_3eda_1206_b3f7" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6YqftVwE2XwmvUC5NzpJQIC4AB-NebpGv-l4aUcXJTWsytRblD9xO16CHvDFjpIG8QUwecEW6qTzxk2yy_1h1TNHXLp8dvZnVJOrQLQcylXwqdwgI8DgQKAZhi_PvlCKMq6NkE-PaZp8/" alt="" title="" tooltip="" style="width: 298px; height: auto;"> Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-85641396674129943532013-10-29T06:11:00.000-07:002016-11-20T18:05:02.305-08:00Last Voyage of the Endurance<em>"Dude, your truck is like a ambulance!!!"</em><br>
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<em>"Nah friend, this aint no <strong>truck</strong>, this here.........is a <strong>ship</strong>".</em><br>
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For years, I drove a 1990 Nissan 4WD pickup truck, passed to me by my brother Joe. It was the ideal vehicle for adventure and exploration both on and off the grid. It's had great gas mileage, lots of cargo space and plenty of power.
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One spring, while sailing across the California high desert, the boys and I took refuge for the night at Giant Rock/Spy Mountain after a long weekend of climbing at Josh. After sorting gear and eating a hot meal, i told the story of Ernest Shackleton and the Imperial Trans-Antartic Expedition of 1914-17. The heroics and Shackleton and his men must have struck a cord with the boys because it was there, in the moon shadow of Giant Rock that Carlo and Mitchell dubbed the truck 'Endurance', after Shackleton's ill-fated ship. After that, we never called it the 'truck'. It was from then on known as 'the ship' or Endurance.</div>
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<em style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLTGTKhY_0ynskqFqC88KE0EzNjBz2OI30Efpap-N3epJmeh9qNr5dq1DhTilqcvWhOQ_Gv4vhn5w5y1JJbgRbOGFKKcMEkDyxtFl6THrc-9QTskvB-udGdWG1S3pGIk_CeKfks-QOiM/s320/CIMG3435.JPG" width="320"></em></div>
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<i>We could see dark thunderheads on the horizon in every direction, moving ever closer to us. So with no where left to run, we were resigned to take our beating from the storm. We crammed as much gear as we could into the cab, and the rest underneath the Endurance on the road.</i></div>
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<i>The weather had been chasing us for days across the desert, now we were caught. We could feel the humidity, even smell it. We could see lightening to the east over Havasu and we the thunderheads ripped open by Mt Ord to our north. The clouds seemed to converge on us from all directions at once. And the came the rain, drops the size of golf balls, warm as the sun. We just stood in the empty bed of the Endurance, passing the bottle of camp soap back and forth, enjoying our first shower in a week......</i><br>
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Equipped with a solid V6 engine, 4WD, an extra 'crew' cab, sunroof and a bomber Duraliner, the Endurance was fit for action the day I got it. It had already been driven across the United States and had seen multiple trips through the mid-west. It had hauled my brothers bands equipment for a time as well. But me and the Gorillaz used the Endurance as it was intended; a powerful, reliable conveyance that could transport multiple passengers, carry a ton of gear and be driven literally anywhere. And we did exactly that.</div>
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<em>After 20 solid miles of Carlo behind the wheel, now it was Mitchell's turn. We reviewed what I taught him back at New Jack City as he got settled into the drivers seat. He adjusted the seat, fixed his mirrors and got his seatbelt on. I instructed him to go ahead and turn the engine over, put it in gear and to slowly let out the clutch. A little jerky starting out, not quite as smooth as Carlo but, after a few anxious minutes, Mitchell was cruzing in third gear, steady as she goes. And then the climbing started. The road twisted and turned, up and down through the stunning volcanic landscape of the Rodman Wilderness. Mitchell did his best to keep up with my instructions, "OK, clutch in, now shift down to second, eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, clutch in again, remember 'up and right' to get back into third", but alas, Mitchell became overwhelmed and at a wide bend in the road he took his hands off the wheel and the Endurance swerved off the road and into a gully. No injuries, and the ship suffered zero damage but we were stuck. So like Shackleton and his ship, trapped in the ice of the Weddell Sea, we were stuck in the volcanic sand of the Pipkin Cinder Cone. Difference is, Shackleton didn't have four wheel drive.......</em><br>
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Ive lost track of the number of books read, nights spent and meals eaten in the bed of the Endurance. I couldn't even guess how many smelly teenaged boys Ive folded up and packed into the jump seats of the ships "extra cab", or the number injuries Ive treated from its bumper or the number of lonely dirt roads weve sized up wondering, "Hmmm, I wonder where THAT goes....lets find out". Like a moble clubhouse, the Endurance was our base of operations in the California wilderness and she never once let us down. Not once.<br>
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<em>Somehow, Stillman and I managed to get the same extended weekend off from the Cath Lab. As it was late November, Joshua Tree National Park was the obvious destination. I was kind of sketchy about taking the Endurance out there. I had just had the transmission repaired and I wanted to be sure the ship was seaworthy for some planned trips to Mountain High and Mt Pinos. I wasn't sure how many more trips to the high desert the Endurance could handle. Unfortunately, the Perciverance, Stillman's ship, would be hauling his wife, her friends and all their gear out to Mammoth that weekend so Dave asked me to get us out to Josh. The day we left he was still kind of embarrassed about the whole situation, though it wasn't a big deal to me. We were gonna get up on some nasty, sharp Joshua Tree monzonite, do lots of crack climbing and generally raise some hell in Hidden Valley campground for three days. So I told him, "Its cool bro, the Endurance is good to go. Just um.....well, the passenger seat belt don't work, so youll have to use that carabiner to hook the buckle. Oh yeah, and what ever you do, don't roll down the window, its broken too. Its gonna be a cold ride if you do.....</em><br>
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<em> </em>The last voyage of the Endurance was not some glorious 600 mile epic. She didn't burst into a ball of flame whilst hurtling down the 395 (my wife's prediction). And I didn't wrap her around a Jeffrey Pine or crash her into a lonely desert boulder.</div><div>
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Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-23474899420265081522011-09-08T19:47:00.000-07:002011-09-08T21:48:52.571-07:00The Purple Stones<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigd4Y1rF2ae03KFJ5fMLBZlg8xUfbtxBVWGN2RUxktrMYDO99K8xYLHYADUGE1-ky-21cZ76HNwDgK8IW0PzZoQBwgjwx-CubQBZH-jv4pjyDesuPeqijK0hAUGR72R6MkR2jRB4tNy8/s1600/IMG_0960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjigd4Y1rF2ae03KFJ5fMLBZlg8xUfbtxBVWGN2RUxktrMYDO99K8xYLHYADUGE1-ky-21cZ76HNwDgK8IW0PzZoQBwgjwx-CubQBZH-jv4pjyDesuPeqijK0hAUGR72R6MkR2jRB4tNy8/s200/IMG_0960.JPG" width="150" /></a>"<strong>Banny Root had previously been to an area in Topanga Canyon and wanted to know if I would join him on a trip back to this area, which he thought would offer some rock climbing possibilities. The idea was soon put into action and the outcome was like finding the Hope Diamond. The Purple Stones is a jewel for a bouldering location. The rock varies in hues of pink and purple and is the best quality rock I have seen in the entire Los Angeles area.</strong>" - David Katz from <em>Getting High in LA</em><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRw1z7ldS5_dqMqbrIGNlNWCZucj4RB6f0xhb65y4WyZHZdKCIDAjQtLWLSekNNv3v34O-4X01unI7B_xp6Fajoy-Z9N0FfPG0s5873amTPXuUqE1RpIi4k1Dsu0Ijc9qOWwkcZmYiiI/s1600/IMG_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCRw1z7ldS5_dqMqbrIGNlNWCZucj4RB6f0xhb65y4WyZHZdKCIDAjQtLWLSekNNv3v34O-4X01unI7B_xp6Fajoy-Z9N0FfPG0s5873amTPXuUqE1RpIi4k1Dsu0Ijc9qOWwkcZmYiiI/s320/IMG_0479.JPG" width="263" /></a>After numerous failed attempts, Carlo and I finally got a chance to visit one of the best climbing areas in the Santa Monica Mountains. <strong>Purple Stones</strong>, or the "Purps" as they are locally known, lie deep in Topanga Canyon just a few miles inland of the ocean. Situated on the gentle Topanga Creek with its quiet, riparian beauty, the <strong>Purps</strong> are an ideal destination for climbers of any level who want to get away from the crowds of Stoney Point and Malibu Canyon. But don't be fooled by my description of the area, the climbing at the <strong>Purps</strong> is bold and committing so bring a friend and some crutches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw83DZOtllLKxwHVt9-Xw8cQCUHV1AnHou9v1r7ZIuUkcx98NBL-7ZjCdjrSNhxol_exoQDUcAH6mzuuDhEl85SIdPqvkl931qLs9sPkDRUBkoid7RRTdJmQsxsMS8o6W5zrH7NrjYx8/s1600/IMG_1028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibw83DZOtllLKxwHVt9-Xw8cQCUHV1AnHou9v1r7ZIuUkcx98NBL-7ZjCdjrSNhxol_exoQDUcAH6mzuuDhEl85SIdPqvkl931qLs9sPkDRUBkoid7RRTdJmQsxsMS8o6W5zrH7NrjYx8/s320/IMG_1028.JPG" width="224" /></a>During the 60s, the Purps were frequented by hippies and rock n rollers who dubbed the area "Twin Pools", and as far as I can tell, the area is still visited by the party crowd. The climbing history at the Purps dates back to the mid-1970s when Banny Root and Dave Katz began development of the river polished sandstone they found there. Along with friends Bob Gains, Brad and Mark Bowling, Tom Grimes, Dan Scdoris and Robert Carrere, Root and Katz had themselves a nice little "secret" area. Eventually, word got out and during the 80s the likes of Bill Leventhal and John Long made the trek to the Purps and many new test pieces went up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnbEPKKTKZo5RSY2_9AqiVGNPSyXmUzZJDwjTYTn-yk6KxucXS3myqSTr9sy6nIrexzRytdwb6Q2rJA94kVF336Z5wGxLWTN-D3Zr1lPf6tItI5jzQLH7-bBzFJIC7d6GwUjqwfWH-QE/s1600/IMG_1068.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPnbEPKKTKZo5RSY2_9AqiVGNPSyXmUzZJDwjTYTn-yk6KxucXS3myqSTr9sy6nIrexzRytdwb6Q2rJA94kVF336Z5wGxLWTN-D3Zr1lPf6tItI5jzQLH7-bBzFJIC7d6GwUjqwfWH-QE/s320/IMG_1068.JPG" width="240" /></a>As fate would have it, some pretty heavy storms hit the area during the early 80s and washed out most of the sand in the creek bed turning the landings of most of problems there into a total horror show. As a result the area decreased in popularity and no new development was seen for nearly 20 years. Recently, the area has seen quite a bit of new development with the inclusion of the <strong>Headwaters</strong> area and the sending of an old unclimbed Leventhal project called <em>The Purple Prow</em>, which goes at V9 and is currently the areas toughest problem.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWPaQ_js3XkY3uNjxvtD9zSPENygzWIo-8yIcvxcImu9KX6KQhMAPus1s0wMwJHXXIyfHWtm-FMrbrypmfAtkpkxuBoNT-3c-0It6zckmjwwTxslmIwlQhyw77dGq-8NX29_-WdR5O4o/s1600/IMG_0959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWPaQ_js3XkY3uNjxvtD9zSPENygzWIo-8yIcvxcImu9KX6KQhMAPus1s0wMwJHXXIyfHWtm-FMrbrypmfAtkpkxuBoNT-3c-0It6zckmjwwTxslmIwlQhyw77dGq-8NX29_-WdR5O4o/s320/IMG_0959.JPG" width="240" /></a>For Ventura area climbers, there are two ways to get to Topanga Canyon; the 101 freeway or PCH. Taking the 101, one must drive through the San Fernando Valley and then exit on Topanga Canyon Blvd heading south toward the ocean. From PCH, a drive through Malibu is required before Topanga Canyon is reached. Which ever way you go, you want to end up just south of the small community of Topanga. Finding a place to park can be a challenge as there are No Parking signs for pretty much the entire length of the road between PCH and the town of Topanga.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvnb11xpqnjTIDZGWjfG6E4GZsSP1GOoAEoDyO3HT2PT7Vrd1hEwZnFW9rldO1jMA0m-h7QKAQ0MK0A577uW_6v_o0HXIRBG9D-VLvPsDh8AmdKmojtYz8Q1picA8YTJhNlpQ293dGNA/s1600/IMG_0528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsvnb11xpqnjTIDZGWjfG6E4GZsSP1GOoAEoDyO3HT2PT7Vrd1hEwZnFW9rldO1jMA0m-h7QKAQ0MK0A577uW_6v_o0HXIRBG9D-VLvPsDh8AmdKmojtYz8Q1picA8YTJhNlpQ293dGNA/s320/IMG_0528.JPG" width="240" /></a>Carlo and I found a legal spot right across the street from Topanga Lumber. From there, we walked down the road toward the beach for roughly one quarter of a mile. This is the sketchy part of the approach as one must walk along a very busy TC Blvd with not a whole lot of room for the pedestrian. After a few turns, a culvert(storm drain) appears down on the uphill side of the road. You cant miss it, it's covered with graffiti. Follow the drain down, down, down to the creek and you will find your self in a world very different from the busy highway above.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fJ1hHju079gHT7cnU5MEATHCpua_VKT95Ik6AOy0RSTGMgSkPqiGXvipOm6NfaetelW951mTRNY9qVAUlT6ngksRRzYplJ82LJlNBq8wYKiFua5V35YFDpVh8EZovBYXybNAwfuAFlA/s1600/IMG_0966.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4fJ1hHju079gHT7cnU5MEATHCpua_VKT95Ik6AOy0RSTGMgSkPqiGXvipOm6NfaetelW951mTRNY9qVAUlT6ngksRRzYplJ82LJlNBq8wYKiFua5V35YFDpVh8EZovBYXybNAwfuAFlA/s320/IMG_0966.JPG" width="292" /></a>Once in the creek, head down stream and after 5 minutes or so the <strong>Headwaters</strong> area appears. No purple stone here but there are a handful of quality sandstone/conglomerate boulders featuring a dozen problems in the V0 to V5 range. Another 15 minutes downstream is an area called <strong>Purple Stones North</strong>. This is where the really interesting stuff is and is also where the areas original development began. If you head downstream another 10 minutes you will find <strong>Purple Stones South</strong>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3Ps5tCGp1m-QR9P-NpopUUNx3-a4Czj2qQWSns99g3uWwKNabnjdQuIgnxDKvLq4cAWQwhoPrlXA7GzlKo_J2SwwgvB8XIo5__fFx8YWum_djIlbbS8aOth6sD7_iens_OuP4rV9FRM/s1600/IMG_0973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3Ps5tCGp1m-QR9P-NpopUUNx3-a4Czj2qQWSns99g3uWwKNabnjdQuIgnxDKvLq4cAWQwhoPrlXA7GzlKo_J2SwwgvB8XIo5__fFx8YWum_djIlbbS8aOth6sD7_iens_OuP4rV9FRM/s320/IMG_0973.JPG" width="240" /></a>Carlo and I spent some time at each of the areas, just kind of feeling the place out. The highest concentration of boulders is at PS North which features some classics; The Purple Prow, Purple Pyramid, Pungi Sticks, Naked Edge, Zodiac and Atlantis. For some of these routes a top-rope is advisable due to the routes height and poor landings (Naked Edge, Atlantis), though everything at Purps has gone solo. There are some anchors on top of the tallest boulders so be reasonable as it is always better to haul a rope and gear in than to have someone haul YOU out.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfgBQ-vRh8wgCgwsjFZYoooqOy3bbEedYytW2BfDPdHe733sctq-kAlvv_7KYrQgWELT21H-n_uG4rMlzu714M_zANvYNSiYCAy2Xbs4EF9c41Vcw13-O6iVcDo-VJXT6ikTwlac-O9c/s1600/IMG_0976.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLfgBQ-vRh8wgCgwsjFZYoooqOy3bbEedYytW2BfDPdHe733sctq-kAlvv_7KYrQgWELT21H-n_uG4rMlzu714M_zANvYNSiYCAy2Xbs4EF9c41Vcw13-O6iVcDo-VJXT6ikTwlac-O9c/s320/IMG_0976.JPG" width="240" /></a>Topanga Creek has that dried out dirty, late season look to it. But Ive ran through enough creek beds to know which ones are worth returning to once the water is flowing in the spring time. Topanga Creek is such a place. I also know that the course of such creeks are in a perpetual state of flux. This season the water flows around the backside of such and such a boulder, next year it may flow around the other side, taking all the sand with it and depositing a bunch of sharp, ankle breaking boulders in its place. You just never know how its all gonna look after a heavy rain. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5L60kzNB4xUpuX61ksnwZ0nlimPlwitwmK1Up-olxW3xbIfV1Ek_RuyAtjLTah_8lWsd1YcJ6Wa5opupkIXrm_opJx5FSGym7Fb9uEIP3zFUhC7unAwKgwGp2UqrUmHSOlSASTYl1gc/s1600/IMG_1007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_5L60kzNB4xUpuX61ksnwZ0nlimPlwitwmK1Up-olxW3xbIfV1Ek_RuyAtjLTah_8lWsd1YcJ6Wa5opupkIXrm_opJx5FSGym7Fb9uEIP3zFUhC7unAwKgwGp2UqrUmHSOlSASTYl1gc/s320/IMG_1007.JPG" width="240" /></a>Alot about this place reminds me of Tar Creek pre-2002 El Nino; a quiet stream that changes seasonally in a deep, shady canyon with epic bouldering and X-rated landings on perfect river polished sandstone.<br />
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Unfortunately, there is no one single and complete source of information on the <strong>Purps</strong>. The best map I've seen is in Craig Fry's <em>Southern California Bouldering</em>, though its a bit out dated and doesn't include the <strong>Headwaters. </strong><a href="http://www.westcoastbouldering.com/section/view/1572/Purple-Stones">West Coast Bouldering</a> has some new route beta as does the blog <a href="http://obscureboulders.blogspot.com/search/label/purple%20stones">Obscure Boulders</a> and <a href="http://www.mountainproject.com/v/purple-stones/106484294">Mountain Project</a> has a nice listing with pretty good directions but no route beta. <em>Getting High in LA</em> by Dave Katz is a great source too, if you can get one.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3icvctqwWeKvfOftF8CG5kbJqZbXmMv2C5qiXULeLpMrYcBh5Aq4KW-KffPQJjRTymoJBrOn-3U7OvgmHlVaXdJ4vKZcjxE8f5OZ-AaNTwkcBQI6STZw1nEQVWz3DnX0sm-8KBiEzZs/s1600/IMG_1100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh3icvctqwWeKvfOftF8CG5kbJqZbXmMv2C5qiXULeLpMrYcBh5Aq4KW-KffPQJjRTymoJBrOn-3U7OvgmHlVaXdJ4vKZcjxE8f5OZ-AaNTwkcBQI6STZw1nEQVWz3DnX0sm-8KBiEzZs/s640/IMG_1100.JPG" width="640" /></a></div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-70656814629126083742011-08-30T10:04:00.000-07:002011-09-04T07:45:50.466-07:00Mark Twain on SurfingThis is a short quote I found by Mr. Twain writen during his visit to Hawaii in 1866 while on assignment there for the Sacremento Union. He was only 31 and had yet to write the classics he eventually became famous for. If you ever get a chance, check out his book <strong><em>Roughing it</em></strong>, which details Twains adventures in Hawaii and the American west.<br />
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<h3>SURFING</h3><h3>In one place we came upon a large company of naked natives, of both sexes and all ages, amusing themselves with the national pastime of surf- bathing. Each heathen would paddle three or four hundred yards out to sea (taking a short board with him), then face the shore and wait for a particularly prodigious billow to come along; at the right moment he would fling his board upon its foamy crest and himself upon the board, and here he would come whizzing by like a bombshell! It did not seem that a lightning express-train could shoot along at a more hair-lifting speed. I tried surf-bathing once, subsequently, but made a failure of it. I got the board placed right, and at the right moment, too; but missed the connection myself. The board struck the shore in three-quarters of a second, without any cargo, and I struck the bottom about the same time, with a couple of barrels of water in me. None but natives ever master the art of surf-bathing thoroughly.<br />
- <i>Roughing It</i> </h3><img alt="Surfing failure" height="421" src="http://www.twainquotes.com/surfing.gif" width="400" />Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-57501941853005070962011-08-29T08:39:00.000-07:002011-08-29T09:31:07.751-07:002011 Reel Rock Film Tour comes to Pasadena Oct 5th 2011The Reel Rock Film Tour 2011 will be held at the Caltec campus in Pasadena on October 5th 2011. Admission is $12.00 in advance, $15.00 at the door.<br />
For more information; <a href="http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~alpine/wiki/Reel_Rock">http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~alpine/wiki/Reel_Rock</a><br />
or your can "like" Caltec's Alpine Club Facebook page at; <a href="http://www.facebook.com/CaltechAlpineClub">http://www.facebook.com/CaltechAlpineClub</a><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~alpine/w/images/e/e2/Reel_rock_poster_CALTECH_SMALL.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640px" src="http://www.ugcs.caltech.edu/~alpine/w/images/e/e2/Reel_rock_poster_CALTECH_SMALL.JPG" width="488px" /></a></div><br />
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Here are the deccriptions of the films in this years tour;<br />
Origins: Obe and Ashima: There's a nine year old girl from New York City taking the bouldering world by storm, and her name is Ashima Shiraishi. Under the tutelage of her passionate coach, Obe Carrion, this tiny master is crushing competitions and raising the bar for climbing's youth. Obe brings her to bouldering's proving ground, Hueco Tanks, TX, where he had his own big breakthrough 13 years earlier, and Ashima rips the place apart.<br />
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Race for The Nose: Welcome to the wildest competition known to man -- the speed record on the Nose route of El Capitan. For 50 years, the best climbers in the world have been one-upping each other on this massive granite monolith in Yosemite National Park, racing up 3,000 feet of vertical rock in under three hours, and risking life and limb to shave mere seconds off the record time. We follow Dean Potter and Sean Leary on their attempt to break this legendary record on the classic route that has been the scene of epic rivalries, brutal accidents, and remains to this day a hotly contested prize.<br />
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Sketchy Andy: American climbing dirtbag Andy Lewis is taking the discipline of slacklining into the future as he solos the worlds longest high-lines and masters the hardest aerial tricks, all the while pushing his equipment to the limit. As Andy goes higher, harder and faster with climbing, slack and BASE, we all have to wonder how far he can go before it’s one step over the line.<br />
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Ice Revolution: At British Columbia's spectacular Helmcken Falls, a revolution is taking place, led by Canadian maniac Will Gadd. After 30+ years of ice climbing, Gadd has finally realized his dream of climbing radically overhanging, heinously difficult ice. Gadd and Tim Emmett dodge exploding 30 foot icicle bombs and send the hardest pure ice climb in the world, but they swear it's just the first step in a whole new direction for the sport.<br />
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Project Dawn Wall: Tommy Caldwell is the master of big wall free climbing. He's devoted the last decade of his life to opening free routes on Yosemite's El Capitan, rewriting climbing history in the process. Now he's three seasons deep into his ultimate project - the seemingly impossible Dawn Wall. Joined by bouldering specialist Kevin Jorgeson, Tommy makes his first big ground-up push, pulling pitch after pitch of 5.14 first ascents before an epic storm shuts the team down until next year…<br />
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Cold: Over the past 26 years, 16 expeditions have tried and failed to climb one of Pakistan's 8,000 meter peaks in winter. In February 2011, Simone Moro, Denis Urubko, and Corey Richards became the first to achieve this alpine dream by summiting Gasherbrum II, surviving -50 degree temperatures and a massive avalanche. Richards captured both the glory and the pain of their adventure in this raw and moving, first-person look at modern super-alpinism. Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-14394515885203488762011-08-09T18:41:00.000-07:002011-09-06T15:20:37.436-07:00Mojave National Preserve<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div></div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Its a suicide mission. Driving out to the high desert for some climbing and adventure at the end of July, Carlo and I knew we were asking for trouble.<br />
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I had been watching the forecasts and radar all week in anticipation of a three-day weekend. The boy and I ruled out the Sierra for thunder storms, the coast for low temps and no surf, Pine Mountain for rain and Horse Flats for the same. The only thing left was the desert. I started thinking(wishfully) all that precip elsewhere in the state might just work to our advantage. I started thinking this might be a great time to visit the Mojave National Preserve. <br />
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122 million years ago, the North American and Pacific tectonic plates collided and thew California high desert arose from the Cretaceous sea for the second time. What followed can only be described as an eon of violent geologic upheaval marked by volcanism, rifting and uplift. Evidence of this violent past is everywhere you turn in the Preserve. Definately our kind of place.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: medium;">Route 66, The Amboy Crater and Roys Cafe</span></strong><br />
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In the scheme of things, the Preserve will play a part in a larger high desert massive. Prolly in a south to north fashion. So, Carlo and I decided to enter the Preserve from the southern entrance, which would take us up the 15 from AV then past Barstow on the 40 to the town of Ludlow. This is where the adventure begins, on historic Route 66.<br />
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Built in 1923 as part of the US Highway System, historic Route 66 used to run from Chicago to Los Angeles, nearly 2500 miles. Probably Americas most famous highway, Route 66 was popularized in songs, movies and TV and is synonymous with "the open road". Although only two lanes, Route 66 was the main thoroughfare from east to west right up into the 1950's and kind of started to decline with the advent of the Interstate Highway System. Here in California, Route 66 was replaced by the more modern, multi-lane Interstate 40. Now a days, Route 66 exists only on fractured pieces, which are still drivable for history dorks like me.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92HQM-DMP7gbxEMUgPvOIcwrnQKmzNR-lbdmgmXU01r9FjsIjtRbRy25DUGvCGnuj82jGDDE38Cm_ajTykXof-mNWKuHwMCd2Fw0gGaQxJzlwf5Hi9jyZWcNk3yGezCUhZ2_8GIA4ekg/s1600/CIMG7802.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639583529105735842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg92HQM-DMP7gbxEMUgPvOIcwrnQKmzNR-lbdmgmXU01r9FjsIjtRbRy25DUGvCGnuj82jGDDE38Cm_ajTykXof-mNWKuHwMCd2Fw0gGaQxJzlwf5Hi9jyZWcNk3yGezCUhZ2_8GIA4ekg/s320/CIMG7802.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Aside from its historical significance, Route 66 would serve to take Carlo and I right past our first destination, The Amboy Crater. Estimated to be over 6000 years old, the creator rises 250 feet above the surrounding desert floor. The Amboy Creator and Lava Field were designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973. There is a small parking lot with bathrooms and a visitors kiosk about a quarter mile west of the town of Amboy. Hikes to the creator begin here but there is also a nice viewing platform with shade and benches.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCuotrwejL77Pe922HwTZboqPRzOPzstoPD3RbTdD6rkZi0qpf1mRQLIVlq6HWgOlcrfSMacuvpUwYoEadPIWWDccWC2c8TkDJVe8T9vvyyh6G1HZDKPhU4urr54B6Ntu6VqoH0ruMQE/s1600/CIMG7809.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639583544429719378" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCuotrwejL77Pe922HwTZboqPRzOPzstoPD3RbTdD6rkZi0qpf1mRQLIVlq6HWgOlcrfSMacuvpUwYoEadPIWWDccWC2c8TkDJVe8T9vvyyh6G1HZDKPhU4urr54B6Ntu6VqoH0ruMQE/s320/CIMG7809.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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As you can imagine, with the construction of Route 66 in the 20s, many business sprang up along its path to cater to travelers. In some of the places these gas stations, auto shops, bus stops, restaurants, hotels materialized, eventually becoming small towns. Amboy is one such town and Roys Cafe is one such business. Starting off as a mining town, Amboy was given new life when Route 66 was realigned to run through it in the early 1930's. Roys was built in 1938 and at one time included a restaurant, hotel, cabins and a gas station. The old hotel is still there and looks to be a part of some larger restoration project there in Amboy which at one point in time boasted many service industry businesses. All thats left today is the cafe and gas station. We filled up the tank and bought a couple ice cold Cokes and were on out way.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The Granite Mountains, Kelso Dunes and The Kelso Depot</span></strong><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONCMSOIAM8c85TuaB7PvmuArsXtdUcdI_oY6bIR3bzWBM85TXz5JkebQnsYRkA9Ug51kvAZDmAsrvPVFsqOLl68vMmNgEK4KWiHqX_WmSf23CC5TFKqrspnvWZI7bpY5wNc5h22CvXdQ/s1600/CIMG7818.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639583539060620290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiONCMSOIAM8c85TuaB7PvmuArsXtdUcdI_oY6bIR3bzWBM85TXz5JkebQnsYRkA9Ug51kvAZDmAsrvPVFsqOLl68vMmNgEK4KWiHqX_WmSf23CC5TFKqrspnvWZI7bpY5wNc5h22CvXdQ/s320/CIMG7818.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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We entered the Preserve at its southern entrance via Kelbaker Road which immediately takes you past the Granite mountains. Formed inside a volcanic mountain range during the Cretaceous and Jurassic periods, the Granites were pushed to the Earths surface by a process called continental uplift. The bald, white domes of the Granite Mountains stick out against the desert landscape and are quite impressive. There is a desert research center in Granite Cove, but the entire area is off limits to the public. Camping and climbing are allowed in the northern part of the range, and the actual high point/summit is gained from a northern approach.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLYR9reueCl6MiTSjlXQYOL5dBii7odDtuWHTQCalHy9p_lqWhi2VDobjS_XKtYizogVyWxLuZ44GdsMQhYd5pV-g8Xp-aTpfCrw2x3_32SKM-AWApXgt4_T5VnNcX3EMZJM8XWyd1TQ/s1600/CIMG7825.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5639583546623048882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeLYR9reueCl6MiTSjlXQYOL5dBii7odDtuWHTQCalHy9p_lqWhi2VDobjS_XKtYizogVyWxLuZ44GdsMQhYd5pV-g8Xp-aTpfCrw2x3_32SKM-AWApXgt4_T5VnNcX3EMZJM8XWyd1TQ/s320/CIMG7825.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div>Our next stop was the Kelso Dunes. The Kelso Dunes and other nearby Mojave sand sheets are hemmed in by the Granite and Providence Mountains. There have been many theories as to where the sand for the Kelso Dunes come from. Currently, it is believed that the sand was blown by the win from the Mojave River or from its terminus at Soda/Silver Lakes. The dune sand is made mostly of quartz and feldspar, which goive the dune their light color. The highest dune is mere 600ft above the parking area.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfnPqSAYNyUXxg6IyHk8uzQujUGcMwDAzLHCHn6kXWvhc0rgxibIgLhfbpl78Vk2_N-sOKUlVXnk7NEw1tB1Ylxj80bGhge9tJz9zrODTKNF7gAvHaN7eLVHS3-4SPxKEX9Qu1pBWrUs/s1600/CIMG7828.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641442011424605250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfnPqSAYNyUXxg6IyHk8uzQujUGcMwDAzLHCHn6kXWvhc0rgxibIgLhfbpl78Vk2_N-sOKUlVXnk7NEw1tB1Ylxj80bGhge9tJz9zrODTKNF7gAvHaN7eLVHS3-4SPxKEX9Qu1pBWrUs/s320/CIMG7828.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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After the Dunes, Carlo drove us up the dirt road from the parking area back to Kelbaker Rd. From here I drove us down to the Kelso Depot. The Kelso Depot is the primary visitor center for the Mojave National Preserve with its museum and railroad exhibits. The old restaurant called the Beanery, was re-opened in 2003. Established in 1905, the current structure was built using the Mission Revival Style architecture in 1923. The Depot was essential in moving men and materials during WWII, and was a functioning trail stop until 1985. Carlo and I got ourselves some ice cream from the Depot restaurant called The Beanary, which is just a diner style counter with a kitchen.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCj7D-mHgfhfFkM-TJWxa5i3lZ03lT384O1p6HvHlKRM6vYAKoTJ5JgybqLFfk4H4JMmkTB_owXQ2lwxfj0uIWUk4tBR3qIlT4qk3whCcejgIDvJnxsXEqY9htX2oqcKYiphTo2rluxc/s1600/CIMG7853.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641442013958548194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrCj7D-mHgfhfFkM-TJWxa5i3lZ03lT384O1p6HvHlKRM6vYAKoTJ5JgybqLFfk4H4JMmkTB_owXQ2lwxfj0uIWUk4tBR3qIlT4qk3whCcejgIDvJnxsXEqY9htX2oqcKYiphTo2rluxc/s320/CIMG7853.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLsQVrj9hycjNSQ-iSsrOtYZRnYoBois_5_LTiwPQeEoCoV6aZTnnGpS63En8zIRVtLqbtIJarn9N42K4DXIl07SwflPEnL926INbeic077X6BKZAyWOlFXK0dLDpiEYdrgDKY4DP11s/s1600/CIMG7837.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641442017723703042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWLsQVrj9hycjNSQ-iSsrOtYZRnYoBois_5_LTiwPQeEoCoV6aZTnnGpS63En8zIRVtLqbtIJarn9N42K4DXIl07SwflPEnL926INbeic077X6BKZAyWOlFXK0dLDpiEYdrgDKY4DP11s/s320/CIMG7837.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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After goofin' off at the Depot for a while, we got back on Kelbaker Rd for a while till we saw the turn-off for something canyon Rd. Again, as soon as we got off pavement, I let the navigator drive for a while. This leg would be about 20 miles, bringing him close to 30 miles on the trip.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG_CsEhm3cCKLszi52bsGUKk4b9FYUALjQokS_uk_GSCY8qEIRoHQU0cb8TAggD1I6LxrU_KElrbGxDtQevkwuaLQriOSdIgxSALdrXiTPqBbhI7ePT8pttgpFDYejf_barcFBju7wgU/s1600/CIMG7855.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641442008558793778" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixG_CsEhm3cCKLszi52bsGUKk4b9FYUALjQokS_uk_GSCY8qEIRoHQU0cb8TAggD1I6LxrU_KElrbGxDtQevkwuaLQriOSdIgxSALdrXiTPqBbhI7ePT8pttgpFDYejf_barcFBju7wgU/s320/CIMG7855.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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Along the way we came across some boulders near a windmill. We stopped for about an hour and pulled on the decent quality granite found there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uLmoAypkyLAXcfYR1hC41DnP6b5KktcW3RkgzAeSznLvsVkmFzcp2ke5roTTmhKy3Q9hnnH5DejiUzmFfyh3InO9ApjenQJOBivi6jy9JX9PvgsMJ3oFPVweVWcEI9aE5I8wgkEJOrY/s1600/CIMG7858.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5641442001781370722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uLmoAypkyLAXcfYR1hC41DnP6b5KktcW3RkgzAeSznLvsVkmFzcp2ke5roTTmhKy3Q9hnnH5DejiUzmFfyh3InO9ApjenQJOBivi6jy9JX9PvgsMJ3oFPVweVWcEI9aE5I8wgkEJOrY/s320/CIMG7858.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Providence Mountains, Hole in the Wall</span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMK2OSawSYtJ-cPZ_ujXy0-41peV2aDWmM47f9KsW_au-LalzdA40Kzjv8SnjQDADF_WGUY69IVDnattrwjb3tPYXCpJ2TDtXAncmcqrE_A-c9ompahLHvSMFTJF4A7iRIoHQjNgKQSk/s1600/CIMG7887.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643667704200233170" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzMK2OSawSYtJ-cPZ_ujXy0-41peV2aDWmM47f9KsW_au-LalzdA40Kzjv8SnjQDADF_WGUY69IVDnattrwjb3tPYXCpJ2TDtXAncmcqrE_A-c9ompahLHvSMFTJF4A7iRIoHQjNgKQSk/s320/CIMG7887.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></span></strong><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"></span></strong></div><div>There is evidence of volcanic activity everywhere you look in the Preserve, but none so evident as what you see at Hole in the Wall. 18.5 million years ago the Hackberry Spring Volcano, located in the Woods Mountains 10 miles to teh east, exploded and sent a groung hugging cloud of super-heated ash and rock toward HITW. the debris spewed by Hackberry buried every living thing in its path covering a 600 square kilometer area. When the debris finally hit the ground, it was so hot that all the ash and rock welded together trapping bubbles of gas and entombed birds, mammals and plants in the volcanic tuff. The trapped gas formed "holes" in the rock and the remains of prehistoric creatures became fossilized resulting in the very strange and unique rock formation found at HITW.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nLj5cSItQFdCHk5FkhxJ5LMDpnThLYXa0t8BLGO1W-KIikLdihAuo1vrwJbhEHgMAY3j3n_UrMJwb_y7KEJJV8KaN9tDbY1gdtvc1ZDEa2GHSQMHOhNH6DlueY4BXFBZl6li99JLJ7M/s1600/CIMG7894.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643667716309340994" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1nLj5cSItQFdCHk5FkhxJ5LMDpnThLYXa0t8BLGO1W-KIikLdihAuo1vrwJbhEHgMAY3j3n_UrMJwb_y7KEJJV8KaN9tDbY1gdtvc1ZDEa2GHSQMHOhNH6DlueY4BXFBZl6li99JLJ7M/s320/CIMG7894.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 325px;" /></a></div><div>The Indians left their mark here too. The Mojave and the Chemehuevi tribes were the dominant native groups in the area. They left many artifacts behind, most of which were absconded by anglos visiting the area. One of the things that could not be taken was the native rock art, mostly petroglyphs, which are all over the Mojave Desert.</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBSbsUpjGGDJ7tX68LZd6un_rkNXOwVYG8UCDCayU66wOcGEuH4Bi5LB-NLdgYeUX8ih7iYwMSl6803YIC5Z2F7XGxwdbrjmTzJAAhEfJV4ctHkmO51eb_tr6ednwBKySZerTPXecojI/s1600/CIMG7895.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644453573088463490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCBSbsUpjGGDJ7tX68LZd6un_rkNXOwVYG8UCDCayU66wOcGEuH4Bi5LB-NLdgYeUX8ih7iYwMSl6803YIC5Z2F7XGxwdbrjmTzJAAhEfJV4ctHkmO51eb_tr6ednwBKySZerTPXecojI/s320/CIMG7895.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 678px;" /></a></div><div></div><div>Hole in the Wall is also the location of one of three campgrounds within the Preserve. There is not much to the camp, but its right next to the HITW rock formation and visitor center. Carlo and I, weary from the road, picked ourselves a site and made a nice pasta dinner. Not needing to mess with a tent, we spent the night sleeping in the bed of the truck.</div><div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjESpOxQk4sxCORxk12gc_cRqOYS7jlOEPPcd6nNCf8ZAN1vezjhAqMj26KLprHvllp5DRDPp-gCPrjTC2c740G_HQPl846XQ_7F-qburPwnGpYpMzGGxKxEQ-q21lPYx6loPOOkn-HJ8/s1600/CIMG7862.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643667709925242594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjESpOxQk4sxCORxk12gc_cRqOYS7jlOEPPcd6nNCf8ZAN1vezjhAqMj26KLprHvllp5DRDPp-gCPrjTC2c740G_HQPl846XQ_7F-qburPwnGpYpMzGGxKxEQ-q21lPYx6loPOOkn-HJ8/s320/CIMG7862.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></span></strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbLo2jaT3XthIREgwT7__rhND_VVstj7B7lo9MIjrNsfEmbkMLJJedQxaAeXYU0hHNscKTlhOy8p5Oc2KfzU-o8uz-u006zNUMKb_zbY0IAuT57rt-aoSv5idurszezlTy7vJXNvKMDo/s1600/CIMG7859.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643667696439073138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMbLo2jaT3XthIREgwT7__rhND_VVstj7B7lo9MIjrNsfEmbkMLJJedQxaAeXYU0hHNscKTlhOy8p5Oc2KfzU-o8uz-u006zNUMKb_zbY0IAuT57rt-aoSv5idurszezlTy7vJXNvKMDo/s320/CIMG7859.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-ROxVfxDmvhVipNKozBMSpC7tKCJLkm9SbrhSbHrLMpuP3WN2MN2trpSKnjndSx2PGMB_GNj0tfnN5pJ1ME7ixqhC9fSatpf_Jmq4bwfp34hvVxmUZYZ4piqPW8CQB0MkjrfTBr4h4w/s1600/CIMG7860.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5643667700866605346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-ROxVfxDmvhVipNKozBMSpC7tKCJLkm9SbrhSbHrLMpuP3WN2MN2trpSKnjndSx2PGMB_GNj0tfnN5pJ1ME7ixqhC9fSatpf_Jmq4bwfp34hvVxmUZYZ4piqPW8CQB0MkjrfTBr4h4w/s320/CIMG7860.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div>The next morning, we got going early and moves the ship to a parking area near the HITW visitor center and explored Banshee Canyon and the Rings Trail. Banshee Canyon gets its name from the howling generated by the wind when it blows through the pocked canyon. The Rings Trail is named for the metal rings drilled into the wall to assist hikers climbing out of the canyon, kind of a "via ferreta" route. The short trail from the visitor center takes you past some petroglyphs and then comes around the backside of the formation offering views of Wild Horse Mesa. Eventually, the trail leads into the mouth of Banshee Canyon.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dJUSw5X1Afr5mBMgoUerA5Gt53wAJXnwtxrxg14OWL-zMn3H1QI9oAm3y1aWycP2WCNCCXaqq7eCjnorAh0G2zQ1-DNKA5re_O3jDqo4PPbcqpbVEqUeKBhJxORojyaHpcD2OY5g74I/s1600/CIMG7963.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644459571266644882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_dJUSw5X1Afr5mBMgoUerA5Gt53wAJXnwtxrxg14OWL-zMn3H1QI9oAm3y1aWycP2WCNCCXaqq7eCjnorAh0G2zQ1-DNKA5re_O3jDqo4PPbcqpbVEqUeKBhJxORojyaHpcD2OY5g74I/s320/CIMG7963.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRCJdk4Kvr5nRsUYL40MkYU5hROtt-dIvpoRbdBVzwZXfmPEyASHOf2BRbeOuDIrhIFJWSPUmVg0BrwpU2wubzYmK3VgQ0mRmNOB1-PLsGDKolqwE-2-tx31YMy_l0Qoi1g-EwK-vSATY/s1600/CIMG7947.JPG"></a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjez8rhzmC4sRacvC51egcCU8qSJCBDXEHVxC73EK9IDERGENgFihiTMwoahgepZkqmyW1gWr7zjjmIoVsrOGclVt1BLEvdElgZhP9Axm7ux05WHDBKQsZ-cNKo4mbiXXDKxrD5hyphenhyphenGe35s/s1600/CIMG7933.JPG" style="clear: right; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR_Gc8VRgojfIUCSgtM_Pek6RbssLVjFMWUaEqFQM4DP-oBbapspBgszlBkXB37OfNnezTPhcvoFNsfNYtiGIo12QwOyhHkNV8UdHprY9h4PJ1RIpc1LraJfsnJjSGhHFRmZPTlhRHhI/s1600/CIMG7934.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644459564045031250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVR_Gc8VRgojfIUCSgtM_Pek6RbssLVjFMWUaEqFQM4DP-oBbapspBgszlBkXB37OfNnezTPhcvoFNsfNYtiGIo12QwOyhHkNV8UdHprY9h4PJ1RIpc1LraJfsnJjSGhHFRmZPTlhRHhI/s320/CIMG7934.JPG" style="height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjn190uvOhK71r5FL8ayWDW_CiJvQS75pVC9Grg8-M8yPA0hOYiNCmlRpVPfzQTq3QBh9sJQvh4u2p18j0WlfhZr_p2TCCqSwgXgAW3a0GMJVrpJGUg6iex8DD4NYIAjkiRmEufnBpkH0/s1600/CIMG7916.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644459555040637618" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjn190uvOhK71r5FL8ayWDW_CiJvQS75pVC9Grg8-M8yPA0hOYiNCmlRpVPfzQTq3QBh9sJQvh4u2p18j0WlfhZr_p2TCCqSwgXgAW3a0GMJVrpJGUg6iex8DD4NYIAjkiRmEufnBpkH0/s320/CIMG7916.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; 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float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644465816707678530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7yew2-EM5fKRsmmAyFozEBVGUystTHWc-YYBZIskdfTOdmufqdhmsyf1VqKED4Lyjj75NYTIOn9HtWCZ8aPsdTTkN-OfefGyNHHL4-dvhBB5oEnKgDZHNGGzB31kcf6bmlPa-H92KFFo/s320/CIMG7968.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXsLRvkRLwIMPLnqTOv2vTTe5qqGaYFsWSyqBg04P5_j5CSzDJXXp26GU3Acl2Tze39tQKEfcUgdXgn2TT9vQjr1FRLRb91qTkD8EMzjHlc-vqtUzzORJmIYsRollOTyFJY5WOSgQnxo/s1600/CIMG8023.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644465839729936194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIXsLRvkRLwIMPLnqTOv2vTTe5qqGaYFsWSyqBg04P5_j5CSzDJXXp26GU3Acl2Tze39tQKEfcUgdXgn2TT9vQjr1FRLRb91qTkD8EMzjHlc-vqtUzzORJmIYsRollOTyFJY5WOSgQnxo/s320/CIMG8023.JPG" style="height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRMAd3prf2esgtljaHUFtcaKzf9PvMKyGKP6rKC8Zdw540Wi3rjyYX3KtFi_H-Y6KRdv1-25_fl62u-AoR0988zN2tTglbDzH1jS7HW7p9rytrm_7HEsArAl7GOdamhIqMwBgUt6HtnI/s1600/CIMG8008.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644465832142881554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglRMAd3prf2esgtljaHUFtcaKzf9PvMKyGKP6rKC8Zdw540Wi3rjyYX3KtFi_H-Y6KRdv1-25_fl62u-AoR0988zN2tTglbDzH1jS7HW7p9rytrm_7HEsArAl7GOdamhIqMwBgUt6HtnI/s320/CIMG8008.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaxKegbyD2LZCiK911tq8wRRsnUYz4BIiaewhUdZOgZgjddFZrhGCc4XYr6eHq9Jn5uNqRN4lFJQ54ymQP27dOVAKFLdKUJxUuaB0NHumVy_XBe3y2pBdV0W71fjYretYqVqoGnuhJ_w/s1600/CIMG8005.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644465828124038370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKaxKegbyD2LZCiK911tq8wRRsnUYz4BIiaewhUdZOgZgjddFZrhGCc4XYr6eHq9Jn5uNqRN4lFJQ54ymQP27dOVAKFLdKUJxUuaB0NHumVy_XBe3y2pBdV0W71fjYretYqVqoGnuhJ_w/s320/CIMG8005.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Mitchel Caverns, Goffs, Cima and The New York Mountains</span></strong><br />
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We were so excited to go and visir Mitchel Caverns, but as our luck would have it, it was a bust; Closed for the summer. I guess The Preserve dosnt get the same level of traffic in the summer as it does in the spring and fall. This pattern of clousres would follow us most of the day. </div><div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJlldzYZN0Pp4sg3WV8Og-TfZ4fZGWZY8nrDrwRU2259n_HARd2r1QUuYqlTKuWEculIJvymlvg0UqrX5wtbsXvv9_vH7mjzCmXqZgBBiFn8MXQTssn52_7VVBNxKznlFBHsOydygqz4/s1600/CIMG8054.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644470480135749042" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKJlldzYZN0Pp4sg3WV8Og-TfZ4fZGWZY8nrDrwRU2259n_HARd2r1QUuYqlTKuWEculIJvymlvg0UqrX5wtbsXvv9_vH7mjzCmXqZgBBiFn8MXQTssn52_7VVBNxKznlFBHsOydygqz4/s320/CIMG8054.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><div><br />
From Mitchel Caverns we hopped on another lonely dirt road heading east across the Preserve. After crossing several dried out washes, the road eventually let us out onto the paved Goffs Rd. Once we hit the pavement, we turned north toward the town of Goffs. Goffs was a small mining community within the Preserve bounderies that also boasted the local school; Closed for the summer. </div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A0brkiidOsuT_JPude0OJyetnKlVeTj89NJ6moc5M8U8L2aQ4JOHtyPYjXt0HBgDMz29qnMNJ7TgOeQ2hgleK1b_edJu6SJMZAqXyTunK5JqrI33k-ioYKi-xTWIyzdJmPXY2zY8Is4/s1600/CIMG8058.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644470483563242146" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7A0brkiidOsuT_JPude0OJyetnKlVeTj89NJ6moc5M8U8L2aQ4JOHtyPYjXt0HBgDMz29qnMNJ7TgOeQ2hgleK1b_edJu6SJMZAqXyTunK5JqrI33k-ioYKi-xTWIyzdJmPXY2zY8Is4/s320/CIMG8058.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>Immediately after leaving Goffs, it started to rain but it was very light and intermittant. Our view of the east side of the Providence Mountains was occasionally obscured by cloud but the view of the New York Mountains to the north of us was spectacular. The New Yorks are rumered to be home to some high desert granite (climbable) as well as some nice back country camping. However, it seemed the closer we got to them the heavier the rain got, until I had so slow down to about 10mph with my wipers on high speed just so I could see out of the winshield. This went on for about 30 minutes and then let up a little, just long enough to catch our road sign. We will be returning to the New Yorks for some exploration next spring.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWT0CrjjpFmCke6TnsTutdGVUx0CGp01YJzqK3eQiZsovqIpSfmAJWUQBt7JcjWqvJ-RVbDkTE_cBRi_AenznAdAba9rpogBmI1965YUzGfU2rTKeivlZHvNF0WXKihp7idtI3lhZIIk/s1600/CIMG8064.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644470488840701058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGWT0CrjjpFmCke6TnsTutdGVUx0CGp01YJzqK3eQiZsovqIpSfmAJWUQBt7JcjWqvJ-RVbDkTE_cBRi_AenznAdAba9rpogBmI1965YUzGfU2rTKeivlZHvNF0WXKihp7idtI3lhZIIk/s320/CIMG8064.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a>By this time we were starving and just wanted to stop someplace dry so we could take a few minutes and organize some lunch. The small town of Cima would have been a nice place to do this and visit, especially seince at the time we were getting hammered by rain but again, we found the now familr sign; Closed for the summer. WTF! We just pulled into the parking lot, jumped out of the truck, grabbed some snadwich fixins and made lunch in the cab as we sat in the rain. </div><div><br />
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</div><div>We decided to leave the Cima Dome and California's thickest Joshua Tree forest for another trip.<br />
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<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Cinder Cones National Natural Area and the Lava Tube</span></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16RulIShE6hBm1s48xabMOHH-0D7UE-q1flUtZG0jgNVQGtMjfcu7gQLYHTULG2LTq2aVgdpodNzAuf-YbZSi_7Fr7iUFTkIMCEX-o1D7Pb9QHruq_23sNecfsXlouRCulb1nNIMKg8s/s1600/CIMG8071.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644470505464238914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh16RulIShE6hBm1s48xabMOHH-0D7UE-q1flUtZG0jgNVQGtMjfcu7gQLYHTULG2LTq2aVgdpodNzAuf-YbZSi_7Fr7iUFTkIMCEX-o1D7Pb9QHruq_23sNecfsXlouRCulb1nNIMKg8s/s320/CIMG8071.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT5TOzzSHp7VS1I8lIuDdPKO30xzvudSbjSSoB76puSABKZHqvx2gEPmez_y1S6ZYztbKOMF-YcMsTf9rLeSywB27b7sbygJDvdr7E-WNNwhuxBMJql3Np8MSy-geABwHrXTqplricVc/s1600/CIMG8077.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644474652354756626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFT5TOzzSHp7VS1I8lIuDdPKO30xzvudSbjSSoB76puSABKZHqvx2gEPmez_y1S6ZYztbKOMF-YcMsTf9rLeSywB27b7sbygJDvdr7E-WNNwhuxBMJql3Np8MSy-geABwHrXTqplricVc/s320/CIMG8077.JPG" style="height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEnVrqDZD1xJpQ_IGP7y5ucZfOim6awFuBWFs962ydV_xwHYJFgSUZAWpCkFK-V0BfLX54Mv37_4nHiQ3nzvCvJm-DzMnkYxlYf38qs8FgmV9su7LkdiUhFPxDH2U0wo6PL2gYCZpMOg/s1600/CIMG8069.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644470500091576722" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUEnVrqDZD1xJpQ_IGP7y5ucZfOim6awFuBWFs962ydV_xwHYJFgSUZAWpCkFK-V0BfLX54Mv37_4nHiQ3nzvCvJm-DzMnkYxlYf38qs8FgmV9su7LkdiUhFPxDH2U0wo6PL2gYCZpMOg/s320/CIMG8069.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><br />
We happened onto the Cinder Cones National Landmark while on the hunt for a lava tube. As it turns out, Carlo and I anded up climbing to the top of on of these cinder cones (hereafter called the Rivas Cinder Cone) while looking for the elusive lava tube.<br />
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Cinder cones form when lava erupts from the Earth through what is called a "fire fountain". As the lava spews into the air, it solidifys, trapping the gas bubbles and giving the lava a distinct look and texture. If the eruption persists over time a cone is formed, like an anthill. It is possoble for a cindercone to develop rapidly(geologically speaking of course) and often results in an overflowing of black basalt that flowa across the land llike a river. The cones and basalt flows at Cinder Cone National Landmark were formed sometime between 7.6 million years ago and the last Ice Age(10,000 years ago).<br />
</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIjWb6G1zdYvkPiMVL-uV_Xzyjj5qFGb-27RHlic4XuGhEEUak8hX-6YkmwzvzoqEdrgKzt24S1BjkLy4HE0X-Sph8U1oKe5X_OmdobS478Tt6VOIangjhyphenhyphenpIj9f-KP36GOS08KovVJk/s1600/CIMG8089.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644474661713362546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsIjWb6G1zdYvkPiMVL-uV_Xzyjj5qFGb-27RHlic4XuGhEEUak8hX-6YkmwzvzoqEdrgKzt24S1BjkLy4HE0X-Sph8U1oKe5X_OmdobS478Tt6VOIangjhyphenhyphenpIj9f-KP36GOS08KovVJk/s320/CIMG8089.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NEr9rKJjcoaEjpI_HN4WvdYBC7ViSGB8nMXajHrojw_RswYG80qGD_BOOMQt9WaCPe-ENfUxnuGwmNwQKmP1zNaiTTZsjD3DUBjeLW76tbM_sDuRM5D1XQChCvrUsr_-Vl9BzjxxsTY/s1600/CIMG8088.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644474655112899442" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NEr9rKJjcoaEjpI_HN4WvdYBC7ViSGB8nMXajHrojw_RswYG80qGD_BOOMQt9WaCPe-ENfUxnuGwmNwQKmP1zNaiTTZsjD3DUBjeLW76tbM_sDuRM5D1XQChCvrUsr_-Vl9BzjxxsTY/s320/CIMG8088.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div>The views from the top of the conder cone were amazing; we could see lava flows and other cinder cones all around us. We also could see another posible location of the lava tube about half a mile north of us, just a little further up the road.</div><div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpQggC9F8zxPM231IHo9PeomQqb7apU2aC9lAoKxbxb4-H9abu0dq-wqy7Kq30pyFH1I5C5WUEYjWXW6oK7Cg0qfjofZxfQc_djcP6K3v_X6NBWl2-gaaCn-xWGyjetqfLTVgNFLj8g/s1600/CIMG8103.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644474664027900786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpQggC9F8zxPM231IHo9PeomQqb7apU2aC9lAoKxbxb4-H9abu0dq-wqy7Kq30pyFH1I5C5WUEYjWXW6oK7Cg0qfjofZxfQc_djcP6K3v_X6NBWl2-gaaCn-xWGyjetqfLTVgNFLj8g/s320/CIMG8103.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpQggC9F8zxPM231IHo9PeomQqb7apU2aC9lAoKxbxb4-H9abu0dq-wqy7Kq30pyFH1I5C5WUEYjWXW6oK7Cg0qfjofZxfQc_djcP6K3v_X6NBWl2-gaaCn-xWGyjetqfLTVgNFLj8g/s1600/CIMG8103.JPG"></a></div><div>Sure enough about 10 minutes up the road, we found a sign that directed us up another road to a parking area. We sorted out a few things in the truck and headed off over alava flow in search of the tube. It wasnt long before we were staring down at the "sinister eyes" of the tubes lower end.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbed2qIk-2ffCMKYyDq5cWaNN_eqV5rM8yJlD-fX_lqQAaGmHzLB3WTwilEIwFKJd3mSmT__wZEL_ws6dxRb_myXA44rL-adwLxQ80DCKsNzNUGN9p_Hy4PCo1aOD12gw7iF4jvdWuRo/s1600/CIMG8107.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644474672782414386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbed2qIk-2ffCMKYyDq5cWaNN_eqV5rM8yJlD-fX_lqQAaGmHzLB3WTwilEIwFKJd3mSmT__wZEL_ws6dxRb_myXA44rL-adwLxQ80DCKsNzNUGN9p_Hy4PCo1aOD12gw7iF4jvdWuRo/s320/CIMG8107.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAbed2qIk-2ffCMKYyDq5cWaNN_eqV5rM8yJlD-fX_lqQAaGmHzLB3WTwilEIwFKJd3mSmT__wZEL_ws6dxRb_myXA44rL-adwLxQ80DCKsNzNUGN9p_Hy4PCo1aOD12gw7iF4jvdWuRo/s1600/CIMG8107.JPG"></a></div><div>Another 40 feet up the hill we found the tube rntrance and the metal staircase leading down into it. We droped our packs and broke out our headlamps and climbed on in.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiWSF4mrE4hgwa0oCHWt_Xp9JbXsoQVAp5sM51MAhc_V_ivjYV-TlD4ZrJERpC4eVXqiNoCHtUhGFXiMXP7QQr0Myo8AKaQrRiqERCBX-Hk-dBWKG0DACcIsu0HZmt_YkTcOkPqgP_wc/s1600/CIMG8113.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644477187028998626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiWSF4mrE4hgwa0oCHWt_Xp9JbXsoQVAp5sM51MAhc_V_ivjYV-TlD4ZrJERpC4eVXqiNoCHtUhGFXiMXP7QQr0Myo8AKaQrRiqERCBX-Hk-dBWKG0DACcIsu0HZmt_YkTcOkPqgP_wc/s320/CIMG8113.JPG" style="height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1wWWodY1yWHgTTh4h9uuoBRZ4xByYl363BocISvuyr35f7A6vV92IoyQmyWR-bLHd2y7JcQovPDdWzT0uIaDACYSe_BKcFujplJs8fBt2b-HF5qRmAPPHlYAwrnQ2kYtuFSBzVvjvK4/s1600/CIMG8126.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644477192433681314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB1wWWodY1yWHgTTh4h9uuoBRZ4xByYl363BocISvuyr35f7A6vV92IoyQmyWR-bLHd2y7JcQovPDdWzT0uIaDACYSe_BKcFujplJs8fBt2b-HF5qRmAPPHlYAwrnQ2kYtuFSBzVvjvK4/s320/CIMG8126.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjiWSF4mrE4hgwa0oCHWt_Xp9JbXsoQVAp5sM51MAhc_V_ivjYV-TlD4ZrJERpC4eVXqiNoCHtUhGFXiMXP7QQr0Myo8AKaQrRiqERCBX-Hk-dBWKG0DACcIsu0HZmt_YkTcOkPqgP_wc/s1600/CIMG8113.JPG"></a></div><div></div><div>After exploring the tube, we returned to the ship and decided that we would ca,p right there in the parking area. I built a cooking fire, while Carlo got the food ready. We enjoyed chili dogs and hot apple cider with the Mojave sunset.</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysRPUorayglPkiDqc1WNDvZ1-IllOVJBuwlX12jJgRVjim4r9e-xeXIYFr7G18GKx-WD7Uc_wZiDfYeTfetRnUk5jODit49ZBcwT7BKaap0AqY3EZJ761svF9etyuCPCb-1hGgoSYOWY/s1600/CIMG8096.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644477199974661698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysRPUorayglPkiDqc1WNDvZ1-IllOVJBuwlX12jJgRVjim4r9e-xeXIYFr7G18GKx-WD7Uc_wZiDfYeTfetRnUk5jODit49ZBcwT7BKaap0AqY3EZJ761svF9etyuCPCb-1hGgoSYOWY/s320/CIMG8096.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFAsmMpzd2UQS4MipyTR6u8mIDEbji2GudNHauA3QAhrAJ5OzT_tbkvlfehSYKaOeEiLNWob4xjp-J7SWQuHWB7buQiZMwQyA5pMRTu9TsHR5HfPzhRkYE9rZMicz9bBOT2WTaotQoj4/s1600/CIMG8171.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644483365477636034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBFAsmMpzd2UQS4MipyTR6u8mIDEbji2GudNHauA3QAhrAJ5OzT_tbkvlfehSYKaOeEiLNWob4xjp-J7SWQuHWB7buQiZMwQyA5pMRTu9TsHR5HfPzhRkYE9rZMicz9bBOT2WTaotQoj4/s320/CIMG8171.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">Afton Canyon and The Desert Megaphone</span></strong><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb4gUqyZCWAR-6ueKt7H09UNMlF_c6VqcJo_nFTkYOuzh_-52qqv16gEzSC3CrVvEoHPTHxdQGAZnM2EsRYE4zmXuN9-ehj9J4ys-lR_-K6F2OrfP5D-FR4IRCKd2gZUJyuHpGnuspVE/s1600/CIMG8266.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644477204195266930" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZb4gUqyZCWAR-6ueKt7H09UNMlF_c6VqcJo_nFTkYOuzh_-52qqv16gEzSC3CrVvEoHPTHxdQGAZnM2EsRYE4zmXuN9-ehj9J4ys-lR_-K6F2OrfP5D-FR4IRCKd2gZUJyuHpGnuspVE/s320/CIMG8266.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><div><br />
The boys and I have seen all type of nonsence on the high desert. Petroglyphs, pictographs, abandoned mines and homes, deep space telescopes, deeply spacey microphones, 20th century art, rocket ship wreckage....the high desert keeps many secrets. Well, it should come as no suprise to those who know us but we found something new this time out....The Desert Megaphone.</div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaeUAyUzznL2KaNhfrr_UYAPa0AgXa9q0HD9vZKXMDxNg7dcQvpAktb-QAHwKOCP6fUk9_rP6sX_Y5V2aO_P1sVNbICpqxLaz5Hm-T7A45flBRMfZWJua_raMwc6DfHn3x9lvMV2skJg/s1600/CIMG8279.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644477208233375314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEaeUAyUzznL2KaNhfrr_UYAPa0AgXa9q0HD9vZKXMDxNg7dcQvpAktb-QAHwKOCP6fUk9_rP6sX_Y5V2aO_P1sVNbICpqxLaz5Hm-T7A45flBRMfZWJua_raMwc6DfHn3x9lvMV2skJg/s320/CIMG8279.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div>Nobody knows where it came from or who put there, but its out there, in the middle of nowhere. To get to it, we had to re-enter the Preserve through Afton Canyon. We followed what remains of the Mojave River as it runs through Afton Canyon to The Devils Playground in the western part of the Preserve. About 20 miles east of the Afton Canyon Campground sits the Megaphone and some more Mojave petros. It was a heck of a drive to get out there; four-wheel drive and high clearence is a must.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg8-CiSwv7Rat93Ii9nTeX-aGh3rK-rBMdQN1vWcvzgOb-cw7CAxO7xhSM7cBrSkJKtoYNvlRHhO_hshU6ywhRoXTButf3BKkqcI01ZTN4vmhMoaz0MjeRVvxVEeB_WyoGQZOnRMCyyI/s1600/CIMG8323.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644480351947013106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglg8-CiSwv7Rat93Ii9nTeX-aGh3rK-rBMdQN1vWcvzgOb-cw7CAxO7xhSM7cBrSkJKtoYNvlRHhO_hshU6ywhRoXTButf3BKkqcI01ZTN4vmhMoaz0MjeRVvxVEeB_WyoGQZOnRMCyyI/s320/CIMG8323.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHjwPAFA5tNromewOXaa_RH9Sd88fAj9msY7KoXOMcMEMHGNcgfAl6ZK4w1YYrwl80ao9kS9V_8XLj8WCPskILcirwwM6H0dcD0jiXkWiQRmqXnKfdlf5Q11xe24fqNwzECcYYTzO3gk/s1600/CIMG8325.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644480354472901954" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHjwPAFA5tNromewOXaa_RH9Sd88fAj9msY7KoXOMcMEMHGNcgfAl6ZK4w1YYrwl80ao9kS9V_8XLj8WCPskILcirwwM6H0dcD0jiXkWiQRmqXnKfdlf5Q11xe24fqNwzECcYYTzO3gk/s320/CIMG8325.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div>On the way back to the 18, we stoped in Afton Canyon proper to explore some of the very cool badland formations we saw along the way. The Endurance performed like a champ, even in the sandy Mojave River bottom.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpMWinpc5FYmMSSPwwJVRcF4ggnOu_YrjOSHoLHYs3JcTmu06XfXw563V8uS0Prd75_xWT1e8vYrFmyV91LbMMkCaz-710sO_EzN-fUaiwf113cEsnVMPMybxmsWyhpbyqHVMWhjrDc8/s1600/CIMG8321.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644480346575934354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSpMWinpc5FYmMSSPwwJVRcF4ggnOu_YrjOSHoLHYs3JcTmu06XfXw563V8uS0Prd75_xWT1e8vYrFmyV91LbMMkCaz-710sO_EzN-fUaiwf113cEsnVMPMybxmsWyhpbyqHVMWhjrDc8/s320/CIMG8321.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X_zHUAPJD2lSpUZSmEBPz20yPBX2grDkD1FX1cGS1O5OkwMxBUxiMF6eXFAggVcB2DlE48m5Rl5HgLilHbA4GtTJ3g1Ce7qDjAG5U9I6s_Np11wrmPxvXAXTfVtVWspjAGSJcqTywYY/s1600/CIMG8320.JPG" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644480340890625346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8X_zHUAPJD2lSpUZSmEBPz20yPBX2grDkD1FX1cGS1O5OkwMxBUxiMF6eXFAggVcB2DlE48m5Rl5HgLilHbA4GtTJ3g1Ce7qDjAG5U9I6s_Np11wrmPxvXAXTfVtVWspjAGSJcqTywYY/s320/CIMG8320.JPG" style="height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div>There are Union Pacific railroad tracks that run through the canyon and are a continuation of the same rails we crossed at Kelso Depot. As the road we were driving on runs right next to the tracks, we pulled off for a few minutes as a very long train came down the line, kind of thrilling.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCfKoUke-Tgc8N73zc6DwclRlns2XhOf0vmKeOniVEnCN_nQUBCtDRaVRkwGhir47VCP7DHIC532-90iZGcIeLUKxsttm3O9kPS9TSrt3-QgNpfhCqUsbkvuJ_eqYujqRef7u99qP1tY/s1600/CIMG8288.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644480335599709842" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguCfKoUke-Tgc8N73zc6DwclRlns2XhOf0vmKeOniVEnCN_nQUBCtDRaVRkwGhir47VCP7DHIC532-90iZGcIeLUKxsttm3O9kPS9TSrt3-QgNpfhCqUsbkvuJ_eqYujqRef7u99qP1tY/s320/CIMG8288.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNt8pB2b65TVlqJanj_5hESh2lydWNitMsJOjOch9w1VtK3jiCYKdkfg42DSz27lN6Nt_sht2hJc4JH6atZ6h6XHcgcqvywQvvQ6eXDjlJToZNnHsSGZuRuaejVbH3nfCqk7_hz_kFAo/s1600/CIMG8289.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644483375440144658" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGNt8pB2b65TVlqJanj_5hESh2lydWNitMsJOjOch9w1VtK3jiCYKdkfg42DSz27lN6Nt_sht2hJc4JH6atZ6h6XHcgcqvywQvvQ6eXDjlJToZNnHsSGZuRuaejVbH3nfCqk7_hz_kFAo/s320/CIMG8289.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div></div><div>With full day of driving still ahead of us we stoped for one last picture as we left Afton Canyon.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDG2r61hR3qoD0ejywtGEuI0VLYLGuEFGtDmgjbuqiNT4RxBDgmCb-OUV7yTEZR8VIC8Oamxgn30JhNdJJq8cUq1gAW_Lamx7OBiCqewUhxouF0IQmUPD_Co-GyJZ26UuUHSveIDpzUw/s1600/CIMG8342.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5644483369887365746" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbDG2r61hR3qoD0ejywtGEuI0VLYLGuEFGtDmgjbuqiNT4RxBDgmCb-OUV7yTEZR8VIC8Oamxgn30JhNdJJq8cUq1gAW_Lamx7OBiCqewUhxouF0IQmUPD_Co-GyJZ26UuUHSveIDpzUw/s320/CIMG8342.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a></div><div><br />
<strong><span style="font-size: large;">The End.</span></strong></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJFpQggC9F8zxPM231IHo9PeomQqb7apU2aC9lAoKxbxb4-H9abu0dq-wqy7Kq30pyFH1I5C5WUEYjWXW6oK7Cg0qfjofZxfQc_djcP6K3v_X6NBWl2-gaaCn-xWGyjetqfLTVgNFLj8g/s1600/CIMG8103.JPG"></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-14297427519835772022011-06-21T13:30:00.000-07:002011-08-08T21:48:28.916-07:00Alpismo<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvNwzqr6ZyVIWKJQ96JxkiY24ECnBAxC5tWw4F9J9OQcyfeaGGAhMY1BeFzet_gqoT7tXND4Be4jt30rKPAx18ageQJjVkaMB6ejqs86QHPiiG61cuxhxM0LaHkMaA4hh1TMIQ0M89ys/s1600/IMGP2864.jpg"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638700157072575266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyvNwzqr6ZyVIWKJQ96JxkiY24ECnBAxC5tWw4F9J9OQcyfeaGGAhMY1BeFzet_gqoT7tXND4Be4jt30rKPAx18ageQJjVkaMB6ejqs86QHPiiG61cuxhxM0LaHkMaA4hh1TMIQ0M89ys/s320/IMGP2864.jpg" /></a><br />The Palisades. One of my favorite places on the planet.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CgRvJwd1eyK_xCdaSPQEkrz4qfCRKZUAn1Ud6pmpMq7ehPqcrj8jjScBln2IioscX3fI3KiAJSKP6Ppv9CUgOAF1JH7cG_0ZX2_HWiC_P3fcq0SYmq_dAEeKCeiIegkPNRHwcZAjfIE/s1600/IMGP2817.jpg"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704032142952034" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7CgRvJwd1eyK_xCdaSPQEkrz4qfCRKZUAn1Ud6pmpMq7ehPqcrj8jjScBln2IioscX3fI3KiAJSKP6Ppv9CUgOAF1JH7cG_0ZX2_HWiC_P3fcq0SYmq_dAEeKCeiIegkPNRHwcZAjfIE/s320/IMGP2817.jpg" /></a><br />I keep coming back to this place, it calls me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttelFz3RzapKHgVf5FGp6H691JuNSZgueL7eIIcD0Io2Lx4txyL1vqYwJcDjklK3FmC4V6q3Zcp5LYVfV0Y4LZ18u7wDwnaDrcQBB7p9kdXp5FksMix2ocUhrtcVUUXgTQ-ZiuXHjdVE/s1600/IMGP2812.jpg"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704031273549746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttelFz3RzapKHgVf5FGp6H691JuNSZgueL7eIIcD0Io2Lx4txyL1vqYwJcDjklK3FmC4V6q3Zcp5LYVfV0Y4LZ18u7wDwnaDrcQBB7p9kdXp5FksMix2ocUhrtcVUUXgTQ-ZiuXHjdVE/s320/IMGP2812.jpg" /></a><br />There is something about the cocktail of fear and uncertainty that one encounters in a place like this that pushes the routine of my civilian life into the margins. Here I find clarity and focus. My life, and the life of my ace CRASH depend on it.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bVpxruMtXEVCT5rBqaL8mGiPxKjybXtZfYSos5q-FdVOytJyYGUXYv_j4I_kDssgankJ9vol0fr6B1SEmtgQRK4mvYstvGePsLoeOhoC0Ho_VsOqXXYgwzxwU33YDKKdeRxhUWUm0Pc/s1600/IMGP2888.jpg"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704023001353042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3bVpxruMtXEVCT5rBqaL8mGiPxKjybXtZfYSos5q-FdVOytJyYGUXYv_j4I_kDssgankJ9vol0fr6B1SEmtgQRK4mvYstvGePsLoeOhoC0Ho_VsOqXXYgwzxwU33YDKKdeRxhUWUm0Pc/s320/IMGP2888.jpg" /></a><br />This place, and others like it possess a terrifying beauty and it does not care about me and my insecurities, my hang-ups, my demons. It can not be reasoned with for I have nothing it wants.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ITGMkabmjQQ3DEWxQ-p89ADLpldrNI5Szb5xD8u070zY3LS0yoUHAtUs4WlZgprKhMRr3jc6xTMdLkKXi2jqE-wmnikQLLw1PKNaDS5cV1p8roIGckcQJG8rzFGW4wyEpdBY9UvmqZs/s1600/IMGP2796.jpg"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704019935027778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ITGMkabmjQQ3DEWxQ-p89ADLpldrNI5Szb5xD8u070zY3LS0yoUHAtUs4WlZgprKhMRr3jc6xTMdLkKXi2jqE-wmnikQLLw1PKNaDS5cV1p8roIGckcQJG8rzFGW4wyEpdBY9UvmqZs/s320/IMGP2796.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-wHg1-vm6KsZbGSd-eSSJbM4byI1eHLSdmY0bbZeefOEUJjAGbPsfRkW8EM-XLHNi0VrfTilAjESij_GD7Ls5EgX6-2Gb4EDpnnFwKCPRihHl6RNHXMTetflo1LlaQzwA0rjbY5g7mg/s1600/Palisades2011+138.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638700149870814274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ-wHg1-vm6KsZbGSd-eSSJbM4byI1eHLSdmY0bbZeefOEUJjAGbPsfRkW8EM-XLHNi0VrfTilAjESij_GD7Ls5EgX6-2Gb4EDpnnFwKCPRihHl6RNHXMTetflo1LlaQzwA0rjbY5g7mg/s320/Palisades2011+138.JPG" /></a></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnPmMySULJf_oDuJ7TbChRnyLT6_N3MJ37nCdq88kZJvPOd2JIa57climXuLZXANcvFatXjadrQln5cCgfVh2gcjauE9X3HIoqnz5xJXvUSBtA94fCjB0flPVSntLySI0xVlAPJh0C74/s1600/IMGP2794.jpg"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638700141638286802" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnPmMySULJf_oDuJ7TbChRnyLT6_N3MJ37nCdq88kZJvPOd2JIa57climXuLZXANcvFatXjadrQln5cCgfVh2gcjauE9X3HIoqnz5xJXvUSBtA94fCjB0flPVSntLySI0xVlAPJh0C74/s320/IMGP2794.jpg" /></a><br /> </div><div><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bchhhAA0j502FwXXiKYMO6_JiGq59XDW-pl80bNiiwpVMLtxaROXME0t4-xx9VYI_4STUjJOv7lrC-SZMcL8UvqViRTFAmvaySnavOtcK6KTLhfiJLAG1Vf9j2IcJLOSuPjxMMEtAcg/s1600/IMGP2845.jpg"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638700136460001906" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bchhhAA0j502FwXXiKYMO6_JiGq59XDW-pl80bNiiwpVMLtxaROXME0t4-xx9VYI_4STUjJOv7lrC-SZMcL8UvqViRTFAmvaySnavOtcK6KTLhfiJLAG1Vf9j2IcJLOSuPjxMMEtAcg/s320/IMGP2845.jpg" /></a><br />I know I'm no superman like others at the top of the alpine game and the Palisades are far from exotic.<br /><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF22Jgi7G6Wc-FLe2IoeTgu55LVtqVGIai6TGgkCXUl32ApO_AygMuL_pFu0TVEkSQrvy6IO6tywJsrpo5KQgJtrdsG0GMPaq3oxGFDjgPMmeBgRoBN5H4AJO5vm9uXMopbOmaso8RSI/s1600/Palisades2011+073.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638700133670847794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF22Jgi7G6Wc-FLe2IoeTgu55LVtqVGIai6TGgkCXUl32ApO_AygMuL_pFu0TVEkSQrvy6IO6tywJsrpo5KQgJtrdsG0GMPaq3oxGFDjgPMmeBgRoBN5H4AJO5vm9uXMopbOmaso8RSI/s320/Palisades2011+073.JPG" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div><br />I'll tell you what though, when I standing up there atop this pile of rock and ice, Alaska, Pakistan, Pategonia; they only seem far away and I feel like a true alpine hardman. That is until I have to come down.<br /> </div><div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEk_ov3tAU0Ay89Skspl4YgFoKZ0RMlTpazx3_-IvJOs7Tc4nfN9hZGXr8puWR1htm3lAqQeSsehaffZSSLk5cXEyWcUdi1k2SRUbzXze_h3sVIvpBIbpUEFmGe4Cr5ovCwoytb9xlJI/s1600/Palisades2011+096.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5638704038632905554" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiEk_ov3tAU0Ay89Skspl4YgFoKZ0RMlTpazx3_-IvJOs7Tc4nfN9hZGXr8puWR1htm3lAqQeSsehaffZSSLk5cXEyWcUdi1k2SRUbzXze_h3sVIvpBIbpUEFmGe4Cr5ovCwoytb9xlJI/s320/Palisades2011+096.JPG" /></a></div><div></div><div> </div><div>But I'll be back.</div></div></div></div></div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-63800395502646720932011-05-24T09:53:00.000-07:002011-07-26T22:08:00.597-07:00The year so far....<div>Its nearly the end of May and I feel like so much of this year has gone by and we still haven't done very much. Seems like weve been lazy, occupied with other things. Seems like weve alowed school, work amd the weather keep us at home. Of course, this is not an accurate description of 2011 so far, not by a long shot.</div><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Rose Valley Falls<br /></span></strong>We did get alot of precip early in the year so we figured a trip to Rose Valley Falls would be worth our time. RVF only goes when its been wet so this was a good opportunity to see it pumpin'.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdokFdERrs2h54Ge469Hjwrhb073fadQkw5ZGse-8GOOUXvpwaH9Hfe1JXDA_vBiy5vpBT9DwuFr_NJcBQwpSTeJIP6H-SKwJiPt6z-PB5eiSlwZ8zXKtKeGi9T9D3H54Yy5ViCRYr61I/s1600/040210+062.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610639684849699410" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdokFdERrs2h54Ge469Hjwrhb073fadQkw5ZGse-8GOOUXvpwaH9Hfe1JXDA_vBiy5vpBT9DwuFr_NJcBQwpSTeJIP6H-SKwJiPt6z-PB5eiSlwZ8zXKtKeGi9T9D3H54Yy5ViCRYr61I/s320/040210+062.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5reWzBppqtH1P4ew5Hvh1sCKXgBsWzXU2c59JD3ETRXr2XcZ0WAM8GLe2XXQCzvjndAgNmZU7kmmBYzcIGWhMbWrROnMlvEKHC4nVAA6EfA5X3cH9iG8PmYjQeYSe09tC9fYWax6kNxk/s1600/040210+077.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610639692617522258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5reWzBppqtH1P4ew5Hvh1sCKXgBsWzXU2c59JD3ETRXr2XcZ0WAM8GLe2XXQCzvjndAgNmZU7kmmBYzcIGWhMbWrROnMlvEKHC4nVAA6EfA5X3cH9iG8PmYjQeYSe09tC9fYWax6kNxk/s320/040210+077.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">PJ Boulders<br /></span></strong><br />With Pine Mountain closed for the winter, the boys and I re-located our major base of operations to the PJ Boulders. This little spot on the Sespe has been a labor of love for the boys and I, but its coming together just fine. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRd64lUh516xB-SqMzd_JdiqSzeBtTShrltF35ov8cF05DMQlH0dIzhYVLr15sRdqQD83aZyb6vrF2e0ZOLBOUueogiUXzTWBFr6QfgilZbV-enZkbZi6t-UTklEIHJTTD5JU3u7YeXg/s1600/040210+044.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610639682922717458" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBRd64lUh516xB-SqMzd_JdiqSzeBtTShrltF35ov8cF05DMQlH0dIzhYVLr15sRdqQD83aZyb6vrF2e0ZOLBOUueogiUXzTWBFr6QfgilZbV-enZkbZi6t-UTklEIHJTTD5JU3u7YeXg/s320/040210+044.JPG" /></a><br />We're far from finished with the development of the area but we've cleared enough dead fall and pried enough loose pieces off the boulders to yeild five or six good problems.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRsV6WFIWROqMyCK6PhI3Paa_IOg4ngpGfgSTrduz0g8my2AlYVSJVXVrli97EBJCZDlH7BW6ihMGsRyHZToNCEIlEq-DdHn4jOZZUL5pbZXXacH0lhjYqkwjc8Ov2ZuYoaV75qGUCZ0/s1600/040210+002+-+Copy.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610639667559848674" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuRsV6WFIWROqMyCK6PhI3Paa_IOg4ngpGfgSTrduz0g8my2AlYVSJVXVrli97EBJCZDlH7BW6ihMGsRyHZToNCEIlEq-DdHn4jOZZUL5pbZXXacH0lhjYqkwjc8Ov2ZuYoaV75qGUCZ0/s320/040210+002+-+Copy.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHEhNPXF4iiTh3ptnwPUJ8OVTxPRTfx5l8o4Go45jimd8U171xdlywfomwXZwRam7oBPGY0tZC4vDNspIabhLdCWEf-auj5DyRNrhzhIv52LxIXeShaChBGWY42-4jcx56L1aHahOfqE/s1600/040210+033.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610639673082469682" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJHEhNPXF4iiTh3ptnwPUJ8OVTxPRTfx5l8o4Go45jimd8U171xdlywfomwXZwRam7oBPGY0tZC4vDNspIabhLdCWEf-auj5DyRNrhzhIv52LxIXeShaChBGWY42-4jcx56L1aHahOfqE/s320/040210+033.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Tar Creek<br /></span></strong><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBnfUKjl9IrFG6AZgjb83R1jveaJlsCq-q78NFkDmWIInGuC-DhCWIDPh7ZXQGOBB_FDIh91aWLwNoUwXvu-Aq5XR5VQc2oQq6balspjC08tAf1xhhBDR_8_CUy2N1evxNsnVvA-_ork/s1600/041611+030.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610638686536809474" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxBnfUKjl9IrFG6AZgjb83R1jveaJlsCq-q78NFkDmWIInGuC-DhCWIDPh7ZXQGOBB_FDIh91aWLwNoUwXvu-Aq5XR5VQc2oQq6balspjC08tAf1xhhBDR_8_CUy2N1evxNsnVvA-_ork/s320/041611+030.JPG" /></a><br /><br />You know with all the rain we had this year we had to make a few trips down to Tar Creek. Tucked away in the Sespe Condor Santuary, Tar Creek(aka the Swimming Hole) used to be an infamous bouldering venue. Towering river polished boulders clogged the creekbed and deep pools and cascading water falls made for a very special place. After the El Nino storms of 2002 however, that all changed.<br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWAu1SHOoFPNwZ-IZPwiKQgK8gR_zUQQHVggOF-Pvswz2AKLLf19iIyD-f_IbnNGdpneTDuEpLXlps8pL2PnP2ErWecgXQyZqw7Mq9yFE1-cSqxaVOKuaPJ2Ir17SvPReNvPWJODRU2U/s1600/112.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610638674732090082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWAu1SHOoFPNwZ-IZPwiKQgK8gR_zUQQHVggOF-Pvswz2AKLLf19iIyD-f_IbnNGdpneTDuEpLXlps8pL2PnP2ErWecgXQyZqw7Mq9yFE1-cSqxaVOKuaPJ2Ir17SvPReNvPWJODRU2U/s320/112.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3ptaZt34TMQdXS_xRoWE6xfbmN6cEUdWsMAln0PNPBo8y7gt_kE2fbE2o9PjjKaUeyYRmajL70rm6Aja187gvGvW8RcfhV7wFcOjy1AkDyy-R4v5CRxnO37GkEGZ4NMdHE7mvbQBj3w/s1600/029.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610638681359958018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3ptaZt34TMQdXS_xRoWE6xfbmN6cEUdWsMAln0PNPBo8y7gt_kE2fbE2o9PjjKaUeyYRmajL70rm6Aja187gvGvW8RcfhV7wFcOjy1AkDyy-R4v5CRxnO37GkEGZ4NMdHE7mvbQBj3w/s320/029.JPG" /></a><br /><br />The boys and I continue to climb and swim there, along with a gradually increasing number of others. On any given weekend, one is likely to see a couple dozen people pass through or swim at The Land of the Lost, Tar Creeks main area. Sometime we get lucky though and get the whole place to ourselves.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUswVi2FRo9e1N4RZ2yDfElAtdOzgcwRmMZPema-_CQP29HlubRSaB-ZLLBMPC2YIYIPDOcAKxKRgJt8IVwpLL2byT_err2thnGWsBFfhutuLUfSR_E8lynXLSUdtQvKltFCN7v6FaMRU/s1600/004.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610638662328974114" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUswVi2FRo9e1N4RZ2yDfElAtdOzgcwRmMZPema-_CQP29HlubRSaB-ZLLBMPC2YIYIPDOcAKxKRgJt8IVwpLL2byT_err2thnGWsBFfhutuLUfSR_E8lynXLSUdtQvKltFCN7v6FaMRU/s320/004.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj886735Eyz2DldFd6pkrDky0h-NlFdlCKwubR_AyPYs0uskgRSxIU00U52038YT96FunhbQlnIvcXY2tEhjPglm9SOfToo9aMBrbMmyLXl5GaabkOex-Vf2oBEzQaifGGo37mLzl9kp5M/s1600/081.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610638667400190370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj886735Eyz2DldFd6pkrDky0h-NlFdlCKwubR_AyPYs0uskgRSxIU00U52038YT96FunhbQlnIvcXY2tEhjPglm9SOfToo9aMBrbMmyLXl5GaabkOex-Vf2oBEzQaifGGo37mLzl9kp5M/s320/081.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size:130%;">Snowsport<br /></span></strong><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY-HrITQvkDWW0rrcOy_kZ34Wty-5D-2Gp89SSF5nCboiZkDwv-oIAx8mdJ0O7k8fjOFcfUKMEA4ADpeLoVljd02bkekXJ6IKtgEKRW2qKX2Phm_RF33FAcSiPdx4XpdeL-D0RXl0vfU/s1600/098.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610636704561554098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyY-HrITQvkDWW0rrcOy_kZ34Wty-5D-2Gp89SSF5nCboiZkDwv-oIAx8mdJ0O7k8fjOFcfUKMEA4ADpeLoVljd02bkekXJ6IKtgEKRW2qKX2Phm_RF33FAcSiPdx4XpdeL-D0RXl0vfU/s320/098.JPG" /></a><br /><br />Carlo and I and this idea about teaching Mitchel to snowboard, the problem was finding a suitable slope. We had to look no further that our beloved Pine Mountain.<br /><div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgZT7_I8NnoTnv4UXPpakVJD7sT6RTtM3ywYopHjoTG3q-RGSzYxR2QFUCvE44QcrWDE5FJrmAwyl207r0SUZrQ246fhWdVpjl7fKGIdjPYIGjIZI79u4PdMSlgZm0-dr615mbvBa0JI/s1600/107.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610636693553559074" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNgZT7_I8NnoTnv4UXPpakVJD7sT6RTtM3ywYopHjoTG3q-RGSzYxR2QFUCvE44QcrWDE5FJrmAwyl207r0SUZrQ246fhWdVpjl7fKGIdjPYIGjIZI79u4PdMSlgZm0-dr615mbvBa0JI/s320/107.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-yM4pUyh64AX8gr3kiNqKJMrKV70ejAhOa_7kW4JSAdpcXM7Kq7kmcboR6CCFalEv4txbpgYYhyphenhyphenaJl6hT3u-G8KeeiZznTRf41TwMO7PzSD3s-c8669ev_P3ucPYk_k4FG0DZT0PLbk/s1600/058.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610636701450190850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX-yM4pUyh64AX8gr3kiNqKJMrKV70ejAhOa_7kW4JSAdpcXM7Kq7kmcboR6CCFalEv4txbpgYYhyphenhyphenaJl6hT3u-G8KeeiZznTRf41TwMO7PzSD3s-c8669ev_P3ucPYk_k4FG0DZT0PLbk/s320/058.JPG" /></a><br />Needles to say, he's a snowboarding fool now!<br /><br /><br />Carlo and I also got a couple days in at Mountain High.<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFybLe0yJWV6pdVLsbIYJ5f4Vf4jLELV7YuvmEzDKbMPeRM4Nk-KW3tgM2wYked2UtUcmfCcxY-rfMEmSNQM6X60ZdlEqX-TPAfSjSMUn3-11oJWMgxFvZWCUP4pZ2weD2KfYPUUwkw/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610636688936197266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZSFybLe0yJWV6pdVLsbIYJ5f4Vf4jLELV7YuvmEzDKbMPeRM4Nk-KW3tgM2wYked2UtUcmfCcxY-rfMEmSNQM6X60ZdlEqX-TPAfSjSMUn3-11oJWMgxFvZWCUP4pZ2weD2KfYPUUwkw/s320/020.JPG" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWSl19lVLFUzdFMqm0NqKHtUhV0r-K6NAH-j5ARw7_EgwTRgnPXuPF9hStyk_S5R8F0CkUpkBMylkDbip3i4OnqiBLuDb4bnX094mc73tWivYWqtwFg7SCUL-X6v8ApOA5FWgU6mqIdY/s1600/017.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5610636679015651954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtWSl19lVLFUzdFMqm0NqKHtUhV0r-K6NAH-j5ARw7_EgwTRgnPXuPF9hStyk_S5R8F0CkUpkBMylkDbip3i4OnqiBLuDb4bnX094mc73tWivYWqtwFg7SCUL-X6v8ApOA5FWgU6mqIdY/s320/017.JPG" /></a><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br /><br /><br />So far, so good.Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-76674483977428839212011-04-19T05:30:00.001-07:002011-08-06T11:27:11.117-07:00Boney Bluff<div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrPuOPYkLUBgveHb8yE8ImkMb1P0uLkC2EgSPjyS9kLo2Oj-qP3k6Nxi9Q2b4s6yQtxDvltgMFhpLZOvJUKGU-5loR4TBtanHreJAsTZP59u3X5Umke2LSnqtxn-3y3RImQpeAs_zelQ/s1600/040611+011.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634602746184071842" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvrPuOPYkLUBgveHb8yE8ImkMb1P0uLkC2EgSPjyS9kLo2Oj-qP3k6Nxi9Q2b4s6yQtxDvltgMFhpLZOvJUKGU-5loR4TBtanHreJAsTZP59u3X5Umke2LSnqtxn-3y3RImQpeAs_zelQ/s320/040611+011.JPG" /></a></div><div> </div><div>Often times, in order to get to the really cool boulders, cliff, swimming holes, ect, one must put down some millage to get there. I took advantage of a break in the local rain and got the boys outside for a day on the Mishe Mokwa trail in the Santa Monica Mountains.<br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xwHcBBbypm6bkD9zhKGyVeJj0evUW_CA8ZKQG0neeNNAdCQgIBvpNQgUBi1infG1BR-PmNr467zRd_5sFrv4_wYCsWSrSpUBDCKTLALuGMu8tClComOCSTSqdoaQO_lU9NqluP2ANn0/s1600/040611+120.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634606436606941970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2xwHcBBbypm6bkD9zhKGyVeJj0evUW_CA8ZKQG0neeNNAdCQgIBvpNQgUBi1infG1BR-PmNr467zRd_5sFrv4_wYCsWSrSpUBDCKTLALuGMu8tClComOCSTSqdoaQO_lU9NqluP2ANn0/s320/040611+120.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHMBOxwVWNtPONhmZLre8VtLDD_0gRfQwYOSvCmkvG22WjULN9kP-kWA4-r2XwNMSHVoE5ka0MVyGt7StVt-SuXbQu3Stfqu3x3875DNxgKDFN0UmCsZ9BAxO9kUSKrlkqRMvSM7HwkU/s1600/040611+099.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634606425949769218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixHMBOxwVWNtPONhmZLre8VtLDD_0gRfQwYOSvCmkvG22WjULN9kP-kWA4-r2XwNMSHVoE5ka0MVyGt7StVt-SuXbQu3Stfqu3x3875DNxgKDFN0UmCsZ9BAxO9kUSKrlkqRMvSM7HwkU/s320/040611+099.JPG" /></a><br /><div>This would be Jacob's first time out with us, so this was an opportunity to see how he handles himself on the trail. The <strong>Mishe Mokwa </strong>loop is only seven miles long with a mere 1000ft in gain/loss. The trail is well marked and fairly well maintained. Easy and fun.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cAGnxoMGpk1v5z8NTnStc4w2MBvEXBTw6Fmt20_L9fbJWr8hJCILAtm4KzuH_t949ILK28SkWDk_MDozhUR3mFW9ct0wJxWvqIFUeYJw7P_pAlw_iAfVm9hSL9J2xoRVRCtoNN-v7tY/s1600/040611+094.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634606409984534242" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2cAGnxoMGpk1v5z8NTnStc4w2MBvEXBTw6Fmt20_L9fbJWr8hJCILAtm4KzuH_t949ILK28SkWDk_MDozhUR3mFW9ct0wJxWvqIFUeYJw7P_pAlw_iAfVm9hSL9J2xoRVRCtoNN-v7tY/s320/040611+094.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6xXGgacYgV1wdCiU0-qO3X90wkwXfpfHFSHO-lB7FFUckPraGNvHJBamXqWx5D0ba9Qbv1J-RRGSMxeabiDpzbIogiQpCVSzhtWGfi1bHuwotOAGkOuDIHWpRDK_ta6VFql_lQYKBBo/s1600/040611+091.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634606408690260146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ6xXGgacYgV1wdCiU0-qO3X90wkwXfpfHFSHO-lB7FFUckPraGNvHJBamXqWx5D0ba9Qbv1J-RRGSMxeabiDpzbIogiQpCVSzhtWGfi1bHuwotOAGkOuDIHWpRDK_ta6VFql_lQYKBBo/s320/040611+091.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The <strong>Mishe Mokwa </strong>trail loops one right through the middle of the Sandstone Peak area, which is a collection of sandstone cliffs and peaks on the northern end of the <strong>Santa Monica Mountains</strong>. The high point of the range is Sandstone Peak aka Mt Allen which stands at just over 3100ft. Other peaks of note in the area are the <strong>Tri-Peaks </strong>and <strong>Boney Bluff</strong>. The trail takes you past both of these formations and we would be visiting the Bluff on this trip.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgiO2IWYNEIzyYYAHDsCsUHUqNp3cQtDEbbijPXn0EkdXMDHqlSax1d1icn_oGqXZ-1-2qNXUa9gu7LkjjOi9g09VsBrukxpLMgq4wgQQdJu1XB0rtkqZd_j3JrIkLgIWVcazVEdX1Ao/s1600/040611+089.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634605141245134194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcgiO2IWYNEIzyYYAHDsCsUHUqNp3cQtDEbbijPXn0EkdXMDHqlSax1d1icn_oGqXZ-1-2qNXUa9gu7LkjjOi9g09VsBrukxpLMgq4wgQQdJu1XB0rtkqZd_j3JrIkLgIWVcazVEdX1Ao/s320/040611+089.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUsF89X3Waj0lIc0-wiZ2G6B9tcll_MSAuelARvnfYTiZJMtpWP_nAv1fBweNwakQk1i743DIb5-37HnUTuNX6_Fcgx1zmV0s2nWcWufRIH-esWFiZQiyUDt8pwtjb_xMeHYf2zjdbUA/s1600/040611+087.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634605134266950578" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvUsF89X3Waj0lIc0-wiZ2G6B9tcll_MSAuelARvnfYTiZJMtpWP_nAv1fBweNwakQk1i743DIb5-37HnUTuNX6_Fcgx1zmV0s2nWcWufRIH-esWFiZQiyUDt8pwtjb_xMeHYf2zjdbUA/s320/040611+087.JPG" /></a><br /><div>From the trailhead parking area, the <strong>Mishe Mokwa </strong>climbs steeply for the first half mile to a junction. From this junction, one can either continue on the main trail toward the <strong>Mt. Allen </strong>summit or follow the fork heading southeast. This fork will lied you first past <strong>Echo Cliffs </strong>and the <strong>Balanced Rock</strong>.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO6GvKqF62HgaRwbg66sD_CGMpO9pb4kpWj0tEQ0Pw3R6seUEeotreUtwQHJtqwB0RaefBal6dRlfeSb8oLAb9V4RZhjy8JduW1ETmK6YvV7uPCJRXiybL0HPubpuXiU5aHqlInWe9TY/s1600/040611+080.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634605130624357042" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpO6GvKqF62HgaRwbg66sD_CGMpO9pb4kpWj0tEQ0Pw3R6seUEeotreUtwQHJtqwB0RaefBal6dRlfeSb8oLAb9V4RZhjy8JduW1ETmK6YvV7uPCJRXiybL0HPubpuXiU5aHqlInWe9TY/s320/040611+080.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZDJMejPG2R1XW9WabVNlssGhvbZl8D2JpV47CXoxFz1D5Znvc39-oNt91LAi7XVAK8kzAhmgMExkkoqg5wTZ3XRToLQN0kbMhaCy5cnzpyPmsU_2FEi9FRcLeQuML_-4vzgGq_AFiRo/s1600/040611+124.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634606441552869362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfZDJMejPG2R1XW9WabVNlssGhvbZl8D2JpV47CXoxFz1D5Znvc39-oNt91LAi7XVAK8kzAhmgMExkkoqg5wTZ3XRToLQN0kbMhaCy5cnzpyPmsU_2FEi9FRcLeQuML_-4vzgGq_AFiRo/s320/040611+124.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiEwwLH2wNjMburt2UMiwiYmkJHD_CjFWnH4unw8FC6o4HTV09pg5rkDdTOxHL3dG-pY3YNDv5EKEF0DmHvhsCT8yuZZtfrXfr3GhgQsH5HeJ7fGzDGXEzVn_FIvL26NZdK_lxkIh27k/s1600/040611+079.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634605127055793698" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGiEwwLH2wNjMburt2UMiwiYmkJHD_CjFWnH4unw8FC6o4HTV09pg5rkDdTOxHL3dG-pY3YNDv5EKEF0DmHvhsCT8yuZZtfrXfr3GhgQsH5HeJ7fGzDGXEzVn_FIvL26NZdK_lxkIh27k/s320/040611+079.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiPKquYrHckWXvSiJ-baG0AQU4gGNfmbBL1rCXit10rKt6bGQ5OdAMWoT7kf1ctN0xUR3Cl3yksKQdhIv-sCLw055Y2upsn9fHqLRpCePb9s7oHdi6bveJ1kxF5OvpMhSf2whoXOzdO4/s1600/040611+078.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634605119773381138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMiPKquYrHckWXvSiJ-baG0AQU4gGNfmbBL1rCXit10rKt6bGQ5OdAMWoT7kf1ctN0xUR3Cl3yksKQdhIv-sCLw055Y2upsn9fHqLRpCePb9s7oHdi6bveJ1kxF5OvpMhSf2whoXOzdO4/s320/040611+078.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Shortly after you walk past <strong>Echo</strong>, the trail drops down to a small creek which serves as the areas main drainage outlet. It is also where you find the <strong>Split Rock </strong>picnic area and the approach for Echo and the Balanced Rock.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5Im-LfehI7iFIMbEYl_ADZfmg_YGfdD6qt-mtHXtS7O6Aq-cn_ZcUd3FbpGzFhbWy_SHhnC78weXeFQVd6JI_9zrprHGeIVGuDRUDq-Nq8-ZeKJolnWBHvlN-PtbZ2TsY-qr_RknvvU/s1600/040611+071.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634604250083516722" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ5Im-LfehI7iFIMbEYl_ADZfmg_YGfdD6qt-mtHXtS7O6Aq-cn_ZcUd3FbpGzFhbWy_SHhnC78weXeFQVd6JI_9zrprHGeIVGuDRUDq-Nq8-ZeKJolnWBHvlN-PtbZ2TsY-qr_RknvvU/s320/040611+071.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqw9KIP6_0ILCsKpq3hcE4FAGgUy-SmeSdrEc9dN-SD5FRYn8YDrDZDrpATPMFpg8i6AK8biJbGE1V9YFoSc_pTj6jtl3fyCeYtezKuQfVm5Ooyus4Bl0OGWDjj80G9LPJQvdiGGaL-o/s1600/040611+055.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634604245660769058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXqw9KIP6_0ILCsKpq3hcE4FAGgUy-SmeSdrEc9dN-SD5FRYn8YDrDZDrpATPMFpg8i6AK8biJbGE1V9YFoSc_pTj6jtl3fyCeYtezKuQfVm5Ooyus4Bl0OGWDjj80G9LPJQvdiGGaL-o/s320/040611+055.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The main trail turns sharply to the west from the Split Rock/Echo junction and follows the drainage right up into the heart of the Sandstone Peak area. As one ascends higher and higher up the trail, the <strong>Tri-Peaks </strong>formation comes into view on the right and the <strong>Hueco Wall </strong>pops up on the left. A little further on, the trail curves to the south and another trail junction is encountered. This is the continuation of the Backbone Trail, which leads down to Sycamore Canyon and eventually to the trail terminus at Mugu Peak. This is also the jump-off for Boney Bluff.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeeLiNXqw58bJDR3pPCwpGOqW0wxP5vizFMqKezKynTKg2jPse60-6xQrMtI56DbLS4FrQ43PAlCZP4RQYZawcu0FiNZGk4RxmhiyQnXUwf5nDvTY1680hv5CNUwwSJm3W4Ak_dqUD0U/s1600/040611+050.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634604243316344882" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVeeLiNXqw58bJDR3pPCwpGOqW0wxP5vizFMqKezKynTKg2jPse60-6xQrMtI56DbLS4FrQ43PAlCZP4RQYZawcu0FiNZGk4RxmhiyQnXUwf5nDvTY1680hv5CNUwwSJm3W4Ak_dqUD0U/s320/040611+050.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dMrSkbg5hmhIjppZBC2AZxozoHbMlqCOqsVbOczy57QnCGQdKGDIpacT61VSQ_AeCpfUGJNnqbxFhmtzQGyX9k66z8BTIBnvrbuf8iFVC7MWabvcIwexOBlCA25gXvPwlo5EjD3B3uo/s1600/040611+041.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634604233969837602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-dMrSkbg5hmhIjppZBC2AZxozoHbMlqCOqsVbOczy57QnCGQdKGDIpacT61VSQ_AeCpfUGJNnqbxFhmtzQGyX9k66z8BTIBnvrbuf8iFVC7MWabvcIwexOBlCA25gXvPwlo5EjD3B3uo/s320/040611+041.JPG" /></a><br /><div>The western faces of <strong>Boney Bluff </strong>look down upon and can be seen from the Oxnard Flood Plain, and the 360degree view from on top of the the peak is awesome. There are a couple of ways to approach the formation from the trail, we use a fail trail located on the northeastern side of it which leads to a group of large caves and overhangs. All the really meaty classic climbing routes are on the south side of the peak. <strong>Boney Bluff </strong>was developed in 1996 by Louie Anderson, Bruce Anderson, Pierre Daigle, Scott Sanchez and Tom Wright and has yielded some area classics like <em>Atomsphere</em> and <em>Lithium</em>. The area is features heavily pocketed, overhanging sandstone and is bolted to the nines. Very fun sport area for the 5.11-5.13 climber.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOCczsgzH5tMOzgx6y0YWHV63vyr6UfrTcK-0ilc9LPUEuVkBBT161es2lpV5IwMsfGZ7mw8l1s1wVB2cbG2ic5yfZuq8mGciHvIlKbMTH0685ImGRqbrhFfGDk-B8cBUjTYveqOWkGQ/s1600/040611+038.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634604230697384818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKOCczsgzH5tMOzgx6y0YWHV63vyr6UfrTcK-0ilc9LPUEuVkBBT161es2lpV5IwMsfGZ7mw8l1s1wVB2cbG2ic5yfZuq8mGciHvIlKbMTH0685ImGRqbrhFfGDk-B8cBUjTYveqOWkGQ/s320/040611+038.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjciOxpmOql_qK6Le2u82vFqVVzVT9-79LPPXObQUl141HV5mz6MX0DqlWvwJVFHCUlnqhQtycgk9IfzZB6laJXEDT6KXTW0OAC-Oh_m7XRsX0vHiuAnOJopr4dlqzWPDQnLhBjCuxdiE/s1600/040611+016.JPG"><img style="width: 240px; height: 320px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634602751729082018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjciOxpmOql_qK6Le2u82vFqVVzVT9-79LPPXObQUl141HV5mz6MX0DqlWvwJVFHCUlnqhQtycgk9IfzZB6laJXEDT6KXTW0OAC-Oh_m7XRsX0vHiuAnOJopr4dlqzWPDQnLhBjCuxdiE/s320/040611+016.JPG" /></a></div><div><div>After <strong>Boney Bluff</strong>, the trail turns again to the southeast heading in the direction of Sandstone Peak. As the trail gradually ascends the western side of Mt Allen, several other climbing areas can be seen. <strong>Top Hat, Paleface, Mt. Olympus</strong> and <strong>Pico Roquelita </strong>are all just a hop and a skip from the main trail.<div> </div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfSQMRiaMuTv2RjrhSGLmFKx3nPiuRoHk9zVa5DJTz1B1VhWaciiLLQHL1aqNA74AAGsSg2HsUPHsb1bImBUJe4lGDICYMqYXD_xb45uQ2pz7aIrAEm_7iqRLy1IUDlzheathhEL7SsM/s1600/040611+030.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634602760908111298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgfSQMRiaMuTv2RjrhSGLmFKx3nPiuRoHk9zVa5DJTz1B1VhWaciiLLQHL1aqNA74AAGsSg2HsUPHsb1bImBUJe4lGDICYMqYXD_xb45uQ2pz7aIrAEm_7iqRLy1IUDlzheathhEL7SsM/s320/040611+030.JPG" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1rvH3z7YEOfevFew80XpX57Eat4gG3XFG5w2HmlqlSZcUtGlblTWXfknP8Oc3Q9SUwUJnihIgU6iQmlKg1WZL-NjXjynNVaKFGT5ShzIKSTOeH4MvozHXkhHhG3-cxtYCX6fUtDXr8I/s1600/040611+018.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634602758268884418" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY1rvH3z7YEOfevFew80XpX57Eat4gG3XFG5w2HmlqlSZcUtGlblTWXfknP8Oc3Q9SUwUJnihIgU6iQmlKg1WZL-NjXjynNVaKFGT5ShzIKSTOeH4MvozHXkhHhG3-cxtYCX6fUtDXr8I/s320/040611+018.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Eventually the summit block of <strong>Mt Allen </strong>is gained and the short trail takes you right to the summit register. The view from up top is fantastic, and on a clear day one can see as far as Palos Verdes and Catalina Island. From the <strong>Sandstone Peak </strong>summit, the trailhead is only a mile and a half away and all down hill.<br /><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOna36xmhg9UGLMv2_JTZd1Cpgyuzh7CCzx3_TL2-c4fMrUjylWkoeTA1FQHmg4qbYkVzXE0l56NKHhgPR0H0qL8a1drdK65Sa2ostfmDVzYoAA63U78p8gpN_kKNGio0LAiOWKVKE21U/s1600/040611+001.JPG"><img style="width: 320px; height: 240px; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5634602738454157506" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOna36xmhg9UGLMv2_JTZd1Cpgyuzh7CCzx3_TL2-c4fMrUjylWkoeTA1FQHmg4qbYkVzXE0l56NKHhgPR0H0qL8a1drdK65Sa2ostfmDVzYoAA63U78p8gpN_kKNGio0LAiOWKVKE21U/s320/040611+001.JPG" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-54155461709310085852010-12-22T18:04:00.000-08:002010-12-22T19:13:52.608-08:00Gorillaz Cometh Part 2<strong>The California Dirtblog</strong> is proud to present the second instalment of <strong>The Gorillaz Cometh</strong>, a musical rendering of video footage collected by myself or my son Carlo. All the production is done by me on my computer at home. The climbers featured in the video are <strong>Mitchell Boreing, Max Chandler, Cody Henderson, Carlo Rivas, Jay Rogers, Dave Stillman</strong> and of course myself.<br /><br />The music for this climbing cinimagraphic explosion is a self titled anthem by the Oxnard punk band <strong>Clinched Fists</strong>. The song was recorded in 1996 at the Living Room in Santa Barbara by John Lyons and Joe Rivas(my brother). Pre and post-production by Joe and <strong>Clinched Fists</strong>.<br /><br />The boys and I had a very busy year filled with fun, adventure and fellowship. We visited the <strong>Eastern Sierra, the California High Desert, Kings Canyon National Park</strong> and of course we romped all over the <strong>Los Padres National Forest</strong>(our backyard). I spent around 50 nights this year sleeping on the ground, put a few thousand miles on The Endurance and and climbed more than I've ever climbed and I did all of it with either my son Carlo and his Gorillaz, or my number one dirtdog Dave Stillman(aka <strong>Crash Fistfight</strong>).<br /><br />Ok so here is video number two. Enjoy!<br /><br /><iframe height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/K7-ZX6UvG9s?fs=1" frameborder="0" width="425"></iframe>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-6168193189499032902010-11-22T16:50:00.000-08:002010-11-26T13:49:42.961-08:00Backcountry Boulder Hunting - Derrydell Creek Canyon<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtg3VQVqxkrtORC_UL4aYkEgtHS6S0-QBXTM4pBIR5sh3fMko6nXIIvPY1_2ro9yv7ob0bo46MVycFtYyMs-PQue0Ks9qsPYi3nn0RPmPUOxZGJscFlDD3anvmK8eL2lLJhpwgrri2KY/s1600/Copy+of+CIMG5512.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543186214983383426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimtg3VQVqxkrtORC_UL4aYkEgtHS6S0-QBXTM4pBIR5sh3fMko6nXIIvPY1_2ro9yv7ob0bo46MVycFtYyMs-PQue0Ks9qsPYi3nn0RPmPUOxZGJscFlDD3anvmK8eL2lLJhpwgrri2KY/s320/Copy+of+CIMG5512.JPG" /></a><br />Boulder Hunting - The Sespe Way<br /><br />So, I've been working on a topo for a little climbing area we frequent just downstream of the Sespe/Potrero John confluence and I've been making use of Google Earth for the task. Using the satellite image as a guide, I can accurately freehand the shape of the river and where the boulders are situated in the creekbeed. As Im zooming in and out on this particular area of the <strong>Sespe</strong>, I'm checking the orientation and aspect of the satellite image against my hand drawn topo, and I notice what looks like a small cluster of boulders across the highway from the parking area for <strong>The Fortress</strong>. I break out my USGS topo of the area and see that this particular spot is called <strong>Derrydell Creek</strong>, and notice that the boulders I'm interested in are up a small gully just off the main creek, about a mile and a half back from the 33.<br /><br />Truth be told, there are many such spots I've pondered over in the <strong>Sespe</strong> back country, places I've seen from other formations, from top of <strong>Pine Mtn </strong>or <strong>Reyes Peak </strong>or on Google Earth. As circumstance would have it, Diesel Boy and I had an opportunity to run this one down.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnujvjm-gJHZWMaiQing2kUyYWWNyXTRU_lvQgxPRwo1dkLNok41cbRQCKGGq-5qwD5nKRSV03Y9EQotsmq1yUxGKhdrnVUtMVrl7pgqSLreGT7lGQ1rBh0sp9VJAUlAOaKdyhBSIlbQ/s1600/stretch1.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 87px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543186208986164450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEnujvjm-gJHZWMaiQing2kUyYWWNyXTRU_lvQgxPRwo1dkLNok41cbRQCKGGq-5qwD5nKRSV03Y9EQotsmq1yUxGKhdrnVUtMVrl7pgqSLreGT7lGQ1rBh0sp9VJAUlAOaKdyhBSIlbQ/s320/stretch1.JPG" /></a><br />It was a nice a sunny Sunday afternoon, perfect for a little hike and climb. On our way up the highway we noticed a crew working <em>Ending Crack </em>and another down on <em>Chip's Block </em>at <strong>The Blackwall</strong> and still another party on <em>Permanent Income Hypothesis </em>at <strong>The Fortress</strong>. Busy day on the Sespe, nice.<br /><br />We pulled into the Fortress parking area and had a look at the map one more time. Our route seemed simple enough; cross the highway, follow the creek east/northeast to a dry branch/gully, follow this gully east a little ways to the boulders. We grabbed a little gear from the ship and and got to it.<br /><br />At first, we followed the creek itself because there was less bushwhacking and we could move faster. However, many times we come across a small section of trail and it occurred to me that there might be an unmaintained or hunters trail running up this canyon. We'd have to keep our eyes peeled. Carlo and I hopped and jogged and climbed out way through the creek bed and soon arrived at the junction, and not a moment to soon. The brush and trees in the creekbed were starting to thicken up and we've had our share of poison oak this year. Fortunately turning east into the gully kept us in the open and in the sun and soon we found and faint trail and the first boulder. It looked to be 8-10feet high, heavily featured, reddish brown hunk of sandstone.....surrounded by a ton of brush. We kept walking.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYEAOZdixJbt2jRbBD6At-cD_5djpGX1fb5QVo0N4hlmV6rL1VzYli2Bl5YJjfHDycE3g1BMedKPwZz8lSFcgDA5RCw-dggMrRk9F8ho_8wKw2qTWAbo04Ybf5DKFzXZJnJ_4kDAWJzs/s1600/gorillaboulders3.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543188246138888466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYEAOZdixJbt2jRbBD6At-cD_5djpGX1fb5QVo0N4hlmV6rL1VzYli2Bl5YJjfHDycE3g1BMedKPwZz8lSFcgDA5RCw-dggMrRk9F8ho_8wKw2qTWAbo04Ybf5DKFzXZJnJ_4kDAWJzs/s320/gorillaboulders3.JPG" /></a><br />After a couple of turns up this gully we found Boulder #2, a laid back, SDS mini-roof over sand. We kept walking. Soon, we came into a widening of the gully and found three more; two sitting in the gully and big round red one up on the hill to the north. We picked out an nice spot to plop down and had a look around.<br /><br />I do not entertain the delusion that rock climbing, and more to the point, rock CLIMBERS, are some how tip-toeing through the wilderness without any adverse effect on the environment. All one need do is look at places like <strong>Josh</strong> or the <strong>Buttermilks</strong> to see our impact. Don't get me wrong, <strong>Josh</strong> and <strong>Bishop</strong> are not "trashy", far form it. They do however show the effects of decades of crash pads, gear bags, short-cut/use trails, fire pits and the like. Now, I'm not slamming those areas or condemning the climbers who go there (I'm one of them), but here are lessons to be learned here, things for us to keep in mind as we develop new areas.<br /><br />Since the developing of new boulders often involves considerable landscaping, poison oak abatement, lichen brushing, loose rock removal and other hellish tasks, we have to look at the practical as well as the ethical considerations. Its kind of where "could I" meets "should I", a topic for another day.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-WXoT-5FB-Q2198XtjChuXISIaIR-h3x_UNp4Z2S-O2ziO0iuAlnvdDd9XgMPe-X8d6PuBECeLOzjkMqkxBW3wK7TktvWGNdrt9Ki0qgeNxmqVqPEinSLILcZBpJ_nsN7vpkxzxgAsg/s1600/gorillaboulders2.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543186234166438850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg-WXoT-5FB-Q2198XtjChuXISIaIR-h3x_UNp4Z2S-O2ziO0iuAlnvdDd9XgMPe-X8d6PuBECeLOzjkMqkxBW3wK7TktvWGNdrt9Ki0qgeNxmqVqPEinSLILcZBpJ_nsN7vpkxzxgAsg/s320/gorillaboulders2.JPG" /></a><br />We checked out the boulders that were out in the open, and tried to work out the best way up the hill to the big red one. Prolly gonna have to come at that one from behind. All of these boulders will require some landscaping, and I'll have to meditate on their viability and whether its gonna be worth it to put in the work.<br /><br />After a little snack, we left the gear and walked up the gully a little ways further. After about five minutes we ran into the best boulder of the day; a 15 footer, tan sandstone with cool features on all sides, the harder routes being over the sand of the gully. Sweet.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmFaFOp3JaX8xZ4s0g9tAvVzuT3sreVQFjOdL0XE2WEDhzOsqLzdNDECuw30ox84rm7Tbe6yU3BnVUJcSGmcyD9jCI47NEDerBTUyc0AvN507chf6-50O4n_-iwxkqJ2eMzqkX2x3Uyg/s1600/gorillaboulders.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543186245152773186" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsmFaFOp3JaX8xZ4s0g9tAvVzuT3sreVQFjOdL0XE2WEDhzOsqLzdNDECuw30ox84rm7Tbe6yU3BnVUJcSGmcyD9jCI47NEDerBTUyc0AvN507chf6-50O4n_-iwxkqJ2eMzqkX2x3Uyg/s320/gorillaboulders.JPG" /></a><br />I knew from my memory of the satellite picture that there were other boulders further up the gully, but this would be our turn-around point for the day.<br /><br />On our way down, right as we re-joined the main fork of <strong>Derrydell Creek</strong>, we found our hunters trail. It was faint and narrow but it zipped us back down to the 33 and the ship in about 10 minutes. All told, we could prolly get the approach up to the new boulders down to about 15-20 minutes.<br /><br />With couple of hours of sunlight left, we decided to run up to <strong>The PJ's</strong> for a quick pump. It didn't look like anyone had been there since our last visit a couple of weeks ago. We went right to the traverse boulder.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxBj0QzO5iCPBmoPKDn74mxfzzExa9Lrq_BmW5_GyJlLYI-dY8npDmnNx7py0a44CXheLGAL9CX_Sz12M3jP_Dm0-_JFqh9ownFV2q_vwjgTMXgl8pnfeDpMgKIIEzPtkTP8cZvjForY/s1600/PJboulders2.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543188257240401138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxBj0QzO5iCPBmoPKDn74mxfzzExa9Lrq_BmW5_GyJlLYI-dY8npDmnNx7py0a44CXheLGAL9CX_Sz12M3jP_Dm0-_JFqh9ownFV2q_vwjgTMXgl8pnfeDpMgKIIEzPtkTP8cZvjForY/s320/PJboulders2.JPG" /></a><br />I worked on some eliminates to my problem <em>Hello Nasty </em>while Carlo spent time sorting out the top-out, which he hadn't done yet. Not to let it get away from him this time, Carlo was determined to get the send, and after a dozen tries, he did. Nice job Diesel Boy!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJXayaJedhA3cmM-uAlyIrFOwYT3byW4nqcdq7RxblPLPTguFy7NtbE4PBLkO11oqhmNyYj-bhRNglIwanAMEdq0TmsX9yG7zhl0LIYuYhm5OHgmNlioCwqIfUPgoHlcN5NyUQn0QRt0/s1600/PJboulders4.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543186226383552770" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHJXayaJedhA3cmM-uAlyIrFOwYT3byW4nqcdq7RxblPLPTguFy7NtbE4PBLkO11oqhmNyYj-bhRNglIwanAMEdq0TmsX9yG7zhl0LIYuYhm5OHgmNlioCwqIfUPgoHlcN5NyUQn0QRt0/s320/PJboulders4.JPG" /></a><br />Now he needs to go back and work out the whole thing...the new challenge.<br /><br />We jammed at <strong>The PJ's </strong>until we lost all remnants of the sun and the temperature dropped. Carlo dusted chalk while I rolled up the gear and after a quick look around we were out. another fine day on the <strong>Sespe</strong>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFQqZy_sFBZssACGJ86jJ8N4ru6IROO1kv1QxUhoU3Gu7KPrl_ugmVthnMr2RvmQARikqfkr6EZ9F2nhroz7Qa0T5DQZBz7ysS5S2lg5ee6Gf6CKYLgZYXtZ8C_jXUZ-eUU9jW5yPErI/s1600/CIMG5584.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543188288688095874" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBFQqZy_sFBZssACGJ86jJ8N4ru6IROO1kv1QxUhoU3Gu7KPrl_ugmVthnMr2RvmQARikqfkr6EZ9F2nhroz7Qa0T5DQZBz7ysS5S2lg5ee6Gf6CKYLgZYXtZ8C_jXUZ-eUU9jW5yPErI/s320/CIMG5584.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAKCPBGniOT4VxMKyGtLiegSeSHv43ZjI0oZkh5Nk3Tvwd3lu3PHbmlLP2SAqudn0ort1x72GBnOfaDXtVtTVjhnQsfbLhI7Z_gtZJm_H7XiCVOHkl1RKvQ0wNEyZeXsWgdXU3QyPKaw/s1600/Copy+of+PJs3.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 80px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543978659186951170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMAKCPBGniOT4VxMKyGtLiegSeSHv43ZjI0oZkh5Nk3Tvwd3lu3PHbmlLP2SAqudn0ort1x72GBnOfaDXtVtTVjhnQsfbLhI7Z_gtZJm_H7XiCVOHkl1RKvQ0wNEyZeXsWgdXU3QyPKaw/s320/Copy+of+PJs3.JPG" /></a>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-83249954768167886332010-11-16T11:51:00.000-08:002010-11-18T12:55:23.016-08:00The DamDamBoom<span style="font-size:180%;"><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNIiCuoPbqEbTYHEareqCz6A2ONSUJD9AMn_iCmuWdY7YfFsPzgw4KumENuRPoyNnn-5XVZl4P0a67BpBHNDD7oys4WBEsbLPzFN3yXk7xsN9vLIv3o5VNDEybmsJXbVEJLCveMPhOY8/s1600/CIMG5735.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540992843353663298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNIiCuoPbqEbTYHEareqCz6A2ONSUJD9AMn_iCmuWdY7YfFsPzgw4KumENuRPoyNnn-5XVZl4P0a67BpBHNDD7oys4WBEsbLPzFN3yXk7xsN9vLIv3o5VNDEybmsJXbVEJLCveMPhOY8/s320/CIMG5735.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br /><div>Those not familiar with the controversy surrounding the Matilija Dam, the Ventura River and the beaches around the Ventura rivemouth can check out this link for a primer,<br /><br /><a href="http://matilijadam.org/">http://matilijadam.org/</a><br /><br />Over the last month or so, I've been helping my son Carlo work on a school project about the Matilija Dam. We had done lots of research and book work, learning about the Matilija/Ventura River ecosystem, coastal erosion, dam building and dam busting. Last Sunday he and I broke out of the house and drove up to Matilija Canyon for a little investigating/exploring in the field and to collect some images and video for a presentation at his school. Of course we squeezed in a little climbing too (Duh).<br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyzB246Z4j3_Rh6SHgJ9Avf75ZvphkSxAdweSrPG0Rs7ohOJy4S4H2p4BIV4uAw98U3BunPd-f3lmBXo2Fyo4G2zj2ZxggGpCR7ay3-j7EiwwaWLlzgTuWJPsjsHEcy82dAcfRKzq074/s1600/CIMG5748.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540992834651999602" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUyzB246Z4j3_Rh6SHgJ9Avf75ZvphkSxAdweSrPG0Rs7ohOJy4S4H2p4BIV4uAw98U3BunPd-f3lmBXo2Fyo4G2zj2ZxggGpCR7ay3-j7EiwwaWLlzgTuWJPsjsHEcy82dAcfRKzq074/s320/CIMG5748.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbr2PJdGHVjVF1OrenoVE8PwOI-mhJYG4E1rGDwZWNED9rzM34ofxUOaGmS0F32hW96SSunQ3PI6UUdM1xJxgYbMgelyCYFS9qHHnl2UXavMdbL8K-2Rbxaqj8zphnnuAc4A9sIPQsGk/s1600/CIMG5741.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540992826700449922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqbr2PJdGHVjVF1OrenoVE8PwOI-mhJYG4E1rGDwZWNED9rzM34ofxUOaGmS0F32hW96SSunQ3PI6UUdM1xJxgYbMgelyCYFS9qHHnl2UXavMdbL8K-2Rbxaqj8zphnnuAc4A9sIPQsGk/s320/CIMG5741.JPG" /></a><br />We started the day by hiking up the North Fork of Matilija Creek which is several miles above the dam. We thought it would be neat to get some footage of the creek where presumably the steel head trout would come to spawn if the dam ever comes down. This is a really easy hike up the creek and we made quick time to the North Fork camp passing many parties on the way up. We walked straight through the camp and down to the creek to shoot some video of the the running water and pools. After we got our pictures and video, Carlo helped me scrub down an 8 foot boulder near the creek. Ive had a look at this bad-boy before but never touched as it was filthy and covered in cobwebs, nothing a little TLC couldn't fix. The problem is a little overhung with a blank lower face and some pockets up high topping out with heel hook and a half mantle. I ended up breaking a hold on the top of the boulder, which sat my ass down for a minute, but I sent the problem after a couple more tries. After scouting some other boulders just downstream of the North Fork camp, we rolled it up and chugged back down to the trail head and The Endurance.</div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b2aGA4sDsziLqCJJD0BLVYZfN3fvWyMVRpc0emfEjx-e5NYB1-blyGUp0o3LJJOBAmRq3c7wgJvLKj_TFrWfWutLCGYLemA4zOGMUnKOf-R3478j7eEUsR4mlSS1mvdAdMxxpZ9HG3o/s1600/CIMG5765.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540991035063659250" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7b2aGA4sDsziLqCJJD0BLVYZfN3fvWyMVRpc0emfEjx-e5NYB1-blyGUp0o3LJJOBAmRq3c7wgJvLKj_TFrWfWutLCGYLemA4zOGMUnKOf-R3478j7eEUsR4mlSS1mvdAdMxxpZ9HG3o/s320/CIMG5765.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyIFJEOrODsmdhU5gaYT-4m-rVXJSUuyK2N6VXfVLmkUdmNvJaJ3oq08zif3O-rYgwQbBzlmdzL8dO8fX0PTO-aCcNHZCkmaHGM8ecH0e720ihQCyQZPNMjPqb8AO5tQHcxJ_Q3GdPzw/s1600/CIMG5756.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540991027305451490" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVyIFJEOrODsmdhU5gaYT-4m-rVXJSUuyK2N6VXfVLmkUdmNvJaJ3oq08zif3O-rYgwQbBzlmdzL8dO8fX0PTO-aCcNHZCkmaHGM8ecH0e720ihQCyQZPNMjPqb8AO5tQHcxJ_Q3GdPzw/s320/CIMG5756.JPG" /></a><br /><div><br />Our next stop was at the dam itself. This would prove to be a bit of a challenge as the dam is technically "off-limits" and trespassing is forbidden. Of course, Ive never let that sort of thing hold me up before but with Carlo present I would have to play this one just right. I anchored the ship in a not so obvious place down on the 33 so as not to attract the unwanted attention of the authorities and we approached the dam from an old service road on the reservoir side. I didn't have to explain much to the boy, he seemed to be hip to what was happening and was an board for the misdemeanor. I don't know what I was worried about, hes the son of a Sespe hardman, we move fast, we move light, we move silent....like ghosts in the landscape, now you see us...now you don't. We worked our way down to the waters edge and found the remains of the upper 30ft of the dam that already been removed and discarded on the reservoirs eastern shore. After collecting a couple of small pieces for show-n-tell we climbed the southeastern side of the dam to the old control station. From that vantage point we could see the base of the dam and the very enticing swimming holes that have flooded the now useless spillway. We took our pictures, shot some video and shook the spot. I think Carlo reveled in his juvenile lawlessness, cause he seemed pretty stoked that we achieved our objective with out any trouble. Uh-huh!</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeZm2WMoAxxA4DF5T2N_BRoDDM8yG_yEQJ4KVp2vIwxR07MRoX8jCIr8Tawexqm1zWxu_v3rT8NiYGV7awUg0EoIHJsJo-6C3FSoCFeQzA2s8bwo05V45dRibGNlXmzseUzJnsPPpxSg/s1600/CIMG5793.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540994426422914386" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdeZm2WMoAxxA4DF5T2N_BRoDDM8yG_yEQJ4KVp2vIwxR07MRoX8jCIr8Tawexqm1zWxu_v3rT8NiYGV7awUg0EoIHJsJo-6C3FSoCFeQzA2s8bwo05V45dRibGNlXmzseUzJnsPPpxSg/s320/CIMG5793.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwJd1ZB00qG3N7oPuaICByJZjCWmOOX_n0bCEP1lhB3tQAiGKEqX4UtpUCOGsz1L3JcRWGJvn_VYftMhck7XplT-CnhAlss8l4pyt-4MqxF2nfNe2KqZW_XoGiKfVrLjOsJsu60Pr5Rc/s1600/CIMG5798.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540994447213085266" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwJd1ZB00qG3N7oPuaICByJZjCWmOOX_n0bCEP1lhB3tQAiGKEqX4UtpUCOGsz1L3JcRWGJvn_VYftMhck7XplT-CnhAlss8l4pyt-4MqxF2nfNe2KqZW_XoGiKfVrLjOsJsu60Pr5Rc/s320/CIMG5798.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLf0KSPhU0Jmu6sHceKNO5pJKiPnsyMKNWO0PICCW57FQ5A1btow26dBO_s3JKR4bBApQaMGO4ZgEELpT9qJyo3n4veSK9Z00UNd12H5adbYor6POD0o-AXM_F-Vrjyb6lUAIdEqDxaE/s1600/CIMG5784.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540994408239569394" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidLf0KSPhU0Jmu6sHceKNO5pJKiPnsyMKNWO0PICCW57FQ5A1btow26dBO_s3JKR4bBApQaMGO4ZgEELpT9qJyo3n4veSK9Z00UNd12H5adbYor6POD0o-AXM_F-Vrjyb6lUAIdEqDxaE/s320/CIMG5784.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKuV89EbEp94SZVvRezPphyphenhyphenVxUAbF8H9ddOp_xI5QQshvay-txCbKkoGCbai8ksp1VgiPmcle5ztnU8wSK6y1C2MQGzHnwj5fYrMROyJpTa-wAcoWibi134X8Ui9aVa-nWXon28lMGts/s1600/CIMG5780.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540994345550730658" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdKuV89EbEp94SZVvRezPphyphenhyphenVxUAbF8H9ddOp_xI5QQshvay-txCbKkoGCbai8ksp1VgiPmcle5ztnU8wSK6y1C2MQGzHnwj5fYrMROyJpTa-wAcoWibi134X8Ui9aVa-nWXon28lMGts/s320/CIMG5780.JPG" /></a><br /><div></div><br /><div>Finally we had a look at the creek below the dam. Actually, we started at the Ojai Quary which is technically on the Ventura River, above its confluence with the Matilija but who cares, the fish cant swim up that creek either beacause of all the rubble trundled down from the Quary (Ah...sorry bout that fishes). Carlo and I got got busy on a little wall across from the Retrofit Boulder that I've been developing, focusing on the left hand side near the bridge. Even though it still needs quite a bit of work, I managed to get a nice pump after 45 minutes of pulling. Its gonna clean up real nice.</div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD-bxvOXfQgyqCS3Ewad_NZPYs8h4MMLvdGyDxatNACT8JQ-UL-PHa2WWeCGOoL3emglmR1cnFDWiq6wjtYRcJ20uhxW_bsIepS66n7uPnM8bUUqT1Ie3lFSdeGqtx3m26EnUD5NX5oQ/s1600/CIMG5818.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540991055085470866" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpD-bxvOXfQgyqCS3Ewad_NZPYs8h4MMLvdGyDxatNACT8JQ-UL-PHa2WWeCGOoL3emglmR1cnFDWiq6wjtYRcJ20uhxW_bsIepS66n7uPnM8bUUqT1Ie3lFSdeGqtx3m26EnUD5NX5oQ/s320/CIMG5818.JPG" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BXLUA6h334kMyz4wRaOSkMYMUd3TrIClbVWAfOxLDxFtIPiVXwTmq0wzUoBNrVesBJUSw2JdIlfRRgJInSfltoaexMK6PX612pGNm40j4Rq5QwYjuTz5fLwPjK-Wz_HRt8KpbgbjpJo/s1600/CIMG5811.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 240px; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540991044250840002" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1BXLUA6h334kMyz4wRaOSkMYMUd3TrIClbVWAfOxLDxFtIPiVXwTmq0wzUoBNrVesBJUSw2JdIlfRRgJInSfltoaexMK6PX612pGNm40j4Rq5QwYjuTz5fLwPjK-Wz_HRt8KpbgbjpJo/s320/CIMG5811.JPG" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyHBRJQ7iNCjGq3heAzdBIgnEJz8MT2F9L75089TgDQC7viqkO3gblvyngl1wNBGiuMr3OR7ZR7ixpm41jxMZdzo1iYVbzUmDlyouHD_a_1M0eO3geeFiHMkUyn_jrsgxLtONPc5JizI/s1600/CIMG5804.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540994435267183586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkyHBRJQ7iNCjGq3heAzdBIgnEJz8MT2F9L75089TgDQC7viqkO3gblvyngl1wNBGiuMr3OR7ZR7ixpm41jxMZdzo1iYVbzUmDlyouHD_a_1M0eO3geeFiHMkUyn_jrsgxLtONPc5JizI/s320/CIMG5804.JPG" /></a><br /><div>Afterwards, we walked up to the Cable Cars fish ladder for some pics and we also checked out another boulder sitting in the creek just down stream form there. Cable Cars is full of trash(as it always is) and graffiti and is currently fenced off, which doesn't appear to be much of a deterrent for the "foos" that keep going there. The CC boulder has one highball route I call The DamDamBoom, which goes at V2 but has a very nasty landing over some shallow water and pillow sized boulders. Yeah, climbing IS dangerous.</div><br /><div>We started to lose the sun after a while and the temperature dropped so we rolled it up and headed for home. After a couple of stops on the river in Ojai and Foster Park we were gifted with an awesome sunset near Ventura. Not to miss an opportunity to shoot a beautiful central coast sunset, we diverted to the north on PCH and pulled up to Emma Wood to watch the sun drop. Absolutely spectacular. </div></div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwaZbMtBm3uDuyJEW21Q92cD8WScPkATKNEDuLC040WwrypC-sz9YoT-zUjeg-gPgcJM7fGyyXcV0iaaRhy4XRBm2B38QnIC01EERe8a_0fCobS8NPWD77eCzTh4qEAZSllaf7Yw1gKE/s1600/CIMG5834.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540991060493795746" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKwaZbMtBm3uDuyJEW21Q92cD8WScPkATKNEDuLC040WwrypC-sz9YoT-zUjeg-gPgcJM7fGyyXcV0iaaRhy4XRBm2B38QnIC01EERe8a_0fCobS8NPWD77eCzTh4qEAZSllaf7Yw1gKE/s320/CIMG5834.JPG" /></a> </div></div></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT2ltpUWBpgp77bl_QZ4wkOF5BhWfCUaI0UtboOqhlbRHRRZ8j9Oi8EZD4ICgJCPXq-gLZMUrlvUbQc4sKuA3ShtoGLYUk5LMfGXoOuWoAs-muWL9kg1uUENfo3wajSKffAcEjCSJKC0/s1600/CIMG5796.JPG"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5540992858189532562" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggT2ltpUWBpgp77bl_QZ4wkOF5BhWfCUaI0UtboOqhlbRHRRZ8j9Oi8EZD4ICgJCPXq-gLZMUrlvUbQc4sKuA3ShtoGLYUk5LMfGXoOuWoAs-muWL9kg1uUENfo3wajSKffAcEjCSJKC0/s320/CIMG5796.JPG" /></a> </div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-87558415639851092012010-11-02T20:31:00.000-07:002010-11-10T13:11:36.496-08:00Games Climbers Play by Lito Tejada-FloresI have recently returned to a climbing essay writen over 40 years ago called "Games Climbers Play" by alpinist Lito Tejada-Flores. In this essay, LTF attempts to re-direct the conversation within the climbing community about what climbing is and why we climb. The piece originally appeared in Ascent magazine in 1967 and was one of several essays writen for that now defunct publication by LTF.<br /><br />A few words about Lito Tejada-Flores; Chillian born climber/skier, was a part of the Valley climbing scene in the 1960's. He directed a movie called "Fitzroy" which depicts the first ascent of Mt Fitzroy(11,073ft)in Argentine Patagonia via the southwest ridge in 1968. The film featured Yvon Chouinard, Dick Dorworth, Chris Jones, Doug Tompkins and LTF and includes footage of the road trip from Ventura to Patagonia as well as the climb. LTF appears in another movie called "El Capitan" by Fred Padula which is about a 1978 ascent of The Nose on El Cap in Yosemite Valley with Gary Collirer, Richard McCracken, LTF and Glen Denny(who did the filming).<br /><br />LTF is also the author of several ski instruction books and has released many instructional videos as well. Hes got nice little website, http://www.breakthroughonskis.com/ that sports his writing on skiing, ski instruction and travel. LTF played a big part in the creation of the Telluride Mountain Film Festival and is still active in mountain film making.<br /><br />The essay "Games Climbers Play" has become as iconic as its author. I am reprinting it, without permission, because it is rather difficult to find these days and the message is timeless. "Games" should be required reading for any new climber and should be reviewed every few years by all. Its that good. Enjoy.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnevzyt6zNKcNHFB2ugaCWmv9XWEAl_gpYcCT-O4n8YVYLGA-vAb7D5ZYZ7LwH_v0S0bs17k5-_BTDspzS3_WZeOQn01kjQ6NyJqAZOUFFfHXHWXLO7Lx9eaGmMsLZbSv_SxrTKYSJXNI/s1600/ss_glen_denny_39.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 191px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537488582462094290" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnevzyt6zNKcNHFB2ugaCWmv9XWEAl_gpYcCT-O4n8YVYLGA-vAb7D5ZYZ7LwH_v0S0bs17k5-_BTDspzS3_WZeOQn01kjQ6NyJqAZOUFFfHXHWXLO7Lx9eaGmMsLZbSv_SxrTKYSJXNI/s320/ss_glen_denny_39.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />Games Climbers Play<br />Lito Tejada-Flores<br /><br /><br />Reality is the apparent absence of contradiction<br />Louis Arragon, Le Paysan de Paris<br /><br />I<br /><br />What I should like to propose in this article is not a new answer to the basically<br />unanswerable question, 'what is climbing?', but rather a new way of talking and<br />thinking about it. Climbing is not a homogeneous sport but rather a collection of<br />differing (though) related activities, each with its own adepts, distinctive<br />terrain, problems and satisfactions, and perhaps most important, its own rules.<br />Therefore, I propose to consider climbing in general as a hierarchy of climbing-<br />games, each defined by a set of rules and an appropriate field of play.<br /><br />The word game seems to imply a sort of artificiality which is foreign to what we<br />actually feel on a climb. The attraction of the great walls, above all, is surely<br />that when one is climbing them he is playing 'for keeps'. Unlike the player in a<br />bridge game, the climber cannot simply lay down his cards and go home. But this<br />does not mean that climbing is any less a game. Although the player's actions have<br />real and lasting consequences, the decision to start playing is just as gratuitous<br />and unnecessary as the decision to start a game of chess. In fact, it is precisely<br />because there is no necessity to climb that we can describe climbing as a game<br />activity.<br /><br />The obstacles one must surmount to gain the summit of Indian Rock in Berkeley or<br />the Hand at Pinnacles National Monument are scarcely of the same oder as those<br />defending the West Face of Sentinel Rock in Yosemite or the North Face of the<br />Eiger. And the personal satisfaction of the climber upon having solved each of<br />these problems could hardly be the same. As a result, a handicap system has<br />evolved to equalize the inherent challenge and maintain the climber's feeling of<br />achievement at a high level in each of these different situations. This handicap<br />system is expressed through the rules of the various climbing-games.<br /><br />It is important to realize at the outset that these rules are negatively expressed<br />although their aim is positive,. They are nothing more than a series of "don'ts':<br />don't use fixed ropes, belays, pitons, a series of camps, etc. The purpose of<br />these negative rules is essentially protective or conservative. That is, they are<br />designed to conserve the climber's feeling of personal (moral) accomplishment<br />against the meaninglessness of a success which represents merely technological<br />victory.<br /><br />Let us take as a concrete example the most complex game in the climbing hierarchy<br />- bouldering. It is complex by definition since it has more rules than any other<br />climbing game, rules which prohibit nearly everything - ropes, pitons and<br />belayers. All that is left is the individual standing in front of a rock problem.<br />(It should be noted that the upper belay belongs to practice climbing, that is,<br />training for any of the climbing-games). But why so many restrictions? Only<br />because boulders are too accessible; they don't defend themselves well enough. For<br />example, it would be an absurdity to use a ladder to reach the top of a boulder in<br />Fontainbleau, but to use the same ladder to bridge a crevasse in the Khumbu<br />Icefall would be reasonable since Everest defends itself so well that one ladder<br />no longer tips the scales toward certain success. Thus the basic principle of a<br />handicap is applied to maintain a degree of uncertainty as to the eventual<br />outcome, and from this very uncertainty stems the adventure and personal<br />satisfaction of climbing.<br /><br />More generally, I discern a complete spectrum of climbing-games, ranked according<br />to the complexity (or number) of their rules. The higher one goes on the scale,<br />the more inaccessible and formidable become the climber's goals, and, in<br />consequence, he need apply fewer restrictions to conserve the full measure of<br />challenge and satisfaction inherent in the climbing-game he is playing. At the top<br />of the hierarchy we find the expedition-game, which, although complicated to<br />organize and play, is formalistically speaking, the simplest game of all, since<br />virtually nothing is forbidden to the climber. The recent use of airplanes and<br />helicopters exemplifies the total lack of rules in the pure expedition-game.<br /><br />While variant games have arisen in isolated and special circumstances in different<br />countries, one can distinguish the following seven basic climbing games.<br /><br />1. The Bouldering Game<br /><br />We have already discussed bouldering, but one should note that the basic<br />bouldering rules eliminate not only protection but also companions. The boulderer<br />is essentially a solo climber. In fact, when we see solo climbing at any level of<br />difficulty it represents the application of bouldering rules to some other<br />climbing-game. Aside from that, this game is found in every country where climbing<br />exists, although the number of climbers who specialize in it is relatively small.<br /><br />2. The Crag Climbing Game<br /><br />Crag climbing as a pure game form has doubtless reached its highest form of<br />expression in the British Isles. It is practiced on cliffs of limited size -<br />routes averaging one to three pitches in length. Because of their limited size and<br />the large amount of time at the climber's disposal, such routes are not imposing<br />enough to be approached with the full arsenal of the climber's tools (though they<br />may contain moves as hard as those of any climb). FUndamentally the game consists<br />in climbing them free with the use of extremely well-defined and limited<br />protection. The use of pitons is avoided or, in special cases, standardized at an<br />absolute minimum. Pure crag climbing is scarcely practiced as a game in this<br />country except in areas such as Pinnacles National Monument, where the rock is<br />virtually unpitonable. There are, however, a number of areas in the States, such<br />as the Shawangunks, where the crag climbing game could be played with more rigor.<br /><br />3. The Continuous Rock-Climbing Game<br /><br />This is the game that most California climbers know best. It differs from the crag<br />game in allowing the full range of rock climbing equipment to be used at the<br />discretion of the climber as well as allowing the use of direct aid. Fundamentally<br />this game should be played on longer, multi-pitch climbs whose length puts a kind<br />of time limit to the mechanical means that a climber can employ and still reach<br />the top. Shorter climbs should still be approached as more complex games with<br />stricter rules.<br /><br />4. The Big Wall Game<br /><br />This game is practiced not only on the bigger Yosemite walls but in the Dolomites<br />and elsewhere. It is characterized by the prolonged periods of time spent on the<br />walls and by the fact that each member of the party does not have to climb every<br />lead (e.g., different climbers may prusik with loads on different days but are<br />still considered to have done the entire climb). The full technical and logistic<br />equipment range is allowed. In the modern big wall game fixed ropes to the ground<br />and multiple attempts to prepare the route are non longer allowed (see par II),<br />and a rigorous distinction is still made between free and artificial moves and<br />pitches.<br /><br />5. The Alpine Climbing Game<br /><br />In alpine climbing the player encounters for the first time the full range of<br />hostile forces present in the mountain environment. In addition to problems of<br />length and logistics he meets increased objective dangers in the form of falling<br />rock, bad weather and extreme cold, and bad conditions such as verglas. All this<br />leads to a further realization of formal rules since success in the game may often<br />include merely surviving. In alpine climbing the use of pitons is avoided wherever<br />possible because of time loss in situations where speed means safety, but where<br />pitons are used there is a tendency to use them as holds also. Thus the rules of<br />this game do not require one to push all leads free. The restrictions upon the<br />player are more determined by the nature of the mountain and the route than by a<br />set of rules which he accepts in advance.<br /><br />6. The Super-Alpine Game<br /><br />This is the newest climbing-game to appear and is not yet completely understood.<br />It rejects expedition techniques on terrain which would traditionally have been<br />suitable for it. Its only restrictive rule is that the party must be self-<br />contained. Any umbilical-like connection in the form of a series of camps, fixed<br />ropes, etc., to a secure base is no longer permitted. This rule provides a measure<br />of commitment that automatically increases the uncertainty of success, making<br />victory that much more meaningful. Often the major alpine routes under extreme<br />winter conditions provide suitable terrain for super-alpine climbs. Some of the<br />early, classic super-alpine routes were the South Face of Aconcagua, the ascent of<br />Cerro Torre by Egger and Maestri, and the first winter ascent of the Eiger North<br />Wall.<br /><br />7. The Expedition Game<br /><br />I have already mentioned the lack of rules in this game, but I wish to point out<br />that there are still differences of personal involvement on the part of the<br />players from expedition to expedition. For example, members of the German Broad<br />Peak expedition who packed all their own loads up the mountain were, in a sense,<br />playing a more difficult game than the usual Himalayan expedition that moves up<br />the mountain on the backs of its Sherpas.<br /><br />It should be noted that the above ordering of climbing-games is not an attempt to<br />say that some games are better, harder, or more worthwhile in themselves than<br />others. One remembers that the very purpose of the game structure is to equalize<br />such value connotations from game to game so that the climber who plays any of<br />these games by its proper set of rules should have a least a similar feeling of<br />personal accomplishment. Of course, each type of game will still have its own<br />proponents, its own classics, heroes, and myths.<br /><br />The real purpose of ranking climbing games into such a hierarchy, however, it not<br />to make judgments about a game or its players, but rather to have a useful scale<br />against which to discuss climbing ethics, since unethical behavior involves a<br />disregard of certain rules.<br /><br />II<br /><br />Within our new framework we can now clear up certain misconceptions about climbing<br />ethics. Ethical climbing merely means respecting the set of rules of the climbing-<br />game that one is playing. Conversely, unethical climbing occurs when a climber<br />attempts to use a set of rules appropriate to a game higher up on the scale than<br />the one he is actually playing (i.e. a less restrictive set of rules). Applying<br />this idea to the bolt controversy that has animated ethical discussions among<br />climbers for the last several years, we can see that there is nothing unethical<br />about bolts per se; it is merely that their use is prohibited by the rules of<br />certain climbing-games and not by others. In certain games the question becomes<br />meaningless for, as Bonatti points out, on a major mixed face no amount of bolts<br />can guarantee success, whereas an excessive number will insure defeat through lack<br />of time.<br /><br />I have assumed so far that the rules for various climbing-games were fixed. Of<br />course, this is not the case, as both the games and their rules are undergoing a<br />constant, if slow, evolution. The central problem of climbing ethics is really the<br />question: who makes the rules for these games? and secondarily: how do they change<br />with time?<br /><br />On reflection, it seems to me that the rules of various climbing-games are<br />determined by the climbing community at large, but less so by climbers approaching<br />the two extremes of ability. One of these elements is composed of those<br />fainthearted types who desire to overcome every new difficulty with some kind of<br />technological means rather than at the expense of personal effort under pressure.<br />The other group is the small nucleus of elite climbers whose basic concern is not<br />with merely ethical climbing but with minimizing the role of technology and<br />increasing that of individual effort in order to do climbs with better style. But<br />before talking about style and the role of the elite climber in climbing<br />evolution, I want to expand my idea that the majority of climbers are responsible<br />for deciding the rules of a given climbing-game.<br /><br />No matter what their origin a set of rules must be consecrated by usage and<br />general acceptance. Thus, the way good climbers have always done a climb becomes<br />the traditional way of doing it; the rules become classic and constitute an<br />ethical minimum for the climb, defining at the same time the climbing-game to<br />which it belongs. But what of new climbs? At any moment there are relatively few<br />members of the climbing community capable of doing significant first ascents;<br />these will be members of the creative elite we have already mentioned. The<br />question arises: should the style they use on a first ascent determine the rules<br />for succeeding ascents? I think not (although their approaches and attitudes will<br />of course serve as guidelines for following parties). Examples of cases where the<br />first ascent has not set the pattern for succeeding ascents are almost too<br />numerous to list. Just because Jeff Foott made the first ascent of Patio Pinnacle<br />solo or because Bonatti soloed the South-West Pillar of the Drus, following<br />climbers have felt under no obligation to stick to the difficult rules of the<br />first ascent; or just because the first ascent of the Eiger North Wall was made in<br />a storm, no one has seriously suggested that later parties wait for bad weather to<br />go up the face. A kind of group prudence is at work here, rejecting individual<br />solutions whose extremism puts them beyond the reach of the majority of competent<br />climbers climbing at any given period.<br /><br />What then, is the role of the small minority of extremist climbers in the<br />evolution of climbing-games? To understand it we must first develop the idea of<br />climbing style. Style may be defined as the conscious choice of a set of rules for<br />a given climbing-game. Thus, if a climber follows the accepted rules for a given<br />game he is climbing both in classical style and ethically. Bad style and unethical<br />climbing are synonymous and represent the choice of rules from a simpler (higher)<br />game, such as alpine climbing with expedition style. On the other hand, a climber<br />can choose to climb with better style lower down in the hierarchy than that which<br />he is playing. A fitting example would be the way John Gill has applied<br />bouldering rules to certain crag climbing problems, doing extremely hard,<br />unprotected moves high off the ground.<br /><br />In this way the creative nucleus of elite climbers can express itself by climbing<br />with better style than the average climber (like aristocrats playing a more<br />demanding game than the democratic majority), which certainly provides enough room<br />for personal expression, yet seems to avoid the traditional aristocratic role of<br />leadership and direction. In fact, these climbers lead the majority only<br />indirectly - their responsibility is not to determine and set ethical standards<br />(rules) for the majority but rather to demonstrate the superior style. Thus, they<br />stake out the possible directions for the evolution of climbing-games. And this,<br />aside from suffering the wiles of equipment-mongers, is the only way that such<br />changes can come about.<br /><br />Let me give a concrete example. The most evident is the way in which the rules of<br />the big-wall game have evolved in Yosemite Valley under the influence of the best<br />climbers of the day whose primary concern was to do their own climbs in the best<br />style possible rather than to impose an arbitrary set of rules on all climbers.<br />After the feasibility of doing the bigger Grade VI walls without siege tactics had<br />been consistently demonstrated, climbers were impressed enough to accept this<br />approach as a basic rule to such an extent that today even strangers to the<br />Yosemite climbing community (such as the two Frenchmen who did the Nose of El<br />Capitan in the spring of 1966) follow it as a matter of course.<br /><br />In a less dramatic way the rules of all climbing-games are changing constantly,<br />becoming ever more restrictive in order to preserve the fundamental challenge that<br />the climber is seeking from the inroads of a fast changing technology. The present<br />laissez-faire of the uppermost games is disappearing slowly as the complexity of<br />rules shifts up the spectrum. The eventual victim, of course, will be the<br />expedition game which will disappear completely as super-alpine climbing takes its<br />place. This is not only the newest but, in a sense, the most creative climbing-<br />game, since here the nature of the obstacles encountered is so severe that it will<br />be a long, long time before technological advances even begin to encroach upon the<br />climber's personal satisfaction. The possibilities, on the other hand, are<br />immense. One can even visualize the day when, with ultra-modern bivouac gear, a<br />climbing party of two sets off to do an 8000m peak just as today one sets off to<br />do a hard route on the Grand Teton or on Mont Blanc.<br /><br />Here, I think, this article should end. Not because speculations about the future<br />of climbing are either futile or uninteresting, but because we have already<br />wandered far enough from our original subject. That climbing will continue to<br />evolve is a certainty, although it is far less certain that the idea of climbing-<br />games is the best basis for looking at this evolution. But surely this, or any,<br />new framework for thinking and talking about what we are actually doing when we<br />climb is at least a valid step toward the future.<br /><br />Ascent 1967<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lsYo48RNg7X4LdiRJJ_LFXKdOFLyZBDmya7nEdTDYNTsFk8UTgyIc6NkHg-t7hu1BGEvUihirclP_co3mbd_lwGe6pjxdFTZKVWusRY4oC03KydcDEJxVx2TIr2LMLRslHBGFHnnPwU/s1600/WK-AS915A_books_F_20100218151053.jpg"><img style="WIDTH: 320px; HEIGHT: 126px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5537488015474654978" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-lsYo48RNg7X4LdiRJJ_LFXKdOFLyZBDmya7nEdTDYNTsFk8UTgyIc6NkHg-t7hu1BGEvUihirclP_co3mbd_lwGe6pjxdFTZKVWusRY4oC03KydcDEJxVx2TIr2LMLRslHBGFHnnPwU/s320/WK-AS915A_books_F_20100218151053.jpg" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.breakthroughonskis.com/"></a><a href="http://http//www.breakthroughonskis.com/"></a><blockquote></blockquote>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-87931123753009004582010-10-25T08:49:00.000-07:002010-10-25T12:21:18.640-07:00Stormy Day on the Sespe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zf3Iu5wvJNHJwWHLx85gECbjfZiluhbR2zBNB4JXwhb4qA6LuxXmf9yn2F86EgKLEXj_SZG0Y8OFrZI3e4djWqWSuA7SS1vxWXi7cdO5C8cJfMGVWmj0n3UiihXXA7YZgRdhgihhk68/s1600/CIMG5405.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-zf3Iu5wvJNHJwWHLx85gECbjfZiluhbR2zBNB4JXwhb4qA6LuxXmf9yn2F86EgKLEXj_SZG0Y8OFrZI3e4djWqWSuA7SS1vxWXi7cdO5C8cJfMGVWmj0n3UiihXXA7YZgRdhgihhk68/s320/CIMG5405.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532057845731884050" /></a><br />Couped up in the house for two weeks, Carlo and I broke out for a drive up the 33 this last Sunday. The other Gorillaz were off with their families for Fall break, so this was to be a true blue Rivas Boys adventure. I say "adventure", which weakly describes what it is we do up on the Sespe, but really, were just looking for trouble in the form of boulders and swimming holes.<br />Our primary objective on this day was to check conditions up on Pine Mountain, the Sespegorilla home ground. I have a sense that the Forest Service are gonna throw the gate on Pine Mtn. Rd and time now, certainly by the next big storm. The Forest Service office in Ojai usually has information regarding road closures in the LP, but their automated hot line wasn't working this weekend. We were just gonna have to drive up there and find out for ourselves.<br />The drive up to PM takes about an hour from Ventura. Everything looked pretty dry an we pulled out of The Cloud just past Wheelers. We stopped for some pictures of Haddock, Reyes and the Pine Mtn ridge on the highway just above Piedra Blanca. We could see clouds clinging to the tops of the mountains, obscuring their summits from view. Considering that we've done nothing but sit on our asses the past 2 weeks, the prospect of being socked in some clouds for a while was an exciting one and I thought it would be cool for Carlo to experience some "white out" conditions up on a mountain top. Off we go.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv4Kw0VYPSyiOHRUF2PWdzbr4Z37XFdZRqw-jj6ftIey_isSgeQ5bFOHDgCjo0y7T9mJlo9c1CmnbrO6tGSP7XrLLLcObYq6QSk3S47ZUMzn35lGsWDYijSOuvJ2TT2861YhtariJYXw/s1600/CIMG5406.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwv4Kw0VYPSyiOHRUF2PWdzbr4Z37XFdZRqw-jj6ftIey_isSgeQ5bFOHDgCjo0y7T9mJlo9c1CmnbrO6tGSP7XrLLLcObYq6QSk3S47ZUMzn35lGsWDYijSOuvJ2TT2861YhtariJYXw/s320/CIMG5406.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532057856760179138" /></a><br />The sun was shining on us as we pulled off the 33 and started chugging up Pine Mtn Rd passed the unlocked gate. Hooray! The road itself didn't seem effected by the recent rain, still bumpy and steep but still sunny and dry. As we climbed higher up the ridge however, we started to notice quite a bit of run-off on the road. Just before The Picnic Area we pulled in to the clouds we saw from below. By the time we reached the Reyes Peak campsites the visibility was down to about 100ft. Cautiously, we continued up the road to Enlightenment Ridge where the road starts to hug the south face of the mountain and we briefly emerged from the edge of the cloud. Aside from the Upper Sespe, we couldn't see much down below us. The whole Santa Clara flood plain was under cloud.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69L15Es-h6pQlT0UNmR__N55j9d_Mu2qx4x3kCmK661IA-QzUFFDsmR4DsuhsJJ1qYCTEmynl6OkfRDPWxW9QyDaRsXIOeiE2PiRTr99v4_pMyyrevRF_dey9_X7xOQFmXqggPd1jNvg/s1600/CIMG5409.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69L15Es-h6pQlT0UNmR__N55j9d_Mu2qx4x3kCmK661IA-QzUFFDsmR4DsuhsJJ1qYCTEmynl6OkfRDPWxW9QyDaRsXIOeiE2PiRTr99v4_pMyyrevRF_dey9_X7xOQFmXqggPd1jNvg/s320/CIMG5409.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532057870044305842" /></a><br />Just past Condor Cracks we were engulfed in cloud once again and this time we started to have some precip. Not a steady rain, just a heavy mist to accompany thick cloud. We saw considerable run-off as we rolled down to the empty Reyes Peak Trailhead. The misty forest was kind of spooky and cool and reminded me of something out of Sleepy Hallow. We turned around at the trailhead and drove through the clouds back up to Picnic.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT-hwlLMh0ewzTL_pMF2vDbWLjsC4w0cvMF-WJeiu2rrsEzuPh-tQeIkM1t5X9lt7M-bGKtj7venThlq5B3477PJQG7BSFzZyhxnTXlMD7ShZNHurXPFy3UBmzrw3rQd1pH6BoaABQ2k/s1600/CIMG5419.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcT-hwlLMh0ewzTL_pMF2vDbWLjsC4w0cvMF-WJeiu2rrsEzuPh-tQeIkM1t5X9lt7M-bGKtj7venThlq5B3477PJQG7BSFzZyhxnTXlMD7ShZNHurXPFy3UBmzrw3rQd1pH6BoaABQ2k/s320/CIMG5419.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532060749481138738" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nvoG2re7-TSsxCj5W9J18eCHND5qILL2JxB78zPA5ulZDqUcnzCVlKwdyKIXN0_HdbMtr2nvWKS3n73qyQi1Pa_BEIvWU5at1Pw2_iwqwVDnh9f0pdvaL8C-zrJIRwrrd_exgBH3rvk/s1600/CIMG5435.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1nvoG2re7-TSsxCj5W9J18eCHND5qILL2JxB78zPA5ulZDqUcnzCVlKwdyKIXN0_HdbMtr2nvWKS3n73qyQi1Pa_BEIvWU5at1Pw2_iwqwVDnh9f0pdvaL8C-zrJIRwrrd_exgBH3rvk/s320/CIMG5435.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532060761496654722" /></a><br /><br />The Picnic Area was abandoned, save for a large party of hunters in the last campsite. We pulled into our usual spot and walked up the hill to the main area clearing sans the crash-pad, it was obviously much too wet to climb. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLWN1uB9isB0By72WCdvLqz0lz845LzwCKb_SswotizNKX_PNZOGttvJk3EjqoOgdYkFE_KvVV3T44ohQjTs6VtdWm62KQ8bthFmk9muQje7h1-iZlMPLGY0mMFCrz1uDKR4BjCDvc2A/s1600/CIMG5418.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyLWN1uB9isB0By72WCdvLqz0lz845LzwCKb_SswotizNKX_PNZOGttvJk3EjqoOgdYkFE_KvVV3T44ohQjTs6VtdWm62KQ8bthFmk9muQje7h1-iZlMPLGY0mMFCrz1uDKR4BjCDvc2A/s320/CIMG5418.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532057879310992738" /></a><br />We walked around the mountain top like ghosts in the mist, haunting the quite boulders we climbed all summer. We walked down the south side a ways to the edge of the climbing area to take in the view. We could see the tops of Dry Lake Ridge, Nordoff Ridge and the back side of Topa Topa. The islands and the Santa Monicas were under cloud, just like Ventura. Carlo and I took a few more pictures and then hopped in the truck and headed down the hill back to the 33 and Potrero John Boulders.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ66nVEPBYb3GsKZIw1KK33TXsxC5zAYuElFSGbRfu1J5Fl8OATgcX9F4OH_2AWeEm2HmeuuVcSLJxRO6ogVCZXHFrWjb80cc3qcP1TkDTlSgFvnsh9VyHCjeamSqgMfmRLQ_OsjQreMU/s1600/CIMG5467.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ66nVEPBYb3GsKZIw1KK33TXsxC5zAYuElFSGbRfu1J5Fl8OATgcX9F4OH_2AWeEm2HmeuuVcSLJxRO6ogVCZXHFrWjb80cc3qcP1TkDTlSgFvnsh9VyHCjeamSqgMfmRLQ_OsjQreMU/s320/CIMG5467.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532060777294924098" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZawOYhJJDiEBHoKeOdkHF-N_Yl-_KxhcVd7G5BjTc7rRXdMlSiZFqs3o7wf1pd9DdKn8cRdEi0raCTA3CSAU3UBEfJPZwDp_fPSl3OZzA3UsR0XrEcGM-bsFpEnXnGT1qS2yhZlQMNU/s1600/CIMG5452.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguZawOYhJJDiEBHoKeOdkHF-N_Yl-_KxhcVd7G5BjTc7rRXdMlSiZFqs3o7wf1pd9DdKn8cRdEi0raCTA3CSAU3UBEfJPZwDp_fPSl3OZzA3UsR0XrEcGM-bsFpEnXnGT1qS2yhZlQMNU/s320/CIMG5452.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532060766983392066" /></a><br /><br />PJ Boulders is our new winter climbing area, located just down stream from the confluence of Potrero John Creek and The Sespe. Carlo, Max and I stumbled upon this cluster of boulders in the riverbed last fall after a day hike up to PJ Falls. We've done some landscaping and poison oak abatement but the place still needs alot of work.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6xxnkIQRlhlLUqxL2ia2GhdTIdJXI4b6TNp5wACCm0WgT0gVU72XpJJP9BpJm33rkJWKAJuC19gdYqdNuM2ensG3q7pR3UDKl_81JpEdd3jTSqr9ganYf-6i2m678Hn-PTWsECkjgsU/s1600/CIMG5562.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6xxnkIQRlhlLUqxL2ia2GhdTIdJXI4b6TNp5wACCm0WgT0gVU72XpJJP9BpJm33rkJWKAJuC19gdYqdNuM2ensG3q7pR3UDKl_81JpEdd3jTSqr9ganYf-6i2m678Hn-PTWsECkjgsU/s320/CIMG5562.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532060787729890226" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8vK0hR_A8nFaSdPvQeufn-gyT4AapEXwneZJryV6k3zr_5N7fRdRD122ERTFHovvpfuDWSvmpJLC3vRnUxoGEzOwp_O74yDT8Cl0RnGqjZ6pTNw7iUBa0WQWZOtFKeNwNIkJL2EIEik/s1600/CIMG5575.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio8vK0hR_A8nFaSdPvQeufn-gyT4AapEXwneZJryV6k3zr_5N7fRdRD122ERTFHovvpfuDWSvmpJLC3vRnUxoGEzOwp_O74yDT8Cl0RnGqjZ6pTNw7iUBa0WQWZOtFKeNwNIkJL2EIEik/s320/CIMG5575.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532063459180179442" /></a><br /><br />Currently, there are five climbable boulders in this area featuring maybe half a dozen or so established routes. The boulders are made of river-polished sandstone, and the quality is quite good. <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SSHVkJ8n-mFFuoSsgUOfX6TRGvNW4zqzYTjIM9kbafjrdzs5UEok1MiMOxbCN15MFpVLqhs0Uf8WVhifRslbT8TV06Xm4IEGylbHpiAo0jEtrntqJuxb6-rXqWHA1b-T3Cua1ukosUs/s1600/CIMG5481.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9SSHVkJ8n-mFFuoSsgUOfX6TRGvNW4zqzYTjIM9kbafjrdzs5UEok1MiMOxbCN15MFpVLqhs0Uf8WVhifRslbT8TV06Xm4IEGylbHpiAo0jEtrntqJuxb6-rXqWHA1b-T3Cua1ukosUs/s320/CIMG5481.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532064869276378706" /></a><br /><br />More problems will eventually go up as these boulders get cleaned up. The weather was warm and sunny with just a little breeze, perfect for bouldering.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rBaJuBkA5rdcU5TQV-GOvlbWc7sCVfOG6iW1U5MrdX6AZY8ag2UDmih_dFdVLQpHwzTVi32EXj9hKZqEHq8rRlepco_AbCJHGg-p9nWHzsSmBn9I3GIN80Wyh3lc5uqg2AByPtGc35w/s1600/CIMG5545.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_rBaJuBkA5rdcU5TQV-GOvlbWc7sCVfOG6iW1U5MrdX6AZY8ag2UDmih_dFdVLQpHwzTVi32EXj9hKZqEHq8rRlepco_AbCJHGg-p9nWHzsSmBn9I3GIN80Wyh3lc5uqg2AByPtGc35w/s320/CIMG5545.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532063452459776818" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fQsYdbX73Rdyp5OSOyv9nZ9AWs3PPim0lg68F_t0gzSBHLjZRQzw9Q8oNvXlJoKcJ_cNv-TNyT_mcR4KQshWHT4odkdrg26fy-da3lLM4qWeaoQrcE8ll7h3dCeWCGY5vPGAmZSq7co/s1600/CIMG5522.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fQsYdbX73Rdyp5OSOyv9nZ9AWs3PPim0lg68F_t0gzSBHLjZRQzw9Q8oNvXlJoKcJ_cNv-TNyT_mcR4KQshWHT4odkdrg26fy-da3lLM4qWeaoQrcE8ll7h3dCeWCGY5vPGAmZSq7co/s320/CIMG5522.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532063446197641906" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCYzn4WAy2snpXl-0adBwZbdF2fYVP46hsMRFfeUUbbik8BADAtj5MK1kpolEHUZ-djIqxu-a6B9HjEspt34827_wgeqg2vN4k2aonFlXF89AdHMlvvDV6K3Kjnq8CqpRSvo9zXajwPc/s1600/CIMG5530.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifCYzn4WAy2snpXl-0adBwZbdF2fYVP46hsMRFfeUUbbik8BADAtj5MK1kpolEHUZ-djIqxu-a6B9HjEspt34827_wgeqg2vN4k2aonFlXF89AdHMlvvDV6K3Kjnq8CqpRSvo9zXajwPc/s320/CIMG5530.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532063432011898306" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW7uwPGvUNINzGDyU55Fcn4wxHb873RM-HJnCxjUNpL17oy7hjfIIpgos5NNq9jUNvM7NQ5FwWp4-9CBJ_VN740n_l-XCqu2tj8buf_Ey2_AheQwMTt7je8m4J2bE2zZ97iJ5rs6nSYk/s1600/CIMG5492.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYW7uwPGvUNINzGDyU55Fcn4wxHb873RM-HJnCxjUNpL17oy7hjfIIpgos5NNq9jUNvM7NQ5FwWp4-9CBJ_VN740n_l-XCqu2tj8buf_Ey2_AheQwMTt7je8m4J2bE2zZ97iJ5rs6nSYk/s320/CIMG5492.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532064881536998146" /></a><br /><br />After a few hours of climbing, we were feeling pumped so we ate and drank a little and then climbed a little more. At 1630 we shook the spot, loaded the Endurance and headed for home. We had to drive the through The Cloud again, and again it got pretty thick. The worst parts were just before the Rose Valley turn-off through to where you descend Dry Lakes Ridge down to Wheelers Gorge. One we came through the bottom of the cloud, visibility improved and we made it down the rest of the highway without a hitch. Home safe and sound.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOY5EA4SoYCpwPsCwzRLqX4WLwEP-4w_OtJNsEJ6_lTvnTSv6rxz_LcME2ZT4GeNYE90dgDULBc2HMNoZudQOuJ55QS8zJyCTFCokQkY5r7wq5O3cI4h-xaHJZIx0QYhBTK5hYuw2jKd8/s1600/CIMG5588.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOY5EA4SoYCpwPsCwzRLqX4WLwEP-4w_OtJNsEJ6_lTvnTSv6rxz_LcME2ZT4GeNYE90dgDULBc2HMNoZudQOuJ55QS8zJyCTFCokQkY5r7wq5O3cI4h-xaHJZIx0QYhBTK5hYuw2jKd8/s320/CIMG5588.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532063469508792450" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJ17hEYxhMqsBFT_ohAC-_iqp3mq38yQevcbZYag4aA5bkUbR8xA2ZEP2Cm1JV25dd9k1OqqU3zLN62kDvxKNd1yBVN5bOlzBdRieYlwLVVdfIO-PtcX9NQVh4-khbnJ8UtAggrNzKEQ/s1600/CIMG5488.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzJ17hEYxhMqsBFT_ohAC-_iqp3mq38yQevcbZYag4aA5bkUbR8xA2ZEP2Cm1JV25dd9k1OqqU3zLN62kDvxKNd1yBVN5bOlzBdRieYlwLVVdfIO-PtcX9NQVh4-khbnJ8UtAggrNzKEQ/s320/CIMG5488.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5532064872530817794" /></a><br /><br />So, for current conditions onthe Sespe; The gate to Pine Mtn is still open, but still too wet to climb. Maybe in another week. The 33 has been repaved by Cal Trans from the Ortega Trailhead all the way to the Tule Creek Sespe confluence. The Sespe itself is still kind of low, dispite the recent rains. Climb safe and pull hard.Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-43816967430654340762010-10-14T08:56:00.000-07:002010-10-14T09:08:23.864-07:00I hav'nt posted to the Dirtblog on several months(we've been climbing alot). In fact, we've accumulated hours of footage over the spring and summer. The video displayed below is my first effort at video making, threre will be more to come.<br />Music: "Pigfoot" by Sullen<br />Climbers: Max Chandler, Mitchell Boreing, Jay Rogers, Carlo Rivas, David Stillman and myself.<br /><br />Enjoy.<br /> <br /><object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G2b-88Qlxvw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G2b-88Qlxvw&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-61037331719726145502010-02-03T22:10:00.000-08:002010-02-03T22:37:05.474-08:00<span style="font-size:180%;"><strong>Its a cold, cold world.</strong><br /></span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434267400929228450" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtBeGgfyM9Im2Xb_qG3aeWBuTePOdU-UKTMchzt-R_APFLXeyCMYIZViEDZB6uSv2lk4yhWzGiEJj4_hRIKRjN05P_7w0uSjGoT3DByjG2jmlhSr0SO7C0d7JNnqVrTXbjowQ3jYVK_lw/s320/CIMG2144.JPG" border="0" /> <div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div>January was a pretty cold and stormy month for me and the <strong>Gorillaz.</strong> We started out the new year with a morning session at the <strong>PJ Slab</strong>. Carlo, Max and I hit the crag early, but waited for the sun to hit us before we started climbing<br /></div><div><div><div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimPAZYEIZNJf7MaLUXS03ZgZ4f-7G3siKX5sY7pdU0VvKisfYOAhMKsVrtxmscLWcuSRFxvNy5i2HQoyzdyVZ16DBBlD2yof7wZvCvhk9ADySK_dM07M_yyDV_nWRFRFEz9nTO-vdJ4U/s1600-h/CIMG2130.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434267367470505026" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgimPAZYEIZNJf7MaLUXS03ZgZ4f-7G3siKX5sY7pdU0VvKisfYOAhMKsVrtxmscLWcuSRFxvNy5i2HQoyzdyVZ16DBBlD2yof7wZvCvhk9ADySK_dM07M_yyDV_nWRFRFEz9nTO-vdJ4U/s320/CIMG2130.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div> </div><div>It was very cold and we were slow to get started but once we got going and warmed up a little, the climbing was great. I put together two toprope setups this time; one over <em>Beginnings</em> and the other over the right hand face of the slab. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZe63XpGBxpaul0O4AfmaSLXjPqzUWrm3wChyphenhyphenJOSwUeJJPg60lIk9sSZ0tErossN8aSm-QN3efefAerTBjU5bEkRyj4P52bPj02wc0PSkzER5g0BN37CXtrfq-PbvW85n389f7NEyNQ4/s1600-h/CIMG2134.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434267376523052034" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZe63XpGBxpaul0O4AfmaSLXjPqzUWrm3wChyphenhyphenJOSwUeJJPg60lIk9sSZ0tErossN8aSm-QN3efefAerTBjU5bEkRyj4P52bPj02wc0PSkzER5g0BN37CXtrfq-PbvW85n389f7NEyNQ4/s320/CIMG2134.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>The boys ran a few laps on <em>Beginnings</em> and were climbing well. After a short break, they began working the opening moves on the second route.<br /></div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpbielIZM-_wAY_YRxotmh141J2NZi-JVP-iPmTob6-PxEY9G5rHlSc59FhWxlZ824C87H78_5RuC3pN1SoliBaUfOlUTUChcKqPPFH4qS4t_JUs4EvDT42xN6pocR2aTYhCbYCHOe8Y/s1600-h/CIMG2138.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434267390122653506" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZpbielIZM-_wAY_YRxotmh141J2NZi-JVP-iPmTob6-PxEY9G5rHlSc59FhWxlZ824C87H78_5RuC3pN1SoliBaUfOlUTUChcKqPPFH4qS4t_JUs4EvDT42xN6pocR2aTYhCbYCHOe8Y/s320/CIMG2138.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div>As it turns out the crux moves are at the start and the boys fought with it for about 40 minutes before backing off. Maybe next time. After another quick break, I took down the anchors packed away the gear while the boys did some bouldering near-by. At noon we rolled everything up and headed home. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONj4fG0VUOQ8UkZ1L3zCTfFbrKLqrVmi8R6U06soZmpaKfQcQk6JKc0IyAccm-Fa91S0yrcpf_vMwLJv3UdgiHEGYeoR7BylbLy5MgdZujo81TJXZegLHvwF20ucBtNWIA00_T46kGu0/s1600-h/CIMG2218.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434267412026353042" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjONj4fG0VUOQ8UkZ1L3zCTfFbrKLqrVmi8R6U06soZmpaKfQcQk6JKc0IyAccm-Fa91S0yrcpf_vMwLJv3UdgiHEGYeoR7BylbLy5MgdZujo81TJXZegLHvwF20ucBtNWIA00_T46kGu0/s320/CIMG2218.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />In the middle of the month, Carlo and I made another run to <strong>Tar Creek</strong>. We went down only as far as the <strong>Swimming Hole</strong> proper this time. We planned on doing some bouldering but it seemed the weather had other ideas. Just before we reached the pools, it started to sprinkle on us a little. It never got to be more than that but we had to modify our plans a bit. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLMjcIe0_2pbbBvxM-EuNS9ssgsSKMZtygTuC7KtoCs9IO-uorgQoHJoOK8PxVzArqu-GWnhMhOLT39-MQWRv-hwIOcXyLM5U09NcjTl5hJDfRekFAKRdptuXOjIjcU1UlmvrO9ByO2k/s1600-h/CIMG2231.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434268559722179586" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbLMjcIe0_2pbbBvxM-EuNS9ssgsSKMZtygTuC7KtoCs9IO-uorgQoHJoOK8PxVzArqu-GWnhMhOLT39-MQWRv-hwIOcXyLM5U09NcjTl5hJDfRekFAKRdptuXOjIjcU1UlmvrO9ByO2k/s320/CIMG2231.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div>We did manage to do some climbing in between spurts of precip; Carlo put up some short, 3-4 move problems on the canyon wall just above the <strong>Swimming Hole</strong> and soloed one of the arêtes on the creek side of the now up-side down <strong>Wave boulder</strong>. </div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY07wmUJgGf6M1sOfU9sGniItyIhT2Lfd4lddnL5uNs13DecF26qDSKW9xS2aR0IdnAqGyp34ky69Vijhluxh_5SAm2VY83YaEFa_WBSjtlxxHcDkPxJVcXdEhjdKBKN0EMGBNf9tDIMc/s1600-h/CIMG2276.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434268576653861794" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY07wmUJgGf6M1sOfU9sGniItyIhT2Lfd4lddnL5uNs13DecF26qDSKW9xS2aR0IdnAqGyp34ky69Vijhluxh_5SAm2VY83YaEFa_WBSjtlxxHcDkPxJVcXdEhjdKBKN0EMGBNf9tDIMc/s320/CIMG2276.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>I’ve been feeling pretty good about Carlo’s spotting ability lately so I decided I have my way with <em>Locals Only</em> and <em>Abra-Cadaver</em>, two problems that had been giving me grief. We also spent some time working on a new line where <em>Flashflood/Aquaman</em> used to be, working out the beginning moves, figuring out the spot.<br /><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMlGAq52FfO9DN0zM1OVAsKK5I2J42bY0oor6vRfisD8G0Hcu2uQCSCdXEJxr23FLl0-jpTBtKF3UUVVay-JU4mL5TLnH-l5y441WI65QuVK1_iH1aLTRMGrET1pkoh3Z02RaxvaCzM4/s1600-h/CIMG2288.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434268585988122386" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMlGAq52FfO9DN0zM1OVAsKK5I2J42bY0oor6vRfisD8G0Hcu2uQCSCdXEJxr23FLl0-jpTBtKF3UUVVay-JU4mL5TLnH-l5y441WI65QuVK1_iH1aLTRMGrET1pkoh3Z02RaxvaCzM4/s320/CIMG2288.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>No send on this day but the line is gonna go this year, though it’s likely it already has. After a good three hours of climbing and hanging out, the light, intermittent sprinkling turned into a steady rain; time to go. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBHaqOi65WrzOljl-T8KgcnIVvleXoqgoLgAXec5dwBCH9fbXo72Ja8SpB8eOmar_427vnDxKRdrjzbFZP8lFeIaG6m6xdsf6-r0GhwODHv1i9L91oZX5GIaAFqyd-HH7ZuWamGeHF7I/s1600-h/CIMG2271.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434268566119333010" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBHaqOi65WrzOljl-T8KgcnIVvleXoqgoLgAXec5dwBCH9fbXo72Ja8SpB8eOmar_427vnDxKRdrjzbFZP8lFeIaG6m6xdsf6-r0GhwODHv1i9L91oZX5GIaAFqyd-HH7ZuWamGeHF7I/s320/CIMG2271.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div><strong>Tar Creek</strong> is the last place you want to be during a rain storm and it bombed on us all the way back to the trailhead. In fact, it didn’t stop raining in the 805 for four days, our first winter storm of the season, and you know what that means…….. </div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPURbslBShVOPrkY-tyjeb-X7tKd1OpIQXTj4B1vLEctbtivkmBTFV7hEXOCxhCWphrELcRpLHmy0HUmBnNtzCuaYlS8nQbas0RbucIqSoY2NoqKzk_w5lpDdx1nNZQnlhHwJ9hrjdD_s/s1600-h/CIMG2399.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434269809581129186" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPURbslBShVOPrkY-tyjeb-X7tKd1OpIQXTj4B1vLEctbtivkmBTFV7hEXOCxhCWphrELcRpLHmy0HUmBnNtzCuaYlS8nQbas0RbucIqSoY2NoqKzk_w5lpDdx1nNZQnlhHwJ9hrjdD_s/s320/CIMG2399.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div><br />After the storm system passed over So Cal, we gave our local sandstone the obligatory 4-5 days to dry out before we went back at it. Carlo and I went up to the <strong>Quarry</strong> for and afternoon session on some projects we’re working on there. Unfortunately, the water in the <strong>Matilija</strong> was still pretty high making the base of these boulders a sloppy mess. So we passed on the Quarry and continued up the <strong>33</strong> to <strong>Wheelers Gorge</strong> only to discover more of the same. Undeterred, we went for the higher ground of the <strong>Sespe</strong> but even our beloved <strong>SnapePits</strong> were still partially submerged. Sucks! </div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ96b91ea3bJU6NWoXQoyFSaarkmmYKa0eFlKmei_iERYGeK8htsFVIIvCR-VOEKY7niACfHUy8BTbQKDemDObefvQPpj0VI77yjrnl0-UfB2fAnHU3flhTeYvIjB_BF5cz1qKx9o98ho/s1600-h/CIMG2382.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434269794425910994" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ96b91ea3bJU6NWoXQoyFSaarkmmYKa0eFlKmei_iERYGeK8htsFVIIvCR-VOEKY7niACfHUy8BTbQKDemDObefvQPpj0VI77yjrnl0-UfB2fAnHU3flhTeYvIjB_BF5cz1qKx9o98ho/s320/CIMG2382.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>We could see that there seemed to be quite a bit of snow on <strong>Pine Mountain</strong> and <strong>Reyes Peak</strong> and we knew that the parkies had prolly already thrown the gate on the road leading up to PM, but we were curious just how low the snow actually was so we drove up to the pass (wrongly called “Pine Mountain Summit”). This is essentially the top of the 33, from this point the highway drops down into the <strong>Cuyama</strong> and <strong>Lockwood Valleys</strong> and one may continue on toward <strong>Santa Maria</strong> to the north, Taft to the northeast or <strong>Frasier Park</strong> and <strong>I5</strong>, due east. The pass itself sits at around 5100 ft and there was a ton of snow on the ground. After scouting the Forest Service roads the spur away from the <strong>33</strong> on both sides of the highway, we decided that we wound come back the next day for some snow play. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff-t5mQAitLjAUi4O3xfOtQcN3i_0kVOzu4UzYKZ20WVvvwQ3teYcICadPupi6nF0y7FzBu99BkkSeP0OMP0jWulsAH8IjPgv7se6smaIngty5H-495WBGaRHlPy91VETaNIubyNgcDU/s1600-h/CIMG2365.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434271070887154130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiff-t5mQAitLjAUi4O3xfOtQcN3i_0kVOzu4UzYKZ20WVvvwQ3teYcICadPupi6nF0y7FzBu99BkkSeP0OMP0jWulsAH8IjPgv7se6smaIngty5H-495WBGaRHlPy91VETaNIubyNgcDU/s320/CIMG2365.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div><br />That night, we broke out our cold weather gear, which doesn’t get a whole lot of use here in So Cal, prepared and packed some food and water and gassed up the truck. I don’t think Carlo slept wink that night; while we were up there scouting things out, I could see him hungrily eyeballing the snow covered slopes around the pass, making plans, working out how much damage he could cause with his sled. I don’t blame him, snow is fun, it’s even funner when your 11 years old and pretty much fearless. Anyways, we drive up there in perfect weather and find several cars already parked.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxRO6ujVRWBYRTvCUNU-O60txlM_U-qBgIJxTyT0IpLlUtY3BDTXT1DEzBst3jTzZZ8bQj27K2YFVLil_IMJMe0IFAOmNNLwSBGdmhSSL2VbDDB3rylSogpmm2ewAkOcyRZgFpxmxFN8/s1600-h/CIMG2335.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434268598691094290" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqxRO6ujVRWBYRTvCUNU-O60txlM_U-qBgIJxTyT0IpLlUtY3BDTXT1DEzBst3jTzZZ8bQj27K2YFVLil_IMJMe0IFAOmNNLwSBGdmhSSL2VbDDB3rylSogpmm2ewAkOcyRZgFpxmxFN8/s320/CIMG2335.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div>No worries, there plenty of mountain for everyone. Carlo wasted no time and was soon zipping up and down the slopes, having a blast. On the north side of the <strong>33</strong> we could see evidence of a recent fire and could also see where the firefighters cut a fire break and made their stand against the flames. (For what its worth, wild land firefighting is one of the most dangerous and backbreaking jobs there is, whatever they are paying those guys, it aint enough. Had that fire jumped the break, we could have lost <strong>Pine Mountain</strong> and the <strong>Sespe Wilderness Area</strong>; thanks boys!) After a couple of hours taking turns on the sled or so we took a break for lunch. After lunch we moved to the other side of the highway for more exploring and sledding. </div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbHHpihmXivIUk60YTiFvgkG_fE3vDE-kFyhq5mIlVNB48PpuWiQBeVyCxiNQSyeRnW_YCRJ_1ehy_cd2FM46Xrx3tfZtwKh7OOPwWGEH_S8cr0aVHqqm_GbLh6t8JJjlPGY68QOit88/s1600-h/CIMG2349.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434269775814694178" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwbHHpihmXivIUk60YTiFvgkG_fE3vDE-kFyhq5mIlVNB48PpuWiQBeVyCxiNQSyeRnW_YCRJ_1ehy_cd2FM46Xrx3tfZtwKh7OOPwWGEH_S8cr0aVHqqm_GbLh6t8JJjlPGY68QOit88/s320/CIMG2349.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>We noticed ski tracks heading up the road toward <strong>Pine Mountain</strong> and <strong>Reyes Peak</strong> and looks like who ever made them, came down another way, maybe<strong> Chorro Grande</strong> trail. Sounds fun! We also had great views of <strong>Lion Canyon</strong> and the backs of the <strong>Topa Topa Bluffs</strong> and <strong>Heinz Peak</strong>. Around three o’clock the sun started to drift in and out of the clouds which were moving in towards us from the northwest and the temperature started to drop. Time to go. We got out of our snow gear, packed the truck and shook the spot for lower elevations.<br />Just below what used to be called <strong>Wolfs Grill</strong>, now called <strong>Pine Mountain Inn</strong> (though I’ve never seen anyone there) just before the <strong>Chorro Grande</strong> trailhead is a little place just off the highway we call <strong>The Beastie Boulders</strong>.</div><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRO9-9l6fIhlJbVfQG8CXYk6I2-wQHpRjMoL4gVUysYcBR63Dm0DeKvNWKHtnJgE_e5iHvEFwQYY1dK2_wlrM4pqlcotxJ48VqWpa5S3xCcjY_PhJR3sTo0m4BqCYse8dZRttTMl1_mbw/s1600-h/CIMG2413.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434269816882759794" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRO9-9l6fIhlJbVfQG8CXYk6I2-wQHpRjMoL4gVUysYcBR63Dm0DeKvNWKHtnJgE_e5iHvEFwQYY1dK2_wlrM4pqlcotxJ48VqWpa5S3xCcjY_PhJR3sTo0m4BqCYse8dZRttTMl1_mbw/s320/CIMG2413.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><div>They’re pretty much choss but we’ve go a couple of things working up there and who knows, might be nice if they clean up. Nice kick back spot though. Anyways, after a short session at the <strong>Beasties</strong>, we figured we’d had enough fun for the day so we rolled it up headed on down the road.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqC7fFe_ypE3HWXxe9mIseJq1y40jnP_qRbHLka53rV2evHmMR4B-AQO7L7HdudGRJ_A0POtprZ7MI08ALXcHbMrOb8h4a3P_uA3WCbSjEB7XOneHep4ur-vVNcG0iKgGaBW-ZwTlSeY/s1600-h/CIMG2424.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434271078749690578" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqC7fFe_ypE3HWXxe9mIseJq1y40jnP_qRbHLka53rV2evHmMR4B-AQO7L7HdudGRJ_A0POtprZ7MI08ALXcHbMrOb8h4a3P_uA3WCbSjEB7XOneHep4ur-vVNcG0iKgGaBW-ZwTlSeY/s320/CIMG2424.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggBHaqOi65WrzOljl-T8KgcnIVvleXoqgoLgAXec5dwBCH9fbXo72Ja8SpB8eOmar_427vnDxKRdrjzbFZP8lFeIaG6m6xdsf6-r0GhwODHv1i9L91oZX5GIaAFqyd-HH7ZuWamGeHF7I/s1600-h/CIMG2271.JPG"></a> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>.Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-66536057112244112602010-01-07T16:19:00.001-08:002010-01-07T16:28:18.881-08:00<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><br /><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YQoaveqpXSeJXZ1UHBCItqpRyv761TSsz8gotTswe2qy_hZf3t5RbkGnEON2gcM1uyB1vzCgd4zDaYmnVWF-HmkQNAAfQzIrUcQw1uzQtxSvEZuNgcXxm_F0Be8TA8Lvs2dwFuePoGY/s1600-h/CIMG0935.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424157444901220242" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9YQoaveqpXSeJXZ1UHBCItqpRyv761TSsz8gotTswe2qy_hZf3t5RbkGnEON2gcM1uyB1vzCgd4zDaYmnVWF-HmkQNAAfQzIrUcQw1uzQtxSvEZuNgcXxm_F0Be8TA8Lvs2dwFuePoGY/s320/CIMG0935.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><div><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Ojai Quarry- December 2009</strong><br /></span><br />The boys and I headed up to the <strong>Ojai Quarry</strong> for one last climbing session of 2009. The Quarry, being only about 15 minutes outside of town, is the closest climbing area to town and a <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJORNMcJ7c9tb0WX7bD-iEzuCg16XG-sfBHpjhHnnmgv_VC_rroo6Er4fyZP9kYYVTXwUpVP5D7hBOryUL1lClJZnGKtn94frTjffIV5S_C2XtV7IkP7FnD-vQE7X2Rb-EwpSByvbNPXM/s1600-h/CIMG2082.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424157464028513298" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJORNMcJ7c9tb0WX7bD-iEzuCg16XG-sfBHpjhHnnmgv_VC_rroo6Er4fyZP9kYYVTXwUpVP5D7hBOryUL1lClJZnGKtn94frTjffIV5S_C2XtV7IkP7FnD-vQE7X2Rb-EwpSByvbNPXM/s320/CIMG2082.JPG" border="0" /></a>good place to go when you don’t have a lot of time.<br />We started with a boulder just upstream from the highway bridge, across the creek from the <strong>Retro-Fit boulder</strong>. I’ve been looking this one for some time now, but it needed some serious landscaping and cleaning.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHMNn3raiq0ddIqUnEKlPrymBs61OlwF3yTnOFK358onQvkHkZD0f8_C_b-9dApa8Kdz1brCVRvE2SEVJ7aET9CtVqWXecUkS4F7h5IRXD05bWKQCzbnF0FsapbuJiCOgcRkwV-e0NhE/s1600-h/CIMG2086.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424157466356362818" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtHMNn3raiq0ddIqUnEKlPrymBs61OlwF3yTnOFK358onQvkHkZD0f8_C_b-9dApa8Kdz1brCVRvE2SEVJ7aET9CtVqWXecUkS4F7h5IRXD05bWKQCzbnF0FsapbuJiCOgcRkwV-e0NhE/s320/CIMG2086.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3uAw3adJjXpd1Gbediy0XGlcLGX2-ge0NddUG6xuR1FWUpyxZTJ2-rCSR-ulIiywwbJa9i6f_pomEFI_vSAUG3blsN8UnTXGSw3NRwB_QCpr4CjbGmQhOlrB-NOc3rUhCFg_ySSN90Q/s1600-h/CIMG0931.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424158158394659346" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3uAw3adJjXpd1Gbediy0XGlcLGX2-ge0NddUG6xuR1FWUpyxZTJ2-rCSR-ulIiywwbJa9i6f_pomEFI_vSAUG3blsN8UnTXGSw3NRwB_QCpr4CjbGmQhOlrB-NOc3rUhCFg_ySSN90Q/s320/CIMG0931.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div>So after putting in some work clearing the creek side of the rock, I showed the boys my ideas for this boulder.<br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJkgxSYmRo93TXGnG77GtCpLlaOveHDGOGiAUgCQr6F8OpaaGsutLv05ANm_TS-ghX-U9LiMaXV8DVYgtokBaAl9xAjRC5YlmxKt0kHzEnOaxvXm46wHXKGWnLF5LJf3RsxScqpFF2B4/s1600-h/CIMG2088.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424157477259373842" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJkgxSYmRo93TXGnG77GtCpLlaOveHDGOGiAUgCQr6F8OpaaGsutLv05ANm_TS-ghX-U9LiMaXV8DVYgtokBaAl9xAjRC5YlmxKt0kHzEnOaxvXm46wHXKGWnLF5LJf3RsxScqpFF2B4/s320/CIMG2088.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gg_K00wIW0hQTWLVzbavXrPD00p-2D8b-J_U3vYO1SbF-x7QVCrJThhx12TIvkcyhyYoP_vr2co57ZR1ooWz8WK2JZyQ-0zJuRZzi2M_FfvkyaDko627R7BbDrdQxm5E0py4xCon2jU/s1600-h/CIMG2093.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424158124306903890" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1gg_K00wIW0hQTWLVzbavXrPD00p-2D8b-J_U3vYO1SbF-x7QVCrJThhx12TIvkcyhyYoP_vr2co57ZR1ooWz8WK2JZyQ-0zJuRZzi2M_FfvkyaDko627R7BbDrdQxm5E0py4xCon2jU/s320/CIMG2093.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div>There is still quite a bit of water pooled at the bottom of the boulder and with some scattered, smaller sized rocks littering its base making this one hard to protect. We worked out the protection issue with some cleaver placement of the crash pad and good spotting but the boys were unable to send the boulder. Maybe next time. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgvt4fodqMrBIptaWY4QpIpE17sKykTtSxYY7AkO06gPQakQC50kQ2GikHPfL-BVfKGl82cNogk0yV1Bw8TRwLNxGtXDG9ZitbQR4bxgCisG301BSW50ep2nUUfEgQMpmzMJdRp8kGhU/s1600-h/CIMG1775.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424157456542226226" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCgvt4fodqMrBIptaWY4QpIpE17sKykTtSxYY7AkO06gPQakQC50kQ2GikHPfL-BVfKGl82cNogk0yV1Bw8TRwLNxGtXDG9ZitbQR4bxgCisG301BSW50ep2nUUfEgQMpmzMJdRp8kGhU/s320/CIMG1775.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Next, we moved down to the <strong>Diaper Pool</strong> area. This area is usually filled with trash (diapers, ect), but today it was pretty clean. Just up from the pool are a few un-named and un-rated boulder problems of an easy grade and one pretty tough one called <em>The Jabbawockee’s Staff</em>. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigES3GaF3QvkXMFiETklUGngGoUQvz7V76vugLcsQbOrPQtcd2CuPXtJSDJKpVkxCih2m6TLSApSCIq3puLsfwFn6TT3WfZZ5tE8EP_8zyiIGfgjQqZ2B6pnXDf_ZqmzBO8h-n-nMbwA/s1600-h/CIMG2118.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424158143994629474" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigES3GaF3QvkXMFiETklUGngGoUQvz7V76vugLcsQbOrPQtcd2CuPXtJSDJKpVkxCih2m6TLSApSCIq3puLsfwFn6TT3WfZZ5tE8EP_8zyiIGfgjQqZ2B6pnXDf_ZqmzBO8h-n-nMbwA/s320/CIMG2118.JPG" border="0" /></a>This problem starts on a big jug under a mini-roof followed by some tough campus moves to the top out and goes at prolly V4 or V5 (the FA belongs to my man Max Krimmer and friends). I did a little more landscaping and rock scraping in this area and then we climbed till we were pumped.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK3W9z5QJC5fwgsSkSUtDRBkEdjR-vLQeKNlcRe9qcw7h_zgHvwQJin5oV6-pIUFqp5c8JcbgT6JZ-A7g_Zdie8K5Ob8osoEQH5emskx8vBt9jVTwB2VKxN5aVzA8tmjwkaW_6Bi_3i4/s1600-h/CIMG2109.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424158136645484226" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKK3W9z5QJC5fwgsSkSUtDRBkEdjR-vLQeKNlcRe9qcw7h_zgHvwQJin5oV6-pIUFqp5c8JcbgT6JZ-A7g_Zdie8K5Ob8osoEQH5emskx8vBt9jVTwB2VKxN5aVzA8tmjwkaW_6Bi_3i4/s320/CIMG2109.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />After a little break we moved to a boulder just below the pool that also un-named and un-rated. It’s a nice pyramid shaped boulder, not too tall, but with a variety of problems on it. Again we had to do some yard work before we could climb it as a large Live Oak had broken in half during the last storm and the debris were covering the boulder. After we cleared all the large tree branches away I climbed up to the top of the boulder so I could snap off some branches that were scraping the top of the boulder with my loppers. With the boulder clean and clear, the boys ran laps on the boulders various routes till they were out of gas.<br />With the sun starting to drop behind the mountain, and the boys all climbed out, we rolled up the crash pad and gear and shook the spot. All in all, it was a nice afternoon of climbing. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9js5zZrUk26AO-qlE9KJa0lAGiagN51Y_njrbmcXryoyARpKQTir5xxlmlkjRVqyC4lIjBtEPMyerGDXQ3zu4NkMFy3tcBGaIHFPGnXdy8CM9E0vsU4P6HSucxLCEOv-D8YuAjf1MCI0/s1600-h/CIMG2128.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424158150813770386" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9js5zZrUk26AO-qlE9KJa0lAGiagN51Y_njrbmcXryoyARpKQTir5xxlmlkjRVqyC4lIjBtEPMyerGDXQ3zu4NkMFy3tcBGaIHFPGnXdy8CM9E0vsU4P6HSucxLCEOv-D8YuAjf1MCI0/s320/CIMG2128.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-22871047107922918692010-01-06T12:16:00.001-08:002010-01-06T13:43:43.132-08:00<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><strong>Potrero John- December 2009</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhyphenhyphenxa0yBQXVgIVmQacmFkISWWq-TV8FId5lPKK9v4ReWeeRUj9mVWUo59Tv_M4lmSDOr6PV4jxswinOrOKaXa9enHKo_AaDR30EOc3dc4fbPOwf28PXJmBOxloH9_z72aGm4DjjyHTJM/s1600-h/CIMG1716.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423723866771927746" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjhyphenhyphenxa0yBQXVgIVmQacmFkISWWq-TV8FId5lPKK9v4ReWeeRUj9mVWUo59Tv_M4lmSDOr6PV4jxswinOrOKaXa9enHKo_AaDR30EOc3dc4fbPOwf28PXJmBOxloH9_z72aGm4DjjyHTJM/s320/CIMG1716.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Carlo, Max and I had back to back adventures on the upper Sespe early this month where we explored Potrero John creek and climbed at the PJ Slab.<br /><br />None of us had ever been up PJ creek before but I could reckon from my map that the trail was easy and that we could push up the canyon in speedy alpine fashion. Carlo and I organized our gear for the day, packed some lunch, stuffed the rucks, then drove up to Oak View and scooped up Max.<br />Even though it was overcast and pissy down in Ventura, as we drove up the 33 the sky cleared up and I could tell we would have some great hiking weather. We launched from the PJ trailhead and moved quickly through the narrows at the mouth of the canyon and were soon climbing up through the sunny stretches of the lower canyon. The trail was in great shape and the hiking was easy and the views of Pine Mountain and Reyes Peak to the north of us were spectacular.<br />After 40 minutes of hiking we arrived at the PJ trail camp where we saw a group of backpackers intent on braving the cold December night. It was pretty cool already at 3 pm, so the temperature must have dropped considerably that night. In fact, the boys and I saw patches of frost in parts of the canyon that don’t see the sun this time of year. Burrrr. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbqBecDPrMYPD47wodFoqleIXMk2-ZijoXL8-6UtViny2N2YXp1HF45KLMmePEZLrLuNgVIduxQdtXoLz36q8M0IogPovID7oJ5W-0-XYUwtL1rTRx7OMcvCiKOfY8z8uB4FWwLKX4JE/s1600-h/CIMG1725.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423723885393551010" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAbqBecDPrMYPD47wodFoqleIXMk2-ZijoXL8-6UtViny2N2YXp1HF45KLMmePEZLrLuNgVIduxQdtXoLz36q8M0IogPovID7oJ5W-0-XYUwtL1rTRx7OMcvCiKOfY8z8uB4FWwLKX4JE/s320/CIMG1725.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Any ways, we continued on another 5 minutes and found ourselves a nice little picnic spot on the creek near a small waterfall.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP2kPp9W5E67CgmHAqP97lLVpLcp8RCQXF7nQNAxbGgp2C8fW1MlBWwplfkDm270vb6K_dy_3xVzO7Q63g10ayNTn874vEJKt137KnIsa3pFJ7lgN5413qWfWl5rWu3Rf9B0N0pfLtUg/s1600-h/CIMG1721.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423723871304641282" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSP2kPp9W5E67CgmHAqP97lLVpLcp8RCQXF7nQNAxbGgp2C8fW1MlBWwplfkDm270vb6K_dy_3xVzO7Q63g10ayNTn874vEJKt137KnIsa3pFJ7lgN5413qWfWl5rWu3Rf9B0N0pfLtUg/s320/CIMG1721.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div>This put us just over 2 miles up the canyon.<br />After a quick snack, the boys started exploring the area while ran up the trail another quarter mile. Somewhere, way back in the canyon I am told, is a large waterfall. I followed the trail until it ran out and I didn’t see anything. The falls must be further back so we’ll have to come back another time to investigate. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyJPhiHsLhS2QjKBgtk9oGEFmMzrOeO3n-u1IwodRHkhnZKy_eMf5tArlX3SY0brzup3iw0GutWGy_6etximodwn7XvxYaXIUZCfUK81NeYT8QegnDltS2vfABDki8UXWTP55kZ9kCis/s1600-h/CIMG1729.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423725917350439330" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnyJPhiHsLhS2QjKBgtk9oGEFmMzrOeO3n-u1IwodRHkhnZKy_eMf5tArlX3SY0brzup3iw0GutWGy_6etximodwn7XvxYaXIUZCfUK81NeYT8QegnDltS2vfABDki8UXWTP55kZ9kCis/s320/CIMG1729.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQWRs6-OHXQ-Q81Og7WaJRmKECDngXb0pmh0KWjfIi10dASzPIRMKvUT9jkKve4lxULsrS0A9ynlSnohZH5HH4ecJzQcPpITzTP4Lpp0f8KdMToAjvJ5uPET8pJCSCULMmiSnqrOL00w/s1600-h/CIMG1723.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423723878098938626" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQQWRs6-OHXQ-Q81Og7WaJRmKECDngXb0pmh0KWjfIi10dASzPIRMKvUT9jkKve4lxULsrS0A9ynlSnohZH5HH4ecJzQcPpITzTP4Lpp0f8KdMToAjvJ5uPET8pJCSCULMmiSnqrOL00w/s320/CIMG1723.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />When I got back to our picnic spot, Carlo and Max were still doing their thing so I let play continue and just enjoyed the scene. After an hour or so we decided we’d had enough and rolled up the gear, picked up our trash and let out down the trail. We walked past the backpackers on the way down the canyon as they were heading up. They were some older folks, two men and a woman and we exchanged greetings as we passed each other on the trail. The view on the rest of the walk down was stunning but before we knew it, we were back at the trailhead. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t_Eb2jLI0IQNC2tg_I6dvfDtre9TmV2UVzmfYB4SzE-76-6AgxdGZd2JoWnLGZaLbnHNx56VLJP8sTcjTcJDtcb5fNp3YrTP0ieCbwahacwVT3ZPHrR1ergeYgcb8Z4DZtCWoIGQ4Xo/s1600-h/CIMG1712.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423723858044699010" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3t_Eb2jLI0IQNC2tg_I6dvfDtre9TmV2UVzmfYB4SzE-76-6AgxdGZd2JoWnLGZaLbnHNx56VLJP8sTcjTcJDtcb5fNp3YrTP0ieCbwahacwVT3ZPHrR1ergeYgcb8Z4DZtCWoIGQ4Xo/s320/CIMG1712.JPG" border="0" /></a>We shot a couple more pics, jumped in the truck and drove down the road a ways to the PJ slab.<br />There is a route there I’ve wanted to show the boys, so we parked, crossed the Sespe and checked out the crag. I first showed them the sport routes on the main wall and then took around the corner to the newbie slab. The boys were into it idea of coming back another time to get busy on top rope. We spent about 20 minutes at the PJ slab and then got back into the truck and drove on down the road.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgQuVPeqfIExBSapPid3pFYLGK1aJ0giv64fPZKjjZGegYKg1rq_jZiNCgQO0HDNBPLT1Vyl_2PtMcHf7iFU0Eb5lEmG9K98r8GmZBZdM8AbBTf1UUov28LIaEAvubld9999o18A2VyI/s1600-h/CIMG1737.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423725926561465426" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJgQuVPeqfIExBSapPid3pFYLGK1aJ0giv64fPZKjjZGegYKg1rq_jZiNCgQO0HDNBPLT1Vyl_2PtMcHf7iFU0Eb5lEmG9K98r8GmZBZdM8AbBTf1UUov28LIaEAvubld9999o18A2VyI/s320/CIMG1737.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />After checking out the PJ Slab, we made a stop at a place called Middle Sespe (formerly known as Beaver Camp), to check out some boulders that we saw from the road. Before we even got out of the truck, we were overwhelmed by what was essentially a trash heap for gun toting rednecks. From the parking area, all the way down to the Sespe we encountered a ton of trash, TVs and old computers and other household appliances all shot to hell, and littered everywhere we looked the ground was littered with various shotgun and bullet casings. There were so many shells on the ground I mistook them for leaves at first. Fucking gross and very sad. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot_-p5eD8hcnVhmPDOj60oRW5F8DnY_cZ_xOsRG4pusuE_Dx41LAattJjj-PzKg_x8OQEBAqKWf2UMh1ZYbtOP8jmpIv86oc19RMz94mnjE5WTlE29R47kBmY5e9B8ujQSOZeFjF6ffI/s1600-h/CIMG1750.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423726396508260642" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgot_-p5eD8hcnVhmPDOj60oRW5F8DnY_cZ_xOsRG4pusuE_Dx41LAattJjj-PzKg_x8OQEBAqKWf2UMh1ZYbtOP8jmpIv86oc19RMz94mnjE5WTlE29R47kBmY5e9B8ujQSOZeFjF6ffI/s320/CIMG1750.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufX3XZmV2h5acmvkGWFkjmp8pSdqH83rAQKS2wBDGdhBvY6WH9F9fAqXDthKft8Yw1ftZRzwlkrP-Nfg3k7e87zJOR5B3RgMElF6CH-N9pWewV3m_bkR_gsHQH0p1orE8kuoGwC_sLsg/s1600-h/CIMG1752.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423726402883372034" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgufX3XZmV2h5acmvkGWFkjmp8pSdqH83rAQKS2wBDGdhBvY6WH9F9fAqXDthKft8Yw1ftZRzwlkrP-Nfg3k7e87zJOR5B3RgMElF6CH-N9pWewV3m_bkR_gsHQH0p1orE8kuoGwC_sLsg/s320/CIMG1752.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The temperature seemed to be dropping fast so we cut the exploration of Middle Sespe short and headed for home. As we started to pull away, we noticed that the clouds over Ventura and Ojai had crept further inland and were now wafting over Dry Lakes Ridge and pouring into Rose Valley and Lion Canyon. Kind of creepy and cool driving through the clouds.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVhUSt2GqQj0OoXymH3VcB2SemUhjIJJtOhoxSrmsNdIKoPNYaMLfNX-g1bejNyChXDTaBiMznKgV0fYbbOS5TAjkqCKZnj9catLVvx4j7iiCZUPUWV4PA8JV0IYhdX6ym2PndfUQJDE/s1600-h/CIMG1742.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423725929056280082" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFVhUSt2GqQj0OoXymH3VcB2SemUhjIJJtOhoxSrmsNdIKoPNYaMLfNX-g1bejNyChXDTaBiMznKgV0fYbbOS5TAjkqCKZnj9catLVvx4j7iiCZUPUWV4PA8JV0IYhdX6ym2PndfUQJDE/s320/CIMG1742.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKsJhFO0NUh_vTZVhLDUvXaU710hagoOEHz6ZBzZXbdLWgqRxYEmYIU58zpJBaTn87AqGYhkH2nLp8gQh1q_12BKCcd_Mg0bcsDEriW7EijMTH6MedNJA2OJSA7UL10n_xYYbG04uDxY/s1600-h/CIMG1744.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423725951819217058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCKsJhFO0NUh_vTZVhLDUvXaU710hagoOEHz6ZBzZXbdLWgqRxYEmYIU58zpJBaTn87AqGYhkH2nLp8gQh1q_12BKCcd_Mg0bcsDEriW7EijMTH6MedNJA2OJSA7UL10n_xYYbG04uDxY/s320/CIMG1744.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttIIpxloe-Gw1DAo0w_6FwhHG4PnMvzuNkNJ6HzMQud_K1U-PbFP0lGwoWO3zYESET5g88-UfEsiD4z3WLVv6DDpoqUYnrPq5ku4rUIg_mvY-k-w7JTeSdWsVoJUrstsK9odo6qkL_nE/s1600-h/CIMG1755.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423726407439235874" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttIIpxloe-Gw1DAo0w_6FwhHG4PnMvzuNkNJ6HzMQud_K1U-PbFP0lGwoWO3zYESET5g88-UfEsiD4z3WLVv6DDpoqUYnrPq5ku4rUIg_mvY-k-w7JTeSdWsVoJUrstsK9odo6qkL_nE/s320/CIMG1755.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjcHBBUbcFPtDhVaMAfJb3P6dPt42MQ82xFLRQo6IXRO7qKm5wbfao5a3RmuI2Fyyw9bO9_J2fstDbn2op5Th4PHwVYMgyBdig-fmKqjUGx_z169okR51By8gCb7ytw_eR-pfUuYCDio/s1600-h/CIMG1743.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423725943158490466" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjcHBBUbcFPtDhVaMAfJb3P6dPt42MQ82xFLRQo6IXRO7qKm5wbfao5a3RmuI2Fyyw9bO9_J2fstDbn2op5Th4PHwVYMgyBdig-fmKqjUGx_z169okR51By8gCb7ytw_eR-pfUuYCDio/s320/CIMG1743.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjne1tyZIsyi9OrYB6J7yZdlTdO24bCWER6czujYCFof5JidzLHyG5hByLmGQffAmQ0uon_G6US4tJz-Cn2T9pkuA-koAVtRd0wc5s2tzwckT5Z9aKEyD4Nv6mnIqJECOvqLcYxxVhFr8Q/s1600-h/CIMG1745.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423726386387609810" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjne1tyZIsyi9OrYB6J7yZdlTdO24bCWER6czujYCFof5JidzLHyG5hByLmGQffAmQ0uon_G6US4tJz-Cn2T9pkuA-koAVtRd0wc5s2tzwckT5Z9aKEyD4Nv6mnIqJECOvqLcYxxVhFr8Q/s320/CIMG1745.JPG" border="0" /></a>Anyways, we managed to get home safe and sound to adventure another day.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U3znrCp9NeQWwd2LUAuFz1XMBM8ghiDcRNJCEuQj21vT1h9ZpDpQ-hfZqVbnKrjBe5I9jfhb3jIc4XI10r8yrGYMZ0Cy8dx-SdPbtBux2GwdY-8dnaW8UFB4FuVmRO9gz7ofLLj6-gw/s1600-h/CIMG1761.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423726415806096834" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8U3znrCp9NeQWwd2LUAuFz1XMBM8ghiDcRNJCEuQj21vT1h9ZpDpQ-hfZqVbnKrjBe5I9jfhb3jIc4XI10r8yrGYMZ0Cy8dx-SdPbtBux2GwdY-8dnaW8UFB4FuVmRO9gz7ofLLj6-gw/s320/CIMG1761.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />That day came one week later when the boys and I went back to the PJ Slab to have a go at the newbie wall.<br />We planned for a Sunday, but I would have to be home by noon so I could be to work by 1430. Carlo and I left Ventura at 0800, picked up Max and were at the crag by 0845. Once again, we were gifted with perfect climbing weather; cool and sunny. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsj-TmDlIIA1Cln2Azt-dgP2RXQAIoxLoBXOapzqZlAszcCjSOdYWB9Y4KWw4Gxww66za1G0pflRoRjWMdrM-q0IqW2PP_OgSU39jXn234pL9jbelOcR8zDibI6ibFncHWjf1WalCLFo/s1600-h/CIMG1861.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728069046293810" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjsj-TmDlIIA1Cln2Azt-dgP2RXQAIoxLoBXOapzqZlAszcCjSOdYWB9Y4KWw4Gxww66za1G0pflRoRjWMdrM-q0IqW2PP_OgSU39jXn234pL9jbelOcR8zDibI6ibFncHWjf1WalCLFo/s320/CIMG1861.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />My plan was to build a top rope anchor over the main section of the wall, which was heavily featured with many positive holds, splitting cracks and seams. The main crack system up the face is a route called Beginnings and goes on trad lead or toprope at 5.5, easy stuff. The approach to the top of the wall is pretty easy and straight forward and I gave it a once over before I hauled my gear up there to set up the anchor. I tied off a big rock at the top with an old climbing rope, extending it over the edge with a sling and tied off another large rock with my cordelette to back it up. After having the boys bounce test the anchor and rapping off it myself for good measure, I was satisfied with its security. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8KaZAFahlmaEgvG9mviRw8sD0ZoZOxd_Xcz4WFhfM_C08ND6hQpOLfLHC1sMmc5b29D_I9CbryV8UW1NZG6t00T-DJk2Qybj0k_x8EfcZ3nQfg-NLn-HFNMRrWeh5I7a9K0zK65DKRc/s1600-h/CIMG1864.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728076336010690" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_8KaZAFahlmaEgvG9mviRw8sD0ZoZOxd_Xcz4WFhfM_C08ND6hQpOLfLHC1sMmc5b29D_I9CbryV8UW1NZG6t00T-DJk2Qybj0k_x8EfcZ3nQfg-NLn-HFNMRrWeh5I7a9K0zK65DKRc/s320/CIMG1864.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Today would be Max’s first day on a rope, so I explained to him what climbing on toprope is all about, how the anchor works, how the belay device works and so on. After putting their shoes on Carlo showed Max how to put on his harness and buckle it properly (watch one, do one, teach one), then explained to him how he’s gonna tie in to the climbing rope. After looking things over and satisfied with the anchor security, it was time to climb. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSD-2KyeIYwtoafBn7aZgYUsLwbOsPCKVa11hCWVRAxpp_VUVtOf_DJs0v89eXaBfGQ1FNqZisNw-SBIan__OU_NngvqSi-cgE0BQFc6z5CCp98wbexQ_MG5krcMQQ7FTGrzN8pS0RdjY/s1600-h/CIMG1922.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423730972088355538" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSD-2KyeIYwtoafBn7aZgYUsLwbOsPCKVa11hCWVRAxpp_VUVtOf_DJs0v89eXaBfGQ1FNqZisNw-SBIan__OU_NngvqSi-cgE0BQFc6z5CCp98wbexQ_MG5krcMQQ7FTGrzN8pS0RdjY/s320/CIMG1922.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Carlo went up first, taking his time through the first crux, and then charged his way through the second to the top, good beginner on-sight. He went up a second time, attempting a more “bouldery” start just to the right of the main crack, avoiding the reachy moves used to get over <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728089152339026" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvxTGOKgtgT5jiWH421nvvg1HcF1VpxbnkhIW4U3nNEJV2g9IFTVq_JHdNhEIO9kHKAGE_h50h4H9eMxVvneV70om83BEP5yX-Viea6kg-7E3PnBMBrwuRCkyvbkS3TsJpBqCf4qLz_aM/s320/CIMG1870.JPG" border="0" />the first crux. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSRqHuNwO3n66JqJkqfFnPvyx-58d6DHYmKJhfqpBQgcgKPzT7Vom7PSrV93EQ9y48chjYtiC7fiEkykHjR7NCTVWqRAvL39DWD-UJMUNKzaYzBVgbZPUPrMQbesnPPxsCH7xS6UVYgE/s1600-h/CIMG1925.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423730979405777490" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLSRqHuNwO3n66JqJkqfFnPvyx-58d6DHYmKJhfqpBQgcgKPzT7Vom7PSrV93EQ9y48chjYtiC7fiEkykHjR7NCTVWqRAvL39DWD-UJMUNKzaYzBVgbZPUPrMQbesnPPxsCH7xS6UVYgE/s320/CIMG1925.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8JibOXnucHU0CpDHkHGuUKNrwKSHM32zDgGCZNjYUxQ5avuFL636VYZtfxaG43_LjO-GoAVLBTCxVP3JcxfN8PbNrQRoVcUEle6rVxBDZd0P0NREUwkR6kyCZUSZK0EdfF-gcVAWa-o/s1600-h/CIMG1889.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423729843730415234" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp8JibOXnucHU0CpDHkHGuUKNrwKSHM32zDgGCZNjYUxQ5avuFL636VYZtfxaG43_LjO-GoAVLBTCxVP3JcxfN8PbNrQRoVcUEle6rVxBDZd0P0NREUwkR6kyCZUSZK0EdfF-gcVAWa-o/s320/CIMG1889.JPG" border="0" /></a>It took him a couple tries but he eventually worked it out and cruised the rest of the route.<br />I tied Max in next, checked his harness and coached him on the first few moves. He told me that he was really nervous so I assured him that he was safe and I told him he could back off the route any time.</div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcb2_x6V6F5alWRyEq8BuTXqqhtfCeSiAIW1_Nb28angFK0Z9WXxXuk0drimWofYqPl9vF7lfy2kFF5ghdbODC2HOPhBKLYg9CUVz_0WPJVP2tFNR47ZT_tSA7R7a_bEjsGGoWU2vBf4/s1600-h/CIMG1876.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728100463364482" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwcb2_x6V6F5alWRyEq8BuTXqqhtfCeSiAIW1_Nb28angFK0Z9WXxXuk0drimWofYqPl9vF7lfy2kFF5ghdbODC2HOPhBKLYg9CUVz_0WPJVP2tFNR47ZT_tSA7R7a_bEjsGGoWU2vBf4/s320/CIMG1876.JPG" border="0" /></a>So he pulled himself together and up he went. Max struggled with the route at first, falling from the first crux a couple times. I think that falling on the rope gave him some confidence because he started to make bolder and bolder moves to the point where I could tell he was trusting the holds he was hanging on and moving his feet pushing himself higher and higher.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gp2xcqO966RBiBVx4y70HlZ8jr3Hu_Iwwde3t5-u98FJqVXHkFd1p4Cu4S6zXOjXREKmNf52y2EhByI1yu4oD8BY9mgO3SrOjrIujaq5XmGcA54-431a-lmUxjYkNd3_s7iMw1LmwL8/s1600-h/CIMG1916.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423729859770618242" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Gp2xcqO966RBiBVx4y70HlZ8jr3Hu_Iwwde3t5-u98FJqVXHkFd1p4Cu4S6zXOjXREKmNf52y2EhByI1yu4oD8BY9mgO3SrOjrIujaq5XmGcA54-431a-lmUxjYkNd3_s7iMw1LmwL8/s320/CIMG1916.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX-uE2TN2enlS1djudeDIZuUZumqG7ZYj3W7pxrCItSBVCKW8VF-BQ2wd4o2RL4OjfXnM1CedO6D1lL1Z3-wTeKc0o3s1jGSHTBNvZZ1xCPKz2J_oXSQIPjAe-KIIIyw3vZse6PV5Psw/s1600-h/CIMG1899.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423729850991279682" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeX-uE2TN2enlS1djudeDIZuUZumqG7ZYj3W7pxrCItSBVCKW8VF-BQ2wd4o2RL4OjfXnM1CedO6D1lL1Z3-wTeKc0o3s1jGSHTBNvZZ1xCPKz2J_oXSQIPjAe-KIIIyw3vZse6PV5Psw/s320/CIMG1899.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49ctrib_Qc2Sx5aWTyu_4BgQ6BkhOPRjTyZ-ZKCoLQlpNqnZw83EgZZEpeYPBPmHCmwNSJOzV6C7oHs6fHX97e98_uaRUL2N9nR4eCyLaDmCw9ka1WIE8HUjdx-C8GAHo3gwyxIlPJHU/s1600-h/CIMG1877.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423729829596033026" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi49ctrib_Qc2Sx5aWTyu_4BgQ6BkhOPRjTyZ-ZKCoLQlpNqnZw83EgZZEpeYPBPmHCmwNSJOzV6C7oHs6fHX97e98_uaRUL2N9nR4eCyLaDmCw9ka1WIE8HUjdx-C8GAHo3gwyxIlPJHU/s320/CIMG1877.JPG" border="0" /></a>After about a half a dozen falls, Max topped out and not to be out-done by Carlo, asked to have a second go at it. He cruised it the second time without any falls and even finished the route with a variation of the final moves at the top. Well done.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT174GFiUb1AFfL7sNnBcD8S3lFS0Uhhy0n9iAv9WGtCLXSproQAkraXh9E0YijQB3Del-UbAUGcRVa2ojlT4osIm_m3Fya6lJWmZuR3XElQ0efxM4Y8D7oJx3Sn2ac0as5vWmR7-oGCc/s1600-h/CIMG1950.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423730986534204418" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT174GFiUb1AFfL7sNnBcD8S3lFS0Uhhy0n9iAv9WGtCLXSproQAkraXh9E0YijQB3Del-UbAUGcRVa2ojlT4osIm_m3Fya6lJWmZuR3XElQ0efxM4Y8D7oJx3Sn2ac0as5vWmR7-oGCc/s320/CIMG1950.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gBkrJQ8PDVdLbgyN2E2cV6Ck-y3U4owZOOT2umPBNthG8-YJARYzZNMQ0tpPT3wSm_C4O9kpbd8Y_p7R7WuocoLOlIZPtY5V_rA58VgMje_XyewGKgQWfYjGkCQp1BChQ0MCzofa8_8/s1600-h/CIMG1867.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423728081625054530" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7gBkrJQ8PDVdLbgyN2E2cV6Ck-y3U4owZOOT2umPBNthG8-YJARYzZNMQ0tpPT3wSm_C4O9kpbd8Y_p7R7WuocoLOlIZPtY5V_rA58VgMje_XyewGKgQWfYjGkCQp1BChQ0MCzofa8_8/s320/CIMG1867.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEhOS5clnii_5zqHB3dIvLpugV4G47g54LCl3w8apSuMcZQtR7z5pieh-kSBofwX9vxksqaqnkECvnp03eUkN7Kq2ZJXfCgujUjInBpp68kaxepZ-r0SOGh2z_95uZZUSWu5OOjBwtGU/s1600-h/CIMG1881.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423729837213741858" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrEhOS5clnii_5zqHB3dIvLpugV4G47g54LCl3w8apSuMcZQtR7z5pieh-kSBofwX9vxksqaqnkECvnp03eUkN7Kq2ZJXfCgujUjInBpp68kaxepZ-r0SOGh2z_95uZZUSWu5OOjBwtGU/s320/CIMG1881.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />The boy took turns at third and fourth goes and then started working out the beginning moves of some route variations the rocks face, just to the right of the rocks main crack system. There are some other boulder type problems close by and the slab and I let the boys explore for a while on their own while I broke down the anchor and rolled up the gear. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavGZ3iAZbIcr_Qo0kCOxUEtjfO7UM2lk3NYYr6CYSPlUQv3t3iPTVFSY9ayX1fwsPjAtNiL1b7aymRXyuEeiyeA_vLpxmhFHomZmC63-6m7-GuhyhP0aXN8L877iwUVuVtmoZ2vxas5E/s1600-h/CIMG1920.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423730964562439170" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiavGZ3iAZbIcr_Qo0kCOxUEtjfO7UM2lk3NYYr6CYSPlUQv3t3iPTVFSY9ayX1fwsPjAtNiL1b7aymRXyuEeiyeA_vLpxmhFHomZmC63-6m7-GuhyhP0aXN8L877iwUVuVtmoZ2vxas5E/s320/CIMG1920.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />At around 11:30 we had to get things packed up and head on down the road. Another good day of climbing.</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGQydvSUekbisoz8z7rCySVvMXzPWaUSwxkGP6YZW6aJawHdHPyl-u42geIC-zSHIoCFCgtATn_f8DZrTbhPpuldImfogdLatL8tQyucwhJxJw5Dt8Wez1OnjiXS4nnb9wbEPjQxMVFA/s1600-h/CIMG1954.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423730990524427746" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhGQydvSUekbisoz8z7rCySVvMXzPWaUSwxkGP6YZW6aJawHdHPyl-u42geIC-zSHIoCFCgtATn_f8DZrTbhPpuldImfogdLatL8tQyucwhJxJw5Dt8Wez1OnjiXS4nnb9wbEPjQxMVFA/s320/CIMG1954.JPG" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3436208014981932402.post-24974887192576658712009-12-30T03:38:00.000-08:002009-12-30T04:21:19.216-08:00<strong>Tar Creek –November 2009</strong> , <strong>Part One.</strong> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AuvGt5fztATMMjHzbviId_rSc6BrqCfGHjj9f-nU5XGzCjYS-vdW3wkybjKa1pvtA4gGRTt2-x_PCgwE69lGZSVI4kLurLtvBK7k4qitrDvlmB1fvKp9toLRlbWgaiViXXV_8krkoZA/s1600-h/CIMG1678.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420998274540128514" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4AuvGt5fztATMMjHzbviId_rSc6BrqCfGHjj9f-nU5XGzCjYS-vdW3wkybjKa1pvtA4gGRTt2-x_PCgwE69lGZSVI4kLurLtvBK7k4qitrDvlmB1fvKp9toLRlbWgaiViXXV_8krkoZA/s320/CIMG1678.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I am still composing a general overview of this area, but I’ve been down there twice in the last month and some really cool stuff happened so here goes.<br /><br />My ace number one dirt-dog, Mr. Crash Fistfight, proposed an overnight adventure to Tar Creek’s lower falls and Condor Cliffs. I’ve been itching to see a condor this year and a late November bivy on the cliffs of lower Tar Creek appealed to my need (alpismo) to get outside and get dirty. I’ve been to The Swimming Hole and the surrounding environs more times than I can count but not once have I spent the night there. So I put together a striped down alpine ruck, opting for some heavier insulating layers ‘cause I knew it would be cold, threw together a sandwich and snacks, grabbed the camera and off we went. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsW7lWkqAQ56Pz05h5f2Qvu4-aWGMEfArppY3MUQY6fGTqw97LdmKsy6fWYoFzNf15O8FLeDSEDtKmw2z8-VRhDvhro-mMdHbHN7jq4RZZDfDgLI5Mo5gj1wsJuS35390CkjaYd_hVRE/s1600-h/CIMG1588.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420993656777115954" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEsW7lWkqAQ56Pz05h5f2Qvu4-aWGMEfArppY3MUQY6fGTqw97LdmKsy6fWYoFzNf15O8FLeDSEDtKmw2z8-VRhDvhro-mMdHbHN7jq4RZZDfDgLI5Mo5gj1wsJuS35390CkjaYd_hVRE/s320/CIMG1588.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />It was nice and sunny and cool for the walk down to Condor Cliffs and we made great time arriving a couple hours before sunset. We picked a ledge on the cliff for the bivy, set our gear down and started gathering some firewood.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9TWZEZNFa_ZwFLBXWCuL3VUJxazUItiPBFNIayRY-tmZnycTReQ2RV3mRgPj23kuXeTVpff43-PYVO8z-Wv39pXjVlrVX-kyPjTUYkgT8vo5jCZPo2V7GgGmq-DKYUOBkr8TiHxoW4o/s1600-h/CIMG1604.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420994206158272530" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT9TWZEZNFa_ZwFLBXWCuL3VUJxazUItiPBFNIayRY-tmZnycTReQ2RV3mRgPj23kuXeTVpff43-PYVO8z-Wv39pXjVlrVX-kyPjTUYkgT8vo5jCZPo2V7GgGmq-DKYUOBkr8TiHxoW4o/s320/CIMG1604.JPG" border="0" /></a>There were no condors about, but we hoped that the family who lives on these cliffs would return soon. Crash had a look around at the scattered perches looking for feathers…none found, while I investigated a possible route down off the cliff to the Sespe…no go. It seems that the only way off the cliff from the creek is a 150ft plus rappel to the bottom of the waterfall.<br />The sun dropped behind Bear Heaven around 6pm and the temperature dropped with it. (Sure am glad I brought those extra layers). We took a few moments to organize our gear for the night and then sat down and ate while we watched the sun set.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jvJogP_2_CnoMa3N8j0QBfH9-rXUWzQMNbzht15W3MmXxhQN0fwIISJpcBNiTvwgYfi8mg1mHKNNEO-RMzbneG0-Fzdfop4UOaqd02IdswIdg8G5rR1EBzI7ncDiZ53VUWTWb6DQlt0/s1600-h/CIMG1611.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420994210514459090" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3jvJogP_2_CnoMa3N8j0QBfH9-rXUWzQMNbzht15W3MmXxhQN0fwIISJpcBNiTvwgYfi8mg1mHKNNEO-RMzbneG0-Fzdfop4UOaqd02IdswIdg8G5rR1EBzI7ncDiZ53VUWTWb6DQlt0/s320/CIMG1611.JPG" border="0" /></a> About an hour later we got the fire going and sat around talking sour on current events, the Sespe condors and our failed attempt on the east face of Middle Palisade last spring. Around 9pm a little wind kicked up, bringing down the temperature further, but the fire kept us warm and toasty. I was in my sleeping bag and bivy sack by 10 and faded off to sleep sometime afterward.<br />I was awoken by the nights chill once or twice, but all in all, the cold wasn’t too bad, like 6 out of 10 on the misery scale. I climbed out of my bag at around 7 am and tried to stomp out the cold from my bones and shake the sleep from my head. Eventually the sun returned to out little cliff and warmed the rock and my core. Crash was re-animated by the sun and slowly creaked in action while I got my breakfast ready and finished organizing my ruck. While Crash got himself together, we talked about our plan to stop at First Falls on the way out, hoping we can get us some photos of the big birds.<br />We climbed off the cliffs around 9am and started working our way up the gorge to the use-trail near First Falls.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq20-uNZklkBHRNQEUc_SxXOfkC2Ca873QSy2rr9Qk073TBhmniIKAdj_4InbHp3LwNssigCA_athGq8166FvdvMbkIs1EybjsZnHdoVglbxRZuG-bm6DVUpT4zkZqQaycTDMmOUZ7rFg/s1600-h/CIMG1600.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420993686787936194" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq20-uNZklkBHRNQEUc_SxXOfkC2Ca873QSy2rr9Qk073TBhmniIKAdj_4InbHp3LwNssigCA_athGq8166FvdvMbkIs1EybjsZnHdoVglbxRZuG-bm6DVUpT4zkZqQaycTDMmOUZ7rFg/s320/CIMG1600.JPG" border="0" /></a>We made a short pit-stop for pictures but saw no birds. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNJAheYgmdBMPKny43iXqkD9eCND-1G-rBXNJFkvFZSkyIf_QUCz1UQjGzZx3QGA7OOrCSdqyyvC_13wUkyelKWQ56SmF8KbN0LZKJh2fz-lrGNlXWjEqNPcHgGrsfvX9Ga6jD4rIDak/s1600-h/CIMG1620.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420994219024111538" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsNJAheYgmdBMPKny43iXqkD9eCND-1G-rBXNJFkvFZSkyIf_QUCz1UQjGzZx3QGA7OOrCSdqyyvC_13wUkyelKWQ56SmF8KbN0LZKJh2fz-lrGNlXWjEqNPcHgGrsfvX9Ga6jD4rIDak/s320/CIMG1620.JPG" border="0" /></a>Oh well. The rest of the hike out was uneventful as we made good time getting back to the truck. We were home in Ventura by noon, gone less that 24 hours.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><strong>Part Two.</strong><br /><br />Exactly one week after Crash and I visited Tar Creek, my son Carlo, and I had a little one day adventure down there.<br />Tar Creek is a wild and remote place. It requires more than fitness to get in and out of there and because of this, I am reluctant to take most folks down to this place. Carlo has hiked down to the Swimming Hole a couple of times and we’ve had a lot of fun swimming and climbing there, but he’s never been further down the creek. Carlo has been putting down some miles on the trail with me lately so I figured he was up for something a little tougher. He was enticed by stories of monster waterfalls, abundant fossils and Sespe condors and wanted to see it all for himself.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYpZLNpAVcrZnrtmoKGZzmO56asCxf_Xb8nrsjiHAhVnNEs7NYjzlQ7y_IzCjmKvbwH_iuAcZLzXO286Ss5ZPbEBTQtWY0XA4jZXO8YioxpVEPeUrLpV5_N27Cxoa4L0tPwBF0NvVAvc/s1600-h/CIMG1636.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420994228004430146" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqYpZLNpAVcrZnrtmoKGZzmO56asCxf_Xb8nrsjiHAhVnNEs7NYjzlQ7y_IzCjmKvbwH_iuAcZLzXO286Ss5ZPbEBTQtWY0XA4jZXO8YioxpVEPeUrLpV5_N27Cxoa4L0tPwBF0NvVAvc/s320/CIMG1636.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qOHb2VB_-wiXuoYjmaAM-5UNByxiWJ0X3cxRtvdtgzS_RT14kG8k8CJQKc1EYSza767LMQ_SlWdyyfdSyS72XrddXV8tX-C0qxV3il-d42smeeuiRk7RQfhhwesiYruaN-EHfD9bOy8/s1600-h/CIMG1596.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420993678426749090" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2qOHb2VB_-wiXuoYjmaAM-5UNByxiWJ0X3cxRtvdtgzS_RT14kG8k8CJQKc1EYSza767LMQ_SlWdyyfdSyS72XrddXV8tX-C0qxV3il-d42smeeuiRk7RQfhhwesiYruaN-EHfD9bOy8/s320/CIMG1596.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We burned up the trail from the truck down to the creek and were standing at the Swimming Hole proper within an hour, excellent time. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Go1pKWOTwaifvSgvw-rgN8bmcAUTkl8-I8sVdh7X2q0L8U0vOYQOxXLesRpktvYQsUj19SimIMdtQajgPrg6ecPWEKFknqpR9wSIu-qHPqPHf2gH3KthCtS8OrMwXgfxWVQzvhRVVaA/s1600-h/CIMG1638.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420994236908470450" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5Go1pKWOTwaifvSgvw-rgN8bmcAUTkl8-I8sVdh7X2q0L8U0vOYQOxXLesRpktvYQsUj19SimIMdtQajgPrg6ecPWEKFknqpR9wSIu-qHPqPHf2gH3KthCtS8OrMwXgfxWVQzvhRVVaA/s320/CIMG1638.JPG" border="0" /></a>The We didn’t stay long as our goal was the upper falls and we wanted to keep to momentum going. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirikStizGyUINmEI9kNu51iqcm4MOMqBxc81eySMOlYVQGHM7PTTdmYzeLF6RTe9k_-cRxywPiPp_258G52nLTsBPSnc7bClkokGgi5AurGIczk2k3vkFRpjRNYIzEfO0aT9wMuHVl074/s1600-h/CIMG1590.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420993664166754626" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirikStizGyUINmEI9kNu51iqcm4MOMqBxc81eySMOlYVQGHM7PTTdmYzeLF6RTe9k_-cRxywPiPp_258G52nLTsBPSnc7bClkokGgi5AurGIczk2k3vkFRpjRNYIzEfO0aT9wMuHVl074/s320/CIMG1590.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZ1tZxpctYyXLlBKxu4GxJ6nA6eyf0qh7SWVPwSsQOuwT9Xjkqdc_qGNecqWZ7su8DcAtvENhGdpOxXk8NGlyjRkeGv-0B6nBD2rpAyiZhnQ3PsOsXbM-hpntGznAAQ6GBs2Mu1MTRto/s1600-h/CIMG1594.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420993676387313666" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDZ1tZxpctYyXLlBKxu4GxJ6nA6eyf0qh7SWVPwSsQOuwT9Xjkqdc_qGNecqWZ7su8DcAtvENhGdpOxXk8NGlyjRkeGv-0B6nBD2rpAyiZhnQ3PsOsXbM-hpntGznAAQ6GBs2Mu1MTRto/s320/CIMG1594.JPG" border="0" /></a>Below the Swimming Hole, the going gets tough I expected Carlo to have a hard time through there…wrong! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Bm8Z2WxhfhVBseP54-BUta1Y9kEVuPyDPEuj-zeGNbk5DI7-UMW48ZpvQPcDU4E2sWR7uadwEOh50Ufj6WGuvBgMqOhV3zbB0OyQ_bdrBsHXjjIB32ZyAw0XiJgcGX8FviPmm_SxFEs/s1600-h/CIMG1640.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420996499386661074" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Bm8Z2WxhfhVBseP54-BUta1Y9kEVuPyDPEuj-zeGNbk5DI7-UMW48ZpvQPcDU4E2sWR7uadwEOh50Ufj6WGuvBgMqOhV3zbB0OyQ_bdrBsHXjjIB32ZyAw0XiJgcGX8FviPmm_SxFEs/s320/CIMG1640.JPG" border="0" /></a>The kid handled the difficulties of the boulder choke just above the falls without a problem and did pretty good with the route finding. At any rate, we were atop the falls in less than 90 minutes from the trailhead! That’s approaching alpinist speeds! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcEEO9BEt0HG85T1GUSIeUgF4DLBFWOfAATRTVAiIsPBfS4tO4qEKP0OcJdP_PonTd4y57IH48WNA5kXVLqmdMf-gjnrD-nNzO0tVAd5tIYJk7hz8sz1wcyPPmOpruqTKC8U-QJaW0PA/s1600-h/CIMG1649.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420996507951535314" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWcEEO9BEt0HG85T1GUSIeUgF4DLBFWOfAATRTVAiIsPBfS4tO4qEKP0OcJdP_PonTd4y57IH48WNA5kXVLqmdMf-gjnrD-nNzO0tVAd5tIYJk7hz8sz1wcyPPmOpruqTKC8U-QJaW0PA/s320/CIMG1649.JPG" border="0" /></a>Well done boy. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEMhchlKPgcUFmcqoCY9qfNW-udGVNQUrc4fuXrTAO14AyHxZ8EsuVUcE7ddpAkaTkNhaxJQ31rm4995ig-xdrd-6-o62_TiETO-mSBDIEMzx9x5x5weWDy4-5yoPejmRXVgo79ojgSI/s1600-h/CIMG1652.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420996516181554226" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieEMhchlKPgcUFmcqoCY9qfNW-udGVNQUrc4fuXrTAO14AyHxZ8EsuVUcE7ddpAkaTkNhaxJQ31rm4995ig-xdrd-6-o62_TiETO-mSBDIEMzx9x5x5weWDy4-5yoPejmRXVgo79ojgSI/s320/CIMG1652.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />From the top of the falls, we worked the ledges along its northern wall to a use trail just below the falls and worked our way back over more ledges to the pool that sits at the bottom of the falls. Tar Creeks upper falls pour over the sandstone and drop about 60 feet onto a ledge and then spills down a slide another 20 feet into deep pool. One can walk behind the falls on the ledge and access the southern wall of the gorge. This would be our picnic spot. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQfAW0ZndfmZXZJY__UMuqzxAIFbTaYYeVQ0bgjRaUPWIVpv-adTQ9pStvbgcn5ZzJfNHWZV6F-E-u4kViIKLH98mEV7f2a1OpCwCg0k6waHClNmhBgftaRDaThagUJMMIqjokmtp9DQ/s1600-h/CIMG1654.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420996522592782274" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRQfAW0ZndfmZXZJY__UMuqzxAIFbTaYYeVQ0bgjRaUPWIVpv-adTQ9pStvbgcn5ZzJfNHWZV6F-E-u4kViIKLH98mEV7f2a1OpCwCg0k6waHClNmhBgftaRDaThagUJMMIqjokmtp9DQ/s320/CIMG1654.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />It was much too cold for a swim but we played around in the waterfall a little anyway, very pleasant.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxgEZlMvjl8KYhfLU70fUc-YoJbo1nIIFRyvij5mRUAgqBr46kBPIjaORJh5yZPndYBI68-yE6wR1R2hqVZjnUT8Ene81MNB9ceWISHWYD0JJUNoUvi__FAIF81Pax2NqappwDTPfR0w/s1600-h/CIMG1657.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420996530265278514" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTxgEZlMvjl8KYhfLU70fUc-YoJbo1nIIFRyvij5mRUAgqBr46kBPIjaORJh5yZPndYBI68-yE6wR1R2hqVZjnUT8Ene81MNB9ceWISHWYD0JJUNoUvi__FAIF81Pax2NqappwDTPfR0w/s320/CIMG1657.JPG" border="0" /></a> Carlo took it upon himself to explore the area around the falls and its surrounding pools and I could see him working things out in his head about future excursions to the area, like, “I bet that waterslide still goes in the summertime” or “This would be a good jumping ledge for that pool down there”, and so on. After a while we sat down on the main ledge in the sun and ate some lunch. The weather was perfect and we had the whole place to ourselves. And right then, when things couldn’t possibly get any cooler, it happened.<br />As we sat there eating, the sun blinked out for a second, Carlo and I looked up at the same time to see a glorious California condor soaring a mere 200 feet above us!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OsAFaUzYmzIwGWqTaQ_a1UJRgVAgx7QT5q73JQOihP-iJhldtiYMWmz5h3rT7g8bebKwAfNOcN8JhbYuwgoH9CxZDfL-81W4LmsfZM6gU-erBTkWvMOUDQHpn5-MLD3Ny4_yujHL_mw/s1600-h/CIMG1669.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420998260492178082" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1OsAFaUzYmzIwGWqTaQ_a1UJRgVAgx7QT5q73JQOihP-iJhldtiYMWmz5h3rT7g8bebKwAfNOcN8JhbYuwgoH9CxZDfL-81W4LmsfZM6gU-erBTkWvMOUDQHpn5-MLD3Ny4_yujHL_mw/s320/CIMG1669.JPG" border="0" /></a> The big bird circled around us for a few minutes and then landed on a ledge high up the canyon wall just down stream from us. And there he sat, appearing to just watch us, maybe 1000yards away. We couldn’t really gauge its size or whether or not it had tags from that distance, but it was still cool and we were able to squeeze off some photos.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2U7455AWiUlxZ4YcN6eYnWJa3hPq2Jw84tvVYqtIvrGhtcrCNdJZztZ-TFQVaVQIvuRmVOxs2NATJW89fNu38T1dXXAfAvqwaxt6arMf-HgftO7hDX2fRfoTfxY7C56lhsoN8KhOJes/s1600-h/CIMG1676.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420998271905781522" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG2U7455AWiUlxZ4YcN6eYnWJa3hPq2Jw84tvVYqtIvrGhtcrCNdJZztZ-TFQVaVQIvuRmVOxs2NATJW89fNu38T1dXXAfAvqwaxt6arMf-HgftO7hDX2fRfoTfxY7C56lhsoN8KhOJes/s320/CIMG1676.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />After about an hour, we decided to roll up our gear and head for home. Just as we had climbed out of the gorge and onto the upper ledges around the falls, the condor took flight again and once more began to circle above us. We got out the camera and began shooting him some more when the bird landed on top of the falls and started stretching out his wings. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUzN69apEqQ5j_iShn1wLVBmgjWodXa6KkRmmuwSAm5MRWB83NRuQVehL118e2bOjcQoq5Chu8wVPg1cL9x-Smgd693ovYOxnELHfWpADgPuyTfGpL0aQbU6CcbsXC_SQvTwsaC3XNM0/s1600-h/CIMG1682.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420998293817901506" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUzN69apEqQ5j_iShn1wLVBmgjWodXa6KkRmmuwSAm5MRWB83NRuQVehL118e2bOjcQoq5Chu8wVPg1cL9x-Smgd693ovYOxnELHfWpADgPuyTfGpL0aQbU6CcbsXC_SQvTwsaC3XNM0/s320/CIMG1682.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Carlo said, “Hey Dad, I think he’s posing for you”. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU-hDbVJUdQUdgphmzb0adwjNQAUzgDddDXCdlNvvwhIH4swdOEkqN3NUZcIcNcRn-pVxvyzH_pCm_bxrhaLxMLwhmLcA6Y36b7l6ydas9icGnGfbN5FgJpWb12fH1BKs8AIXGBc6Mh4/s1600-h/CIMG1680.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420998282460003122" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMU-hDbVJUdQUdgphmzb0adwjNQAUzgDddDXCdlNvvwhIH4swdOEkqN3NUZcIcNcRn-pVxvyzH_pCm_bxrhaLxMLwhmLcA6Y36b7l6ydas9icGnGfbN5FgJpWb12fH1BKs8AIXGBc6Mh4/s320/CIMG1680.JPG" border="0" /></a>And sure enough, the condor stayed put long enough for me squeeze off to great photos. The bird was a little one, by condor standards, maybe only 6 feet from tip to tip, (proly just a kid) and he was tagged with number 55. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGh8qoa8YEA0_ewPOA_tR_26lSpLe4OtiB8E4MocjrfJZwJdx45Y-PxOQvsNgAnbZCBm-4vsZU0YY51AnvXuDRerL0OXdUXLVUjjP8Qh7Cn7mYVNeKATmLqYFFHJDykrEiwEqb-6_FkK4/s1600-h/CIMG1683.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420999813326851890" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGh8qoa8YEA0_ewPOA_tR_26lSpLe4OtiB8E4MocjrfJZwJdx45Y-PxOQvsNgAnbZCBm-4vsZU0YY51AnvXuDRerL0OXdUXLVUjjP8Qh7Cn7mYVNeKATmLqYFFHJDykrEiwEqb-6_FkK4/s320/CIMG1683.JPG" border="0" /></a>But it was still awesome sight. This went on for about 15 minutes and then the condor stretched out his wings one more time and off he went. Classic.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DOMVNCIFjhVzRVKRq8pHp2d1yFpr8yxrr1MI5dUQueefPoBm5Fn2n0bHotPF4FW7DFNvK_inVkYV0IN3qHLKBhoGKJJVrMJ5CoHL1mrqUgmLphVYUJ9Yla8Bk7XC2ZQiKQwUSBg7YNY/s1600-h/CIMG1686.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420999828884751970" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5DOMVNCIFjhVzRVKRq8pHp2d1yFpr8yxrr1MI5dUQueefPoBm5Fn2n0bHotPF4FW7DFNvK_inVkYV0IN3qHLKBhoGKJJVrMJ5CoHL1mrqUgmLphVYUJ9Yla8Bk7XC2ZQiKQwUSBg7YNY/s320/CIMG1686.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vvja7Rf5OrJIDMyNWCp-wz08zF-G_8pS1etK5n_ry9r08_mWAIvz43ejqAQT_BTZdI2S6TYV5s6XfcwrSnAWDo-bq78VeRri-ByUhenM8J4K4LCcFz2ksHl0lDfsWj7RMYiY6l6tmxM/s1600-h/CIMG1684.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420999822715399698" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8vvja7Rf5OrJIDMyNWCp-wz08zF-G_8pS1etK5n_ry9r08_mWAIvz43ejqAQT_BTZdI2S6TYV5s6XfcwrSnAWDo-bq78VeRri-ByUhenM8J4K4LCcFz2ksHl0lDfsWj7RMYiY6l6tmxM/s320/CIMG1684.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />With big condor wings on our feet, we set out up the creek to the trail and began the long climb out of the canyon.<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUoU_RP9SP4vVYcw4dGhbs6c8Zf-lT-lzPqS9F5lF6G1ktORumccfkAIBUwMlGmPk89YdTNGkMghO8ZVedUv30LXXNu6Ck-qmrgr46xtn0jpN40zMufGDSCtiXBPqUxnK6E134bm9nLc/s1600-h/CIMG1697.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420999843443944994" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifUoU_RP9SP4vVYcw4dGhbs6c8Zf-lT-lzPqS9F5lF6G1ktORumccfkAIBUwMlGmPk89YdTNGkMghO8ZVedUv30LXXNu6Ck-qmrgr46xtn0jpN40zMufGDSCtiXBPqUxnK6E134bm9nLc/s320/CIMG1697.JPG" border="0" /></a> Again, Carlo impressed me with his speed and endurance and we arrived back at the trailhead in under 2 hours (condor sighting included). All in all, I am a very proud dirtbag dad.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmRJ8FABaFUsJVO6ChV4hFUc9Ai24MBozaGlyKfsPuIWG0UxPm_FQ4lS0U7edH29Dg5UG9JCPqj-QUUOHzZocDavkzDnNFDB6WsF7lTd_O8MnXxk_FlZYzO2U7TaSF7IVq42AXIOMaVk/s1600-h/CIMG1700.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5420999834238986370" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkmRJ8FABaFUsJVO6ChV4hFUc9Ai24MBozaGlyKfsPuIWG0UxPm_FQ4lS0U7edH29Dg5UG9JCPqj-QUUOHzZocDavkzDnNFDB6WsF7lTd_O8MnXxk_FlZYzO2U7TaSF7IVq42AXIOMaVk/s320/CIMG1700.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />I just cant get enough of this place.Davi Rivashttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13460439014618790669noreply@blogger.com0