Hello again

Well, it's been a little over 2 months since I've posted anything so here's an update.

I started route setting for Touchstone in early August and it's been awesome. A lot of hard work and massive amounts of manual labor are involved in the job, which i really enjoy. I've been extremely exhausted pretty regularly since starting but it's starting to get a lot better. The first couple weeks were BRUTAL, i was falling asleep on the couch at 730 or 8 every night, one night i even fell asleep with a slice of pizza in my lap! On a positive note, i feel as tho all the hard labor and extra climbing is getting me a lot stronger, hopefully that will help this fall season!

Speaking of the fall season, the Vallley season followed by the Bishop season are just around the corner and i couldn't be more excited! Keep your fingers crossed for a cold dry fall! Lately it's been all about Tahoe, Dexter, Lauryn, Andrew, Mike, Daniel, John and i headed up there this past weekend and a few of us the couple weekends before. The conditions have been much less then ideal with temps falling between 74 and 85 degrees but the good times have been up there with the best. There's something about going away to climb for the weekend with absolutely no expectations, it kinda frees you from feeling the need to wake up at 7 to get to the blocks early, or waiting till the end of the day to have a beer, or giving a shit when you don't stick that super reachy dead point move over and over and over. When the weather is warm, the setting is beautiful and you're surrounded by good friends all that stress just disappears and you're left enjoying yourself.

the crew getting ready to get tradical (dex, andrew and i free soloed)




Mike's first Trad experience.

Route setting

It's official, I will be joining the touchstone route setting crew as early as the end of august. No more front desk for me. Psyched!

Failing

In the past month i haven't gone running once, i only climbed routes once, but i have lost a few lbs i managed to gain this spring. Basically i've been failing at the sumer of fitness program but i am feeling a bit stronger so i guess it's ok. i think it's time to try to get back on the program, lose a few more lbs, get some endurance back and be a little more structured about training. On a positive note Trinity Aretes was freaking rad! Although our trip was cut a day short Natasha and i had a good time figuring out some routes and coming close to finishing up some hard lines. Natasha worked all the moves of Spliff 13c and i did all the moves on Smoke Signals also 13c but very different. Spliff is a 80 foot endurance test where Smoke Signals is a 40 foot boulder problem. both very cool routes that fit our very different styles of climbing, Tash can hold on for the long haul and i do much better on short bouldery routes. i was very surprised i enjoyed Smoke Signals so much since it's pretty much solid 12c/d for the first 3 clips then it turns on at a VERY crimpy v8ish crux. Overall this is an amazing crag and i'm psyched to go back there and finish that route.

Summer Time

Summer is here and it's pretty much to hot to climb outside for me, so that leaves me with training in the gym and my new found hobby of trail running. I started out the summer drinking a shit ton of beer and eating a a shit ton of BBQ, that has all changed now, it's time to get fit. in the next 8 weeks i need to shed the 8 pounds of body fat i gained drinking all that beer and eating all that food. my plan; run a bunch, climb a ton of routes and watch my diet very closely (all of this applies to monday - saturday, sunday is the "eat anything you want day") i'm cutting out nearly all beer, dairy and processed foods. 3 by 4's here i come, gotta get that endurance back. Regular 7 to 10 mile trail runs are also in the line up. Summer of Fitness 2010 has begun. On another note i'm going up to Trinity Aretes soon for some fun sport climbing, really psyched on that.

Found the Psych!

After a pretty discouraging spring session in The Valley and the distraction of sport climbing to heal a nearly busted shoulder i've found the psych again. In the past 10 days i've bouldered on plastic 4 times which just about doubles the total number of boulder sessions since my shoulder started feeling fucked 4 months ago and i have to say i'm pretty surprised at how quickly it's coming back. As long as my shoulder doesn't explode i'm ready to get back at it and train fucking hard this summer. It's gonna take A LOT of hard work and dedication to obtain my goal of climbing V10 by the fall but i'm down to make the effort. PSYCHED!

Surf Safari

Dan and i decided to head out to Surf Safari 5.13d/14a this morning thinking that it would be perfect since the weather is so good but we were wrong. The holds were all wet which made clipping a bit nerve wrecking especially in the first couple bolts. We basically ended up doing a couple aid pitches instead of actually sport climbing. Being that it was my first time out there i didn't care that it was wet all that much, i really just wanted to figure out beta and make a few moves which i did so i don't feel like it was a total waste. I'm psyched to get back out there and try it again with drier conditions.

routes vs bouldering

apparently i've become a route climber and my bouldering has gone to complete shit. 6 months ago i could not have imagined myself climbing pretty well on routes but for some strange reason i'm fucking psyched on climbing the longer ones right now. i really wish i could get back into bouldering shape but being that the spring season is looking to be a bit of a wash i might just keep roping up and see if i can attain my goal of climbing 5.14 by the fall. who knows, i'm hella indecisive about shit right now. either way i need to start training hard and STOP eating candy.

Yosemite Round 2

Once again i spent the last weekend in Yosemite Valley and with far more success on the blocks. After a quick session late Saturday morning to work out some of the moves, watch Dan send and fall off the infamous mantle, i went back that evening for better temps and sent Midnight Lightning first go. SO FUCKING PSYCHED! I think i'm kinda starting to get the hang of climbing in the Valley, and can't wait to get back out there and try some harder shit.

Yosemite

Dex and i went to the valley this last weekend for some bouldering with little expectations and it reminded me that i am NOT a good rock climber. I got shut the fuck down by every problem i tried including things i flashed in the fall. Basically i spent the weekend blowing off rocks and bleeding all over the place. It appears to be time to train really hard,try to learn some technique and try to find some psyche being that i for some reason have none at the moment.

First 5.13!

I spent at least 4 weekends working on this route and kinda beat it down till it felt easy. On saturday i came about as close as possible to sending it until i missed clipping the chains and took the BIGGEST whipper i've ever taken, i fell a good 50 feet before Natasha was slammed into the first draw de-camming the grigri, thank god she's an experienced climber and knew to hold the break end of the rope. After a good nights sleep we went back to the crag on sunday and after 2 warm-up burns i got back on Cell Block and sent it. So psyched! Natasha killed it out there as usual sending the 13a Toe to Toe and the 12d misdemeanor both 2nd go. Over all a super fun and exciting weekend.

It looks like the valley is gonna be dry here real fast and i can't wait to get back to bouldering on that bomber granite.

For now it's a rest "week", my shoulder has been really bothering me and i believe it's time to rest it up and get it back to 100% before the valley season comes and goes.