Heavenly day
Decided to go ahead with the climbing outing, despite another bad night. Six of us headed out I-90, to Exit 38, to an area known as The Far Side. We eased into the morning with a few moderate routes, did a harder one, then a two pitch we set up as a 50 meter top rope. It was extremely windy at first, but as the day moved on past noon, it seemed to abate, and the temperature inched up into the low 70's. When you're climbing on low sleep, things acquire a dreamlike quality, and, you hope, not a nightmarish one. Nice steep little half-hour hike up and then back down, a bit more on the down since one of our party got us off track in the woods.
The wind was so strong it managed to obliterate the freeway noise, which is a detraction from this area's appeal. You could almost imagine it was heavy surf pounding, the combination of wind and road noise. Our last route was down out of the wind, and up a dark nicely crystally-gritty slab with good edges and features. While we waited to take turns going up, some of us felt like sleepy lizards.
A great tune up for the week.
The wind was so strong it managed to obliterate the freeway noise, which is a detraction from this area's appeal. You could almost imagine it was heavy surf pounding, the combination of wind and road noise. Our last route was down out of the wind, and up a dark nicely crystally-gritty slab with good edges and features. While we waited to take turns going up, some of us felt like sleepy lizards.
A great tune up for the week.
posted by isabelita at 8:52 PM
7 Comments:
Isa,
My adventure racer friends have some real hair raising stories about racing up a serious incline/pitch up over 10K feet and on about two hours of sleep over the course of a 4 day period. Now if that doesn't convince you that these adventure racers are nutty, then ask one about the time they were halucinating on the trail while bashing down a Mt. on a bicycle with only head lamps lighting the way....zioks...so, that sort of puts a bad night of sleep in perspective doesn't it?
Well, geeze, 'spike, I bet they're relatively young, compared to me.
No, it doesn't put a bad night's sleep into perspective!! I need sleep!
Hmm...these men and women who do adventure racing are beyond nutty. Certainly, I wouldn't be joining them. I get downright grumpy if I don't get the right amount of sleep. I hope I came across antagonistically, I was trying to me sardonic or some other thing. Sarcasm is so hard to convey on the internet isn't it?
Blog on sister, and may you get the propper amount of rest.
Whoops. I obviously need to get some sleep - I meant to type: "I hope I DIDN'T come across antagonistically..."
I do apologize once again. I have to shut this machine down. I can't see straight.
Blog on all.
Oh, no worries, as the young ones say. You know, I remember meeting one of the earlier adventure racer types, a friend of my sister's, down in Prescott, AZ, in 1980. He had done a big long foot race through Death Valley, or in some mountains, and was at a party. We were introduced to him, and he sat down in a chair and instantly nodded off. I can picture him still, sitting slumped in the chair, sound asleep. I was sore amazed...
OMG! You've gone over to 'The Far Side'! (Did you see Gary Larsen?)
BTW: Thanks for the lovely quote from Uncle Bill.
Neil, Gary Larsen is from Seattle. He used to have a house not too far from ours, with what looked like a crash-landed dragon on the roof. I've never seen the guy, I don't think... You're welcome for the quote. His work is chockful of goodness.
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