Journeys Stateside

2007-02-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

So we didn't get the spread on the 'featured' gym in the recent Urban Climber.. maybe it will be in one of the next issues? However there is some buildering pics in this issue. I just found out why I climb in this issue too! Check it out and see what happens when one is left out of the editing process... had no idea until reading it after it was printed!. Oh well... still working on that new site too. Lata'

Delinquency

2007-01-03T16:25:00.000-08:00

Any of you out there who have been checking up on this waiting for 'more coming soon' I apologize! I have been terribly busy of late and coupled with many errors and technical problems I have not been able to update this thing... no more secrets on this end. I am on the 'other west coast' having moved to Florida. I know there is no climbing here, but it is more do to a recent acquisition that prompted this current move. Before I delve further let's back track first...

Upon returning to the US after an overseas journey (see travelingcat.blogspot.com) I found myself on the west coast (San Diego). I was back to doing tile work and renovations as my funds were low and I wanted to start saving for my next trip. On the few days I wasn't working I got out to sample some of So Cal's bouldering.. it was pretty good and I was rolling with a fun crew, but constant pain and lack of power was starting to worry me. After one such outing I found that I couldn't raise my right hand above my chest without experiencing major crepitates and pain! I had an MRI done and was thankful for no tears being found.. however, the cause was still unanswered. I finally saw a doctor who did some tests and came to the conclusion that I had a pinched nerve in my neck and back that were adversely affecting my right shoulder. I had lost the ability to get beyond the inflammatory stage of an injury and my rotator cuff was only functioning at half it's strength. Thus the constant pain and lack of power! The doctor also stated that said injury had been worsened do to repeated activity and that although not to current levels it had most likely degraded over the last few years. So at the very least an excuse on all the lines I wasn't able to send... haha!
Over the last few years I have been looking for something to do that could allow a little more stability (as in I wouldn't be coming back from some trip broke). When the opportunity to buy into an existing business came up I decided to go check it out..

Here I am in Florida now. Owner of a climbing gym in a state with no rock!. The facility was outdated and had been neglected over the last few years. So after closing the doors for a month and 'modernizing' we are open for business again. Check it out at www.VerticalVentures.com ! And in the Feb./March issue of "Urban Climber" one can see our facility as well as some interesting 'buildering' pics... I am going to begin working on a new site, so stay tuned.

2006-09-23T19:27:00.000-07:00

more coming soon..

F.LA

2006-07-31T09:34:00.000-07:00

Where to begin?.. it has been a while and much has happened. I was able to catch the tail end of the storm (see last post), and as such was not able to accomplish my goal. So upon further review I decided to change course and make the move.. upon returning to Cali. most thought my plans to be both exciting and unbelievable. I had a week to finish up a few jobs and to tie up all the 'loose' ends of my existence on the left coast. It was a grueling three day burn (solo) across the southern US with little sleep and few stops.. thus far there haven't been any storms, so I have been occupying my time with various other interests. I am currently apprenticing under a local 'gator wrestler' who has been most helpful in showing me the proper techniques to reducing personal injury. Here on the 'other' west coast I have also been lounging beach side and enjoying the ample night life that this city has to offer! I will try and include some current photos, but in the meantime enjoy the rest of the summer...

storm chasing?

2006-06-13T01:22:00.000-07:00

Flying to Tampa on an early AM flight. Hopefully I'll catch the storm before it reaches land. The weather can be a tricky thing to track. We'll see if this one works out or not?. It's gearing up to be quite a season...

High in SoCal

2006-05-18T00:54:00.000-07:00

I finally got the photos to post, so I hope that everyone enjoys... it is starting to get really hot in the desert (90's and higher) so the 'normal' bouldering spots just aren't an option now. Fortunetly there are more than a few possibilities in this part of the country and I have been exploring them during my limited free time. Since they start at about 7,500' (Black Mtn.) and get as high as 8,600'+ (Tramway) they still stay relatively cool. The quality varies, yet with such abundant quantities of rock there is more than enough to keep me busy.. the only real drawback is that coming from maybe a few hundred feet and than shooting up over 7000' one tends to get more worked than usual! Not a real problem, but it definetly takes it's toll.
Apart from climbing I have been steadily working away. I was able to make it to San Francisco several weeks ago for my father was in the country. It had been a while since I had seen him or my brother, so that was excellent! Although it was a short trip it is such a fun city to visit plus the good company made it well worth it.
I have had a few minor strains and tweaks lately. However; what I thought were going to be major setbacks have since sorted themselves out and now feel stronger than before.. bizarre, but a major relief. I am going to post some more Baja pics soon, so if that interests anyone than check back and look in Aprils? archive and see what Stevie sent me... That's it for now and I will try and be more consistant with this thing.
ps- just remembered: there is a short video that I am in from my trip to Utah on DrTopo.com in his media section (Spring '06) check it out!

2006-05-18T00:51:00.000-07:00

2006-05-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

Another fun line on quality granite... Tramway, CA.

2006-05-18T00:45:00.000-07:00

Buck on an excellent yet unusual line at the tram...

2006-05-18T00:42:00.000-07:00

2006-05-18T00:37:00.000-07:00

Buck about to be 'Standing on the Head of a Dragon', the Tram.

2006-05-18T00:35:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

myself working out the moves on 'Green Piece'.

2006-05-18T00:29:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

Bridget making it look easy...

2006-05-18T00:24:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

fun warm up at the tram

2006-05-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

chillin' up at Black Mtn.

2006-05-18T00:08:00.000-07:00

ok.. I have new photos, but am experiencing some technical difficulties... I will post as soon as I can figure out what the problem is!

2006-04-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Utah

2006-04-18T00:40:00.000-07:00

It was like a college reunion given the crew we had together (I hadn't seen some of those guys in years!)... after a crazy weekend of partying down in PB I grabbed a quick nap before loading up the truck and hitting the road. Andy slept soundly while I drove through the night, but I finally had to pull over around 4am somewhere north of Vegas as exhaustion was setting in. Up and on the road by seven thirty for we were going climbing and time was against us... finally the familiar smoke stacks of Castledale could be seen on the distant horizon. It wouldn't be long now! One more brief stop at the Food Ranch for last minute provisions and we were in 'Americas Playground' Joe's Valley. Excellent black and tan streaked sandstone blocks with more than enough variety and quantity to busy ourselves for our short stay. Although a touch on the warm side, the weather was good. With the full moon; sessioning well into the dark wasn't a problem and as evening came on the conditions became prime. Andy was climbing quite well and sending hard (especially given that only a few months prior he had undergone extensive wrist surgery)!. I faired all right myself sending a few old projects and ticking a few new lines too. Much thanks to Jason for showing us what the 'guide' could not. Before we knew it we were driving towards SLC and Andy's flight back to Montana. I was able to get in one more day at Joe's before heading back the twelve hours to San Diego... Easter traffic, head cold, and all.

ps- as Stevie was not able to come down (due to his busy schedule) I still don't have any more Baja photos.. hopefully before long I will be able to post them.

2006-04-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

2006-04-18T00:20:00.001-07:00

2006-04-18T00:20:00.000-07:00

DR midway out the classic riverside rail problem..

2006-04-18T00:19:00.000-07:00

photo by Andy O'brien

2006-04-18T00:17:00.000-07:00

photo by Andy O'brien

Baja

2006-04-03T14:55:00.000-07:00

I realize that Baja isn't a part of the states, but I felt I would include my travels to our southern neighbors in this blog anyway.. This is only a few of the photos from the trip, but I won't be able to post anymore until I get back from Utah next week. My friend Stevie came down from Montana on his spring break. Originally he was going to be heading back north to Ibex, but to the disappointment of his brother he decided to go to Mexico instead. This worked out nicely for me as I had unexpectedly gotten the week off of work! We went down through Mexicali and spent a few days on the east side of the Sierra Juarez Mtns. Upon arriving at some hot springs in Canyon de Guadalupe (I had been to these springs several years ago!) we set up camp and settled into a very relaxing atmosphere. Perhaps a bit to relaxing though, for Stevie was amped to get to the west coast and try out his new wet suit in the frigid Pacific. Oh well... so a few short cuts (salt flats) and several hundred Km later and we were back on the left coast. It was full on 'spring break' for some and other adventurous youths were down south too. So after a long night of tequila and margaritas it shouldn't have been a surprise when I awoke to see Stevie and his girlfriend sleeping in the dirt.. Apparently Colleen couldn't keep down her fish taco, or maybe it was just all the 'agave' we had been imbibing?. Anyway, the surf wasn't pumping and lacked the force needed for really good waves. Regardless; I think that Stevie enjoyed getting out and the beaches made for a good rest bit from work. A flat tire, Federali checkpoints, and some crooked policia later and we were back in the States.. just in time for Stevie and his posse to load up and drive (19hrs) back to Montana. Good times! I can't wait to go back...

2006-04-03T14:29:00.000-07:00

2006-04-03T14:28:00.000-07:00

It is a harsh and arid region of the Baja. Not the kind of place one would like to be left behind!

2006-04-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

playing in the 'salt flats' of Laguna Salada..

2006-04-03T14:21:00.000-07:00

2006-04-03T14:20:00.000-07:00

looking out towards Laguna Salada from Canyon de Guadalupe..

2006-04-03T14:16:00.000-07:00

view from the springs..

2006-03-23T10:41:00.000-08:00

Brian Capps 'hiking' a J-tree classic.

2006-03-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

2006-03-23T10:39:00.000-08:00

2006-03-23T10:38:00.000-08:00

Trying to recover after again getting to the last set of grips before hucking to the final 'jug'. Since I sprained my ankle a week ago I was having 'commitment' issues, so I no huck for 'jug'! What a wus, no. Y2K, J-tree.

2006-03-13T00:01:00.000-08:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

2006-03-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

Here I am on the 'Station 10' south arete project. A quite tall line on really good rock with amazing movement!.

2006-03-12T23:53:00.000-08:00

Photo by Ian McIntosh

A shot of myself on 'Mad Phat' from a month ago...

Bishop

2006-03-11T08:53:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was the infamous 'dirt bag classic'!. However, with the pretenses of forgetting my pitching wedge and putter I didn't actually participate. I couldn't justify driving six plus hours to be in bishop on a perfect weekend to just play golf and drink. I know that those who participated had a great time, so maybe next year I'll give it a go... A few of my friends had never been to bishop so I gave them the tour: from the Happys to the Milks to Mammoth hot springs. After post holing in knee deep snow for twenty minutes, I found out the hard way that the BLM had removed some 'classic' hot spring/tubs. Eventually we made our way to a hot pool that had space available for a few more people. Not a moment to soon either, for a large group of international 'soakers' showed up about forty minutes later. It turns out that it was a double birthday celebration for several of the Russian women and they brought food and drink for all! We stayed a little longer, but with close to twenty people packed into a tub that normally handles about six comfortably it was time to move on.
The weather and the climbing made for a good time, but it was a long drive for such a short stay. Regardless it was an excellent weekend.

2006-03-07T23:44:00.000-08:00

2006-03-07T23:43:00.000-08:00

2006-03-07T23:42:00.000-08:00

2006-03-07T23:41:00.000-08:00

Catching up

2006-02-27T04:28:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lengthy lapse there... I have been meaning to post for a while now, but do to the fact that life seems so static and repetitive these days I often find myself uninspired. It's not that I haven't been doing anything exciting here on the left coast. Far from it really! Rather it's more having only a short time ago, having nothing more than a whim influence my daily 'routine.' Realizing that tinge to the air is completely new, yet perplexed by it's ability to somehow seem so familiar? The slightest breeze conveying the nearly forgotten memories of years past. Looking up at the night sky and seeing Tucana, the Phoenix, Vela, and Crux (the southern cross); yet another reminder of how far I had come. Often things were so different and bizarre that I could have been dreaming...

No, things have been excellent out here!. The wild parties in LA, seeing old friends, and going to new bouldering areas have been occupying most of my time. I even saw my Mom as she stopped off for a brief visit before returning home to NZ!. This all gets crammed in around my regular work week of course! In fact I saw my first Cirque Du Soleil show (Quidam) the other day. It was quite an impressive performance. A few of the 'acts' showed such power and athletic prowess... very inspiring really!. Hence the recent postings. Well, enjoy.

2006-02-27T01:58:00.000-08:00

Advertisement? No... just two people who don't share well!

2006-02-27T01:30:00.000-08:00

Michelle getting agonizingly close, but to only be thwarted and spit off of the final slopey edges guarding the finish on 'Europa'.

2006-02-27T01:13:00.000-08:00

2006-02-27T01:12:00.000-08:00

Bridget working her way out the excellent moves that are 'Europa'! Jupiters, CA.

2006-02-27T01:08:00.000-08:00

2006-02-27T01:04:00.000-08:00

2006-02-27T01:03:00.000-08:00

Ian flying for it on a savage little campus problem at the Jupiters, CA.

2006-02-27T01:01:00.000-08:00

Mr. B Hyatt and myself apparently in the midst of a funny face competition... perhaps well on our way to oblivion?!.

SoCal

2006-01-30T20:34:00.000-08:00

Since getting out to the west coast I have been fairly busy... hence the long delay in posts. Between working and coming down with a flu bug I have only gotten out a couple of times. However, I have been fortunate enough to get the local tour (thanks Ian & Bridget)of some of So Cals 'winter' areas.
The quality of the rock and the lines at the Jupiter boulders (near Palm Springs) were a welcome surprise!. Although it is a small area, I had an excellent time with a fun posse of other climbers. Much was sent and more than a few first time sends where had! The Dos Cabezas area (near Ocotillo) was pretty fun, but do to the heat coupled with the aggresive rock type it was hard to get really psyched!
I hope to get out as often as possible while living here in SD, yet as I am now reduced to weekend warrior status it will be sporatic at best. Never the less... stay tuned.

2006-01-30T20:29:00.000-08:00

2006-01-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

2006-01-30T20:27:00.002-08:00

2006-01-30T20:27:00.001-08:00

2006-01-30T20:26:00.000-08:00

2006-01-30T20:23:00.000-08:00

Bridget getting very close on 'Mad Phat?' at the Dos Cabezas area, CA.

2006-01-30T20:22:00.000-08:00

Ian on a 'classic' at the Jupiter Boulders, CA.

2006-01-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

NYC

2006-01-06T18:36:00.000-08:00

Upon leaving the fresh snows of New England I returned to NYC to spend several days in the 'big apple.' I figured the madness of the New Years would have mostly subsided and it would be back to it's more 'normal' yet frantic pace!. It has been many years since I last lived here and I was looking forward to meeting up with some old friends too. My sister and I went to the American Museum of Natural History where we spent almost an entire day taking in the various exhibits... it's a fun town, but I now must head out to the west coast were I will be saving up for future global exploits.

2006-01-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

The reservoir in Central Park, NY

2006-01-06T18:28:00.000-08:00

Dinosaurs were massive...

2006-01-06T18:25:00.000-08:00

Estados Locos

2006-01-06T18:20:00.000-08:00

After leaving Europe I flew into NYC and found myself in the middle of a transit union strike... so laidened with all of my gear I footed it the eight or so blocks to Port Authority in hopes of catching a bus Northward.

My plan: to meet up with an old friend who would help me to surprise my sisters who would be convening in the Boston area for Christmas... it had been over four years since I last attended this holiday.

Everyone was very surprised and could hardly believe that I was there! It was excellent to see everybody and spend time with my sisters and their families...
I then went upto my friends place in New Hampshire for a 'relaxing' New Years. As I took over bar duties that evening the 'relaxing' night soon digressed into a medly of wild dancing! Those present had myself to thank for the queazy feelings and headaches that abounded the following morning.

2006-01-06T18:19:00.000-08:00

2006-01-06T18:17:00.000-08:00

2006-01-06T18:16:00.001-08:00

more shooters...

2006-01-06T18:16:00.000-08:00

2006-01-06T16:49:00.000-08:00

Marky getting a new haircut.

2006-01-06T16:47:00.000-08:00

My nephew wieldng his lightsaber...