The Organic Climber – Vegetarian running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing and raw foods.

A couple weeks ago during my trip to California for the Natural Foods Expo I set aside a day to go climb at Joshua Tree National Park. A friend of mine from Dallas recently moved out there, so we met up with another local for a day on the rocks. If you have ever seen pictures or videos of Joshua Tree, they don’t do it justice. This place is amazingly beautiful; stunning rock features, TONS of beige and green joshua trees, and expansive blue sky’s. It was a shame I only had one day to spend here. One could spend an entire year here and never climb everything the park has to offer.

Since moving to Austin nearly two years ago I have been mostly sport climbing, so to get out and lead some trad climbs felt amazing. The time I have spent sport climbing has actually helped with my confidence level on the rock. I figured since I hadn’t lead trad in a long time I wouldn’t be able to lead well but I found it quite easy. We did stick to easy climbs, but Joshua Tree is well known for stiff, sand bagged grades, meaning climbers rate the climb much easier than it actually is.

The first climb we went up was only rated a 5.1, which technically should be an easy scramble up a pile of boulders, but that was not the case. Even though the climb was easy, I felt it was more in the 5.5 range with one 5.7 move. I forget the name of the particular climb, but it was right off the road with parking just a few feet from the clim. Picnic benches also surrounded the cliff face, which made sorting gear quite easy. The tables also made for a nice resting place while waiting for others in the party to finish a climb. It seemed to be quite a popular area because of the ease of the climbs as well as the access.

The second climb of the day was called The Chief. It’s a classic 5.6 climb about a quarter mile from parking. The short 60 foot climb was one of the most exciting climbs I have ever done. It’s now on my list of top, all-time climbs. The crack starts off angling to the right and then shoots straight up onto a small ledge, which then finishes out on another crack to the left, going straight up. From the small ledge you can go straight into the crack, pulling what I felt was one 5.7 move, requiring you to step on a thin ledge to pull the slight overhang into the crack. You might not even call it an, “overhang” but the angle is odd moving up into the crack from the ledge and requires a high step.

Typically a climb earns its rating based on the hardest move on the route, but that didn’t seem to be the case on this climb. Some online sites rate the route at 5.5, the guide book book we used gives it a 5.6. But despite what rating you want to give the climb, it was a blast to climb. The route took gear very well, too. I plugged in a few cams as well as a couple solid nut placements. There were a couple sections of the climb that were easy to run out as well (meaning you put extra distance between gear placements), which made the climb easy to complete with a fairly light rack of gear.

After both the lead climbers in the group had a chance to climb the route, we all topped out on the climb and enjoyed our lunch while overlooking the expansive desert. It was a beautiful day, and well worth the drive out from LA. It’s small moments like we had on top of Reggie’s Dome that made me thankful I am capable of enjoying such things. And, it made me appreciate creation in a way I don’t necessarily experience living in the city. Sure, Austin has great trails, but every few miles you will be close enough to a highway to see power lines or hear the roaring sounds of cars driven by people with busy schedules going about their hectic lives I wonder if I will ever get enough of the outdoors, it certainly brings a since of peace and clam every time I get out.

There are times I feel like I would love to live in a small mountain town, away from the business of the city. But, I often wonder if I would lose my appreciation for such beautiful things? I think about the first time I ran the Greenbelt trail here in Austin, and thought how awesome it was. Now, it’s just sort of routine. Running in new locations I have never been before renews my love for the outdoors. The same can be said for climbing as well. So, in a since I’m thankful to live in the city where I’m close to people and have good relationships. I think it allows me to appreciate nature all the more.

Anyway, back to the climbing. We finished the day climbing Fender Bender, a slabby 5.8-. We did this climb on top-rope, as we had used the anchor to rappel down from The Chief. The route certainly had a couple of challenging sections and would have made an interesting lead, as the entire 95ft climb only had two bolts. Both the leaders in the group felt we could have lead the climb, as the crux moves are well protected by the bolt. However the long run-outs certainly would have been a mental challenge.

After finishing Fender Bender we hiked back to the car and drove around the park a bit just to take in the views. Even though we probably could have got in another climb, we opted to take it easy and return home early. Joshua Tree is definitely a place I will have to return. Perhaps the next trip I take there will be with my son, or daughter. I hope so – I get excited about being able to share my love for the outdoors with my future children.

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
joshua tree, national park, rock climbing
1 comment

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What makes an energy bar and energy bar? Watch the video and find out, and listen to by short plea about how you can help launch my new energy bar company – Adventure Naturals.

The $5 Plea

Now, through Christmas, if you donate just $5 to our Kickstarter campaign you will receive an extra energy bar. These bars will retail for around $3 each, so you are essentially saving $1, AND you are helping start an AWESOME company, dedicated to bringing nutritious energy foods to the masses.

Think about it, $5 doesn’t go very far these days. Five dollars barely will cover a large latte, you can’t even buy a move ticket with five dollars, it will barely even get you food off a value menu, and five dollars won’t even get you two gallons of gas. So, when you think about it, your five dollars is going a LONG way by helping start our company.

So, check out our project and make a donation today!

Climbing, Cross Training, Cycling, Health & Fitness, Nutty Friday, RAW Food, Recipes, Running, Smoothie Tuesday, Trip Reports, Uncategorized, Whacky Wednesday by OrganicClimber
carbohydrates, energy bar, fats, kickstarter, nutrition, protein
1 comment

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These past two weeks have been some of the most relaxing days I have ever had. On Saturday, November 13^th, I pulled away from a South Austin Church in a car plastered with silly string, the inside full of blown up condoms, and the stereo blaring Super Freak. I was a married man, wedded to the most beautiful woman ever, ready for a life-long adventure together.

Our adventure started with something I would have never done on my own – a cruise! If I had my way, we would have spent our honeymoon in the mountains. We thought about going to Hawaii at first so we could chill on the beach, as my wife loves to do, and we could also get some time in the mountains, but because of the cost and logistics I conceded and opted for the cruise, and I must say, I’m glad I did.

It was the most relaxing vacation I have ever had. We did nothing but relax! Our days on the ship were pretty much the same for the most part. We would sleep in as late as we wanted, and often times order breakfast in bed. After we were awake and well feed, we would head up to the Lido deck of the boat and lay out for a couple hours and read, all while sipping on the drink of the day, which was always served in some sort of souvenir cup.

After we had our fill of the sun we would eat lunch, which was usually followed by a long relaxing nap. Once we woke up from our nap we would get dressed and head to dinner. Dinner was always amazing. We never left that meal hungry. There was even a vegetarian selection each day. I would either opt for that or get a seafood dish. We even had seconds on occasion or ordered two appetizers each. There was no limit on how much food you could get. The service was also outstanding.

Out first port day was Jamaica, the day I was most excited about because we got to take a bus ride through the interior of the island. We toured the Appleton Estates rum distillery. The most interesting part was learning how the whole system was entirely sustainable. Every bit of the sugar cane was used, nothing was thrown away. The molasses was used to make the rum, the cane sugar was extracted and sold, and the leftover cane was burned, and the steam used to generate electricity. Even that ash was used to spread back onto the cane fields as fertilizer.

Jamaica is a very mountainous country; so I really enjoyed the bus ride though the hills, around twisting corners, through a beautiful rain forested landscape. I even departed from my vegetarian diet for a few minutes to indulge in a local delicacy – Jerk Chicken. I did however end up getting an upset stomach from it, but thankfully I was also drinking a Ginger Beer, another local treat. Ginger is great for soothing an upset stomach.

The return ride through the mountains was very long because we hit “traffic” which was the result of an 18 wheeler slowly making its way down the extremely narrow two-lane road, which was also the highway, one of Jamaica’s better roads. As we pulled into port we heard the ships horn sounding the final call for boarding, so we quickly grabbed a handful of post cards from the gift shop and boarded she ship. Upon arriving at our room we heard the ships horn blast its final call for boarding, we watched from our balcony as several people scrambled to get back on the ship.

The next port day was Grand Cayman. Sadly, our plans for this day were stunted by rain and cloudy skies. We had originally planned on taking a taxi to a locals beach and rent snorkel gear. But, because of the weather conditions we opted to stay close to the ship. After spending some time walking the streets and looking in gift shops we had a drink at a local pub, which was outdoors, and right along the shore. After our drink we decided to give snorkeling at the reef close to our ship a try.

It ended up being quite fun. We swam around, looking at the reef beneath us, and an old shipwreck. There wasn’t as many fish as I thought there would be, but it was still fun expelling air and diving down as closely to them as I could. There were several other people snorkeling around us, including a few divers. Going deep looked like it would have been a lot of fun. Upon finishing our snorkeling excursion we decided to head back to the boat and spend the rest of the day relaxing.

The final port day was Cozumel and our most enjoyable port day, as it was the first day we had sunshine. At Cozumel we hopped into a high priced cab and rode about 3-4 miles down the road to the State Beach, Chankanaab. Entry to the beach was also high priced; twice as much as we had thought. By the time we paid our cab fare, entry to the park and saved $12 for the cab ride home, we were left with a measly $17 for the day, which meant we were not going to be able to snorkel (or eat lunch) as planned.

We put our $17 to good used though. The beach was covered with small cabanas and waiters at the ready to serve you drink and food. We both opted for a cold beer, which I was quite surprised to discover my favorite Mexican beer, Indo, was not on the list of beers offered. So, I opted for a Sol, which you can also get in the States. For our second drink, we both got daiquiris; which, I wasn’t fully convinced had any alcohol in it. This also made me nervous as the drink was made from blended ice. They say in Mexico, “don’t drink the water,” but we ended up being ok. Only slight stomachaches resulted.

But, before having our second drink I struck up a conversation with a woman, from Canada that was getting out of the water with snorkel gear on. We told her how we were on our honeymoon and made it to the beach with very little money to spare. The woman was extremely nice, and she and her husband let us borrow their rented gear to snorkel around the reef.

It was very beautiful and full of fish, way more than we saw at Grand Cayman. It also helped that it was a sunny day as well. As we swam around, exploring the reef, large tuna would swim right by your side, you could reach right out and touch them, but they would swim away after feeling you reach for them. It was very enjoyable! We were so thankful for our Canadian friends that let us borrow their gear. It really made our day.

After that, we spent some more time relaxing on the beach and then made our way through the botanical garden and old Mayan Ruins they had set up throughout the garden. I’m not a huge history buff by any means, but I always enjoy looking at old artifacts like this. I just can’t fully enjoy it because I’m too lazy to read the plaques in front of the artifacts describing what they are. I’m the same way in museums. I love looking, just don’t care too much for learning.

After finishing up or Mayan Ruins tour we hopped into a cab and headed back to port. We also got ripped off on the cab as well. We attempted to share a cab with another couple but the guys running the cabs quickly shut the door and whistled for another cab to take us to port. Had we been able to share the cab, it would have only cost us $8 as opposed to $12. The locals definitely know how to work the system. But I really don’t mind it that much. They need the money.

The voyage home was just as relaxing as our first two days at sea. We did however have one evening where the sea was rougher than usual. You could really feel the ship moving around, but staff on the ship told us it was nothing compared to other days they have experienced where stuff is moving around all over the ship. Despite the choppy night at sea, we had a great time.

Many of our night were spent with the door to the balcony open, falling asleep to the crashing waves. It was one of the most enjoyable things I have ever experienced. And, lying there with my new bride made it even more surreal. It was splendid!

Granted, I would have rather gone to the mountains, I must say this was TRULY a relaxing vacation. I will definitely be doing this again. Sadly, the vacation is over though, but on the flip side I’m back in Austin, working hard on Adventure Naturals.

Speaking of, we need your help to get things up and running. If you donate as little as $5 you earn yourself an energy bar from our first batch of product. Please watch our video on Kickstarter and consider making a donation.

Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
cozumel, cruise, grand cayman, honeymoon, jamaica, mexico, Western Caribbean Cruise
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Well, I’m back in Austin after enjoying a week-long cruise with my new wife in the Western Caribbean. Now, I’m not normally a lay out in the sun type of person, but I really enjoyed the cruise. It was so relaxing. People waited on you hand and foot, dinner was prepared for you every night, your bed was made twice a day, food was always at the ready, and there was always somebody offering drinks.

We had a blast laying out in the sun, driving through the mountains in Jamaica to visit a rum distillery, and even snorkeling. Oh, and we had LOTS of nap time too. That was one of the best parts of the trip. I’m spending today catching up on emails, promoting the Kickstarter Project (as seen in the side bar), doing laundry, and cleaning the house. I will be sure to post a full trip report later this week, before Thanksgiving.

If you haven’t donated to our Kickstarter project yet, please consider doing so. The quicker we raise our startup funds the sooner we can start production. All giving levels ($5 and up) will receive a gift of at least one energy bar.

RAW Food, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
cruise, energy bar, honeymoon, kickstarter, RAW Food
1 comment

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Well, my wedding day is almost here and I managed to complete our Kickstarter project for Adventure Naturals. I knew I could get it done, but a small part of me freaked out when my business parter had to cancel our shoot last week due to flooding in his house. But we were able to shoot Tuesday morning, and I managed to edit the video in a short amount of time. It’s not perfect, but it will do until I get back from the Honeymoon and redo the entire thing!

I hope you will take a moment to check out our project and consider donating. Donating as little as $5 gets you an energy bar. We are trying to raise $5,000 on Kickstarter, but we really need $10,000 to get started, so please, keep on giving after the $5,000 goal is met. You still get gifts for the donation and we get closer to what we actually need to start.

Anyway, I will be out of pocket for the next week and a half (going on a cruise with my lovely new wife), but my business partner will be answering any emails and messages through Kickstarter. It’s always been my dream to run my own business, and what better business to start than a raw food company? It truly combines all my passions. So, please, help my dream become a reality

Climbing, Cross Training, Cycling, Health & Fitness, Nutty Friday, RAW Food, Recipes, Running, Smoothie Tuesday, Trip Reports, Uncategorized by OrganicClimber
business, energy bar, food, kickstarter, RAW
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About a month ago this weekend, I was hit by a car and walked away without breaking a bone in my body. I was very blessed to have survived the accident, but ever since then I have had a lot of pain in my knees, right hip/thigh, and low back. My chiropractor had me wait to get an MRI because he wanted to see if the swelling would go down and the pain subside, but it didn’t. In fact, it has gotten worse. I often wake up at night with pain in the knees and low back.

This past month has been difficult for a number of reasons. Not only have I missed running, cycling, and climbing, but I missed out on some much needed work the weekend of the accident. Thankfully I will be getting compensated for that though, but it will be at least another six months or longer before I see any of that money. It has been mostly difficult not being able to enjoy the activities that bring me joy. It was been a subtle reminder though, that true joy isn’t found in those things.

Early last week my chiropractor decided it would be a good idea to get an MRI. An appointment was finally set for Monday morning. I was anxious to find out what was wrong. I wanted to know so I could get the green light to become active again and exercise my knees back to good health, but the news I got wasn’t very pleasing. I am thankful though that they found SOMETHING. I would rather know what is wrong than for them to say we couldn’t find anything.

The MRI, showed tearing of the meniscus in both knees, as well as significant swelling. My right knee, the one with the most pain, shows the most swelling and a horizontal tear in the lateral meniscus. The left knee shows a tear in posterior horn of the medial meniscus. All the jargon used in the MRI result made my head spin. I had to look up about 1/4 of the words used in the report in order to have a clear understanding of what was going on, and I still don’t completely get it.

I will be meeting with an Orthopedic Specialist, later this week – hopefully. Until then, I will not know what the next step will be. I am hoping simple physical therapy will be the solution. I am praying that this is not serious enough for surgery, but seeing as how I am walking and stayed on my feet (with much pain) for eight hours straight on Saturday while photographing a wedding, I assume surgery won’t be needed.

The Positive
One positive thing that has come out of this, is that I have been able to invest a lot more time into starting Adventure Naturals. My re-focused energy has allowed me to get a lot accomplished in the last month that will help us get our product launched soon. We are hoping to start producing early next year. I am currently working on information to post on Kickstarter to get the funding we need to startup. This could also be an opportunity for me to start swimming. I have always avoided the sport in fear I would get sucked into the tri, but who knows, maybe that will become a reality after I recover, fully.

My Diet
Coffee is going to have to go! Since starting to eat a high raw food diet over two years ago I gave up coffee for about a year or more, but slowly re-introduced it back in small infrequent amounts. But, since moving to Austin I have spent countless hours in coffee shops working on my business and freelance projects. For some reason, rather than opting for tea like I should, I started drinking coffee again.

Coffee is not good for the body when it needs healing. Coffee is high in refined carbohydrates and stresses the body, thus lowering it’s immune system. It’s also acidic, which doesn’t help with reducing inflammation. I will be focusing on consuming more dark leafy greens to help increase blood flow. Dark leafy greens are high in chlorophyll which helps cleans and oxygenate the blood, which translates to a reduction of fatigue, which will help reduce the inflammation in my knees.

I will also be consuming more alkaline foods to help the reduction of inflammation. Some of those foods are:

• Dark Leafy Greens (highly-alkaline forming)
• Buckwheat
• Quinoa (one of my favorites to use in cooked meals)
• Sweet Potatoes (the only alkaline-forming potato)
• Avocados
• Bananas
• Hemp Seed
• Flax Seed Oil (Great in Smoothies and raw dressings)
• Chia Seeds
• Almonds
• Berries
• Peaches
• Mangos (highly-alkaline forming)
• Green and Rooibos tea (to replace coffee, also highly alkaline-forming)

Foods I will be avoiding, that are acid-forming:

• Coffee
• Cheese (and any dairy)
• Pasta
• Sunflower & Pumpkin Seeds (only slightly acid-forming)
• Artificial Sweeteners

This is in a way a good wake up call to me. Over the past few months I have been “slipping” in the practice of my food philosophy. Obviously, I have allowed more coffee, in addition I have indulged in my fair share of deserts, it’s hard not to when there is a plethora of them sitting in your kitchen for sampling (wedding stuff). So, in a way I’m thankful for the accident in that it has made me more conscious of what I am putting into my body.

I will be sure to make another brief update after I find out the next step is. I hope to get an appointment with the Orthopedic by the end of the week.

Cross Training, Cycling, Health & Fitness, RAW Food, Running, Trip Reports, Uncategorized by OrganicClimber
accident, bicycle, bike, injury, meniscus, MRI, torn
6 comments

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Last week I posted on how to avoid an epic bike ride, but what I did not include was how to avoid getting hit by a car. This has been my worst fear since starting to cycle. I often talk about how I feel less safe biking than I do climbing. Well, this past Friday night my fears became reality. I had just spent part of my evening in a coffee shop in downtown Austin and was headed back to my fiancés apartment to finish getting my camera gear ready for a photography assignment the next day. On my way back to her apartment, just a few blocks way, I was hit by a car!

Overall, Austin is a very bike friendly city. Cyclists frequently ride as traffic and motorists seem to be very aware of them most of the time. There are also lots of bike routes to help bikers get around the city safely. I have been heavily relying on my bike for transportation for the past couple of weeks and have thoroughly enjoyed it. During this time I have never felt unsafe. Motorists seem to be very aware of cyclists, I often see them pulling back into parking lots and side streets when they are sticking out to far and notice I am coming towards them.

Friday night was different though. It was my first time since moving here that I have ridden at night. I was traveling south down South Congress (a busy four lane road with turn lanes) in the bike lane with blinking lights on the front and back of my bike. I was also heading down a long gradual downhill, so my speed was faster than normal for bike commuting.

As I was a few blocks away from the turn to my fiancés apartment I began to think about the likelihood of getting hit by a car if I continued to bike commute, but little did I know that would become reality, seconds later. As I neared a dark intersection I saw a car turning left onto a side street. I was already in the intersection. A million thoughts went through my head as the accident unfolded. The first thought was, “crap I don’t even have time to hit my brakes.” Then, CRASH! I was struck from the side and I thought I was going to die. I thought, “this is it, I’m dead.” I can’t remember the exact thoughts after that, but my fiancé, Kristy, went through my mind.

The next thing that happened was, I was flying through the air, doing a flip. It happened so fast, but I remember thinking, “holy crap, I’m flipping in the air.” I felt like a ragdoll. I’m pretty sure my feet were straight up in the air as I did at least one and a half rotations. As quickly as those thoughts went through my head I landed face down, like a pancake on the other side of the intersection along the sidewalk, right next to a utility pole.

The landing was the best I could have asked for. A foot further right I would have flew into the utility pole and would have likely been knocked down to the ground, head first. A few feet further to the left I would have ended up in oncoming traffic. Even my stride while pedaling was probably a blessing. Had my left let been in a forward stride I probably would have been pinned against the car and forced to the ground rather then being thrown off the bike.

I laid their stunned, not totally realizing I was alive yet, or if anything was broken. I was just in a lot of pain. I might have even blacked out for a brief second. It seems like at the very moment I landed somebody was next to me telling me not to move and that 911 had been called. I heard what was likely the person who hit me asking if I was okay. All I could say was, “no, I’m in pain.” The woman that was telling me not to move began asking me if I could feel her touching my legs and if I could wiggle my toes. After I was successful at wiggling my toes and feeling her touch I was pretty sure I was going to be all right, but still thought I probably shattered my hip or broke something.

The fire department EMT’s were the first on the scene, with the ambulance shortly behind. After being checked out by them I was allowed to sit up. I was asked numerous questions, for what I assume was to make sure I didn’t have a concussion or anything of that nature. But, I was also very blessed in that I never hit my head. After giving me a thorough check-up on the scene the paramedics suggested I go to the ER to be checked out more thoroughly. I decided this would be a good idea just in case I had a neck injury that wasn’t detected through external tests.

The hospital visit wasn’t very pleasant. I was there for about five hours. My fiancé had enough time to drive back to Austin from Dallas before I had been released. I was also thankful to have other friends from Church visit me while I was there. I’m blessed to have so many people that care about me after having only lived here in Austin for a month.

While at the hospital I was giving morphine to help with the pain, was given an ultrasound to make sure I had no internal bleeding and x-rays were taken of my neck and upper back. The morphine actually helped with the pain more than I realized. I hadn’t noticed it until I was on my way out, but my right hip had swollen up to the size of an ostrich egg. It was the most swelling I have ever experienced, or seen.

After about five hours of being in the ER, I was released. I didn’t get to bed until around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday morning. I slept most of Saturday morning and part of the afternoon, but was able to get up and move around a bit and pick up my bike from the fire station down the road from where the accident occurred. The bike, although damaged pretty bad was not as bad as I thought it would have been.

The seat saddle was knocked off, the bike bag on the saddle also detached from the fibers, the frame was dented and the front and rear fork scratched up pretty badly, and the front tire bent badly. I’m actually shocked the frame wasn’t folded in half, but either way I will probably have to replace the bike because of the damaged frame.

I am TRULY blessed to be alive though. I don’t feel for one second I was lucky. I see my survival and escape from any extremely serious injury as a gift from God. It was caused me to take a step back a bit too and evaluate how I am living my life. I will likely be spending more time in prayer over the next few days after this near death experience. It’s so crazy to think if certain things happened in a slightly different way I would likely be dead or seriously injured. Praise God though, I am alive. It’s hard to say for sure what the extent of my injuries are though because of the pain killers, but hopefully I will know soon.

I have also realized how blessed I am to have Kristy as my future wife. She has been taken such good care of me; bandaging my wounds, bringing my ice packs, and making sure I take my medication. I have also had an awesome community of support around me from people at Church, friends and even people on Twitter.

Even though I am pretty shook up from the event I will probably ride my bike again after I fully recover and get a replacement. But for now I will enjoy the extra time I have resting to mediate, pray and read scripture. I will also utilize this time to work on my business, Adventure Naturals, and work on getting some more freelance projects. Hopefully I can make up for the income lost in the photography assignments I had to cancel.

I will also be enjoying one of my great recovery smoothies that is great for reducing inflammation later this afternoon. Check it out here.

Cycling, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
accident, austin, biking, car, commuting, cycling, hit by car, safety, survive, texas
15 comments

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Since I started dating my current fiancée we started off our relationship long distance, so my opportunities to go climbing had decreased since we were spending our weekends together. But, this past weekend we both packed up the Subaru and drove north to the Ozark National Forest in Arkansas for a weekend of climbing. It had been several months since my last trip up there; so needless to say, I was pretty psyched to get back up to the climbing area I had been helping to develop.

The biggest downside to the trip was having a nine-hour drive, as opposed to the five-hour drive from Dallas that I was accustomed to. But, having an awesome traveling companion helped the trip go by fast. We even had a dine-in rest stop along the way and still arrived at the mountain with plenty of daylight left.

Upon arriving at the campsite, we promptly threw on the climbing pack and headed down to the climbing area. Our friends Gary and Mark had already been there, and passed us on our way down. Gary was grabbing new batteries for the drill to install bolts at the top of a couple of new routes, so we waited at the top of the cliff for him to return and enjoyed the views. Despite the cloudy haze over the mountains it was an enjoyable sight, with crisp pine scented air. After Gary arrived back at the top of the cliff he drilled holes for two routes and installed the bolts on one of the routes. After he finished up we headed back to camp to set up the tent and make dinner.

Upon unpacking the gear to make dinner I realized I was missing the hose line to the propane tank for my Coleman stove, so we ended up having to use my backpacking stove to make our quesadillas. The two-cheese blend along with a Texas style hot sauce made for a scrumptious meal. My evening meals are typically my only cooked meal while camping. For breakfast I will usually eat fruit and sometimes pack a smoothie for the first morning, and I will snack on fruit and nuts throughout the day.

The next morning we arose early, Kristy hadn’t slept a wink so decided to go for a hike, rather than risk poor judgment on the climbing wall. This weekend trip to the crag was the first weekend we had newcomers come out to enjoy the fruits of our development. It was fun watching other climbers enjoy (and struggle on) our established routes.

Most people stuck to moderate climbs, I opted to re-climb a moderate 5.7, that was the first climb I established, but ended on a 5.8 climb to the right. I ended up failing on the send though. I couldn’t commit to the crux move. Even though it was well protected with a number six Black Diamond Camelot, my mental game was not there. Gary then finished the route for me and I cleaned on top rope, sending past the crux move without a problem. Had I been consistently lead climbing for the past few months I’m sure I would have pulled the move on lead.

After about a half hour of resting I ended up climbing an easy 5.6, mixed trad and sport route. It was a climb I had never been on before and is probably the most well protected climb at the crag. I sent the climb without any problems. Compared to the rest of the climbing area this one is over bolted, which was great for me seeing as how I hadn’t lead in quite a while.

The next climb I did was Spearhead Arete, an FA (as the second) for the trip. Gary was celebrating his 50^th birthday and wasn’t going to let the weekend slip away without another FA under his belt. Having finished the route, his belayer offered me the follow. I respectfully tried to decline, but ended up being on rope. The climb was a 5.10a that was fairly sustained and started off with a heel hook move onto a ledge. After pulling onto the ledge you have to move around the corner of the arête and work your way up on delicate feet. After moving further up you can either move around the arête again and pull a roof using an under cling, or you can go straight up on small holds and no feet, only smearing. I made a few attempts at the overhang, but ended up going up the face, spearing on the lichen covered wall, just praying my feet didn’t slip out from under me.

Upon making it to the top Gary and I set up a top rope and let others be a part of the FA ascent. Three other climbers made there way up the route, thus getting their name in the guidebook as Gary’s Birthday Bash FA for Spearhead Arête. After finishing up this climb we made our way north to the most newly developed climbing area. While other climbers enjoyed a couple more hours of sends I decided to go back up to the campsite and join Kristy who was back from her hike.

That evening we enjoyed a “dump”, which was basically crab boil, shrimp, snow peas and venison all boiled together. I occasionally will eat seafood so took place in enjoying the dump, sans venison of course. I did end up with a small stomachache though, likely from the juices of the venison. The food was delicious though, and beers enjoyed by all. A lot of the climbers stayed up later into the night around a campfire, but Kristy and I retired fairly early due to a sleepless nigh for her. Sadly, that night ended up being somewhat sleepless for me, as I tossed and turned all night.

The next morning we got off to a late start and arrived at the base of the cliff around 9:30 a.m. after lots of bushwhacking through trees and bushes. It was hard for me to find my way around with all the overgrowth of trees. The last time I had been out there was during the late winter, so finding my way around was easy.

Upon arriving at the wall a couple of climbers were already on their way out but had a rope on a climb I had established earlier that year, so Kristy and I decided to make this our first climb of the day. Kristy made it up the route without a problem – not bad for a girl who hasn’t climbed in over two years. After finishing the route I jumped on and had another fellow climber give Kristy a lesson on belaying, seeing as how we will be climbing a lot more in the future.

The climb was slightly different than I remember, but the crux move was a layback with a toe jam into the crack. After making this move you sling a tree growing out of the rock, grab the tree, layback and pull a tiny roof. After this, the route is pretty much over, only two moves left to the anchors. The fist ascent was a ground up establishment though, so the anchors ended up being in a slightly different place than where the route actually finished.

After finishing this route, we move into the shade and watched others take turns climbing Natural Ice, a 5.8 dihedral with a V0 start. The climb got its name last January when we attempted to ice climb. The dihedral was iced over very well, but nobody was able to make it to the top. But, that is the reason for the climb’s name, “Natural Ice.” After the other climbers finished I had my turn and grunted my way up the sustained 5.8 climb. It’s definitely not something I would have wanted to lead that weekend. I’m just glad I was able to make it up and not be humiliated by a climb that is well under the grade I am capable of.

After finishing up Natural Ice it was time to head home, so Kristy and I made our way back to camp and broke everything down. Before leaving I took a “hobo shower” from the well pump next to camp. I always try to do this before leaving sense the rock here is so dirty; I always finish up with my arms and face covered in dirt and lichen. Cleaning up before leaving makes for a more enjoyable drive home.

The drive home seemed to take a lot longer, but perhaps that was because half the drive was after dark. It feels good to be back home in Austin though and getting back to work. Well, working on getting work is a better way to put it, but I’m really enjoying live here and I’m glad I can call Austin home now. Really, the only down side to living here is that I’m further away from some of my favorite climbing areas, but I’m sure I will grow to love the climbing areas around here, not to mention the great cycling routes, and greenbelt access

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
arkansas, camping, ozark national forest, rock climbing, sport, trad
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Colorado, is and always will be my favorite place to visit. I still hope to live there one day, but for now the amazing town of Austin, TX will have to do. The final installation of this trip report is long overdue. I’m glad I have finally found the time to pound it out. This report is very photo heavy, so I hope you enjoy it.

The day after we climbed the First Flatiron in Boulder we had planned on climbing Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park the next day, but decided to opt for a rest day instead. We did bring our climbing gear with us though in case we changed our mind. For our rest day, we spent some time in a Starbucks in Estes Park going over our plans for climbing Ellingwood Arete on the Crestone Needle. After enjoying a cup of decent java we decided to drive the famous Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Trail Ridge Road is the highest continuous highway in the United States, more than eight miles of the road stretch between 11,000′ and 12,183′. The road provides spectacular scenic views of the Rocky Mountains, including the Continental Divide! It was a blast driving the gentle grades and broad curves in my Subaru Outback. I love it when I get to drive roads like this because it allows me to take advantage of the fly-wheel shifting.

We had originally planned on only driving to the top of the road and turning back at the gift shops and restaurant at the peak elevation, but we ended up driving the entire length of the highway. It was truly an enjoyable experience though to see such majestic mountain views form a highway that was contracted between 1926 and 1932. I don’t know why exactly, but for some reason I love driving long distances, especially in the mountains. I think it’s because there is some skill involved to it and you always have to be acutely aware of what you are doing.

While on one hand, I was a little bummed we didn’t climb this day. the Trail Ridge road experience was something to remember. I would definitely recommend it to anybody visiting Rocky Mountain National Park or Estes Park. There are also a few pullouts along the way to hike to take pictures, and hike to the top of ridges. We ended up stopping on four different occasions to check out the views. Two of them were forced stops though due to road construction. If you are not familiar with road construction on two-lane roads in the mountains; only one lane at a time gets by. This means one lane is completely stopped while another side of traffic is coming through. It can often result in long waits. It was enjoyable though, as it allowed us to get out of the car, take pictures, and hike around.

Crestone Needle and Ellingwood Arete

The final portion of the trip was climbing Ellingwood Arete on the Crestone Needle in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. In the end, we wished we had planned this climb at the beginning of our trip. To make a long story short, we were tired at the end of the trip and weather was iffy. We got rained on towards the top of the hike in and the weather forecast was calling for up to 50% chance of rain in town, depending on what source you checked. So we ended up deciding to not Summit the fourteener. We did however have an enjoyable hike in to the South Colony Lakes and an overnight stay.

The hike in ended up being easier than expected. We heard the four wheel drive trail was closed and we would have to hike in six miles. But upon arriving we discovered that only two miles of the trail was closed, so we were able to take the Subaru slowly up to the first 4 wheel drive trail parking lot. From there we had to hike (4 miles) because of trail closure, but it was a good thing, because the Subaru would not have made it up that portion of the trail without blowing a tire.

It was a fairly easy four mile hike in to the South Colony lakes at the base of Crestone Needle. Once we reached the upper 4 wheel drive parking lot it was only a 1.5 mile hike in. We ended up getting rained on about a mile into the hike and the clouds continued to hang around until we went to bed that night. Thus the reason why we called off our ascent. I was a little bummed though when we made our hike back to the car the next day, rain free.

It was well worth spending the night at the base of the Crestone Needle though, the views were spectacular, and seeing the peak bathed in morning sunlight was a splendid experience. Even though we did not summit it was just enjoyable to be in the backcountry away from everything. The only part that sucked about the trip was the marmot infestation around our campsite. I think it was largely due to my irresponsible behavior of taking a leak close to our campsite. The marmots hung around digging in the ground for what seemed like eternity. I would keep scaring them off, but they would just return. One of them also tore a hole in my MSR tent while on a short hike and chewed on my backpack. So, lesson learned; ALWAYS remember to use the restroom at least 200 feet away from your campsite.

My partner and I do plan on returning to Ellingwood Arete for an ascent. I have wanted to bag this fourteener since I first heard about it last summer. The peak looked way more daunting from the base than any photo we saw. We plan on climbing as much run out multi pitch we can though to prepare for our return. Hopefully we will be able to go back next summer. I have also wanted to bag more alpine ascents since my first on the North Face of Longs Peak.

Also, don’t forget to become my friend on Facebook.

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
backpacking, Colorado, crestone needle, ellingwood arete, Estes Park, mountains, Rocky Mountain National Park, sangre de cristo, trail ridge road
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Note: I apologize for the long delay in getting this post up. I have had it half way written for about three weeks now. Due to the length of this post I also decided to break up the trip report into three parts, so this will now be part two of three.

Also, I am pleased to announce I am now an engaged man. If you want to know more about the wonderful lady, read this post that I wrote a couple months ago. Anyway, enjoy the trip report.

Climbing Fandango (5.5 II) last year was perhaps the highlight of my climbing career. It was 7 pitches of enjoyable run-out climbing. So, it would only make sense that I would be psyched about climbing the Direct East Face (5.6 III). The climb pretty much goes directly up the middle of the First Flatiron (in Boulder, CO) and then traverses the ridge, west, to the summit block. It’s 10 pitches of pure enjoyment on easy terrain.  The climb this year did not disappoint.

We woke up at 5 a.m. with the goal of being at the base of the climb at 6 a.m., but due to a slow start leaving the Hostel in Boulder and making a wrong turn off the trail we didn’t make it to the base until about 7:15 a.m. There was also another couple getting started at the base of the climb, so after waiting on them we probably got started close to 7:45 a.m.

Naren lead the first 5.6 pitch, which actually ended up being two pitches rolled into one. Naren ran out a full rope length to a good ledge. I actually had to take him off belay and stop down from my belay ledge to give him enough rope to put me on belay from above. The first pitch was the hardest pitch of the day, and I was thankful Naren had taken the lead. The first pich had two bolts on it due to the inability to place protection, but that was very surprising considering the only other bolt on the entire 1,000ft face was at the top of the second pitch for an anchor.

After arriving at the belay ledge with Naren I took a short rest, took the rack and began the second pitch. My first piece of protection was about 10-15 feet from the belay ledge. After that I didn’t get another piece in for at least 20 feet. At this point I began to wander off route towards what I thought was the path of least resistance. As it turns out, I was getting myself into 5.9 terrain, and Caleb doesn’t do well in run-out terrain like that. After much contemplating about continuing on my path of destruction, down-climbing, and then climbing back up again, I decided to completely down climb all the way down to my last piece of protection and then traverse left to meet back up with the route I was supposed to be on. I gave Naren a good scare too, he thought we ware going to have to bail off the route and call it a day, but I managed to collect my cool and proceed with the route.

Naren then lead the third pitch without any problems, other than passing a good belay stance, which required a bit of down climbing to return to the proper belay. I was up for the fourth pitch, which turned out to be a really run out 5.4 – 5.5, and was the headwall pitch. I didn’t find any gear right off the bealy, and was a good 30-40 feet above the belay before slinging a large horn. My second protection point was another slung horn – my only two places of protection on the entire pitch. The top of the fourth pitch had a nice large ledge that we decided to rest on. At this point a guide and his two clients caught up to us. They were moving very fast. The guide would solo the pitch, just hauling up twin ropes and would bring both clients up at the same time. What an efficient way to lead a part up 1,000+ feet of rock.

Naren lead pitch five, but ended up far right of the correct belay, thus adding an extra short pitch for us, which ended up being a short traverse that I lead. I contemplated connecting the entire pitch, but the guide that ended up passing as at this point had conjured up some mental blocks in my head my telling me a certain way was easier than going up the obvious gulley. I wavered back and forth for about ten minutes then decided to break up the pitches and bring Naren over. The anchor here was also pretty sketchy, so upon Naren arriving at the belay I made sure he didn’t put any weight on it. Since we had created an extra pitch here, Naren took the lead what became the seventh pitch. Since we ended up combining the first two, this put us at the correct number of pitches to reach the summit ridge.

From here we had several ridge line pitches until we reached the summit block. Since I had lead all but one pitch on this ridge I let Naren lead most of them. They were all very easy, with one 5.5 crux section, which was really the only place we needed to be roped up.  The exposure on the ridge was quite nice, but the terrain was so easy it never became an issue.

After reaching the summit we made the rappel down the backside of the Flatiron, that took almost a full 30 meters.  Other than having to pull the rope off a ledge on the way down, the rappel went perfectly smooth. Upon riving back at the car we had spent close to a full 12 hours. Not too bad considering we got slightly lost on the way in and ended up having to wait on two different parties during our climb; not to mention my wayward route finding skills.  The journey was a blast, and I look forward to doing more Flatiron routes in the future. Hopefully one of them will be with my wife to be!

Climbing, Trip Reports by OrganicClimber
Boulder, Colorado, Direct East Face, Direct Route, First Flatiron, Flatirons, rock climbing, trad
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