In town climbing and easy access to trails

Posted on January 24th, 2011

Starting a business is very time consuming. That is why you haven’t seen a lot of posts from me lately. But during these past two weeks I was able to get outdoors TWICE, and get some climbing in. Living in Austin has it’s advantages when it comes to rock climbing, so I thought I would share about the greatness of living in Austin when it comes to outdoor activity.

You may know from my previous posts that I was dead set on moving to Colorado, but Austin has always been my second choice in terms of where I wanted to live. Granted there are no mountains here, there is surprisingly a lot of climbing options nearby, as well as access to great trails for running and biking.

Just five minutes from my house is access to The Greenbelt trail, which includes access to rock climbing, mountain biking, running and even swimming during the Spring and early Summer. If you travel two miles north of where I live, you have access to running and biking trails around Town Lake. If you are into canoeing or kayaking, they offer that too. The University of Texas crew team even practices here.

Rock climbers on the Austin Greenebelt

Rock climbers on the Austin Greenebelt

The Greenbelt

Hiking along the Greenbelt trail. Great for a long run or adventurous mountain bike ride.

With numerous access points in town it makes for a quick getaway into the outdoors. Early mornings during the week are the best time to go if you are looking for solitude. I’ve gone on morning runs and not even encountered another human being. If you are a rock climber like myself, there are numerous developed walls along the trail and there is usually a pretty good crowd at each wall in the late afternoon and early evening. If you don’t have a climbing partner, just show up and somebody is bound to give you a belay.

The trails are also well maintained and are often filled with runners and mountain bikers, but trails were wide enough traffic is not an issue when bikes come through. The total length of the trail is 8 miles, which makes for a stellar, long trail run or an out and back bike ride. The trail goes under two main highways in Austin, but it doesn’t take too long before you are away from the noise of traffic, feeling like you are miles away from civilization.

Reimer’s Ranch

This is where most local climbers go for their weekend climbing. There are also great mountain bike trails and the Pedernales River for fishing. This well developed crag (with even more climbs going up) offers climbs ranging from 20 feet high to 45+ feet high. The grades of the climb range from 5.5 to a very difficult 5.13. Climbers of all abilities flock here for their weekend climbing. My only complaint is that it can often feel like an outdoor gym when the weather is really nice. This past weekend the walls were full of boy scouts, church groups and hard core climbers alike. But there is plenty of room for everybody, and enough climbs at every grade to keep everybody happy.

Climbing at Reimer's Ranch. The climb is Lipo Suction (5.12)

Enchanted Rock

Perhaps the most pristine, beautiful rock formation in South Texas. This giant granite dome protrudes from the Texas Hill Country, just north of Fredricksburg. There are numerous other granite formations towering out of the ground as well. This is the premier destination for trad and three pitch sport climbs in South Texas. At Enchanted Rock you will experience fresh air, gorgeous scenery, and an amazing outdoor experience. This has been one of my favorite destinations, even before I moved to Austin. With a mere hour and a half drive, E-Rock (as the locals call it), makes for an easy day trip with excellent climbing.

A climber on Orange Peel (5.10) in Enchanted Rock State Park. Enchanted Rock is my favorite place to climb in Texas.

Camping at Enchanted Rock is plentiful, but you better make a reservation. Spots often fill up weeks before. But, if you don’t mind a 2-3 mile hike in you can always camp in the primitive area. This makes for easier access to the longer climbs on the back side of the dome. It’s also more secluded – unless there happens to be a Boy Scout troop nearby. Enchanted Rock also offers miles of hiking trails, including an easy hike up to the top of the dome. It’s very popular amongst the tourists. And, if you are a rock climber, expect a crowd to be watching you climb. It’s almost unnoticeable though, especially on the back side of the dome, because most tourists are off the climbing trail, a couple hundred yards from the wall.

Town Lake

View of downtown Austin from Town Lake trail.

While Town Lake doesn’t offer any climbing. It’s an excellent place for a long or short run, or bike ride. You can chose a three, four, or eight mile loop – or make your run even longer by making another lap around the lake. The Town Lake trail also has numerous access points as well. Even though there are often crowds here, the trail is plenty wide for passing in both directions. There is also a boat rental shop on the lake where you can rent canoes, kayaks, and other water related crafts. The best times to run on the trail are mid day and late evening. I always find running during peak hours energizing though. I tend to run better when other people are around. I feed off the energy of other runners.

If you are an outdoor enthusiast like myself, Austin is a GREAT place to live. There is a huge fitness and outdoors community and plenty of ways to get involved. If you are a cyclist or runner most all the shops in town offer group rides and runs. There are also a couple of different rock climbing groups that make getting plugged into the climbing community very easy. The easy access to recreation is one of my favorite things about this awesome city. I couldn’t see myself living anywhere else in Texas. If I ever move away, there is a good chance it will be some place like Boulder where recreational access is just as easy and the landscape is an added bonus.

In other news, Adventure Naturals is now FULLY funded on Kickstarter, but please keep those donations coming. Our startup costs exceed the $5,000 we raised already. All excess funds will go directly back into the business. We especially need help with the advertising and promotion side of things. Especially in our early stages.




Smoothie Tuesday: Longhorn Smoothie

Posted on October 5th, 2010

Since my bike accident last Friday, I have been pumping my body full of anti-inflammatory goodness including this delicious smoothie. Named in honor of Texas – The Longhorn Smoothie! Seeing as how I now live in the Capitol of Texas, I thought it would be very fitting. Sorry there are no pictures for this one. But, I do promise it’s tasty.

The Recipe

  • Apx. 1 Cup of Almond Milk
  • 6oz of Pineapple
  • 1 Fresh Peach, or the frozen equivalent
  • 1 hand full of frozen cherries (or fresh if you have them)
  • 2 TBSp of Agave Nectar or Raw Honey
  • Optional: Greens and protein powder, or a hand full of fresh greens. Spinach is my favorite

Process in a blender until smooth. Of course, I recommend the Vita-Mix blender! There really is nothing better, honestly! You can get FREE SHIPPING, by using this link.




I survived getting hit by a car on my bike

Posted on October 4th, 2010

Me, after having my neck brace removed and having been cleared to leave the ER. X-Rays came back clear, as did the sonogram.

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 intersection where I was struck by the car. I was thrown off the bike and landed next to the utility pole along the sidewalk on the side closest to the road.

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.

Not sure how it happened, but somehow the seat saddle was knocked off it's frame.

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.

The bent, front tire.

Portion of the damaged frame. The front and rear forked also sustained damage.

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.




Austin Hill Country Bike Ride

Posted on September 9th, 2010

Bee Cave Bike Ride

This past Saturday, I went on my first bike ride since moving to Austin. I teamed up with a group ride that left from Mellow Johny’s bike shop in downtown Austin – the shop is owned by Lance Armstrong. I was torn between two different rides they offered, one of them being a slower paced ride that explored the bike routes of Austin, the other being a faster paced ride that leads you outside of town through the scenic hill country. I ended up opting for the second ride, because I figured I would be bored riding 12 mph and having to wait for people every few blocks. I’m very glad I chose the faster ride, we ended up getting back from our 35 mile ride around the same time the other group got back from their 15 mile ride.

The ride left from the bike shop in downtown Austin and headed out west, down Bee Cave road. The highway eventually ends up in the town of Bee Cave where we turned around. I don’t know the exact distance for the trip out, because I accidently paused RunKeeper at one of the stops. The ride was a “no drop ride”, meaning that no rider is left behind. We had about three stops total through the course of the trip.

Coming from North Texas, I expected the hills to be a bit of a challenge, but surprisingly I found myself doing fairly well. I never had any problems making it up the hills, and often times I was at the head of the pack going up the hills. I did however end up getting passed on a few of them towards the top of the hill. I am definitely not as efficient at attacking the hills as I could be. I’m sure I will learn though the more I ride. Throughout the course of the ride we had well over 2,00 feet of elevation gain.

The scenery was amazing too. It beats riding down the flat lands of North Texas. The surroundings themselves make the ride more enjoyable. I can hardly wait until the next ride. I look forward to trying out other routes and pressing my limits. I’ve already been tempted to upgrade my bike to a carbon frame after visiting another local bike shop and learning of the advantages a carbon frame brings. During this trip the faster people in the group had a max average speed of 18.5 mph. On a carbon frame I would probably easily be riding 21+ mph. However, with climbing and running being a huge hobby of mine too, I’m unsure if I will ever make that investment.

To fuel my ride I consumed a delicious smoothie and drank lots of water. I did however feel lacking in the energy department during the ride. I felt I would have performed a lot better had I brought a little bit of food with me. On my next long ride I will be sure to pack some raw snacks with me. I had planned on doing that for this ride, but never got around to making anything.

The bike community here is pretty huge. There are numerous bike lanes and excellent bike routes. Just check out this bike route map of the city. I plan on riding my bike around town for general commuting purposes a lot on the near future. The first week I spent just getting used to being here and this week it has been raining every day. Hopefully, I will begin my bike commuting habit very soon.

I am very excited to live in such a bike friendly city. Not only do I look forward to more bike commuting, but getting plugged into that community and meeting other people that are passionate about cycling and bike commuting.

Bike Friendly Button! :)




Life changes

Posted on June 11th, 2010

Sometimes the unexpected happens, and it’s always unexpected! Sometimes it’s something as small and petty as running out of gas or losing your car keys, thus making you late for an appointment. Other times it’s mind blowing; like your former ex-girlfriend traveling 235 miles (four hours) just to tell you she loves you!

This is exactly what happened to me recently. It was unexpected because I had spent that last four months moving on and focusing on a move to Colorado as I posted here. We had previously dated for 4-5 months two years ago, but broke up after she moved to Austin. I had never truly gotten over her. After a recent attempt to reconnect back in October I decided it was time to cut off communication the following January. It was a very difficult decision, as I cared a lot for this girl. But wanting to be able to move on and love again I decided it was best. I didn’t know it at the time, but she took the cutting of ties fairly hard, but at the time it still didn’t change how she felt about me.

During the time we didn’t communicate I began to “get over her” and eventually got to a point where I could see myself dating somebody else seriously. I had also begun to feel like I was called to Colorado as well as to make a huge career change. In hind-sight I feel like these things were a divine distraction as I had never totally forgot about her. At times I would ponder ways that God could potentially put us back together, such as her getting transferred out to Colorado at the same time I moved, but none of that was even possible considering the organization she works for, and their location.

Four months after I had cut off communication is when I had the surprise of my life. I was at home on a Friday night packing boxes and getting ready for my move to Colorado, even though I didn’t yet know when it would be. At one point I had picked up my cell phone and saw that I had a call from her. I was pleasantly surprised, but at the same time wondered why in the world she was calling after I had cut things off. The ironic thing is I hadn’t even deleted her from my phone (even though I almost did at one point), so I knew it was her.

Her voicemail stated that she was going to be in town for business the next day and wanted to see if it was okay for us to meet and talk. I figured that she had just heard I was moving to Colorado and wanted to talk to me one last time before I moved. For a moment I thought maybe she was going to tell me she wanted to get back together, but I immediately dismissed it, not wanting to dwell on it and get my hopes up.

The next morning we meet up and ate breakfast at our favorite breakfast place Old West Café. It was here she sprung on me a somewhat long story about the changes she was going through in her life and how she had been given a change of heart. It was even unexpected for her. It sort of come out of nowhere, but we both believe it was God given. She proceeded to tell me that she loved me. I also found out at this point she had made the four hour drive just to tell me she loved me. THAT was her “business”.

THE GIRL I'm moving to Austin for!

Being bewildered and guarded I didn’t say much. Out of nowhere the girl I had loved for so long shows up out of the blue and blew my mind; and in my mind, at the time, wasting away my plans to move to Colorado. But, I pretty much instantly knew I was no longer going to Colorado and I would be staying behind in Texas. Even though I had said I would never again, not move because of a girl, this was different though – it was love!

So over the next few days I thought and prayed a lot about it. I didn’t want to make a rash decision and wanted counsel from friends and family. I didn’t want to admit at first that I was going to abandon my plans to move to Colorado, but a friend pointed out that it sounded like I already knew in my heart what I wanted to do. He was right! So, the following Wednesday we talked for about an hour on the phone and decided to pursue a relationship again, but were going to take it easy at first. She also came back into Denton that next week and by the end of the weekend I was positive I wanted to be with her again. The only thing that was holding me back was fear of future rejection and leaving behind what I thought I was supposed to do. But I had to let go of that fear and step forward in faith, and so far it has been amazing.

One thing this has already reminded me of is that we often have our own plans and ideas, but that is not always the best. There is an often a better path for us to take even though they may not seem like it at first and other times the better path is obvious. When doors just open and things fall into place, you just know. But in both situations the end of the road makes you a better person and brings you joy, even if it’s through trial.

Kristy and I celebrating her 30th Birthday.

So, all this to say; my plans to move to Colorado are temporarily on hold. For now I have decided to move to Austin, Texas to be with the girl I love. I’m excited about moving forward, not just because of Kristy, but because of Austin. Although it has always been my second choice I still see a lot of great opportunities here and there is quality rock climbing close by in addition to great hills for running and biking. The future looks bright and lots of change surely lies ahead. And as a side note if you need a freelance web designer or photographer in Austin let me know. I’m available for work!




A day in paradise

Posted on May 10th, 2010

Mark Maddy on Alamo Arête (5.11b)

This past Saturday provided us with an amazing day of climbing along the Brazos River. The weather was perfect! The sun was shining, the temperatures were in the low to mid sixties all day and there was almost always a small breeze blowing. This is another one of my “secret” climbing areas. Not that the location of this particular stash is not known, it has just closed to the general public for several years (and still is).

The climbs here are all very short, the tallest climb is around 40ft high, most range from 25-35 feet in height. Some routes only require clipping two bolts. About six quick draws is the most you will need, unless you are a hard-man and can handle the 110ft, 5.12b traverse. All the climbs are also easily accessible and allow you to easily tick off 15+ climbs in a long day. By the end of the day I had climbed 15 routes, at least half of them, if not more were on lead. Others in our group ticked off even more climbs than that, all of which were on lead.

This place is also sort of special to me, as it was the crag were I bagged my first outdoor sport climbing lead. The climb was Corrins Corner (5.6) a short dihedral climb ending with a short traverse over to the anchors. To celebrate being back at the crag after four years of being closed out I warmed up on this route. My impression after finishing was that it was the hardest 5.6 I had climbed in a long time, but it was my warm up route too, so I couldn’t let that intimidate me for the rest of the day.

After finishing that climb I moved on over a few routes and lead a 5.8 that gave me a few problems, after that I moved on and lead a 5.10a that I had previously never been able to climb; all was going well until I was making the moves up from the last bolt and took a fall. I found out after being lowered down that I had actually broken off a foot hold. So, I didn’t feel as bad after that. After climbing several other routes I was already starting to feel tired and it wasn’t even lunch yet, so I decided to take a break and drank some water and fueled up on fruit. It was about this time that Mark was gearing up to lead Alamo Arête (5.11b). I have previously photographed this climb but wanted to shoot it again with a wider angle and ended up with the shot you see above. The previous photo I took of the climb looked much better in terms of background. The light must have been hitting the water just right to make it look blue. I didn’t have any such luck today.

By the time I returned to the ground Bill was getting ready to lead the climb. I assumed he would only top rope it, otherwise I would have stayed up top to shoot him as well; he was wearing a bright yellow shirt and was wearing a red helmet. It would have made for an awesome shot. But since I was down there I figured I would watch Bill climb it to see if I might possibly be able to climb it as well. After seeing Bill ease his way up the route followed by a stellar 50 year old climber named Gary I figured I would give the route a try on lead.

Even though the route was rated a 5.11b I somehow managed to send the route, even though my hardest lead prior to that was a 5.10d and I didn’t even climb it cleanly. It turns out the crux moves were just a couple bouldery moves at the start of the route and were well protected. After making the two hard moves you move up to a ledge and then clip another bolt, from there you make a couple other moves requiring a heel hook to clip the next bolt just a few feet above the other bolt. From here you make the second crux move which is rated at 5.10b. It took me a while to figure out the sequence but after making those moves you were up on another good ledge. From there you make a couple more easy moves up to clip the last bolt then move around on the face to easier terrain and then move up to the anchors. Even though it wasn’t a clean ascent, I feel confident I could go back and lead it clean. I still don’t think there are even a lot of hard 5.10 climbs I could lead, some how this climb just suited my style fairly well.

After climbing Alamo Arête my forearms were even more pumped, yet I continued to climb. I attempted a 5.10d on top rope, but failed, I climbed a 5.9 dihedral after that on top rope to clean the anchors for some other people in our group. After finishing up that Naren and I ticked off several easier climbs on lead. At this point I had climbed and/or attempted 13 routes. We finished off the day by climbing a 5.8 and then getting shut down on a 5.10b. Although I worked the crux move I was too tired to finish out the rest of the route, so rather than leading one last route I decided to call it a day. I ended up walking further down the wall, only to find Mark, Gary and Bill hang dogging their last route of the day. After seeing those guys flail around it was evident our day was coming to a close.

It was also a sad day of sorts as this was possibly my last time to ever climb out there. I’m just excited that I was able to return to the place I learned to sport climb one last time before moving off to Colorado. That of course is still pending several factors, but it looks like everything is lining up quite nicely.




First climb of the new year

Posted on January 5th, 2010

Me, before attempting the 5.10c crux of Pee Wee's . It seriously feels a lot harder. I'm pretty tall and still could not reach the key hold.

Initially I was hoping my first climb of the new year would be in the Wichita Mountains with Arne (one of my climbing partners) but the weather was too cold for him, so I tried to make plans with others for Enchanted Rock, but everybody seemed to busy. Not too long after posting a request for a climbing partner I got an email from my friend Trish asking me to join a small group from our Wednesday night climbing group at Mineral Wells. Even though I’m not a huge fan of the top rope only climbing at Mineral Wells I jumped at the opportunity, I was dying to get some outdoor climbing in.

Scott and I left Denton about 8 a.m. to meet Ryan and Trish at the State park. We were the first to arrive, so we headed in to the climbing area and set up Hand Crack (5.8) and Connect the Pockets (5.9). We started off on Hand Crack which was harder than Connect the Pockets for me, just because I’m not the best crack climber. After both Scott and I finished the climb Ryan and Trish arrived and started off on Connect the Pockets, Ryan decided to create a variation of the climb that started far right of the actual start, turning the climb into what might have been a 5.10a. Trish repeated the same route with the greatest of ease.

After we all finished the two climbs we set up three other climbs across the canyon that were getting direct sunlight. The climbs were Solo Crack (5.9), Hilo Traverse (5.8) and Diving Board (5.8). The funnest of the three climbs was Diving Board the crux move is pulling a roof by using a rock that protrudes out from the wall resembling a diving board. The route gives even experience climbers a run for their money, but the moves are all there, you just have to commit. Hilo Traverse was an easy, fluid and fun climb. Solo Crack though was a whole different story. Solo Crack is mostly a lie back crack, some parts are finger thin. Not being a huge fan of cracks this one gave some problems. I had to take once towards the bottom of the route because I missed a key hand hold off to the side of the crack, but after that I muscled through the rest of the route, but not without some difficulty.

Ryan, working hard to gain the crucial hold on the 5.10c crux of Pee Wee's. Immediately after he took a huge swing out from the rock.

We ended our day by all taking a stab at the classic line Pee Wee’s (5.10c). This is the most popular line in the park for the more experience climber. The crux move is a long dynamic move to a small knobby lip that isn’t much wider than three fingers. None of us made the crux move. Trish however showed all the guys how the variation was done (likely 5.10a). I made my attempt at the variation after numerous tries of the 5.10c crux. Not wanting to take a huge pendulum swing (as my arms were feeling the pump) I decided to back down from the variation and try again later. I never got my second try though as the sun was starting to set and we needed to hit the road.

Despite the cold temperature and painfully sharp conglomerate rock it was an awesome day of climbing. I was really happy I went, what an awesome way to spend the first weekend of the new year – outdoors! This coming weekend should be even more exciting. I will be coordinating the trip to Reimer’s Ranch near Austin, Texas for the Texas Mountaineers.  A great limestone crag along the Pedernales River.

p.s. I will be posting Smoothie Tuesday tomorrow. I wanted to post this yesterday but was waiting on photos from a local newspaper photographer that was taking pictures of us. I still haven’t gotten copies of them so I jus posted some photos taken with Trish and Ryan’s camera.