Too many heel hooks...

Well, I should finish up thruday first. Nic and Brian's hair has been scaring the locals.



Water is pretty scarce in the desert, and they need to truck in the water to the Rock Ranch, so cleanliness takes a vacation too. After I posted last, Brian went next door to the salon and got his hair cut, for $8! Then Nic went over and got his cut too. Kris and I look less homeless now that they've cleaned up a bit.


While Brian was out getting his mop chopped, Nic and Kris taught me to play chess. It's okay, but I still preferr Stratego. Then we decided to go to the lamest movie ever, Eragon. It's a stupid movie made for unquestioning 13 year old boys. Boom, the dragon is instantly big and can talk; why is it faster to travel by dragon, but the guy on the horse can still keep up? Tooo many plot holes for our superior brains. And what was John Malcovich and Jeremy Irons doing in that piece o shite? They mustuv' gotten drunk and pissed someone off at the studio. We're going to see Hannibal Rising today, and we're hoping not to get screwed by it as bad.

Yesterday was a great day for me. North Mountain was completely vacant. Everyone, including Nic and Brian, we on tour on the other mountains. I was kinda' bummed, cuz with out other people around, the energy tends to die. We started at No One Gets Out of Here Alive to warm up. We had been here on our first day, and I couldn't get it. My muscles were still weak, my skin was really thin, and I wasn't commiting to anything that was coarse. So after figuring out a sweet little heel hook at the end, the problem went, no effort. That had bugged me a lot that I hadn't finished it before, so now that was off my mind.




And then it was off to Daily Dick Dose. I had spent the previous night falling asleep, trying to visualize all the moves, so that when I got there I wouldn't have to screw around remembering it all. I also drank a ton of water before. I'd like to thank my new friends Visualization and Water for supporting me in my effort and send of Daily Dick Dose. It was awesome. Kris got it on video, so I'll post on YouTube and put in a link, eventually...Woo hoo! My first V7!




That heel hook I'm doing has ravaged my hamstring. Well, additional right heel hooking that day really did it in, but man my butt hurt later that night! Too get this next little pinch hold I had to drive my hips up to the roof and squeeze everything. Once I hit it, it felt so good I didn't even think of moving my other hand the the undercling jug right next to the pinch. I started moving my feet, and Kris starts shouting, "Get the undercling, get the undercling!" I finished it up easily and felt really great.

Then we decided to get out of the sun and crawl through the slots to The New Meadow where we saw our first people of the day! We found our way to Lobster Claw, and Kris made easy work of it, even if he thinks it was a crap acent.

I tried it out, but was already getting tired, and wasn't really "mobbed" on it anyways. Too many heels hooks for my hamstring...

Kris was told by Brian and Nic to not leave Hueco with out falling off of Choir Boys. We showed up there not long before two dudes with Zealot pads came in. One of them knew the beta for it, so Kris started working it. Too bad, Choir Boys Light starts out with a heel hook on a tiny little spike. The problem also looked a little scrunched for him. He got frustrated and gave up after a number of tries, cursing his heel. Of course, the one thing my little legs can do is heel hook! I got on and linked up the first two moves easily, but not with out pain. I felt really strong, so I'm resting my leg today to go back tomorrow and try to have a last day send! I'm such a wuss when it come to pain. It just shuts off my "effort button". It's okay sometimes, it keeps me from injuring myself too bad.

So tomorrow the game plan is for a North Mountain crushfest! We'll start down at the Mushroom Boulder for Kris to do Mushroom Roof, and Nic to do Accupressure before the sun hits the black hold. I'm very confident Kris will get Mushroom. He's been getting over the lip with his hands enough times now that it's become purely skin dependant. He's got a nice hole in his middle finger tip that's keeping him from sending. And as long as it's not too warm right away, I believe Nic will send too. Then over to Choir Boys Light V7 for me. Maybe next year, if Hueco is still open to climbing, I'll come back and do the low start. Not sure what Brian has planned, but I'm sure it will be excellent boulder-watching.

Last night I walked down the road from the Rock Ranch and got some nice sunset shots of North and West Mountain. Damn, what a beatiful outcrop of rock! No where else on Earth like this place! Chris Craft - YOU MUST GO TO HUECO BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE! Boulders just don't exist like this! Write your congressperson! NOW! Or find millions of dollars to donate to the parks department in the name of climbers! Go- NOW! Lynn & Kris

So hot, so dry...

After a week in the desert I've realized that when everyone was saying "Drink lots of water" when I got here, they weren't kidding. I spent yesterday in a nausious stupor. Sorry to Brian, Nic, and Kris for having to put up with that cranky little bitch.

Anyways, Tuesday we started out on the Warm Up Boulder. I did a fun V1, 2, & 3. We joked around with some French Canadians and then went back on tour with Pete to East Spur for Nic to do Better Eat Your Wheaties, which he did, um, "very nice".


Then we headed back to Rumble in the Jungle for Brian. It has yet to go, but we've discovered the power a good butt squeeze has over a sagging core, and it should go any second now. He's going back tomorrow to put it in the bag.

Near by I found a big wall of cave art....



I like finding all the hidden paintings through out the park. It makes you feel like your back in prehistoric times in this rock jungle. There's no real history in Minnesota, so this gets me really excited to see painting made 10,000 years ago.

In between Brian's burns on Rumble we went over to the French Tickler Wall. SUPER teeny, sharp crimps! It hurt just feeling the holds, but the wall it super cool anyway...



Then we went over to The Long Haul for Kris. He had worked on the last tour, but just needed to hook it up. In about 4 tries he sent. I only have a video of it, so I might have to post it on YouTube and put in a link later. I've been taking more and more videos with my little camera and it performs sweetly!

After Kris swept up Long Haul I did The Weenie Roast; a straight forward V4 on a facing boulder. It had kicked my ass the other day and left me totally disheartened, because I knew I should have flashed it. When I sat down that day I did and felt much better about myself.

On the way out we went back to Jingus Bells, a super tall V5 with a dyno at the top. It's more like a route than a boulder problem. There's a boulder right next to it, so if you are too pumped to pull the dyno at the end you can just step off, but it's still very psychologically sketchy.



The next day we started down at the Mushroom Boulder. Nic needed to work a problem call Accupressure before the sun got on it and warmed up a black sloper on the crux of the problem. Again, I just shot video, so some day there might be a link here.

Kris was ready to give up on Mushroom Roof just because he didn't get it in his first four tries. Brian talked him back in to trying it a few more times and he almost sent it. He was getting over the lip, but slipping off the second sloper. I'm sure he'll get it before we leave.

I did Local Flakes, a fun V2, even if I couldn't reach the start holds with out folding my pad. It was about all I was up to doing that day, I was so dried out from the sun.



Then we went up top of North for Brian to try Barefoot on Sacred Ground again. No go, but Oh so close! No pics, just vid. Mmm, I'm gonna have to start switching it up a bit or my blog will be more words than pictures.... We didn't do much this day because it's getting so warm out. We're getting baked in the sun and it just zaps your energy right out of you. We did see a little red fox when Brian was trying Barefoot. It ran between two boulders, stopped and looked at us, and the ran off too quick for me to get to my camera. That's the first bit of "wild life" we've seen this trip, besides a little lizard at Pete's camp.

This morning we went to the Vista Mercado for sumptuous Mexican donuts, mmm, donuts.... Nic bought a Fruit by the Foot roll of gum so that Brian could put it all in his mouth at once.


So that's it for right now. I'll post again when I can. Hope it's warming up in MN, I'm not getting off the plane until it does...Lynn & Kris

Ahh, First Rest Day

The Rock Ranch....


After three days on we are pretty tired. It is beautiful down here! Sunny and 70 during the days, but a chilly sub-freezing at night. After a couple nights of shivering we've streamlined our sleeping attire and can now sleep through the night comfortably. Hint: wear pants to bed.

The Rock Ranch is a funny place with people from all over the world. Lots of Brits and other Euros, Canadians and people from all over the states. Everyone here is super cool and eccentric. I'm convinced you'll never meet a cool conglomerate of people than those staying at the rock ranch. The facilities are limited. The first day here the porta-potties were brimming with, well, you know what's in there. Luckily they pumped it that day too. I've never seen one so full. This guy, Rich, said that it's been so full you have to move the shit around with a stick! Good thing the park has plumbed toilets.

Our first day Nic showed us around the North Mountain; the one of 4 areas that you can access with out a guide. After a debilitating hike up the chains, (the elevation is evident) he took us to a bunch of easy 4 star classics to warm us up; No One Gets Out of Here Alive V2, Ghetto Simulator (Highball) V2, and Melon Patch (Highball) V0. We watched this guy Nick Duddle(sp?) try Esperanza V14. Only 4 other people have ever done it. He got so close, but that day wasn't the day for the send. There are so many great climbers here and so many great problems. This place makes you walk around in awe at the things people are capable of climbing! Nic took us to Terremer (Mother Earth)V15. A problem of razor crimps up a 40 degree face. It's insane. It's also very humbling.

Here's Kris & me on No One Gets Out of Here Alive...

This is me on Baby Martini...V6

This was the first thing I worked on in the park. Kinda a mistake as it burned my weak muscles and skin right away.

Here's us on Ghetto Simulator, a really long V2. It's more of a route than a boulder problem. Note the heel hook Kris is using, this is quite a rare occasion...

At the end of the day we hiked down to the Mushroom Boulder at the base of North Mountain. My skin was wasted, but Kris still found some strength to try out Center El Murray...

There are ancient Indian paintings throughout the park, most of the reason for so much restriction. You are not allowed to climb near these.

Day 2: Now we were ready to try some real problems. Brian gave us our mission...Kris:Babyface, me: Daily Dick Dose. Boulder problems are named by the first person to send (climb) them. Most of the problem in the park have obviously been established by single, horny guys. Don't blame me for the names of some of these problems.... If you go to
http://www.joelclimbs.blogspot.com/
you'll find a pic of me on Daily Dick Dose, third pic down.

Kris sent Babyface in less than a half hour. I was just around the corner from him and I decided to take a break to see how he was doing. I got there just in time to watch him send. We were yelling so loudly for him from the ground that he pulled out the last half of the problem. He hadn't gotten that far on any previous tries, so all the holds were new a foreign. Kinda scary to make committing moves to holds you haven't felt before.

According to Brian and Nic, that was a very quick send of a very hard problem.

We watched Brian try to dispatch Barefoot on Sacred Ground, a very, very hard V12. I can't even conceive climbing something that hard.
Then we hike over North Mountain and down the other side to meet up with Nic working Theater of the Absurd.

After that a quite go on Power of Silence, a very energy dependant problem. If you're not fresh, you probably won't send. Still, a very cool problem. I wish I could work it too.

Day 3: Tour to the East Spur...We met up with our guide Pete about noon. Pete was really cool. He had actually been to Taylor's Falls while working on the Sherman Stone Crusade, which is a tour of all 50 states first done by bouldering grandfather John Sherman. He came to climb Mike's Left. It's weird to meet someone who's actually climbed at our little crag. We first showed up at Jigsaw Puzzle, an extra-hard V5.

Kris came over, and disgusted by the heel hook I'm doing here, used his infamous toe-hook instead and sent the problem, after a cigarette, of course. From here we headed over to Brian's project, Rumble in the Jungle. A roof of pinches and toe hooks that stresses every muscle, especially the core, as you can see in Brian's bulging muscles....

He's going back tomorrow to put this problem to bed....

We ran into this crazy guy along the trail who claimed to be Kurt Cobain. He pointed out his large white frame sunglasses and slumped over, depressed demeanor. He later turned out to just be Brain in disguise. We should have known by the large, purple, puffy jacket.

We went into town for dinner that night to a Chinese Buffet. We all commented on how it was the nicest Chinese Buffet any of us had been to. Don't trust appearances. Half an hour later I was puking out of the car. That sucked. That's the last time I eat from a trough of food on this trip!!

More to post on Thusday! Lynn & Kris: Enjoy the cold, Minnesota!!!

We've arrived

Holy crap- I just spent the last hour trying to figure out what the hell my username and password is to get in this! Hint: Don't create your blog 3 weeks before you intend to use it...you will forget everything!!! Anyways, we're sitting in the coffee shop, guys are playing chess. The weather has been pretty crappy down here, as of late. But that should change now that we're here. Otherwise the weather will have to answer to ME! Mmm, that's not a very effective threat, me thinks...More to post later when something acctually happens around here. There's an adult drive-in we might check out. Wow, huge naked people sounds fun to me! And Chic-fil-a! YEAH CHIC-FIL-A!!

Lynn & Kris