A newbie's 1st trip to Indian Creek

On March 26, I flew into Las Vegas knowing only that DJ Skelton & Maddie would be picking me me up from the Sin City Airport. Based on our previous conversations, I wasn't sure where we'd end up (Red Rocks? Cali? Utah?). Half a day after landing in Vegas, I arrive at the crack climbing epicenter of the universe.

This blog entry is entitled newbies FIRST trip because, well, Indian Creek ain't really for newbs. But there's always a first, right? This will hopefully be the first of many trips to the Creek. I pretty much went into this knowing that there was very little I could have done to adequately prepare for this. My expectations for successful climbing were kept to a minimum & I knew I'd be in for maximum sensory overload.


Puffed up from my flight? salty airline snacks?
or was it excitement? bravado? or fear?

Optimator Wall.

Followed some chimney climb
(I was not expecting my 1st Creek climb to be a chimney).

Then top roped some sort of a leaning crack.














DJ & I getting our shizzle together for optimator.













Climbers on (in?) Donnelly Canyon












Climbers on the shady side of Reservoir Wall






















The Six-shooters at sunset.












Driving up to an area called The Wall.
(cue Pink Floyd please).











View from the parking area for The Wall.
Note the abandoned(?) mine.

The Wall is not actually pictured, but lies far right, at the far right end of the text you're reading.
The approach was a memorable one as the structure of the area made a distinct super windy passage.





The view upon arrival.


Someone's at the base checking out the lines.



















Maddie & DJ






















The view from the "corner" of The Wall area.


Mike Doyle surveying the land.


(climbers: his site is particularly worthy of checking out!)





DJ sizing things up as Mike &
Will Stanhope keep gazing.


(Mike is actually spying on the lower terrain... which contains little more than cow pies)

















Climbers on the end of The Wall closest to the trail.





















The previous scene, zoomed out.

The scale of everything is immense & grand.

We're certainly far far far away from East Coast climbing!



















DJ Skelton leading "Brain Damage, 5.10+"
at far end of The Wall



A 70m rope works best for this climb.

















Katie Brown project-ing "Learning to Fly" 5.13+ and the end of The Wall.





















Unfortunately by the end of the day at The Wall, I start coming down with some sort of upper respiratory flu thing. The next day (?) we head back towards Vegas to catch the tail end of Red Rock Rendezvous 2008. We crash w/ Malcolm Daly, who feeds me some of his amazing polenta (again! hyperlink to Boulder 2007 when SD card gets fixed) & sees me off to the airport.

The upper respiratory thing turns south & the flight was not kind on my eardrums...
(I am *such* a whiney baby).

As I write this my voice is still nowhere to be found, I'm coughing non-stop (which hopefully counts as a core-strengthening exercise), my eardrums still swollen... and I'm thankful that being sick affords me the time to plot my NEXT trip to the Creek! : )


PS (FYI/Suggestions):

- the actual drive from Vegas to Indian Creek is 7.5 hours/520 miles.
- the best airport to fly into is Grand Junction, CO. Drive to the Creek is ~166 miles/2.75 hours.
- Flying into Moab is also an option, but the car rental selection might be limited. There are a Jeep rental places in Moab, however.
- when mapping out drives that include Indian Creek, the best endpoint to use is Monticello, UT (not Moab).
- the more clearance your vehicle has, the better.
-Keep an eye on the gas gauge! It's ~65 miles each way from Moab to the heart of the Creek.
- Using Wag Bags is really not that bad & prolly way more pleasant than the Bridger Jack/Beef Basin Port-a-Potty, which has a huge line in the mornings.
- Bandage scissors are particularly useful (nore so than a knife) in removing tape gloves in such a way that the can be reused.
- No Partner? Virgin to splitter cracks? Take a look at Splitter Camps.

New Hampshire March 2008

Long story short, I finally got to go ice climbing.

The pre-climbing epic involved having to go to court & driving though the hell known as I-95 (hell because & partner bailage due to sudden & unrelenting flu). I had fantasies of telling the judge: "I'll take my touron money to the great state of Vermont you legalistic puritan! Who do yo think you are? the Quaker oatmeal dude? Live Free or Die, my ass!" Fortunately this remained only a fantasy, as I am able to write this blog unincarcerated.

Anyhoo... The actual climbing days involved perfect conditions, a cozy B&B, & good company. No incriminating pictures, however.
OK, maybe one.

In North Conway, I stayed at the Nereledge Inn. I would highly recommend this place over any of the chain motels or that cheesy timeshare place hear the gear shops. It's really homey yet w/in walking distance to "downtown". The litmus test for B&B's is the tastiness of the muffins. This one definitely passed.

I was tentatively going to climb ice for the first time with a Kevin Mahoney, a guide that came with really good recommendations from reliable sources. However he had to go out of town on short notice & gave the job to Freddie Wilkinson.

I don't have any other pictures, so the following ones are "borrowed".

Photo: http://chauvinguides.com/stdicelines.htm

The first real ice climb I got to do in my whole entire life was Standard Route.






http://www.neclimbs.com/image_popup.php?ImagePath=currentContent/iceReport/ice_images/dracula.jpg&Title=dracula

The next day was Dracula,

followed by a mixed route called the Penguin.

http://www.neclimbs.com/image_popup.php?ImagePath=currentContent/iceReport/ice_images/penguin.jpg&Title=penguin

Thalassemia & Climbing

A(nother) recent NYT article on thalassemia...
one way of interpreting this article as it relates to me is that I'd be better off abandoning the pursuit of all things alpine, go to Thailand & be a sport climber. Or go back to malaria (a disease that's more easily addressed via social justice & economics than schmancy biotech) research.

Sigh....

if this guy can take on the 7 summits w/ß-thal minor...

I don't really think I want to do those 7 summits.
Cooler objectives can be found in the 50 Favorites.
Bigger dreams would include the 7 real summits.

Climbing & approach shoe & sandal resole options

Here's a list of climbing shoe resolers that I think are worth listing.

Go to their websites or call for complete details.

Turnaround times can be longer in spring & summer.
Some only do climbing shoes, others do climbing & approach shoes.

edit march 08: a printable chart is available at:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dc8tsj44_318ddhfj4gj
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Barry doesn't have a website but he does have a *really* strong reputation,
especially among the Supertaco crowd.

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I've sent a pair out to Locker & they came back w/ good results.
There was even a little bonus rand work done.

www.positiveresoles.com

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I've been to their shop in Bishop, CA w/ a partner to pick up his shoes.
He was happy w/ the resole, as were a handful of others that I've climbed with.
As far as I know they only do climbing shoes.
Claiming 30+ years experience, I suspect they've done
more climbing shoe resoles than all the others mentioned.

www.rubberroomresoles.com
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Owned & operated by a multiple speed ascent record holder,
Zion Guide & Mugs Stump award winner.
Based out of Vegas/Red Rocks.

www.climbingresoles.com

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Based in Boulder.
My new favorite resoler b/c of the turn around time &
they offer XS Grip rubber (which no one else did as of January 2008).
Favorite among the CO crowd, as well as surrounding states.

www.rockandresole.com_______________________________________________________

Probably one of the fastest & least expensive... Based in Pueblo, Co.

www.prodealresoles.com

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This is the resole division of EVOLV climbing shoes.
They'll resole any brand shoe but only w/ TRAX rubber
(also the only resoler that carries TRAX).
If I owned Evolv shoes, I'd send them here. Based south of LA.

I had my first pair of climbing shoes resoled by them, along with rand work.
Solid work w/ good turnaround.

www.yosemitebum.com

shipping

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www.davepagecobbler.com

The place where I'd consider sending in all my Birkenstocks, climbing shoes, mountaineering boots & leather tele boots (if I tele'd) resoling all at once in order to save on outbound shipping... if only they offered a price break for return shipping. I didn't see any shipping discounts on the website but it's worth a try to ask.

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A note on rands:
I've learned from experience that anytime rand work is needed,
there's a chance that the the feel or the toebox will not be the same.
Your toes may be less happy.
Your ability to footjam on crack climbs can be affected.
Moral of the story: Get shoes resoled before the wear gets on the rand.
It's cheaper in the long run!
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Note to DC area folks:
There is a local place that resoles climbing shoes
(along w/ normal shoes & equestrian footwear):
Tricks of the Trade 725 Walker Rd. Great Falls, VA 22066 703.759.4565

Personally, I rather choose from the list below & use a climbing shoe specialist (who actually climbs) that happens to do other types shoes, rather than the other way around. It doesn't take more time nor cost more money. Unless you live in Great Fall$, resoling via mail order is much more convenient than local resoling, comparable in cost & probably leaves a smaller carbon footprint if you think about it. If you're still interested, here are some reviews:

In a follow-up to a previous thread, I thought I should report that Tricks of the Trade did a super job resoling a couple pairs of climbing shoes for me. It took several weeks because they were out of rubber and then the heater failed at their shop. But I got half soles on each pair, along with a rand patch on one of the shoes for a total of $77.50. Wayne even glued back rubber that always seems to separate from the leather uppers on my Mythos. DH 2/3/07

A few years back I had my shoes resoled with C-4 rubber at Tricks of the trade in Great Falls, MD for about $35.00, they did a great job. OH 12/28/06

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Most of the shops mentioned below will also put 5.10 sticky rubber on your
approach shoes (depending on model) or Chaco's.



Chaco sells sandals w/ Diamond Stealth rubber that,
for me, works better than 5.10 dot.
They'll also resole their sandals w/Diamond stealth.
Diamond stealth sandals & resoles sold out in 2007, so you might not get 'em if you wait too long.

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Potomac Mountain Club Holiday 2007

My fading tan lines & expanding waistline is highlighted by the pin on my chest.
It is indeed made from a condom.
It was a present from Ted (previous picture) who brought it back from
Cabbages & Condoms in Thailand.

Thanks so much to the Dannhardt Family for hosting!

my sexy new boots

now I gotta figure out how to earn the right to wear them.

FYI - I went down a half size to 39.5.
I wear 40.0 in Sportiva Nepal's, 38.5 in Sportiva rock shoes, 8.5 US Wmn's

Here's the scant but useful beta I could find on them.

Red River Gorge

The weather has finally realized that it's autumn! Tuesday's high was a miserable 94F & 90% humidity but today's high is supposed to be just 64F.

Whenever I get my act together today (hopefully before noon), I'm headed to the Red River Gorge. I had orginally planned to stop there on my way home from my road trip this summer but went to NC instead. Hopefully I'll get there in time to get in some good volunteering time for Paradox Sports, an adaptive climbing organization that is participating in this weekend's events. Then it's Camp Trango for a few days.

and then it's back to DC & mcat prep....

shoulda woulda coulda

I shoulda gone to Seneca today...

Here's a picture of Duncan & me on Pleasant Overhangs back in May, as I was just getting back to climbing & at the beginning of Duncan's mystery arthralgia.

I assure you he IS wearing shorts.

So I am not a total slacker after all! (Thalassemia Minor)

I have always been slower when it comes to endurance activities... I doubt that I've ever run a mile in under 10 minutes in my life. I gave up trying to do that by middle school. Everyone, myself included, has always chalked it up to lack of training & preparation... in other words, being a slackass.

So I finally just came across this: article about Pete Sampras, who, like me, has thalassemia minor. Rumor has it he did not admit to this until after retirement, so that opponents could not stretch out matches to strategically tire him out. (Another athlete with thal minor is the midfield footballer Zinedine Zidane).

In a way the Sampras article makes me feel better because it explains why I am slower than most of the people I climb with, especially on the approaches. But it's a bit of a bummer in the grand scheme of things: it means that there will definitely be limitations when extreme endurance is required. It's like driving up a steep grade but your car has a smaller engine & only four cylinders... you have to shift into a lower gear sooner. It means I should look towards sport climbing or bouldering... as opposed to long alpine routes. Too bad I dislike bouldering & can only see sport climbing as a means to an end for building strength.

I also came across a study in the where it was decided to be legitimate medical practice to give epo to a Division I NCAA football player with beta-thalassemia minor. Since when was American football an endurance sport requiring genuine endurance?

I wonder if I'll ever want a climb so bad that I'd resort to epo injections & risk stroking out. At least I now have a legitimate reason to hire a porter for a long approach. But that still feels like cheating. Or can I call it aid climbing?

Back in Black: Return to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison (under construction)

When I first saw the Black in person sans partner, it shot to the top of my list of places to which I must return with a competent partner...

Little did I know that my wish would come true so quickly.

Jim Donini & I on our way to do Casually Off-Route, a good intro to the Black.

Descent down the SOB draw (gulley)

end of 3rd (?) pitch