Getting home was a great occasion. Out of the Vegas heat, the cool breeze of the pacific soothed my mind. I was soon to take up a job at the Local climbing gym, Vertical Hold. Getting in the water was also a priority, besides climbing I enjoy swimming through the ocean with either a foam floater to perform tricks with, or a fiberglass machine gun. My friend Austin and I decided to rekindle what ever we were kindling and head up to the mountains the first week I had returned. Austin is a great character, with a huge heart and an open mind, he's the perfect climbing partner: patient, and always wanting to learn. Austin is back for the summer from Oahu, HI; where he lives full time as a marine Biology student. The Census was to go to tramway, where granite explosions sit embedded in the beaches of the mountains. We hiked far and wide to find a campsite where we could not be bothered. The first day of rock climbing went great. Back at camp, we had a bunch of dinner that waited back for us. We dubbed 'hidden', for no one had seen us hike to our tuck away. Refrigerated packs of hearty Indian Cuisine was handed down from my mother, Meredith's Indian Fiance: Kanen. We wrapped the contents into these bomber Indian tortillas, and afterwards wrapped ourselves in sleeping tortillas and watched the heavens rotate.
I used Jason Kehl's Tramway summer pass. "Bawlin!" Which was great, because the cost to ride the rotating gondola is 21 bucks. J's pass enabled me to get in for free for our 3 day adventure that your about to find out turned short.
On the second day, after passing godly first ascent potential about a 1/2 miles walk from the beach area, we decided to go gander at stuff along the main trail. BAD CHOICE! The ranger whom I acquired an overnight pass from happened to be strolling up the trail too! Just my luck!
"Hello!" I said in a boisterous friendly way,
"Can I see your pass", she said with in an authoritarian speech.
She proceeded to look @ the pass she had issued Austin and I the day before. This pass allowed us to camp at Round Valley Campground, a campground located about 2 miles up the trail. She asked us what site we had camped the previous night. Shit! I knew I was fucked man, "something like 16" I replied.
Sure enough the campsites didn't end up being marked. JUST MY LUCK! "Illegal Camping!" She could tell that we had not been at a camp
site and to immediately reveal where we had camped and to retrieve our stuff. In retrospect maybe lying about the location would have been better because I ended up carrying food, clothing, and camping equipment 2 miles on my poor back, alone. (I'll admit it was a good workout at such high elevation.)I couldn't believe the penalty she issued, I mean, the campsite was totally hidden. I used tactics from my influences, like "leave no trace" no trash was to be found. The " "overseer" (whose name seem to fit while trudging through the barren morning sun with 100 pound pack on my back), wrote Austin and I violations for Illegal camping. We had issued a non-freedom pass for being free. It was an absurdity to authority and a tactic for revenue. My climbing trip to tram was sabotaged, by a power hungry forestry service member. My love of climbing tells me it was a good thing for the climbing community. A 60 percent increase this year in the amount of bouldering traffic at tramway, let me know it was just my luck.
We had no real intention of surrender. This was my last weekend before I started my occupation at the rock climbing gym, So we headed to the nearby Black Mountain to continue our bliss. The first night experienced sorbet skies trickling it's sugarless rays on our dirty-clean bodies. Another bomber meal awaited us: of cous cous and garbanzo beans. The meal followed a quick random meeting with one of the first climbers I had ever met: Greg, a.k.a. Talus foot. Greg's a current vagabond and we burned out on some crimpers on the back of the bone head boulder, while the sun burned below the horizon of the pacific rim. We reminisced of the time his friend almost killed us while fishtailing with modern momentum down Buttermilk Road; good times. The trip to black mountain was well worth it. Along with getting some real callous, I sent some cool rock climbs: like Can Opener and Tour De France, all very quickly and easily. I got on a few double digit boulder problems and was doing really well figuring out the moves quite quickly, confirming that my strength and mind was ready for the upcoming trip to Wyoming.
After our hands were thrashed and our muscles unable to contract, San Diego and the fresh ocean water awaited me. My girlfriend Lahna, and a new job stood there waiting. I'd been really siked on some sport routes in the gym, plus a full on campus board which I had not trained on in years on a regular basis. I am still hooked on boba and am definitely convinced that Tapioca balls have strange sending powers. Training at the gym has been going very well for me. I have sent almost every sport route, including my last project which I fell off the last move of yesterday. SO RAD! My friend Nate Claycolb and old school snowboarder, Jack Howard have proved to be my dedicated training partners, getting in 5-7 hours of training every other day. Besides the gym I have been spending my time training almost as hard as I was in Vegas. I wake up at six in the morning every day, go surfing, go belay kids at the gym, and every other day try to spend at least 7 hours climbing sport, and just recently started Boot Camp Training modified . I really enjoy going to work every morning, seeing the same kids progress on routes they couldn't do or didn't know how to at the beginning of the week is very fulfilling. Climbing is so unique and beautiful. Besides submerging myself in the mother nature's bathtub every morning, staying active from morning till bed, I have also taken a new interest in further developing my local bouldering area, "Los Penesquitos Canyon Reserve" About two years ago I remembered an old time rest stop that my father and I would relax at while mountain biking. I remembered water, and water polished granite features very different than anything in San Diego. The Rock is reminiscent of the Jupiter Boulders in Palm Springs area. Projects keep on popping up after being down there well over 30 times. It just reminds me that the potential of a single area is almost limitless, reminding me to climb all that's down here could take a few years. Rome wasn't built in a day you know. Although I would like to keep working on my local development, life is calling my name, and I will be making some changes down the road. For one I will be changing schools to an area more central to climbing, and two this means moving out of San Diego. I feel like I have a lot of things that I love here, but change is good, and I hear it calling me. Climbing is my vehicle for life, and some of the most peaceful experiences I have ever felt are experienced through the climbing medium. Some of the most beautiful and peaceful experiences are experienced when climbing alone.
No comments:
Post a Comment