Run for Cover 5.8

Pulling onto this three pitch climb above the Jobsite Wall in Rock Canyon was a definitely a good time. There were a few roof pulls along the way that made it a lot of fun. Route finding was easy and the rock was great. I will be back for a repeat of this one for sure.

Mornings in the Mountains

 Mornings in the mountains have their own mystique that seems to always be worth getting up for. Eric and I wanted to get some climbing in up American Fork Canyon so we went for some quick climbs at two different walls. It was the perfect way to start the day.

Brain Full of Spiders 5.9+

 

I suddenly looked up to see Tanner free falling into space. The rope suddenly went tight and pulled me into the wall arresting his fall. The rock on these south faces is always suspect because of ice breakage during the winter months. Tanner's hold had broken off causing him to peel off the wall. The difficulty rating of this climb, 5.9+, is definitely a little vague. The first pitch was harder than we both thought it would be. The moves were awkward and the rock was crappy, but the rest of the climb made up for it.

Tanner pulled himself back to the spot where he fell and started his way up again. Just as he passed the hardest part I looked up to see yet another falling human figure, this one wasn't Tanner. Suicide? This would be the place I guess. As this dark figure plummeted I saw his parachute begin to pull. The snap of his chute scared the crap out of Tanner. He looked back down at me thinking he had knocked a huge rock off the wall.

It is always fun to get out with Tanner, he is probably one of the most mellow guys I know.

Last weekend in Maple

 
This trip might just become an annual thing. Last year was great. This year was great. I hope next year will be great. It is a good group of friends and I had a blast.

 Belay glasses. They actually work really well.

The Story

She had no idea it was coming. After getting home from Timp Wednesday morning I grabbed my paycheck and headed over to Wilson Diamonds where my good friend Matt Wilson works. Neena and I had stopped by a few weeks back on our way to the restaurant next door, so we both had a little bit of an idea of what she wanted. I was at the register pretty quick and it suddenly hit me what I was doing... I started freaking out inside. I walked out of there with a ring and everything got real... Really real. After getting permission the night before from her Dad, I started scheming.

The next day I tried to make things seem as casual as possible. We met at Costco so I could buy some dog food and we grabbed a bite to eat. The wind had kicked up blowing branches from trees and filling the air with dust threatening to foil my plan, but I was set on making it happen. She was being a champ and going along with my idea of going climbing in a storm. 

As we drove up to Rock Canyon the wind suddenly calmed, I definitely had some help from above. We have done the climb I selected a couple times now so it just seemed like a routine thing. As I climbed past her onto the second pitch the sun started to set painting everything gold. The minutes ticked by and it just kept getting prettier. I was surprisingly calm as she came up the last bit of the climb. 

I told her to grab her camera out of the bag and to snap some photos, meanwhile I was pulling the ring out of my pocket. I then proceeded to say a bunch of mushy love stuff and then I asked her. She cried and nodded her head a lot before being able to say yes. We are now engaged. We sat and enjoyed the sunset before heading down.

Same trip through the lens of Jim Knight

Overnight at Emerald Lake

 As I drew near the crest of Primrose Cirque I sent Jim Knight, the guy that I was planning to meet at Emerald Lake, a text to see if he was on the trail.

He replied simply, "At hut, em lake."

I was now glad that I had elected to go up alone, I thought I was getting a head start because he had work so I kept looking back over my shoulder because expecting to see him gaining on me. Jim is close to twice my age and I have a hard time keeping up. The guy is a mountain machine.

I only had a couple hundred vertical to go before I reached the Hidden Lakes Basin but I was starting to drag. During that last little push I was encouraging myself out loud. Every time I go somewhere with a full pack it reminds me why I like dawn patrols, your pack weighs about a quarter as much.

I finally reached Jim and his dog at the "Hut" which is still completely buried. I cooked up some food and we sat and talked. Jim talked mostly while I asked questions. The guy has done it all. Quite a few of the climbing routes I have been doing lately are his, or his sons, creations. The ice axe I was using was even one of his designs. 

The sun hit us early and we took our time letting the sun warm the snow. We made the decision to just head down Primrose instead of going any higher. As soon as we dropped in we knew it was a good idea. The snow was already too soft and sloppy, still fun, but sloppy. 

It was a good little trip, I have been wanting to camp up there all year and now I did. Check. Now next season I know I want to do a multi-day trip up there, there is a lot to ride.

 Dusk, it wasn't dark long. The full moon lit it up like day.

I want a dog like this in the future... She warmed up to me pretty quick and she can run for days.

 

Home sweet home.

This place always makes me feel small.

White to green.