We're Back

Becky and I arrived home late last Thursday from our trip and I think we would both like to head back out on the road as soon as possible. Unfortunately, that won't be happening. We're moving into our new place in Berkeley at the end of the week and Becky starts her new J.O.B. on Tuesday so we're pretty much going to be weekend warriors for a while.

As promised, here is the video that covers the first part of our trip in Leavenworth. There will be a second part coming along shortly after that will cover the couple of days we spent in Gold Bar, WA at the end of our trip. More on that later...

All in all, Leavenworth was bitchin'. The climbing style was fun, the rock quality varied from 'just okay' to amazing, the 'hang' in the canyons is phenomenal, and even though the Bavarian themed town gets old real quick it offers all the visiting vagabond needs in a nice tight package just a few miles from the climbing. Basically, don't go there and ruin it for everyone else!

Leavenworth Report

Becky and I are currently vacationing in Leavenworth, WA. It is a little post graduation/pre-new job trip for my lady. Becky just graduated from UCSF as a nurse practitioner and begins her new job at Life Long Medical Clinic in Berkeley at the end of this month.

So Far we've been blessed with unseasonably cool temps, which has allowed me to climb a fair amount of cool rock climbs. Becky has been getting herself reacquainted with outdoor rock climbing after a year spent mostly in the classroom, clinics, and occasionally the gym. Some things that have presented a challenge to her include: landings that are not flat, blue and carpeted, holds that are round, and top-outs. There aren't many top-outs in our climbing gyms. Still, she has done a number of very classic and tall problems as she slowly gets more comfortable. I know big things are in her future.

Personally, I've been really happy to climb a number of challenging problems of various styles. From the slopey 'Premium Coffee' to the dynamic 'The Shield'. I'm really stoked though to do a problem first ascended by my friend Herm Feissner, called 'The Practitioner'. I briefly worked out the moves on this sweet compression problem in the sun on our first day. I knew right away that I wouldn't be able to climb the whole line in those conditions with sweating fingers and warm to-the-touch rock, but I felt like with some decent conditions it might go quickly.

Yesterday, at the end of a long and productive climbing day, I decided to head over to 'The Practitioner' at about 8pm. Becky and I quickly hiked up from the parking lot, threw our two pads down, I practiced the last move twice, and then climbed it from the beginning first try!

Anyway, today is a rest day so we might drive up the road to check out the boulders around Gold Bar and Index. We've taken a fair amount of video too, so we should have a video prepared shortly after we get back to the Bay.

Booya!!