Training Log Archive: riley

30lb pack. Approach hike to an awesome looking face. Lots of scrambling/ 3rd and 4th class. Had to rope up once.

Joe and I were out of water by the time we finished the approach. We probably should have turned back and returned another day. We stashed our packs and prepared to rappel down a gully to the bottom of the face. The rappels didn't exactly go as planned and I ended up downclimbing a dirty 60ft squeeze chimney. FML.

By the time we were halfway down, Joe and I didn't really want to go any farther. I was ready to start sucking the water out of rocks... Soooo thirsty. We saw an overhanging crack a short distance back up the canyon and decided to go for it. We roped up, Joe anchored to a tree, and I placed the first piece a few feet above a ledge. Looking up at the crack, I started to get excited. It was pretty splitter and ran through solid white granite. I got about 20ft up, took a fall and almost decked, and then sent it 20 more feet before switching to aid. One etrier, no daisys, and no fifi hook. Aiding sucked. I made it 20 more feet before running out of small nuts. I set up a hanging belay and Joe jugged up. When he got to the belay the blood was no longer circulating in my legs, and I was staring at a moth in the crack thinking about eating it to rehydrate.

Joe hooked in to the death belay and I was off, aiding as fast as I could to the top of a tips-only flared crack. Once back in free territory I scrambled to the top of the buttress and set up another anchor. I curled up in the shade on a small ledge on the opposite side of the buttress and waited for Joe to jug the pitch.
By the time he reached the anchor I thought I was going to die.
Joe put me back on belay and I traversed around an offwidth, running it out so he wouldn't pendulum when following. I got to the top and realized it wasn't the top. Goddamn. I used our one #3 when the offwidth narrowed to wide hands, and traversed across friction slabs to a big boulder. I set up another anchor and Joe cleaned the pitch. Once he got past the boulder, we unroped and scrambled along the top of the buttress back to our packs. 4th class.

At the summit we took off our gear and I sat down and stared into my empty water bottle. We still had to walk for two hours to get back to civilization, but at least we weren't hallucinating! (yet)

Hiking/running back. Hallucinations ensued.

Elbows feel better, not constantly in pain like last night.
Looking forward to high altitude running and easy trad climbing in the Sierra next week.

Mickey's beach.
10c and the hardest 5.9 of my life on lead with Joe. Think I hurt myself holding lock-offs on the 5.9 for too long.
Also, climbing 5.easy in coils, practicing simuling.

Indoor bouldering.
Elbow tendinitis is killing me.

Indoor bouldering

Tartan trail

Indoor bouldering, mostly V3.

Lagunitas loop + Bon Tempe + pine mountain out-and-back.
Felt pretty good until the last 4-5mi when my knees hurt a bit. Shin splints seem to be gone for now.