space, time, and the texture of reality

Yesterday I found these topos I drew from a Beartooth climbing trip from many years ago.  For some reason I brought a really deep book to read on this trip (The fabric of the cosmos: Space, time, and the texture of reality) which describes everything physics, and I drew the topos in the blank back pages while sitting around camp.  I hadn't picked this book up for years (and I still haven't read the whole thing) but I started laughing when I flipped the book open to this page.  kinda cool to rediscover.


Cheers, Loren

A week in Zion

The towers of the virgin

Finally (and not a day to soon), I got a whole week off from school and teaching to head to the desert of Utah in an effort to create some vitamin-d, climb sandy rock, and stare awe-struck at the looming walls that are characteristic of Zion National Park.  Bridget and I started our drive from Bozeman, MT, and spent the night visiting friends in SLC.  It was a fun night exploring the city and hanging with the Volkenings. 

We entered Zion National Park during the busiest ever recorded time in its history.  But somehow the cliffs and walls were empty of climbers. The buses, however, were packed to the max with tourists who asked us questions about our strange climbing gear and on why we were covered in sand and blood (most were polite enough that they didn't recoil at our stench and we didn't recoil at their cameras).

Montana wildlife near West Yellowstone

 

Finally in the sunny and sandy land of Zion

 

We started the trip by climbing the fun "right toilet crack" at the temple of sinawava. It was a butt kicker for "only" being 5.10-, but it was fun and we had the route all to our selves.

 

Bridget following on the first pitch of "right toilet cracks".

 

Bridget on the second pitch of "right toilet cracks".

 

 

 

Bridget on the 4th pitch of "right toilet cracks"

 

myself striking my best warrior pose on the top of "right toilet crack"

 

Bridget becoming one with the universe

 

We then climbed "lead by sheep" on Aries butte during a day when it was predicted to rain (which it didn't). What a strange yet satisfying route. Run out 5.7 climbing on petrified sand dunes brings one to the summit of this feature with great views all around.

Bridget approaching Aries Butte

 

pictographs

Bridget on the first pitch of "lead by sheep"- Aries butte

 

Bridget climbing on "lead by sheep"

 

View from near the summit of Aries butte

 

 

 

 

Bridget bouldering

 

After "lead by sheep" we geared up for 'Space shot" on the leaning wall. We planned on spending a night on the wall and got an early start. Once we reached the fourth pitch we were in the full sun and baking under the heat. I managed to lead the C2 pitch in two hours. I am not an aid climber and this was the hardest thing I had ever lead on clean aid; it kinda fried me out with the mental weirdness and the intense sun beating down on us. I decided that I didn't want to lead the next pitch (also C2), so we bailed and were back in Springdale by supper. It was a learning experience for me for sure, I need to get my wall climbing techniques down better.

 

Space shot ascends just to the left of the great arch in the background.  (photo by Kevin Volkening taken from the base of moonlight buttress).

 

psyched!

 

Bridget leads the second pitch of Space shot

Bridget being cognizant of the buses below

 

Merica' - myself rigging our "cheater stick" with some pride. 

 

Myself on the first C2 lead (pitch 4) of space shot

 

This is about when I decided that aid climbing may not be my thing.

Even when we bail on a route Bridget keeps on smiling

 

Bailing from space shot

 

A scorpion that was under our tent

 

We spent the next day climbing the best route of the trip- "headache" near the tunnel. Three great 5.10 crack pitches brought us to the top with poop-eating grins on our faces. 

 

 

Bridget on the first pitch of "Headache"

Myself on the second pitch of "Headache"

Myself on the third pitch of "Headache"- tight-tight hands.

 

Mt. Kinesava from our camp site

 

Unfortunately our camera batteries died with a few days left on the end of the trip. We did some really good climbing sans photos. We got on "Iron Messiah" A pretty cool route. The first pitch was the best by farrrrrr- but don't blow the first three clips. We also headed to St George where we finally were able to take a shower and camp with a flush toilet in the beautiful Snow Canyon State Park. We climbed the ultra-classic "Living on the edge" a great 4 pitch (5.10) sport route (except for the last 5.9 pitch) that climbs right on the edge of a small arch and then takes a plumb line to the top of the formation. On the descent Bridget and I ran smack dab into a Gila monster that was as large as my forearm!

I had a lot of fun on this trip and I can't wait to head back this coming fall with a rack full of offset gear!

 

Cheers, Loren

Spire climbing center remodel

"Safety is no accident" photo and saying by Henry Scholtzhauer

Last summer I had the opportunity to help remodel Spire Climbing Center in Bozeman, MT.  It was a dream job for me (what serious climber doesn't want to build an awesome climbing wall and get paid for it?). 

We had a camera taking pictures every few minutes while we did the remodel of the gym and a video of the remodel was made.  Click the link below to watch the video:

SPIRE CLIMBING CENTER REMODEL VIDEO



 

Henry hard at work during the wall remodel

 

Indiglo, our summer mascot, photo by Henry Scholzhauer

 

 

 

 

 

Cheers, Loren

It ain't the windgate- but don't knock the eagle.

 

The Windgate Sandstone (Utah) is know for being bullet hard, splitter, and strikingly beautiful.  The Eagle Sandstone (Montana) is known for being bullet-hole ridden, loose, and strikingly sandy.  But this isn't Utah, it's Montana, and we take what we can get.

 

The Eagle Sandstone is about 70 million years old and formed as a gigantic barrier island along the shore of a shallow Cretaceous sea that covered most of Montana.  The Eagle Sandstone has high angle cross-bedding (sand dunes) and fossil remains from terrestrial and aquatic organisms; geologically it's a pretty cool formation. 

 

The formation is best observed at Billings, Montana.  It is seen as the large, white cliffs surrounding the town.  These cliffs have been climbed on for years and now have a great guide book filled with boulder problems and classic crack climbs of all grades.  The book is called SUPER SAND LAND and should be purchased if you are interested in placing flesh against 30 grit sandpaper in a vertical orientation (recommended).

 

Bridget and I explored a little visited area with an outcropping of Eagle Sandstone near Lavina, Montana (i.e. Cow town, USA). 

 



cow town

 

 

USA

This particular cliff sits on BLM land and has been climbed on prior by a few hardy Billings folks.  I am a sucker for obscure places (they are typically more memorable that the popular places) so we headed out to Lavina to see what we could find, and hopefully climb.  Here's what we found...

Great view of the Crazy Mountains from the crag

 The camping situation was a bit sketchy and lame (we have no idea if we are trespassing on a rancher's pasture and we were worried that we would be woken up at 4:00am at gun point by a rancher feeding his/her cattle... and there are no trees).

Bridget heading up one of the best cracks we climbed. 

 

The view from the top (i.e. what 99% of Montana actually looks like).

 

Bridget on "Cozy Cafe"

 



 

We did find this great crack that we are sure no one had climbed before (it took alot of cleaning of big blocks).  It has a tough crux at the ground (V5) into a 5.11 finger crack- sweet route!  Notice the bullet holes...  The redneck marksman had great accuracy and precision.

We named this route "Cozy Cafe" 5.12,  in reference to the Cozy Corner Bar in Lavina where we had dinner.  The Cozy Corner bar had some "special" locals who were quite colorful, and creepy...

 

The bullet holes are on and are required foot beta.

 

 

Bridget on the steep "Cozy Cafe" 5.12

 

We also found this stellar corner that may be a new route (we cleaned a key hold at the crux that was very obvious no one had ever touched (super loose) - and would have been forced to if they would have been on the route.  We named this route "Trailer Park Fire" 5.11+

Bridget on "Trailer Park Fire"

Myself on the lie-back special of "Trailer Park Fire".  Top rope hero.

 

good times

 

Cheers, Loren