The summer of taking 'er easy

Mount Rainier from the Tatoosh range

This has been an interesting summer for me, one that is teaching me a lot of little life lessons.  In March I tweaked my knee pretty bad while hitting the park jumps at Red Lodge Mountain with my school group and it turned out to be bad.  As the most interesting man in the world would say: I don't always completely blow my ACL but when I do I make sure to be dressed in  a one piece Carhart suit while on the school ski trip.  Stay Gaper my friends.

I am planning on keeping this blog updated with the perspective of a climber in mind and all that the ACL surgery entails - as I couldn't find much written online about ACL surgery with a climbercentric view (The only exception being the great article written by Steph Davis on her blog).

Aside from not having an ACL in my left knee for the last 5 months it has been an awesome summer of climbing - I just have to stay closer to the car and not carry heavy packs (my own rules).

So here is a photo essay depicting a summer of taking 'er easy:

Austin Hart and I attempted Cathedral Point.  We got sandbaged on the approach and ended up running out of daylight (we did 1 pitch on the buttress).  We did climb the spire to the left as a consolation prize and found some tat on top.  Good old B-Tooths.

Austin Hart on top of a limestone palisade in the Red Lodge area

Audrey from NYC enjoying a trip up the Ramp (5.7).  Working for Beartooth Mountain guides this summer was pure fun as I couldn't carry heavy packs - so I got to do a lot of type 1 fun trips.

Looking up at Senor Clinton as he onsights an .11b pitch for the first ascent of pitch 1 of "Sundance" 

Looking down at Senor Clinton from pitch 2 of "Sundance"  burly.

I visited Bridget in Washington.  We climbed the classic "Libery Bell" via the NW face.

Bridget on Liberty Bell

Bridget on the summit of Liberty Bell

Chris Ebeling and I scrambled a bit of the Tatoosh traverse in Rainier National Park.  We did Plummer, Pinnacle, and the Castle.

Chris on the castle

Bridget and I also discovered surfing.  Surfing blew my mind and I already have surf specific trips planned for next year.  If you have never surfed you should.  My doctor was not psyched though.

Bridget about to get pitted

I also had the opportunity to work with a group of archaeologists as a rope technician in Montana.   I free soloed up a short limestone face and placed an anchor to rig a ladder.  The cave paintings were documented and the cave is in the works as getting donated back into the Crow tribe.  Larry makes a squeeze into the main cave system.

One of the paintings in the cave

I also got a chance to climb in the needles of the Black Hills.  I was very impressed with the quality of rock and the friendly locals who let me climb with them (I was on a short vacation with my Mom).

So even while injured you can still get out and enjoy the outdoors.  I am a classic coper - I am staying away from the mountains and turning down amazing trips to the Enchantments, Wind Rivers, etc.. so I am dying a little bit on the inside from that, but I feel super lucky to still be able to climb.  A summer of little lessons.

Cheers, Loren

Chugwater spires

Rick on "Little Fin".  "Middle fin" is the big one to the right.

Found some excellent choss spires.  I recruited the corn fed dark horse, Rick Dvorak, to climb a few of them with me.  A taste of Utah right here in the WyMont. The nice part about these towers is that they went free, although loose and scary.  Classic tower experiences. We put anchors on the top to belay from but be ready to tandem rappel.

Myself hiking into the spires (I guess I haven't had an ACL in my left knee for 2 months now - doesn't seem to affect me...?)

Myself heading up "Middle fin" on the F.A.

Myself on the 5.8+ hand crack of "Middle fin"

Rick on top of "Middle Fin" - these things are skinny!

Rick on the sporty F.A. lead of "little fin" 5.8+?

Rick on the top of 'Little Fin"

Wilson dog

Cheers, Loren

A few "new" ice/ mixed lines

Austin Hart in go mode - priming the tucker cat

This winter was pretty bleak in terms of Beartooth ice climbing - the warm Chinook winds blew constantly this winter and we spent more days carrying our ice packs around than climbing.  With that said we did nab a few "new" climbs.  

Austin scoped this beautiful line and nabbed the probably first ascent on this ephemeral pillar- thus "Foxy Lady" was born.  I feel luck to have held the rope for Austin on this one.

Austin getting in deep with "Foxy Lady"

Rock creek falls was pretty anemic this winter and the left set of rappel anchors were off to the side far from the ice.  I decided to mix climb to them.  Go half way up the ice the venture out left on the white rock vein to the anchors - M3 - bring small gear and pins.

I retro bolted (with permission) a line just to the left of Hellroaring falls.  "1/4 mile Lyle" M5/6        10 clips on pumpy and techy rock.

Cheers, Loren

Pryor Climbing Club Story

We had a story written up about the climbing club in Pryor I helped start; click the link to read

.

Last Best News

Cheers, Loren

The Last Best News - Pryor Climbing Wall

I started a climbing club at the school where I teach at (Plenty Coups High School).  Madeleine Cummings wrote an article on the club.

click the link below to read the story:

Pryor Montana Climbing Wall


Thanks, Loren

Rock Creek Falls Ski

rock creek falls

On the first day of 2015 I decided to try a backyard multi-sport day.  I have always wanted to check out the gully above rock creek falls in Red Lodge.  This historic ice climb is a classic of the area and is arguably the first ice climb in the U.S.A. that was climbed using the modern front pointing technique.

I skinned up the approach on skis, alone, in an extremely quiet forest covered in bobcat tracks.  When I got to the ice, put the crampons on, and soloed up the falls in ski boots.  I rigged an anchor on top and hauled the skis up on a munter hitch.  It worked great.

Once on top I stashed the climbing gear and clicked back into my skis.  The gully above was a consistent 25-30 degree slope to the plateau 1,000 feet above.  I was not expecting such a mellow (and fun) descent, the skiing was blue square terrain all the way back to the ice climb with 2 inches of fresh snow on a crust I was staying on top of.  

When I reached the ice I rappelled it, clicked back into my skis and skied the entire approach back to the car.  I was back home 4 hours after leaving it that morning.  I am excited about this ice/ski and will do it again this year; I highly recommend it.

looking down the ice

Hauling the skis

the gully above the ice

my tracks heading down the mid section of the couloir

The skiing below the falls was a wee-bit bony

Cheers, Loren

The Bear Lodge

Went to the Bear Lodge (Devil's Tower) this fall with Austin, Nick, and Bridget.  Amazing place, amazing climbing.

Bridget leading "Soler"

the gang on top

Nick on the 200 foot pitch of "Walt Bailey"

Bridget coming up "Walt Bailey"

Austin heading down

We didn't have time to make it to the west face, but it looks good!

Cheers, Loren

Post #100 AND Summer Montage

mon·tage

mänˈtäZH,mōn-,mōN-/

noun

1. the process or technique of selecting, editing, and piecing together separate sections of film to form a continuous whole.

   • a sequence of film resulting from this.

     plural noun: montages

     "a dazzling montage of the movie's central banquet scene"
   • the technique of producing a new composite whole from fragments of pictures, text, or music.

     "the play often verged on montage"

   
   

linea alba

Luke Johnson - Bachelor party on the wall!  

Austin Hart pulling a roof

Jack Clinton in the 'pine

fingers

the taste of defeat

Brad Cox on the Montana-Mexico border

A calf-screaming good time

Watch your daughters

It always feels good to work with the Beartooth Mountain Guides and get a family to the top of Montana!!

The top of Montana

Bailing before even roping up (my bad)

But more importantly.  Today marks 365 days and one trip around the sun since we lost our friend Kevin Volkening to a climbing accident.  As I type this I am a 6 pack deep and my mind won't relax.  I still, and will always feel, a profound loss.  I know Kevin would appreciate the beauty and aesthetics of the places we climb at and the partners we share on a rope.  His presence is always with us in some form or another, whether a memory, a spark of inspiration, or a mannerism we picked up from him.  Here's to K-Bone!

K-Bone after climbing Moonlight buttress

Loren