I drop Ann off at a trailhead at the base of the foothills, then drive up to Rotary Park to meet Sean. We boulder for awhile, stopping often to admire the setting. There are these bushes in bloom – not lilacs but similar – just going nuts right now. Combine it with the sunset and the boulders, and you get frequent stops to take in the view. Ann appears, having hiked 4 miles up to Rotary, and enjoys a few moves before we start to lose the light.
5 responses to “It’s getting really pretty at Rotary”
uhhh.. bouldering is the shit, got it? good.
yeah, i did 5 days in JTree. randy came out and we climbed in the 2nd day. i had a good time with him.
but the whole climbing thing, there is so much physical and mental effort that a lot of the beauty of moving over rock is getting lost for me. the flow. the holds. all the nuasences(sp).
by the 5th day i looked at the heep of gear i have accumulated.. some pieces that have never been placed .. and was like “Ha.. when am I finally going to admit it, finally just be done with it.”
the bouldering at wagon wheel gets better and better and better. and better. scott has been showing me some absolutely 5***** problems. real problems. not that the “one move wonders” aren’t great, no, that is wagon wheel’s bread and butter. but these big probs. HARD. i took randy and curtis to one scott showed (i don’t have any pics of it yet). randy’s expression and comment … i loved it. absolutely NO false bravado. none.
he got this nice expression (like a mild “Wow” expression).. a small smile and without me saying a word goes “I have never seen this problem (!).”
he later commented on what a badass looking deal it is. and it is. i didn’t send.
i talked with scott about it later. it’s a lone problem.. well, there is an arete deal there but it’s easy. i like what scott said as well. he said “You have to be a conoiseur(sp) of boulder problems to do that one.”
and he’s right. you have to be a real boulderer to do it. not someone who is a climber and goes out to boulder for ‘fun’ or for ‘practice’, but a real no shit BOULDERER.
curtis didn’t say anything, but he suffers from a considerable amount of pride and big man’s disease. he’d never done it and prolly never seen it. it was kind of relief that lodas is still being a bitching cunt and didn’t come over there because i KNOW he’da been all “I’ve done that one. I did it with you.” fuck.. it’s HIGH and HHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARDDDDDDDD.
i got a couple of moves on it but there is no way he ever got it.. or randy or curtis. or ME. but i will. why? because i am a boulderer.
we did some other high hard ones on Sunday (i took a 1 day rest from JTree) on a boulder i had never been, but i had seen the probs. some blue balled baby fucker (Vernon) bolted the thing.
so yeah, i wish you were around. i see you are re-getting a taste for bouldering. do it.
pics from JTree (just 1 day of pics) and last sunday.
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b124/wild_beast_71/2006_04_23/
http://s18.photobucket.com/albums/b124/wild_beast_71/Jtree_spring_06/
Very nice. I don’t think I’m becoming a boulderer, though, even though I like it. I like working on a problem that is too hard for me for an hour to unwind, but I’m still motivated to get the rope out on weekends. I think for me, covering ground is a great source of pleasure, no matter what the sport. I like getting high up, even on an easy climb. I like doing lots of moves in a row, even easy moves. It’s about the motion, and the place I’m moving through. Even the approach.
I have yet to send a v2 out here, and it really doesn’t bother me. As long as I’m getting the motion, and the place, there’s a smile on my mug.
it’s hot here. bouldering is over. i am angry.
And the Sierras are probably still buried in snow. Rough year.
They are buried in snow. They will be until probably July/August. AH was nice though-Sunday I went there (perfect conditions). I bet it was nice up in Bishop too!
So it’s hot in Ridgecrest now-big deal. It’s *always* hot here in summer. Duh. Go somewhere else and climb. There is really no shortage of climbing here, ya just gotta be ready to spend some cash on gas-yo!
It’s just hard bouldering out at WW when you get back from J-tree…even if there were perfect temps, I think Tedster would have been bummed (at least a leetle!).