More hungry for rock than dinner, we head over to Chimney Rock to go up The Flue ( 5.8 ). I’ve backed off the start of this one on lead before, and I do it again now. The bottom 25 feet are not really protectable, on not very positive 5.8 moves. Watching Ted do it…

After a blissful lunch and siesta at the Hidden Valley Campground, I spot a nice looking face nearby in the shade. A flip through the guide reveals a well-protected 5.10b route called Papa Woolsey. Ted took one look at it and said, “so ya gonna lead it?” I felt like giving it a try. It…

Ted & I get up early, ready to get on some rock at Joshua Tree. I chew a piece of bread, pack up, and we head out. The main road is under construction, and we stop following the “follow me” truck, duck into a dirt pullout, and tromp off to get onto a popular route,…

Once again we had a good turnout of social climbers. Ann & me, Clare & Dennis, Walter, Randy, and Greg all popped up at Wagon Wheel in the front. Randy took a pretty good whack at the Trade Route right off, then Ann & I played on the crack on the other side. Ann took…

It must be the fall climbing season, because seven people showed up at Casa Java at 7 am to go to Alabama Hills! Me, Ann, Ted, Roy Boswell, Bud Gates, Clare Hupp, and Charlie Raff headed north to clip some bolts. Ann & I started off on a 150-foot 5.8 on The Loaf called Ranger…

Double Cross made me sweat for every inch. It’s a sweet hand crack with an overhanging bulge in the middle. With the added effort of protecting it, I had my hands full. It’s another “easy” redpoint that I feel proud of. Everybody else enjoyed it too, and I was proud of Ann for working the…

In the morning we took Dana to The Eye (1), thinking it would be a great beginner’s route. It turned out to be a sandbag, I thought, and she didn’t make it up. We promised to take her to a climb she can do someday. In the afternoon we went out with Matt and Sophie,…

For me, returning to Joshua Tree on the labor day weekend brought back echoes of my trip with Ted a year ago. That trip felt like my coming-of-age as a climber, with my first onsight 5.10 slab lead, and schooling on some of JT’s classic cracks. This year I came feeling stronger but less ambitious,…

Ann, Ted, and I met near the Big Loaf for some bouldering last night. There are lots of high problems around there. I did some of the easier ones, including a couple I hadn’t tried before. It felt good. Ted played on a couple of the evil little overhanging crimp problems that he likes, and…

We had a relaxing weekend, meeting Ann’s parents in Bishop on Friday night, camping at the Pinons, and climbing at Iris Slab on Saturday. I started there by leading Welcome to Iris Slab (5.7), a nice finger crack with a few moves that demand attention. Then we indulged in a few topropes. Get Up, Stand…