Monday, July 17, 2017
Tiger Cap
This kid... putting on his Tiger Cap while learning how to be a superhero (aka watching superhero movies).
Thursday, July 13, 2017
Black Mountain Revisited
2nd day on our local trip with Roger, we climbed at Black Mountain. Nevermind my raspy voice commentary.. I had once again, gotten sick on this trip.
Kids took a turn at trying the moves on my nemesis of a project, Gypsy's Day Out.
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Emilia
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Liam
Roger finally got it! He was determined and found beta that worked for him. That throw to the top is a hard move to stick. That's where I keep coming off as it's pretty much at my max reach.
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Roger's Send
(***WARNING : EXPLICIT LANGUAGE***)
And this one is a classic! Tour De France is on Ryan's project list. This boulder is such a sight to see, with clean diagonal lines seemingly there as its decoration. And the sunset and view is super amazing. It was fun for all of us to just hang out there.
Tour de France,v7 @Black Mountain - Ryan's best attempt
Kids once again wiped out on another fun adventure.
Kids took a turn at trying the moves on my nemesis of a project, Gypsy's Day Out.
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Emilia
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Liam
Roger finally got it! He was determined and found beta that worked for him. That throw to the top is a hard move to stick. That's where I keep coming off as it's pretty much at my max reach.
Gypsy's Day Out,v3 @Black Mountain - Roger's Send
(***WARNING : EXPLICIT LANGUAGE***)
And this one is a classic! Tour De France is on Ryan's project list. This boulder is such a sight to see, with clean diagonal lines seemingly there as its decoration. And the sunset and view is super amazing. It was fun for all of us to just hang out there.
Tour de France,v7 @Black Mountain - Ryan's best attempt
Kids once again wiped out on another fun adventure.
Tuesday, July 11, 2017
Tramway Highlights
We spent 2 days exploring the boulders at Tramway. Roger also once again joined us for climbing shenanigans. Even with a guidebook in hand and GPS coordinates, the boulder areas were hard to find. We spent about half the time hiking around, off the main trail and getting lost. It was exhaustingly fun.
Kids were, for the most part, good sports about it.
After spending hours hiking around, being re-directed by a park ranger, and STILL not finding the boulders we were seeking, the guys dropped the packs for more efficiency, and left the kids and I in this beautiful remote clearing. I laid down for a nap while the kids played around. After a while, the kids became quiet, and the nature around took over. The birds were chirping away in song. There was a light, cooling breeze in the comfortably warm temperature under the shade. I looked up and saw this:
They each were doing their own thing in quiet solitude. It was a very peaceful time and place. At least that's my take on it.. who knows.. maybe they were squishing bugs or drawing circles in the sand. =P
Finally found Shagri-La area, and with it...
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,v7*** @Tramway - Ryan's best attempt
He didn't finish it, it was end of the day, but he has the beta to do the 2nd, crux move.
While the big kids were working the boulder, the little kids were busily working away too. They showed great teamwork, carrying massive logs they found and put them together to form their version of a tram.
Liam's got the look of a hard working tram engineering.. dirt smeared face with a giant smile.
Kids tired, but still pretty happy at the end of the day.
Riding the Tram back down to Palm Springs. Crash pads take a bit of room.
The next day...
The boys getting their last minute screen time before heading off to the "no service zone". haha.
2nd day was better as we were getting more oriented with the area. First objective was Frank's Boulder which had various problems to work on.
All of us worked on a classic Frank's Roof,v3***. It is a burly, short power moves kind of problem with a small dyno catch out of the roof. Ryan and Roger both were able to complete this one. (Did not get the video of Roger's send.)
Frank's Roof,v3*** @Tramway - Ryan's Send
(Note Ryan's over-dramatized finish... hahah)
I could not muster the strength nor mental courage to do the Frank's Roof dyno... and I didn't know it at the time, but I was starting to get sick. =P So downgraded to an easier climb...
The Terminator,v2** @ Tramway - Connie's Flash
After Frank's Boulder, we moved on to Gluttony, a potential V8 problem for Ryan. It's a highly, 4-star rated roof problem. Our favorite kind of problems! All of us worked the few starting moves. I am happy to say I was the first to stick the 1st and 2nd move. Though Ryan was the one that made the best progress.
Gluttony,v8**** @Tramway - Ryan's best attempt
Roger working on his core tension.
Gluttony,v8**** @Tramway - Roger's core tension
The Green Hornet,v5*** was the last boulder climb of the day. Mountain Project calls this one "the best at it's grade at Tram". Ryan picked it specifically for Roger.
Tramway has some good stuff there. No doubt we will be back.
Kids were, for the most part, good sports about it.
After spending hours hiking around, being re-directed by a park ranger, and STILL not finding the boulders we were seeking, the guys dropped the packs for more efficiency, and left the kids and I in this beautiful remote clearing. I laid down for a nap while the kids played around. After a while, the kids became quiet, and the nature around took over. The birds were chirping away in song. There was a light, cooling breeze in the comfortably warm temperature under the shade. I looked up and saw this:
They each were doing their own thing in quiet solitude. It was a very peaceful time and place. At least that's my take on it.. who knows.. maybe they were squishing bugs or drawing circles in the sand. =P
Finally found Shagri-La area, and with it...
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,v7*** @Tramway - Ryan's best attempt
He didn't finish it, it was end of the day, but he has the beta to do the 2nd, crux move.
While the big kids were working the boulder, the little kids were busily working away too. They showed great teamwork, carrying massive logs they found and put them together to form their version of a tram.
Liam's got the look of a hard working tram engineering.. dirt smeared face with a giant smile.
Kids tired, but still pretty happy at the end of the day.
Riding the Tram back down to Palm Springs. Crash pads take a bit of room.
The next day...
The boys getting their last minute screen time before heading off to the "no service zone". haha.
2nd day was better as we were getting more oriented with the area. First objective was Frank's Boulder which had various problems to work on.
All of us worked on a classic Frank's Roof,v3***. It is a burly, short power moves kind of problem with a small dyno catch out of the roof. Ryan and Roger both were able to complete this one. (Did not get the video of Roger's send.)
Frank's Roof,v3*** @Tramway - Ryan's Send
(Note Ryan's over-dramatized finish... hahah)
I could not muster the strength nor mental courage to do the Frank's Roof dyno... and I didn't know it at the time, but I was starting to get sick. =P So downgraded to an easier climb...
The Terminator,v2** @ Tramway - Connie's Flash
After Frank's Boulder, we moved on to Gluttony, a potential V8 problem for Ryan. It's a highly, 4-star rated roof problem. Our favorite kind of problems! All of us worked the few starting moves. I am happy to say I was the first to stick the 1st and 2nd move. Though Ryan was the one that made the best progress.
Gluttony,v8**** @Tramway - Ryan's best attempt
Roger working on his core tension.
Gluttony,v8**** @Tramway - Roger's core tension
The Green Hornet,v5*** was the last boulder climb of the day. Mountain Project calls this one "the best at it's grade at Tram". Ryan picked it specifically for Roger.
Tramway has some good stuff there. No doubt we will be back.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017
Tramway
When the temperature gets hot, it is time to hit Palm Springs. So... the logic would seem to be the opposite since Palm Springs is a desert environment with typical scorching temperatures over 100+°F. But... Palm Springs is one of the gateways to the San Jacinto Mountains, with the highest peak at 10,834 ft. The air can be as much as 40°F (22°C) cooler at the top than in the desert. It also helps that there is great bouldering up in the mountains...
And off we go on the Aerial Tramway!
This was the kids' first time riding the 360° rotating tram, 2.5 miles, and ~6,000 feet elevation gain and it was quite spectacularly fun, with an amazing view of the city below.
The history and the engineering feat of the tram construction is also pretty neat as the kids got to view the gears in motion and the display of various cables and structures.
Tramway is also reminiscent to me as my first backpacking excursion, a good 12+ years ago!
We spent a couple days bouldering at top of the Tram Station at ~8,500 feet elevation, in the San Jacinto Mountains. Plenty of time for the kids to hone their creative play. In that time frame, they opened a tattoo parlor for climbers, built their own version of a wooden tram using team work, practiced musketeering skills, and opened up a temporary snack shop. I'm always curious on what the kids come up with on each of our trips. They seem to always have new ideas!
More to come...
And off we go on the Aerial Tramway!
This was the kids' first time riding the 360° rotating tram, 2.5 miles, and ~6,000 feet elevation gain and it was quite spectacularly fun, with an amazing view of the city below.
The history and the engineering feat of the tram construction is also pretty neat as the kids got to view the gears in motion and the display of various cables and structures.
Tramway is also reminiscent to me as my first backpacking excursion, a good 12+ years ago!
We spent a couple days bouldering at top of the Tram Station at ~8,500 feet elevation, in the San Jacinto Mountains. Plenty of time for the kids to hone their creative play. In that time frame, they opened a tattoo parlor for climbers, built their own version of a wooden tram using team work, practiced musketeering skills, and opened up a temporary snack shop. I'm always curious on what the kids come up with on each of our trips. They seem to always have new ideas!
More to come...
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