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.
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.
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.
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...
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!
Finally! A family photo! In our typical style, this is as good as it gets for getting us all in the same shot.
For Memorial weekend we were invited to join several other climbing families for a weekend climb/camp trip to Black Mountain. Kids made new friends fast and had loads of fun.
There was, of course, climbing things.
Checking out views...
Hiking in search of boulders...
Getting lost and proceeded to bush-whack on steep terrain with a bunch of little kids...
To find, and arrive, at the mothership of boulders... Once Upon A Time, v1X.
(not my photo.. found on Google to show the scale and look of this amazingly formed and placed boulder! Notice the additional pads placed at the bottom, left corner. It covers a crack that drops VERY FAR below.)
This was pretty much as close to climbing it as we got. Okay, several of us did walk up to the climb and feel the first hold. =)
Photo above IS my photo and is the view of the boulder on approach. While it is only a V1 rating, the "X" after the V1 means there is minimal protection for this climb. Aka.. spotters and pads might not be enough to stop a fall. And if you fall, don't fall into the crack cause it can result serious injury.
And to think, Alex Honnold just free soloed El Capitan via Freerider, a 5.12d/5.13a, with some V7 boulder moves in it...that's essentially like 10x harder and 200x longer than this climb that none of us was willing to try.
Break time = Snack time..
Definitely one of the nice things about car camping with lots of other people is that there is no shortage of food or anything that I might have forgotten to bring. I am so accustomed going about it in a minimalist, backpacker style.. my kids automatically knew to rushed over and asked the other parents (the ones cooking pancakes and eggs and bacon) if they could have some breakfast.
I admit, I also went asking around for extra coffee since I typical bring convenient pre-mixed coffee/cream/sugar servings which are just so-so coffee.
The climbing was pretty decent there too. A lot of boulders were relatively close to the campgrounds, so there was no need to drive. One of the climbs that I had picked to project was Gypsy's Day Out, V3. It's a short, but all power moves from start to finish. I came a few centimeters short from being able to reach the last hold. I stubbornly kept attempting a big throw to the end, but in hindsight, I think I need to change up the sequence to find a short person beta for it. So, this will hopefully be a send next time we go out here.
And here's Ryan on Gypsy's Day Out. It did take one try for him to figure out the moves, but he sends it. Liam's first time as camera man.
Ryan also sent another awesome climb, Visor Direct, V6. I kept taking videos of him as he attempted and worked the moves, but, of course, the one time that I was focused on tending to the kids instead of paying attention to Ryan, he completes and sends the problem. It was an amazing send too. Lots of people spotting him from below... he's hanging on the top of problem, feet dangling, figuring out how to get over the lip with people yelling all sorts of beta. "Step left".. "Heel hook right"..etc. He got it and there were cheers all around. It was great.
Ryan also set up a top rope for the kids to climb. This boulder turned out to be just perfect for the kids. There were good holds and feet, but due to the angle and slope of things, it required a bit of figure out body position and movement. All the kids gave it at least one try. There were a few tears, which required parental encouragement, but most kids did reach the top anchor.
Liam surprisingly had the cleanest climbing on this one. He likes to high step a lot of things, and for this climb, it turned out to be the right move to get him to the top.
Liam was the first to climb, and then Emilia next. First part of this video is funny as you hear Liam giving Emilia some advice.
All in all, it was another fun camp/climbing trip. We are starting to refine our gear and process for being more efficient on these trips. Each time, I learn more about things we need versus things we don't need, and how to make packing, food prep, etc more efficient. And the kids, they amaze me. They are becoming accustomed to these trips. They handle being out in various kinds of weather really well. They can hike several miles on rugged terrain with good balance (better than mom).
End of last year, we did two short stints to Joshua Tree. One was just a quick one day trip out, and then early December, we had a weekend trip out to do some sport climbing with Bill.
No photos from the day trip out, except this classic photo view point I have.. Ryan leading, and the two kids following.. chasing.. mozying after him, while I pick up the rear to make sure no kid is left behind.
For the weekend trip, we had made somewhat last minute plans to meet up with Bill. Since it was last-minute, there were no reservations open for campsites. Luckily Bill managed to snag a first-come-first-serve campground at Ryan Campgrounds, with the iconic Headstone Rock. And this is where we climbed.
This photo was taken just as the sun was setting and the moon was rising over Headstone Rock. On the right arete of the rock, there is a small shadow of a climber going up the classic Southwest corner route.
Ryan scouted the scramble up to Headstone, and deemed it doable to bring the kids (though somewhat sketchy). Kids made it up to the base of Headstone with careful guidance and occasionally kid lifting-and-passing.
Base of Headstone where kiddos can safely hang out.
Panoramic view from Headstone Rock, overlooking Ryan Campground down below.
The first warm-up climb started off with the classic route, Southwest Corner, 5.6, which Ryan lead. It is a relatively easy climb, and a JT classic with a great summit and high exposure with hundred feet of air below you.
See the openness below where Ryan is climbing. The photos do not do justice the feeling of being surrounded by complete exposure. (Additional Photos from Mountain Project )
Ryan set up a top rope, and then Bill followed next.
Then me.
With the top rope set up, it gave easy access for an adjacent route, the South Face Center, 5.9. Emilia hopped on for a try.
The climbing at JT is slabby, a lot of relying on footwork and trusting your feet. Ryan on South Face Center.
The last climb at Headstone was on the other side of the rock, Cryptic, 5.8. It's slightly steeper and more strenuous.. more my style. This was later in the day and lot of taking turns rotating with other groups and climbs, so not much photos of Cryptic. However, Emilia was getting more comfortable with climbing outdoors and she kept coming back for more.
She made several attempts on Cryptic, figuring out moves and going higher up with each try.
Liam was content with using his trusty shovel for creative play with dirt, rocks, and sticks. He had no interest to climb. Instead he was making friends with the other climbing groups that were there.. a group of engineers from SpaceX.
End of the day and walking around.
Family photo below Headstone. This *was* going to be our Xmas card photo, but um.. yeh.. didn't get around to doing that.
The moon shining brightly back at Bill's campsite. If you look really closely, Liam is in the shadows at the bottom, right corner.
It was a short trip, but just enough to regain some sanity. We need more of these!
I grew up as an only child, and my parents taught me that in my culture, cousins are just like brothers and sisters, and family always is fa...
About
Ryan and Connie officially began our journey in life together (wedded bliss) on August 1, 2009. This blog chronicles our journey through whatever life throws at us.
On February 27, 2010, we welcomed a new addition to the family: Emilia Ying-Zhi. She tipped the scales at 7 lbs 2 oz, and measured in at 19-3/4".
Liam Noboru joined the family on October 20, 2011. His fighting weight is 7 lbs 4 oz with a length of 19-1/2".
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