SwEnV 3

Just another Squamish sunset, not a bad view from the dinner table. This place is absolutely unbeatable when everything comes together. Which mostly means the weather and me having time to be there.

I am currently working 40-45 hours set hours a week behind a computer, which I like to complain about, but it's a good first world problem to have. Life is about variety, and while it looks like I'll be doing this for a few years at least, I'm sure it won't be forever. My goals are constantly shifting, but I got into this career because I hoped I could find a way to make a living in a creative way, but not to be chained behind a computer, or beating my body up too much to climb. I am currently heading towards the creation of a small design firm with fabrication shop. More on that some other time.

Below is a view from the top of the 4th? pitch of a route called the Snake on the Apron buttress at Squamish. The biggest thing I've ever lead, and also my second real trad lead after my first the day before.

Based on my career and geography, I am typically introduced to a very small segment of society. Middle class, mostly caucasion, people are cool and all, but it's great to be exposed to other world views. One of my favorite people I've met recently was a guy named Alon, who's campsite we shared while staying at Squamish. He was a friend of a friend, but we'd heard he had a cool spot and was nice enough to share it with anyone. This was all true, and even more, on a boring rainy day he had added his campsite to couchsurfing as a joke, and now has a steady stream of non-climber visitors. Alon is an Israeli who left the military 4 years ago to start a 3 month road trip. Since then, he has been able to maintain without a traditional job, or probably housing, at times even being efficient enough to live off his interest alone. Since leaving, he has spent several months in New Zealand, sailed through Southeast Asia to stay in Thailand, and somehow ended up in squamish for the dry months this year. I didn't climb with him, but he seemed psyched every day we were there, getting on some tough multi-pitch trad and sport, or taking a rest day to work on a bench or home-made oven for his campsite. He's put in his time, and will continue to live the (climber's) dream.

Looking up towards the Snake, cool features and good but often runout protection. It seeps just enough to be a little bit scary if your name is Erich Purper, or to take down the confident leader who was catching up to me on the second to last pitch.

View from the top.

I don't like the fact that it is difficult to, and often looked down upon, take frequent or extended time off in the US. Seattle has a better work culture than most larger cities, but two weeks vacation a year is just barely enough to keep you sane. There was a German girl couchsurfing at Alon's while we were there who said it was incredible that we could live like that. According to her, a month each year is typical in Germany.

That's my happy face after finishing the route. And deciding to lead one more harder pitch instead of taking a dirty/sketchy scramble to the trail.

And a proud Erich, too good to look at the camera.

This is the Apron, with the Snake clearly visible on the left side of the Diedre dihedral. The Chief is cut off in the background so you can't see how much more proud it is. Next time, Angel's Crest!

Moral of the story, you don't get exposed to people or circumstances like this climbing in a gym. While there is something to be said for still trying to stay fit and living in the middle of a city, I'm still working on planning out my next trip out.

SwEnV 2

Q: What kind of cigarettes does a hippy smoke?

A: Yours

Day Two:

Murrin Park and rain

We went to Murrin Park, right down the road from Squamish proper and the chief, even thought the day before it had been hot and super crowded around the lake there. Assuming it would get hot equally fast and be crowded, we at least wanted a parking spot so we could jump in the lake later. 

By the end of the day, the sun had yet to burn out the clouds, we only saw two other climbers in some gross chimney, and the rock stayed cool. A side effect of the sun not coming out is that it started raining in the afternoon; a nice way to make us stop climbing for the day.

I have really enjoyed heading to new places without a guidebook, and with my old, outdated one for Squamish, it wasn't that different. On the approach to "up among the firs" we found a recently cleaned crag with some good looking cracks. The routes were nothing special by Squamish standards, and still dirty, but someone had obviously put a lot of work into cleaning them, and they were fun.

We continued up the very steep hill to our original goal, where we got on 2 awesome cracks and toproped a slab without shame, before the weather turned. These were some of the best climbs I've ever done, and when you topped out the sound opened up below you. So good. 

View from the top-out, south towards Vancouver.

Veronica with her first hand jam. 

Crappy belayer can't even stay awake. 

Erich being a champ and putting up a 10c crack so that I could TR it. 

After the hard rain, it was a slug party, but we went to a cool shelter in town to make dinner, and went back to hang out with our gracious host, Alon. He is a great person, with an awesome campsite he shares freely, and good stories. More about him some other time.

Squamish w/Erich and Veronica 1

How much does a hipster weigh?

An instogram!

-courtesy of Veronica

The three of us went up to Squamish for 4 1/2 days, and crushed! And by crushed I mean we did some easy trad, lightweight bouldering, drank beers and somehow managed to get rained on twice despite a 0% chance of rain forecast. 

Day one:

We arrived Saturday evening after taking an extended drive due to traffic (why?!?!) and the fact that none of us has a smart phone so we got lost. Getting lost wasn't too bad though, we ended up cruisng through Vancouver, which is such a pretty city, and there were so many people out with all the nice weather. Then, after missing the last unsigned turn of the day, we found ourselves at the beach, and decided to go stick our feet in. People were out swimming, trying to pretend the water was warm, but it wasn't.

This is why Veronica HATES mosquitos. 

Erich on his first granite trad lead.

The next day we woke up to get an early start, not realizing it was one of Cananda's monthly 3 day weekends, and that everywhere would be packed. we were excited when we pulled into the Smoke Bluffs parking lot and saw Sonnie Trotter, until we got out to the crag and we realized he had set up top ropes for a learn to trad clinic on all of the routes we were psyched on. In Erich's words, "It sucks, but if you're going to get cockblocked it might as well be by Sonnie." He and his friend were actually super nice, and offered to let us top rope or pull their ropes, but it still got so crouded and then hot we only got two routes in before it got too hot. Still, great routes at the Octopus Wall, and we crushed 5.8. 

    

It was a scarier fall than it looked, but climbed awesome. We worked on some other things, but didn't get pics.

Gold Bar 7-21-12 and Craigslist

     We got together and made the hike up to Gold Bar last Saturday; the combination of summer growth with loss of easy access has really left the area pretty rough. It rained pretty hard the day before, and all the moss on top of the boulders left them soggy in some places. 

     Josh insisted on the "shortcut," which of course was overgrown with soaking briars and spiderwebs, and frequently required trail finding. Next time I'm taking the road in and just enjoying the long easy hike. 

     Once we got to the top and stopped sweating, the rock was somehow cool, grippy, and even better than I remembered. 

Warm up splitter boulder. 

Josh was proud of his southern spot technique, bud light style. As the clouds cleared the valley opened up.

There was even snow on the back side of the facing mountain.

Granite is so tricky to read. We thought this looked like a cool warm-up. Turns out it's powerful with thin fingers and bad feet.

 

We re-found this great slab that Leah may have gotten the first ascent of? The moss grows out here so fast you never know if something's been done before or if it's brand new. I think it helps keep people humble. I'm excited to come back later in the fall as the blackberries and young trees slow down and give us a chance. Hopefully the WCC can re-negotiate access so we can continue being lazy boulderers and drive up to the top.

And last off, I bought my first cams! Not all in the best shape, but they were cheap. And so am I. It's a start, now I just need to learn how to use them. 

Getting back to my roots

The weather was a little crappy on Sunday, so we went to hang out with Veronica's cousin's near Tacoma since we hadn't seen them in a while. Every time we go there we end up driving 45 minutes to the middle of nowhere for the best indian food i've ever had.

Her cousins are both military, so we went out to have a good ol day of shootin at a quarry near olympia.

Me in my hipster uniform with David's fun to shoot but not accurate tiny S&W 380. Bad posture.

David explaining how to chamber his rifle. It's cool driving around with 6 guns and two duffels of ammo with these guys because they're military and I'm pretty sure no cop would bother us. Or anyone else for that matter.

Veronica blowing it up going prone. 

Pictures courtesy of Ben.

Squamish: First trip 2012

Finally the weather cleared enough to make a reliable trip up to Squamish. Managed to catch a ride up with local setter Christine D, and did some bouldering in the forest. There were mosquitos everywhere, but the forest was cool and comfortable, while all of my friends decided to go to Leavenworth where it broke 100.

This is the view from the parking lot when you arrive just before sunset on a Friday afternoon. 

If you like sloping rails and aretes, this is the place to be. 

Or slabs, still barely emerging from the moss for the season.

Me on one of the few things I tried with actual holds. The crux is still a heel hook and toss to an arete, which I didn't get anyway. 

This is some super strong woman from Portland on the crux of the previous problem, about to throw way up and left. She finished this hard V7, almost got a V9 around the corner, and then took care of her 16 month old daughter. 

Ever get your butt kicked on V3? I do.

Giant black slugs were everywhere! When I was setting up my tent the first night I thought it was a bunch of dog turds.

Daily Weener

We missed the Fremont festival to go to Leavenworth, but because the weather was looking bad for the weekend, decided to stay in Seattle and see the Pride festival. It is cool to see a big city come together for a big party of any type; add in a little Seattle flavor and it gets a little weird. Saturday the main party is up in my neighborhood of Capitol Hill, and Sunday it moves downtown for the parade and to Seattle Center. The sad part is how corporate the parade is. It lasts for several hours, and the great majority of the floats or paraders are advertising something completely unrelated to the festival, or handing out fliers for their company.

They shut down Broadway during the day, and across the street from my apartment was a drag show.

Down at the parade, your standard dancing boys and one girl on a truck.

Gay Sailors.

And your daily weener with a mask on a bike.