Some Pics

IT WAS ALL A DREAM...

Alright so I had this badass blog, probably the greatest blog ever written redefining blogging as we know it, but it got erased!! That was about three months ago; I got pissed swore off blogging forever...

"Look who's back, back again"

So this will be short and sweet, maybe my reintroduction, maybe my last who knows! By now I'm sure you all are sick of reading play by plays of Houndears. If you were there then you already know what happened if you weren't then I'm sure you heard.

The trip was sort of epic for Brad, Lee and myself. We climbed and got shutdown at Rumbling Bald, popped into Asheville and caught the Reel Rock Tour which was rad (Progression is without a doubt the best climbing film ever released), drove drunk throughout the wee hours of the morning circling Boone and never actually finding it, climbed multi-pitch in a storm, chilled at Houndears, rapped on stage, forgot my sleeping bag and had to bum hotel floors, ate McDonald's, ran out of money (literally none left in my wallet or bank account), met all sorts of amazing people, got some free shit, drank a ton of alcohol, and made it back alive just in time to catch Entourage's season finally.

So there you have it my accounts of the weekend. Now as for what's been going on the last few months---ROUTES ROUTES and MORE ROUTES!

I climbed routes all season never gained an ounce of endurance, guess I was built for bouldering. Oh well, I'll leave you with a few pics from the last few months!

Don't Kill The Weed

The sickest of the sick, the raddest of the rad!! Horse Shoe Canyon Ranch is the BBBOMB!

So it's been a while, haven't been motivated to write on this here bloggy thing, but a good friend sent me a little reminder letting me know it was about time.

So the last few months have been rad, lots of climbing! Most recently took a trip with some very cool hombres to HCR in Arkansas! The trip started out sort of epic, pouring rain, almost dry draining the gas tank in the middle buttfuc Arkansas, and the ability to get lost walking to car made the approach a bit hesitant, but we made it.

Upon waking the next morn we discovered a valley surrounded by more rock than at a nickelback concert ( I hate nickelback with all my soul). There were blue and orange sandstone cliff as far as the eyes could see and at the base big beautiful boulders just screaming.

After some caffeine and some food, we booked it up to the boulders and I managed to get almost too psyched, literally running to each group of peeps that were trying different boulder problems and just climbing the shit out of all of them. Sent bunches of stuff most in the v3-v5 range. Oh and did I mention it was sprinkling that morning so some of the send were wet! EPICCC

The next day we woke up sore and tired, but managed to make the trek up to the North Forty for some route climbing. Warmed up on some 7 and 8s then onsighted an 11a which the whole group, guy and girl jumped on the send train and crushed! AWESOME I swear I love watching my friends surprise themselves get psyched and send hard shit more then I actually love sending shit myself. After everyone had a successful go at that 11a we walked down to a 12a that suited me just perfect. The route started with a stone jump into slopey yet amazing pockets the continue up hard moves until you hit jugs. The its prolly 10a to the top!! Stellar I sent on my second go after falling trying to figure out the second move. The send was a bit confusing because I got really caught up in the movement and didn't pay attention as to where I was going and ended up climbing high and left to the anchors of a 5.9 then had to down climb back into the 12 unclipping along the way and finish the route correctly so basically I sent 2 routes on the same go! Shit Finished the day by flashing a classic v2 call CrackHo, which had super stellar movement! And also worked the move to 2 v7s and a hard 3 move v10 called Tang!

The next final day we woke up extremely sore, whole body hurting, but I was still extremely psyched to get back out. I had to get everyone motivated so after some peer pressure everyone was padded up and hiking back to the boulders. When we got there I was able to muster up some motivation and sent this little v5 which had one of the coolest starting moves I've ever done! (Thanks Cessie and Nathan for the collaboration on the BETA not sure if I would have figured those moves out) Then moved on to a classic 4 (which I thought was chossy) did it second go, most others in the group flashed. THENNN we discovered a new highball classic just put up the say before by some locals. After trying to figure out the start for a few minutes one of the guys who worked on the FA walked up to go for the second. He showed me the beta for the start and I flashed up to the high point jug (around 15 feet) but back off the top moves. After rest and motivation from watching the local kid send I jumped back on and climbed to the top and with a hand foot match, mantle gaston high reach I still couldn't reach the last hold and after reaching and pressing I blew off taking about a 20ft'r but great spots and pad placements kept me safe. Then we walked back over to the weekend project a v6 call Chuckwagon and to my dismay just couldn't muster up the energy and after giving it all I had could real in the dyno!! BUMMER.

Oh well we walked out packed up and headed back to BAMA. The trip was totally one to remember and we'll all vowed to return SOON!! Maybe this weekend! Pics as usual will follow. Later!

Whoah..Chill Out

Man, at the risk of being shunned in a community that takes pride in climbing up rocks in the southeastern US, people you need to chill out!

I'm talking about the freak out everyone had when they heard a RUMOR that Joe Kinder was bolting another line in the Canyon. I know I know I understand there are rules and we could loose access blah blah I know, but the point is Joe Kinder didn't bolt any new lines, he simply added a harder, cooler whatever finish to an already hard route. The bolt was already there. Rumors are just that Rumors and they suck, I mean damn sometimes the climbing community is nothing but an overgrown highschool.

I don't know Joe personally, he doesn't call me when he's in town or whatever, but I am a climbing media freak. Climbing is all I think about, read about, watch, you get the point which means yes I am a nerd and yes I read other peoples blogs. They get me through a long day in the cubicle and to the weekend where I get to climb. And yes I been reading Joe's blog for a good long while now, in fact it's one of the most well written blogs out there, and personally I don't believe Joe to be a bad guy in fact I think he has pretty damn high ethics. I mean he was the first person to call out another climber for bashing hangers at the red, and I don't think he would go out and bolt a new line without permission from not only the park service but prolly the SCC as well.

So you folks out there all pissed b/c he's down crushin projects and sending hard shit need to chill out and grab hold dem granny pannies and yank em out yo crack! PEACE

Pics

Road Trippin..

I don't really know what it is about the idea of road tripping that appeals to so many climbers. I think it's a subconscious effort to explore the same way our ancestors did, or maybe it's just because road trips are fun as hell. I dunno, but like all climbers I love a good road trip. But after sitting and thinking about it, there really is no reason for myself or any other southeastern climber to ever strive to get away. I mean I can think of at least 30 different amazing climbing crags located within 2 hours driving distant from my house in Huntsville, Alabama, and this is just off the top of my head because there are a shit ton small secret areas and access sensitive places that we try and stay away from. I bet if I sat down with some friends and thought about it we could come up with 100 solid crags located right here in the dirty,maybe more, and this doesn't even include North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia, and the rash but climbable South Carolina.

Now for those of you who are picturing a random boulder here or a chossy face there, you're wrong; every crag I can think of is amazing. Amazing not only because of the quantity, but also the quality. When you go climbing in the south you aren't going out to visit one random face; every area is packed full of rock. Most areas host hundreds of routes and problems, and there are always potential for more.

Over the last 8 years I've climbed a good few places in the country, and to find places with so much potential for new lines is very rare. For example, in a lot of the other popular areas in the country you find the new routes or boulder problems being established are just extensions of old ones, or they're just contrived line of older problems, but not here! If I were a betting man I would be willing to say there are still thousands upon thousands of fresh lines all over the south, even in the most developed areas, just waiting for the right person to come along.

A good example is about 2 years ago my buddy Nathan and I got tired of climbing other people lines at the famous but over developed Horse pens 40 and began picking our own lines. This takes work and a certain eye, which I think come from experience, but every now and then we 'd spot a boulder with some excellent moves stuck right between two classics, and boom there you have a solid FA. Some lines are more beautiful than others, but none the less each one is perfect in the mind of the creator. These problems usually never get named or graded, and will probably get written off never to be published unless one of "the boys" sees the chalk, climbs the line and declares it another one of their FA's, but even that doesn't matter. Sometimes the art is not in the boulder problem itself but in the actual creation of the line. Sort of like a beautiful song played directly from a musician's mind never to be written down or remembered. That musician is creating something so personal and special that the moment doesn't have to last forever, it's perfect as is. Not all art has to be tangible sometimes the act of creation is what is so special.

Next time you're out climbing, take a gander, find a fresh line and climb it, cherish it, love it because it's yours, no one can take that away from you, it's your art, your interpretation of what rock climbing should be. Until next time, here are a fews pics of the southeast.

InSaNe

I injured my finger exactly 18 days ago. I'm not new to this game I know everything there is to know about finger injuries and everything that goes along with it. I been resting for 18 days now no climbing, hardly any pullups pretty much can't do anything that requires pulling. I'm going crazy I usually injure my self during summers trying too hard on plastic, but now I'm missing the season! and I'm only getting older, if you think about it I only prolly got 10 more seasons before I start getting all old and broken.

Anyways..........check out the video of Chris Sharma on his new route Golpe de Estado 5.15b!!!!!!!!!! INSANE and totally inspiring. Next time your working your project and you get a bit down on yourself just remember the mantra "what one man can do another can do" and try just a bit harder.

http://www.bigupproductions.com/#/clips/