The Wanderings of Mind and Body.: joe's valley

Showing posts with label joe's valley. Show all posts

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Joe's + Me = Happy

Stripe power for only $4

Joe's Valley. I have to say I really do love this place. It is good to be back. I have been here just over a week now and as usual it has taken me a while just to get back into the flow of the rock etc, but yesterday it all came together nicely. I have been working this problem called Kill by Numbers on and off since last Saturday. I tried it on my previous trip but was fairly unsuccessful on it. I was equally unsuccessful last week when I began again and felt quite despondent at not being able to do the first move. I decided to project it though rather than just give up and managed to work out the beta that suited me best. I went back again yesterday with Dan my spotter, and not only worked out the last moves but managed to link it all together on only my second try of the full problem. I was amazed. It actually felt quite easy in the end which always surprises me. It was a really fun problem and quite a thuggy one for me as it starts in a small roof with a big reach out to a lip and then from there I had to do toe hooks and heel hooks along a slopey edge and then mantle out round a lip. I was so pleased we took a drive into town and purchased a few gluten free beers from the liquor store to celebrate. I think my new trousers from the thrift store provided extra stripe power. Now I need to find new projects!

Oh deer!

On a not so happy note, I hit a deer the other night driving to camp. You have to be fully aware when driving here at all times because of the deer and thankfully I was not gong too fast. I missed the first two that sprang in front of me but just as I was coming to a stop another two joined the party. I took the legs out from under it and it rolled up my bonnet and then back to the ground as I stopped. Thankfully I did not kill it as I would not have like to try and haul it off the road. It got up and limped away so probably died somewhere else, or got hit by another car.

It gave me a bit of a fright as deer are quite big when they are rolling up your car towards your windscreen. It could have been a lot worse but I am slightly annoyed that my car, which is mostly plastic now has a broken spot on the wing, but as I say could have been worse.

My bedroom/home/car

I have been sleeping in my car this time rather than my tent and it has been fairly comfortable so far. It has also been a lot less dusty which is great. I have also found the local swimming pool where I can get a swim and a shower for $4, so I have been keeping cleaner than my last visit too.

No climbing today, very stormy, rain, wind and thunder and lightening. Hopefully be good again tomorrow.

That is about all for the moment. Peace.

Friday, 27 November 2009

So long Utah. Till the next time.

Home, sometimes not so cosy.

Well once again it has been too long since I last updated, but this nomadic lifestyle is just so busy that it is hard to keep up with the demands of modern technology. What have I been doing? Trying to keep warm for the most part as it has been so cold, I think, if my conversions are correct I reckon it has been as cold as -10c some nights and in the shade of the canyons it has felt like that during the day also, and as many of you may be aware I do not deal well with the cold, especially when I am trying to climb. These cold desert conditions have made me realise that a four season tent is really needed, not only to keep the dust out, but to keep you slightly warmer. What else? We think we had a mountain lion snooping around camp on a few nights. We did not actually see the cat but we saw eye reflections in our headlamps and rather large paw prints quite close by in the mornings. I will not lie, I was quite scared and even more scared after people started recalling tales of mountain lion attacks, bear attacks etc around the camp fire. I decided that my best form of defence was a no drinking of any liquids after 8pm approach, in the hope that it reduced my chances of having to get out my tent for a pee in the middle of the night. Apparently you are your most vulnerable in the squatting position! Not good for hydration but reduced the risk of a mauling. Although apparently it is possible with a little practice for women to also use a gatorade or similar wide mouthed bottle in emergencies, so I may give it a try!

I have now left Utah and the amazing boulders of Joe's Valley and am currently living the life of luxury in LA again for some warmth and hopefully a little spot of indoor training before heading to Bishop, California, for some tricky granite rock. I had mixed emotions about leaving Joes, firstly I could not believe that I had been there for nearly 40 days and I think i had hoped that I would achieve so much more in that amount of time, so I suppose I was kind of sad to leave with so many unfinished problems. That being said I had an enormous amount of fun and completed many excellent climbs. The thing that I find hardest when on an extended trip like this is that you do have to rest, even if you do not feel physically tired from the climbing the camping and all that goes with it is tiring in itself. I also found that my skin just could not cope without some time to heal, all of which I found to be quite frustrating. What I do know is that I have unfinished business in Joe's and hope that at some point I will be able to return and kick ass. It is an amazing venue and I wish it was my local area.

Here are a few random photos.