Resilience

Base Camp.  Barnes wall right of sunlight.

Greenland was a bittersweet adventure!  I have been home for 8 days.  As I write, I realize that reflection occurs only now, simultaneous with the blinking of my eyes.  

Nestled in our craggy fjord, a Satellite message brought Colorado reality rushing in.  My favorite person-a man I loved dearly-- perished in the Black Canyon. 

The mood abroad altered immediately.

My heart moaned, the echo lapped far across the shores in the deep blue water abyss.  The granite walls quivered, as did my soul.  
  
In this piddle of a blog, I find it difficult to give an accurate and passionate detail to our climbing adventure.  
My mind drifts off, contemplating the loss and my love for the outstanding Andrew Barnes.  

When rock climbing, whether it be soloing or establishing new routes on unfamiliar terrain, I feel enlightened with a certain ethereal clarity.  This feeling fulfills my being, is addictive, and gets me through another day, another week, another year.  

On Morning Luxury...looking south

The handful of long traditional routes we established in the Torsukatak Fjord may or may not be climbed again.
Man, I sure hope they are!!!
"Morning Luxury"--our second big ascent-- is a glorious rock climb and an equally amazing summit!!  It flirts a south facing ridge for 8-200 foot pitches.  Stacked with dreamy finger stem-box corners, jaw dropping views, and an adventurous summit block wrestle.  All on high quality granite with a dash of burnt potato chip-like lichen.    

Over time, perhaps, the rock will recover from the minor abrasions of our traffic and it may appear we were never there at all.  

The rock, lichen, and vegetation is resilient.  
  : the capability of a strained body to recover its size and shape after deformation caused          especially by compressive stress
  : an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change

AB and the Grand Canyon. 

I seek this quality for myself.

The death and hard lessons in this year, draw my gaze downward.  I need to remember there is also so much beauty. 
   
With Andrew, though, I don't want the memories to fade... the vegetative re-growth in the fissures to mask his presence.  
I certainly do not want the world to appear that he was never here at all.  I fear with time these events playing out in all of us.     

These routes we established. The roots we established. 
They are life altering.  
Built from the ground up, first try without hesitation.  Without artificial means of support....intuitively.  With love, with passion and a little try hard.   

We were lucky to have found such compelling and natural lines.  To climb an 1800 foot granite wall first go is surreal.  Yet, we did it and three days later we ascended another in similar fashion.  My two lady friends and I...giggling the entire way--oh yeah and the token male, John Dickey.  (He joined us for all but the first one).  

Morning Luxury ascends the left ridge to summit. 

"Plenty for Everyone" that was our first climb in the Fjord, on an unclimbed wall we named Barnes Wall.  10 rope stretching pitches with a mixed bag of face wandering, waterfalls, loose rock, a #5 off-width dihedral, a finger crack over a roof, splitter hands, and finishing on ridge with a tiny box summit.  

I am lucky to have had such a natural and compelling man in my life as my best friend and love.  Someone who taught me how to compassionately love with no expectations.  To remind me that "nobody is better than anyone else."  

A man who believed genuinely that there was always plenty for everyone!  
Live like Barnes!!!

Thank you for reading.     

  

  

Beauty

   

The Breakfast Spire.  Morning Luxury ascends middle ridge.

Barnes Wall.  Lizzy leading Pitch 5.

4 Quickies.  John Dickey leading the 1st pitch.  

Pause on Morning Luxury

Morning Luxury

Greenland

A teaser for the moment.   We climbed.  We conquered.  Three new routes in the first 6 days of arriving to Greenland and the Torsukattak Fjord.

Just returning to the U.S, albeit a bit earlier than expecting.  A proper update will be posted as the creative juices slowly ooze between my ears.

This is not my beautiful life...or is it!!!

My good friend Dustin!!

In-between the untimely departure from Yosemite and the ridiculous journey we just embarked on
 --- Greenland --- time made itself available at home here in Colorado.

Recently completed rock climbs.

Psychatomic, Monastery, Estes Park.  5.12d -- 5th try on lead

Undertow, The Slab, Boulder. 5.12b -- 2nd try ever (1st try was the warm-up climb of the day  ---ops, effed on-sighting!)

Undertow

New Music, Lumpy Ridge. 5.11dR-- Top roped 8 years ago....so an Alzheimer's on-sight?  Funky pro, but super good!

I also had a good run at the First Flatiron last week also.

A busy errand day in Boulder-town had me itching for a run up the First Flatiron.  Driving to Chautauqua Park, I was easily side-tracked by my good friend Kelly Cramer.  She just moved into a new place and I hadn't seen it or her in months.  Upon arriving, she offered me a PBR.

I didn't decline.

After a wee bit of chatting, the suns' twinkle off the First Flatiron became too pervasive.  I fled, slightly buzzed.

The run, led by Dustin, began a little more quickly than preferred (but looking back, it set the tone nicely).
I kept up, then moved ahead.  Having only been back to Colorado for 10 days, it was with great surprise I arrived to the base just under 13 minutes.
Still breathing heavily, I strapped on my shoes and let the paddling begin.  Was it the PBR or a month in the Valley?  For some reason the sandstone, this day, felt like the grip tape on my skateboard....so much friction!!!!

A smidgen over 11 minutes later I stood on the top!! Stoked, best rip yet!

HOME Sweet HOME!

I had a few great solo adventures on Lumpy ridge.  One day in particular included; Magical Chrome Plated Semi-Automatic Enema Syringe, Tennis Shoe Tango, The Great Dihedral, The Dog, White Whale, Osiris, and Pear Buttress.  While wandering back to the base of The Book, a walking error caused a wicked ankle sprain.  Adrenaline was still pumping, so I started up Pear Buttress.  Pain washed over me near the top.  I paused to enjoy the summit and hobbled back to the base, yet again.  My day wasn't over.  Bronson was coming to belay me for a lead go on El Camino,  5.12c.
It went with a few hangs.  The ankle hurt but not enough to use it as a non-send excuse.

I hoped to return before Greenland madness but he walk out from Lumpy was difficult, therefore making another pilgrimage back to the cliff undesirable.
    

Psychatomic!

On Equilibrium!

DNB.  Sun is in your eyes as per guidebook warning
 (one among many warnings)

Chris B. and I making light of the lack of light!     

While I didn't achieve all my climbing goals on this two month endeavor over western lands, I did have a ridiculously good time.  The valley still stands!     

I attempted and successfully climbed many big walls, some even a few times over.  In a two week span I climbed Half Dome, Middle Cathedral, El Capitan, Spaceshot, Touchstone Wall, Moonlight Buttress, Shunes Buttress, and a few other pitches at smaller crags.  I am uncertain if another female has done a link-up of 3 big walls in Zion? 

Pondering the certainty of uncertainty after an unplanned bivy.  

Overall, my time was filled with amazing people from all walks of life.  I learned how to juggle (well at least the motions of juggling), I exponentially increased my slack-lining skills, I taught a few yoga sessions, and I got my ass handed to me in cribbage--kind of a bid deal--skunked two times in a row!!  

People and travel are a continuous reminder of how simple life can be (yet how unnecessarily complex we sometimes make it).  

The smiles and memories in the mere simplicity of a kind gesture, a smile shared between one another--even, say, an unplanned shiver bivy on the Direct North Buttress of Middle Cathedral.  

Simplicity really counts in those moments!  What more do you need when you have a climbing rope as your mattress, climbing shoes and harnesses for a pillow, and a bullet pack for a blanket?  Oh, lets not forget a climbing partner who entertains with ridiculous stories to distract you from the full body quiver compounded by inadequate clothing and a persistent wind.

Pondering the certainty of uncertainty after an unplanned bivy.  

Yes, we were finally "those" headlamps atop Middle Cathedral wandering around looking for the Kat Walk in our narrow beam of light.  We crawled through fire ant infested trees and stomped over the largest black millipedes you have ever seen!!  An awesome time, I would certainly climb the route again!  

On the mornings before climbing these big walls or the unplanned bivies, I found myself elbow deep in few good books.  

As you can imagine, my attention span for books is like my attention span for other things in my life....generally not a laser beam of focus. 

One of the notable reads I was passed was On Equilibrium.  "It is an intelligent, persuasive and controversial exploration of the essential qualities of humanity and how they can be used to achieve equilibrium for the self and to foster an ethical society."  

A morning ritual of bits and pieces read aloud over breakfast tea made this book more accessible.  The morning excerpts mingled into my daily Yosemite Valley adventures.  Trying to find something certain in my endeavors as an athlete, a woman, a romantic,  a fear-filled lost soul.  

Imagining the ultimate sweet spot----feeding my passion for rock climbing while successfully striving for a more benevolent lifestyle.   

“Imagination isn’t really a means of distraction. Nor is it an unquantifiable wild card which needs to be saved from itself by responsible organizers. This is the quality which most naturally draws all of our other qualities together. But it does so in a...prolonged swirling uncertainty. It is that uncertainty which makes progress possible. Imagination protects us from the temptation of premature conclusions.... What’s more, it seems to draw us forward by using this prolonged uncertainty to alternately leap ahead and then enfold our other qualities - our other means of perception - into a new, inclusive vision of the whole. Then, just as we think we understand, it leaps ahead again into more uncertainty." (Saul, pp.115-29)

  

A few high quality Grades.

My climbing partner for the last 2 weeks, Buster Jesik, put together this time break down of our recent adventure in Zion.  We linked Spaceshot, Touchstone and Moonlight.   A little video of our adventure also by Buster....http://vimeo.com/73749360

I added a little bit of narrative.

Start time - 6:10 am, Sunday, April 28th, 2013

Spaceshot Total Time - 3:27:09 (note: this was Buster's first time up the route!)

2:08:16 - Buster's lead block on Spaceshot (5 pitches - including our free solo of first 3 pitches) #1 and #2 Ballnutz made the C2 pitch a breeze!

1:18:53 - Q's lead block to the top of Spaceshot  (3 pitches + solo to top)

1:53:15 - descent of Spaceshot, re-rack, and approach to Touchstone Wall - (EPIC*)  
*We fixed our full tag line to the Pitch 7 anchor and fixed our lead rope on Earth Orbit.  Rappelling the route wasn't that bad, things were going swimmingly!  One tug- movement, two tugs- movement, three tugs--eh, three tugs--eh, shit!  I could barely see the tail ends sticking up from the knot and the sandstone groove the knot was jammed in.  Buster yarded on the other end while I flicked the rope.  Being almost 50 meters down and diagonally left, our efforts were futile.  I cursed as I put the jumars back on the rope.  I re-jugged the whole rope line, adjusted the knot below the lip and rappelled again.  We finally pulled free and clear.    The rappel back to the top of Pitch 5 was a strenuous leftward swing.  A wonderful learning experiment, not awful, but just as time consuming as the standard decent.  

Touchstone Wall -  2:20:35 -
1:10:47 - Buster's lead block on Touchstone Wall (3.5 pitches) 

03:48 - transition on Touchstone Wall

1:06:50 - Q's lead block to the top of Touchstone (4 pitches + solo to top) 

Touchstone Wall felt cruiser.  We passed one party of nice gentleman without a hitch.  Thank you gentleman!  

1:21:17 - descent of Touchstone, refuel and river crossing/approach to Moonlight 

Quinn on the upper pitches of Moonlight 

Buster soakin it up!

Moonlight Buttress - 3:19.56
2:09:27 - Buster's lead block on Moonlight Buttress (5 pitches) 

1:10:29 - Q's lead block on Moonlight Buttress (4 pitches) 

Moonlight also felt pretty good, I did not climb as quickly (our previous go I climbed the top 5 pitches in an hour.  I was one pitch less this go around and 10 minutes more-- and so it goes).   

Start of Spaceshot to top of Moonlight - 12:23:02 

32:47 - summit dance and decent of angles landing trail
12:55:49 - Total car to car time from start of Spaceshot to valley floor 

36:46 - Wait for bus and approach to Monkeyfinger -

37:46 - Time spent climbing on Monkeyfinger - (climbed first 2 1/2 pitches**)
** In November I hit the ledge and ricochet past my belayer.  I was injured for a few weeks, so it was with hesitation I started our 4th wall of the day.
It was still light out and would be for at least another hour or so.   We soloed up to the base of the pillar and I led the 5.11 without a hitch.  "Line fixed!!" I yelled to Buster and glanced down to the base.  I saw a pool of red in the sand while Buster mumbled up, "I have another bloody nose and this one is worse."  He had gotten one on Moonlight earlier in the day but just dealt.  I was unaware of his predicament until we both stood atop Moonlight and I noticed blood smeared on his face.    

Buster in predicament #2

This time, I waited and watched from my perch.  He fumbled his helmet off and I watched his glasses tumbled down a ledge a little further.  "We aren't stopping on account of my bloody nose."
I must admit I was still a little put off by this climb and this was solidifying my angst,   "alright dude."  I turned around and started going up.  I placed my first piece and leaned over onto the aider, no problem.  I placed my second piece high, unclipped my aider from the anchor and leaned over onto it, bingo.  Just as I was reaching for a third piece, I was off.  Just as quickly I was standing upright back on the ledge.  My right leg took the brunt of the impact and there was a small twinge in my back.  I luckily had the exact right distance in my daisy land on the ledge but not to full impact.  
"That's it dude!!  Three walls are plenty.  This is the second time I have hit this ledge, I am out!"  I called it.  I am a little disappointed but with the recent tragedies in my life I am glad we are both safe! 
With that we were off, back to the car and drinking a beer with the last inches of light.  

Links

What is it about climbing (or swimming, running, biking, playing outside) as much as I can all day every day? 

Rest days are so few and far between.  My biceps ache, my shoulders hunch slightly every morning and my hands tingle when I sleep.  

I struggle to open a beer can!! 

Leading the Traverse Pitch on Moonlight

I was inspired by a friend, Dave, back in Estes Park, to attempt some link-ups in Zion.  Male climbers have been doing some rad link-ups in the park since the early 90’s (as far as my research has taken me).  

Recently, some free climbing hard asses have been getting after it.  Tommy and Alex free climbed Touchstone, Moonlight, Sheer Lunacy, and Spaceshot in ~ 16 hours!!!!  Unfortunately, I am a normal human with a fitness level that is not there...yet...maybe one day.  I would like to mess around on Touchstone and Spaceshot's 5.13 pitches, and I have recently had a free climbing mission on Moonlight that went surprisingly well.  

   

Adam Baxter and I sweating it out. 

Before arriving in Zion, I had another great weekend in Indian Creek.  I climbed both Saturday and Sunday at the Fin and Broken Tooth, respectively.  Saturday climbs include The Last Day, Double Trouble, and Court Summons.  One of the KMAC family boys, Adam Baxter met me there, along with old aquaintences and new friends.  Sunday, Adam and I ran a warm 17 miles in Canyonlands, a loopity loop lollypop around the Confluence of the Green and Colorado Rivers.  Apres, I headed up to the Broken Tooth for 4 quick laps on the amazing splitters.  

Sunday evening the crew headed back to Durango.  Monday, I regrouped, rested a little and then got a great tour of the local bouldering scene.  Pretty stellar bouldering in Durango.  

Tuesday I was off!!  A sandstormy drive from Durango to Zion culminated with a gorgeous foggy tunnel exit.  Zion's upper peaks were blanketed in snow.  Wednesday was our first day of climbing and the gaggle of us decided sport wanking in St. George was the best option for the moist cold day.

Shunes Buttress

Thursday, Baster and I sussed out some pitches and descents for our Friday link-up of Spaceshot and Moonlight.    It was a busy day on the walls.  We climbed Spaceshot first, did the usual rappels and then scurried over to Touchstone.  A procession of parties were on the route.  We quickly did a 180 and headed over to Moonlight Buttress instead…almost equally as crowded but easier stances to pass.  

A few days ago some friends, Mary and Chris, and I headed up for a free-climb jaunt on Moonlight.  It went pretty well over all for all.  A few falls for me but not more than a handful.  I will return!!

Baxter left and Buster arrived.  Buster (another Kmac'er) and I sussed out the first 4 pitches on Touchstone.  Then we ran over to Spaceshot, we soloed up the  first 3 pitches to have a better look.  Two days ago, Buster and I returned to Moonlight to give it a full lap.  Chris and Mary also returned on their quest to free climb, both getting really really close!  

Buster and I finished the route in 4:07…Buster’s first time!  Yesterday was a full attempt at Touchstone, we completed it in 3:21!  Super stoked!

Moonlight!

Tips to Hips

Lobotomy

On the road. 
One new adorable nephew, Henry.  Congrats to my brother and sister-in-law.  
One lost wallet scare...luckily just called the restaurant in Sedona where I left it.   
One snowy bivy near Flagstaff and 
Tons of amazing company and adventures packed into this week already!!!

I left the front range April 2nd with Randy the Forester,  packed for 2 months of adventure.  First stop, Indian Creek in a snowy push.  Great friends, some unexpectedly, were in the area.  I spent one joyous day elbow deep in the beautiful sandstone.  Our posse took over the Cliffs of Insanity.  I warmed up on MC's Hammer, followed by a quick and lovely lap on an unnamed 5.11 just to the left.  I googled at Broken Brain as Clay and I clumsily meandered our way to his climb of choice, Lobotomy.  

Clay digging deep!

So proud!!!  


He styled the lengthy off-width section quickly.  The 150 foot splitter quickly diminishes near the finish to fingers.  I top roped this climb, working on both my double fisting technique and a good grunt.  


My plan was to then attempt Broken Brain.  The first half of the climb starts as a not-easy finger crack before getting into a series of hand cracks through pods.  This puts you at the base of an awesome head wall, and one of the steepest splitters at the Creek. Go from good hands, to thin hands, to ring locks, to hard finger stacks, all a bit offset!!  I was exhausted from Lobotomy and honestly thankful that we didn't have the necessary 70 meter available.  Lazily, I hopped on another short unnamed 5.11, finishing just as the sun began its habitual bedtime ritual...tucking behind the North Six Shooter.  Returning this weekend to give it more than just a good look!  

The Pond, running for once!  

We all hiked out in darkness, lounged on the tailgate sipping the beer we had buried in the cool earth.  A quick bite and I was off to Durango.  

Chris with a big smile and blue duffel bag piled into Randy Friday afternoon.  We landed at my parents house in East Mesa shortly after sunset.  Saturday I woke early, excited to hit one of my favorite 4 mile runs.  This run has become a "gage of fitness" trail run for me over the years.  Surprisingly, I ran a personal best!!!

Afterward, we escaped the valley heat by climbing in Queens Creek at the Pond area.  Shade chasing was the name of the game at this sporty volcanic climbing area.  We climbed many pitches of 5.10, a few 5.11's and I hopped on a Desert Devil a 5.13a.  This climb is super steep with good edges and sadly some cemented holds.  I put together the lower moves quickly but was stymied after the 4th bolt or so.  Big move with right hand up then cross to a pocket with your left....not sure if that right hand hold was still there?  Fun to try anyway.  Video shows the moves...http://vimeo.com/35871188
   

Weaver's Needle from Fremont Saddle.  

Sunday, Chris and I adventured into the depths of the Superstition Wilderness area for a solo of Weavers Needle.  The 8 mile hike with about ~2800 total elevation change took us 4 hours CTC.  The class 5 climbing was very mellow, albeit typical Superstition chossy conglomerate.  We on-sighted the bushy approach, did no running and soloed both up and down.    

Anvil Boulders, Sedona

Monday the west was blanketed with bad weather.  We both tinkered away the morning inter-webbing and sipping bailey's and coffee.  As the clouds persisted, we settled on a lovely boulder session at the Anvil Boulders.  We scurried about the unique sandstone boulders, some splitter cracks, intermingling push-ups between problems.
In the afternoon I went on two rainy runs.  

Soloing Anvil Rocks

The first run followed a great single track trail for 5 miles around Courthouse Butte, outside the Village of Oak Creek.  The second run, feeling like I didn't get enough in, took me on a short loop and summit of Sugarloaf in West Sedona.  This town has some amazing trail systems I could get lost in!!! 

Wednesday the clouds finally broke and the sandstone was dry.  Through much discussion we settled on climbing the Mace.  A great choice!  Moderate climbing and fantastic summit.  The 3 dimensional chimney/off-width on the 4th pitch was really enjoyable!!  

Thursday we were back in Durango for a little work.  Breakfast was a 2000 meter swim, lunch was a fantastic yoga class on main street, and happy hour was climbing at East Animas,  6 pitches (and jugging two more).