After a couple of days spent sport climbing and bouldering, I felt like I was really starting to hit my stride. For day 3, all four of us decided to go to the most famous climbing area in Bishop, the big granite (technically quartz monzonite, because I am a geologist) boulders of the Buttermilks.
The Buttermilks, photo from the previous year.
Things started off pretty well, and I managed to send Birthday Direct, possibly the hardest V3 ever, and flash Iron Man Traverse (V4). We then went to try the bizarre circus trick problem called The Womb. Nominally rated V0, The Womb is one of the most awkward boulder problems in existence. As its name suggests, this problem requires you to start lying down in a hole in a boulder and then clamber out onto the face again. Easier said than done.
Me flailing helplessly on The Womb (photo: Win McLaughlin).
Meaghan tries to figure out what to do.
Jonathan fails to be born (photo: Win McLaughlin).
Jonathan and I eventually managed sends. Next up was the one problem that I tried on the previous year that I most wanted to try and finish, the mega-classic High Plains Drifter (V7). High Plains Drifter is a somewhat highball problem that finishes its difficulties a little more than 15 feet off the ground. You then finish with a very easy 5.6ish solo to the summit of what is called the Smoking Boulder.
Standing beneath High Plains Drifter last year.
We had two and a half pads with us, which really isn’t enough for me to feel safe on this problem. Fortunately, there were some other guys trying it and we shared pads. Eventually though, they were ready to give up and decided to leave. That meant it was go time for me, because I was about to lose the pads. Fortunately, I tried a higher left foot than before at the crux and managed to stick it for my highlight send of the trip.
Me on High Plains Drifter (thankfully less snowy this year; photo: Win McLaughlin).
As soon as I made it to the summit of the boulder, the wind started picking up dramatically, and for the rest of the afternoon, it gradually got worse to the point where crashpads were going airborne. This put a damper on sending for the rest of the day, but I did manage sends of Robinson’s Rubber Tester, a classic V0 friction slab, and Flyboy Arete (V5), which was a decent consolation prize for Flyboy Sit Start (V8), which I didn’t manage (next time).
The next day we went for the much friendlier Happy Boulders back in the tuff. The Happies were a much much bigger hit with Win and Meaghan, because of the less sharp and shorter problems. The happies fit my style pretty well, and I ended up having the best day of bouldering I’ve had in my life. By
Win sends a cool unnamed V0/1 thing.
Jonathan sending Rave Stand Start (V5) with gaston beta I couldn’t use (photo: Win Mclaughlin).
By the end of the day, I managed to send Rave (V7), Jug Start to Acid Wash Right (V7), and The Gleaner (V6), and flash Son of Claudius Rufus (V5). Easily my best day ever. Win also had a really good day, sending a slew of problems in a variety of styles, mostly unnamed, but definitely the best day of bouldering I’d ever seen her have. It was a pretty good day for bouldering in the Happies.
We decided to make the next day a rest day. Unfortunately things weren’t looking up at all for Mount Tom. The NOAA weather forecast for the high altitudes near the summit was calling for such joys as daytime highs in the teens with wind gusts as high as 60-70 mph. To put it mildly, we weren’t going anywhere near that. We spent the first half of our rest day in town at a coffee shop, and then Win, Meaghan, and I decided to hike up to the Druid Stones.
The Druid Stones is accessed by a 45 minute hike uphill, and is therefore much more secluded and private than the Buttermilks, the Happies, or the Sads. The rock, however, is very similar to the Buttermilks. Since this was our rest day, we did not bring our bouldering pads but instead just hiked up with day packs. That said, my climbing shoes and chalk were in there, because I kind of suck at rest days.
The Druid Stones.
Cool boulders everywhere.
A visitor we had while having lunch.
More neat rock formations.
Remember how I said I was really bad at rest days? Shortly after lunch, we started wandering around looking a cool rock formations and eventually we came to the Thunder Wall boulder. Two of the problems on that boulder are Old Ei (V8), and Prostrate to the Higher Mind, a well-named V5. I got it into me head to try to send the former and flash the latter, as they are both really short over sandy landings, so no pad necessary. Win and Meaghan went off on their own to check out the scenery while I settled into do battle. Unfortunately, I botched the foot sequence on Prostrate to the Higher Mind and ended up doing it on the second try. I will admit to a fair bit of swearing when that happened because I was hoping for a good hard flash. Oh well, onto the next thing. Old Ei is a very simple little problem. You start matching in a large hueco and lunge out left to a good crimp. You heel hook in the hueco and then the sequence I worked out is to lunge out right to three slopey crimps, bumping up them in a ladder. These crimps were very slopey and small, so you have to hit the crystals perfectly in order to hang on. Once on the top crimp, you can move left to a good jug and top out.
Trying Old Ei (the three crimps are visible above my head.
Bumping from the second crimp.
On one attempt, I managed to clamber up to the highest of the right hand crimps, but I was too tired to execute the final move. V8 has become a pretty nasty mental barrier for me. I have done quite a few V7’s now, but I can’t quite seem to break into that next level. I was disappointed, but I still felt good because, after all, I was bouldering outside in perfect weather in a beautiful setting. When that next level comes, it will come. Did I mention the beautiful setting?
Basin Mountain from the Druid stones.
Mount Tom.
That said, I couldn’t help looking at the high Sierra, particularly at Mount Tom, with a bit more than just enjoyment of the scenery. I checked my weather forecast again on the phone. To my great surprise, the forecast had changed! Now the next day on the mountain was forecasted to have a high temperature of about 32 with winds of up to 30 miles per hour. Much much better than previously. I called up Jonathan, who was still back in town to tell him the news: Our attempt on Mount Tom was a go.
Life on the Rocks 