June 2020
Sitting on the mats below the bouldering wall at my local climbing gym, I shout words of encouragement as I watch fellow climbers hurl themselves up the wall. As I am observing, in envy, I notice something that I have never recognized before. Some climbers' shoulder blades shift away from their spines into what closely resembles bird wings as they reach above their heads, and their necks disappear as soon as they match their hands on a handhold in a desperate attempt to set up for the following sequence.
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This trip was one to remember! Between epic lines, snowstorms, COVID-19 making its way into the United States, and an earthquake the last day of the trip, I honestly don't know where to begin. What started as a Joes Valley trip, turned into a Utah tour with friend and teammate, Taylor Mcneill. Bruce, aka Threepeakfilms was amped to come along and document the trip!
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It’s the fifth pitch of the climb. Every move feels like my stomach is going to explode. To bring up my foot makes my stomach rumble and turn. I let out a screaming grunt. I’ve learned how to better manage my ulcerative colitis on the ground - frequent bathroom visits, longer breaks - but not hundreds of feet up.
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We started climbing and in short order, some local villagers showed up to watch. Everyone seemed happy and we showed them gear, offered snacks and joked around. As I got back down (but still had rope and gear to the top of the spire), a police officer arrived. He wasn't in uniform, but had a meter-long riot baton as a symbol of authority. The officer demanded to see our governmental permission letter allowing us to rock climb.
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On July 13th (12 days after leaving California) we actually set foot on rock. By choosing the solid, compact rock over the flaky, exfoliated sections of cliff, we knew we were going to be placing a lot of bolts. Doing this on the lead above 14,000 feet takes some effort. Over the next three weeks, we established two 500-foot routes. Because of the heat, most days we were cooked by 1:30pm. During our stay in the valley, we had four days of heavy rain, a few days of afternoon showers and three days of perfect High Sierra weather.
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