Twain Harte Disc Golf - October 1, 2010

After flying Ken felt nauseous so we decided on a low key activity.  After some down time on the couch, we headed to Twain Harte (about 20-30 mins away) for some disc golf.  We had gotten a map of the course and directions at the climbing (and disc!) shop "SNAC" in Sonora.  It was easy to find the parking lot, but a bit tricky to find the course itself.  It was a fun little course and not many people were around to worry about hitting.  The elevated flume made a unique course setting and a fun disc throwing obstacle.

Top of the elevated flume.

Ken at the green of hole 1.

The elevated flume from the green of hole 1.

Ken teeing off on hole 2.

Here's a rough course map that Ken made.  Anja vouches that it is much better than the photocopied map we picked up in SNAC!

Flying with Burhoe - October 1, 2010

Burhoe offered to take us flying at the local airport.  He has started racing airplanes and learning acrobatic maneuvers.  He rented a 2-seater Citabria from his club and took both of us up for a 30 minute tour of Sonora.  Anja went up first and was nervous and excited at the same time about the flight and the tricks.

Nervous Anja.

Excited Anja.

Anja taxiing out on the run way.  When Anja got back she was very excited and a bit queasy.  She had an awesome time!  Burhoe had done wing overs, barrel rolls, loop de loops, and aileron rolls.  She had started to feel a little sick so Burhoe stopped.

Ken went up second and was pretty excited and nervous like Anja had been. 

Ken's flight was a little longer.  They went up and did a tour of the area and then did a wing over, aileron rolls, and loop de loops.   Then Burhoe intentionally stalled the engine for Ken to see what it was like. Near the end of the flight Ken was ready for more tricks so Burhoe flew over the reservoir and let the tricks rip with more aileron rolls, loop de loops, ingalmen rolls, and a hammer head.  Ken just keep saying I feel ok at the end of the maneuver so Burhoe would go straight into the next one. 

After the flight Burhoe said he was impressed that Anja and Ken both had good stomachaches for aerobatic flying.  The flights were awesome!!! Thanks Burhoe.

Anja also went for a run today:
Running & shopping in Sonora, CA at EveryTrail
EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in Nevada

The Grotto - September 30, 2010

We gave up on our El Cap dreams and headed out to Sonora to relax at Burhoe's house and cool off with some sport climbing.  From Burhoe's we headed out to the Table Mountain area to the Grotto area.  The grotto wall lived up to its name as it was down in a hole and about 15 degrees cooler than the surrounding walls.  It was a nice change from the Yosemite heat!

 

This formation was really cool -- the crack climbing up these columns was followed by steep sport climbing.

Ken misread the guidebook and instead of warming up on a 5.9 he headed up this 5.10b.  Ken almost got it done but it got a little bold and he had to hang to rest for the crux move.

The slugs there were huge.

After a closer look at the guidebook Anja warmed up on the 5.9.

 After the 5.10b Anja fought her way up the 5.11b to the left.

 Ken wanted nothing to do with the thin looking crux of the 5.11b, so he headed up a steep 5.10a that followed this white streak on the Upper Head wall.  The climb was great and the view from the top, looking  back at the reservoir was awesome.

Anja headed up the start of the 5.10a.

Anja pulling through the crux.

Ken followed the white streak climb with another 5.10a on the Welcome Wall.  He cruised up to the fourth bolt but struggled at an undercling with a very small crimp.

Anja struggled at the start of this climb were Ken had used a handjam to cruise through but when she got to the small crimp she matched her hands on it and pulled through no problem.  The views of the reservoir were great.

Aid climbing practice Day 3 - September 29, 2010

Since we had left a fix nut behind the night before we decided to go back up to La Escuela for a second go.  Ken packed a wall hammer just incase the nut was disagreeable.  On our way hiking up the base of El Cap we meet a party bailing off the Salathe on El Cap, we had heard them the night before high above us.  They had made it about 2,000 ft up El Cap to El Cap Tower and had run way too short on water to continue so they had rappelled off the route.  Since Anja had led the first pitch the day before Ken took the first half and Anja took the second half.  Ken got it done a little quicker in just over an hour but was really thirsty at the bolts.  It was still in the 90s out.

Ken headed up the first pitch.

Anja led out the second pitch and got it done much faster in around 1.5 hours but was really thirsty at the end of the pitch.  Ken cleaned the pitch and ended up needing the hammer to clean the nut he had fixed the night before.  Since he had the hammer Ken also cleaned the fixed nut which was on the first pitch.  We again easily finished the 6 liters of water we had brought and felt a little dehydrated.  It was just too hot out to be on El Cap.

Climbing on El Capitan, Yosemite at EveryTrail
EveryTrail - Find the best Hiking in California

Aid climbing practice Day 2 - September 28, 2010

Anja was ready really excited to lead so we headed back up the base of El Cap to climb La Escuela.  It is supposed to be a 165 ft pitch but we broke it into to pitches using the bolt anchors about half way up.  Anja took about 2.5 hours to lead the first 70 ft and placed gear about every 3 ft.  Considering it was her first aid climb that's not too bad.  At the mid bolt anchors she was very dehydrated.

The first half of the pitch.

Anja at the first bolt anchors.  Anja had fun leading but it was really hot, somewhere in the 90s, and before Ken even got on lead we had drank 3 liters of water.

Great views across the valley of Lower and Middle Cathedral.

While Ken was cleaning the pitch a deer came to check out our gear.

Although it was 6 pm Ken headed up the second pitch.

Ken finished the second pitch at 7 pm and cleaned it on rappel.  Unfortunately one of the nuts clean placed was jammed in too good to clean quickly on rappel so Ken left it.  We got to the ground just at darkness.  The sunset from the belay ledge was great.  Before we packed up to head down we had drank all 5 liters of water we had brought with us.

Yosemite Aid climbing day 1 - September 27, 2010

After Paul and Crystal left we headed down to Curry Village in Yosemite Valley to rackup our aid gear and start training to try to do something on El Cap.  We had to stop by the Mountain Shop for a few things and then headed up to the base of El Cap for some practice.

 

Ken aided a 5.11b climb near Sacher Cracker.

It went pretty smoothly until almost his last piece a hybrid alien.  He weighted it and it was fine but then once he stood on it POOP!!! and he took a 10 ft fall.  He got a little roadrash from it on his forearm but no big deal.

Anja jugging the pitch to clean it.  It was a good start to training for aid climbing.  Anja had fun and not a bad start to our aid training.

Tuolumne Top Ropes - Murphy Creek - September 26, 2010

Crystal, Paul, and Dave in camp

We got up and headed over to Tenya Lake and took the Murphy Creek Trailhead north for about 20 minutes until we saw the cliff.  It had 5.7-5.11 top ropes.  Another group was already there on much of the 5.7-5.9 climbs so we set a 5.9, 5.9+, and 5.10b.

The 5.9 was great starting with perfect handjams and then widening as it went up.  Really fun and a little offwidth training.

The 5.9+ was really tough.  I don't think it gets climbed much.  Through the crux required painful handjams with really poor foot holds.

Anja about to start into the crux of the 5.9+

Anja nearing to top of the 5.9+

The 5.10b was really great.  It started with steep lieback fingers and then pulled through a roof.  The crux was a section which widened past fist jam with little to no feet.  It was a hard pull and kind of reminded me of the crux of Touch n Go at Joshua Tree.

 

 Paul pulling through the 5.10b roof anyway he can.

To end off the day we set a 5.11b.  Ken's hands were chewed up too bad to climb again but Anja struggled up it.

Thanks again Paul and Crystal for bringing our aid gear up to us.