Scratchin' the Itch

Kim Crihfield on Taiwan On, 5.10c, Fourth Horseman, Smith Rock

This past weekend hopefully marked the end of the freakishly warm and dry winter conditions in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest.  Pretty much everyone I knew was in the depths of powder withdrawal - a horrible affliction that causes irritability, anxiety and constant weather channel web surfing.  There are few known cures, most of which involve long car rides, airfare, or very large doses of self-prescribed medication.  Even with proper treatment, a patient's prognosis is uncertain until the very end.

The Story of Blue

The month of November brought torrential downpours to Portland, not the typical Northwest mist but a cold, driving rain that blew through the cracks of a jacket and soaked to the skin.  Kristin and I would dart from our car to the door and then inside our warm house to be greeted by our two furry cats.  During the summer, Maximus and Kiku despise the heat and often find a solitary retreat on a cold wood floor or in a basement corner.  But as the temps cool off, they start to spend their nights on our comforter, snuggled into the crook of our knees or nuzzled under our chins.  Slipping into a deep sleep to the sound of a fading purr is one of the great pleasures of life.  A cold November rain makes it even better.

Late Fall Sun at Smith Rock

Smith Rock - December 11, 2011

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we've been locked into a stable high pressure system for the last two weeks. The Thanksgiving weekend usually signals a switch to skis, but in the absence of mountain snow, recent conditions at Smith Rock have been excellent. Mostly clear skies, calm winds, and cool temps add up to great sport climbing conditions.

The last two weekends saw a small but stoked group of mostly local climbers enjoying the sun during a shrinking window of warm daylight hours. This shot is from a Saturday trip with Nate, fresh off more than a month of climbing in the desert, only to find more sunny stone back in Oregon. We had a great day of clipping bolts, but I'm still praying for a powder day!

Ski Stoke

This is some of best ski footage I've ever seen. Check it out. It may be the best 5 minutes of your day.

Wilderness Peak Turkey Hike

Over the holiday weekend, Kristin and I made our annual Thanksgiving pilgrimage to Seattle for a very indulgent and sedentary celebration with my family.  Each year, we dream up cool adventures in the nearby mountains, but we almost always end up falling into a delicious pattern of beer, football and turkey with the family, topped off with the best apply pie EVER (thanks Mom!).  If we're lucky, we manage to sneak in a hike or two to stretch the legs and force some blood through our otherwise clogged arteries.

Magic Ed and his Mexican Blog

Magic Ed's Project Pillar

As if I haven't spent enough time daydreaming about our recent trip to the Potrero, Magic Ed just posted a report from our climb on one of his unfinished projects.  

He was nice enough to offer me the FA (probably .10d/.11a) of a brilliant pitch high up on a narrow pillar of limestone 6-700 ft above the canyon floor.  He's tentatively calling it the Grand Pillar, but there's a still a pitch to be done to the top.  Check it out.     

El Potrero Chico PSA

Jaime Bohle on the exposed 5th pitch of Snot Girlz, 5.10d, 7 pitches

Hanging out at the base of a limestone crag at Potrero Chico, I look down into the gravel wash, what qualifies as a road in this part of Mexico, and see two pickups with soldiers in the back driving upstream.  A few minutes later, having turned around, I look again and see them driving downstream.  And then they are gone – no flying bullets, no blood-filled gutters, no square groupers.  I look up at the rock, see two other people on the wall, and decide with the crowds and all its time to find some peace and quiet.  In 5 minutes, we’re in the wash – in 10 we’re in the Virgin Canyon with dozens of classic routes all to ourselves.  Over the course of two weeks, that’s the only time we see el ejercito (the army) – but we wake up each morning to solitude, sunny weather, and a candy store filled with the sweets of climbers’ dreams.