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This past weekend was ideal for climbers to take advantage of Red Rocks. Deb had never been to Red Rocks and found out she really enjoyed the rock quality there. Although we experienced high winds (almost got blown off one route) in early morning hours (7AM -9AM), the day shaped up to be t-shirt and shorts day. Climbed most of the Magic Bus formation, making up variations on most it's right side (Neon Sunset, Technicolor Sunrise, Zipperhead and Ken Quesey). We chuckled a bit when we heard one party exclaim that some of the routes were runout. Obviously, they had never been to the Sierra Nevada. Even the PG13 routes felt comfy to lead....

A nice weekend getaway.

I've always wondered what it would be like to climb outside of JTree and the Sierra in terms of difficulty (this is a 5.8?!?!) and run-out. I knew I had finally arrived at my comfort level in JTree when I was on a slab and looked wa-a-ay up to the next bolt. Well, ok, if that's the way it's going to be. Just as I was making the next move I found a bolt at my feet I had missed. If I'm comfortable skipping a bolt at J-Tree, I'm doing ok!

No page to attach the TR to, so I'll post it here:

<b>Shattering an Old Record: Iron Wash, San Rafael Swell, February 4-5 2005</b>

The weather forecast was good, and it was time to leave my buried in snow town for some sun and desert. Three year old Kessler was ready for some exploring as well and desperately wanted to get outside. The San Rafael Swell seemed like a good choice.

I had wanted to explore Iron Wash and Lone Man Draw to the Cedar Mesa Sandstone to see if there was a slot. I also wanted to hike Iron wash through the Reef since I haven’t done it before. Having already explored Ernie Canyon and Upper Iron Wash (the technical section), I wanted to explore the rest of Iron and Lone Man to complete the series. It would be a long hike for Kessler in two days, but I didn’t bother to measure it on the map.

After driving down Thursday night, we were ready to start early the next morning. Iron Wash was scenic and spectacular with high red rock walls, as it cut through the Reef and was a pleasant walk. The main difficulty was the slippery ice in the shaded sections. There was a bit of snow as well, but it wasn’t a problem. We made the first four miles to Lone Man Draw in 2.5 hours, which was much quicker than expected. Lone Man Draw looked pretty dry, and since Iron Wash had a nice creek at this point, and some inviting campsites, we decided to drop the packs here and day hike the rest of the canyon. It would be a long day however, if we could make it. After a nice lunch, we hiked up Lone Man Draw was open, sunny, and pleasant since it faces south. After hiking a couple of hours, we stopped for a rest near where the canyon cuts through the Cedar Mesa Sandstone. There was a shallow slot, but it doesn’t look as deep as the one in the main fork. We had made it with time to spare. Since we had time, and since Kessler wanted more, we climbed up the slopes to the east for a peek into the canyon. We climbed several hundred feet to a nice and high overlook, where we “discovered” a nice (presumably) Fremont Indian Ruin. It was right on top of a butte. There is no water up here, so it must have been a winter campsite where one can look for miles in all directions. We continued up to another point with fine views. We had made it much farther than expected, and it was time to go back.

We reached the edge of a canyon and Kessler wanted to explore it. I had wanted to take the faster rim walk, but he wanted to go down the canyon. It was a rugged scramble in and there was an eight foot cliff to get over. Luckily, I brought a short rope to lower Kessler down. There was a shallow Chinle slot that Kessler like to hike through. After reaching the main Lone Man Draw we headed back to camp arriving not long before sunset. It was a long day. It was getting cold, so we built a nice driftwood fire in the wash bottom (so it would wash away with the next rains). Kessler was tired and asked to go to bed after dinner. I told him it was a long hike today. He agreed and asked “Daddy, are you proud of your buddy?” Obviously I was.

The next morning was 19 degrees (-7C), so I started the fire with some small sticks so Kessler could sit by it while eating breakfast. We quickly ate and decided to hike up Iron Wash to the slot since we still had time. We walked up to the slot with the huge pools of water. They were all covered with ice. We left the main drainage and hiked a side canyon so we could peer into the slot. Kessler wanted to see the slot his daddy hiked down before he was born.
After some exploring, we ate lunch and headed back to camp. Camp was packed up, and we started back for the car. The last four miles were long because Kessler said his feet were sore. We hiked a little slower and reached the car very tired. It was a six-hour drive back home. On the way back, Kessler asked “Daddy can we hike those canyons again sometime?”

After reaching home, I had wanted to measure (on the computer) our distance covered because I was curious if Kessler might have broke his record of eight miles in one day set last September on Marsh Peak. I measured our first day distance and was astounded. I had to measure it again because it seemed too much. The figure was the same. We had covered just over 12 miles the first day! Kessler had shattered his old record. It was all trail-less walking as well, and some of it quite rugged. Day two was 10 miles, quite impressive as well for a three year old. We had covered 22 miles in two days. Kessler was very proud of himself, and I was too. He excitedly told his mom that he hiked 22 miles. We ate a few popsicles before going to bed. I wonder what our next adventure will be?

Weekend? What weekend?! I spent Friday in Germany with 25 degrees and snow flurry; and Saturday/Sunday in Kuwait with 70 degrees and rain. None of which produces any thrilling activities!
BTW, I am in now in Iraq and there will be no more weekends.

HAHA! BUMP!

Funny how our lives progress. I've been home for 13 months now and will never grace the sands of Iraq again!

So, OK Dave and I climbed at Holcomb Valley Pinnacles and Onyx Summit Crag this weekend............there.....thread revived.

You will be able to recognize my "week-end activities" when I describe how I went off-route (not just off-trail). By "off-route", I usually mean the wrong mountain...

Last week-end I hiked the access ridge to Mt McGillivray. But by mistake I hiked up to the NE face of Pigeon Mountain. When I finally saw McGillivray "over there", in the distance, and how it was separated by a big valley and canyon, I did not try go across.

This Sunday I headed for the pass on the south side of Mt. Baldy. But instead I hiked up the SW buttress until the terain got too wild. The fresh snow on the fir trees was pretty, but when the snowballs plopped on the ground, they all looked like alternate hiking routes. I could have gone up onto the open rock, because the snow was excellent to walk on. But this was supposed to be a pass, so I traversed until it got worse, and then came down.

Deb wrote:HAHA! BUMP!

Funny how our lives progress. I've been home for 13 months now and will never grace the sands of Iraq again!

So, OK Dave and I climbed at Holcomb Valley Pinnacles and Onyx Summit Crag this weekend............there.....thread revived.

You mean you are done with Iraq? That is excellent.

Carbo wrote:You mean you are done with Iraq? That is excellent.

Yep, I retire in 7 weeks. Get to spend my last tour at a unit on the beach in SoCal.

Deb wrote:

Carbo wrote:You mean you are done with Iraq? That is excellent.

Yep, I retire in 7 weeks. Get to spend my last tour at a unit on the beach in SoCal.

Congrats. Sounds like tough last tour

Looking forward to our 24 hour "enduro" plane ride down to Argentina in a couple of months. : P

Congratulations Deb!

Dave Daly wrote:Looking forward to our 24 hour "enduro" plane ride down to Argentina in a couple of months. : P

The sketch pad will be in full force Dear!

This past weekend...now that I am recuperated and can nearly think straight...Dave and I spent at Lake Mead for my "surprise distance" Las Vegas Triathlon. Having registered for it 2 months ago, I thought I knew the typical distance of an Olympic course would be the same, but noooooooo.....a couple hundred meters into the swim, I realized that it was 1500 meters, not 1000, and into the rising sun. Pretty difficult to see the buoy with this set up.
Bike course was 40K vice 30K that I had originally thought, but I'm good for that any day; it was rolling hills with an 8% grade....no sweat....really, I was still slightly wet from my swim.
And the run....well, 10K is 10K except in your mind with long steady inclines and gravel in your shoes.
All in all, I finished 2nd in my age group, ("Decrepit Old Bats") and vowed to train smarter.

HandjamMasterC wrote:Congratulations on your 20 year retirement coming up Deb!

Thanks Craig and Carolyn. I am sooooo ready!!! .....to be unemployed......

Deb wrote:a couple hundred meters into the swim, I realized that it was 1500 meters, not 1000, and into the rising sun. Pretty difficult to see the buoy with this set up.
Bike course was 40K vice 30K that I had originally thought, but I'm good for that any day; it was rolling hills with an 8% grade....no sweat....really, I was still slightly wet from my swim.
And the run....well, 10K is 10K except in your mind with long steady inclines and gravel in your shoes.
All in all, I finished 2nd in my age group, ("Decrepit Old Bats") and vowed to train smarter.

I think that's BadAsssssss™ Seriously more demanding and harder than climbing. At least for me it would be. I haven't ran in years and couldn't imagine running 10K at this point. I swam competitively for 10 years and could still probably get through the 1500 meters ok, but combining that with a 40K bike ride AND a 10K run?! Nice! That's proud, Deb!

Congrats on your retirement too!

Deb wrote:

Dave Daly wrote:Looking forward to our 24 hour "enduro" plane ride down to Argentina in a couple of months. : P

The sketch pad will be in full force Dear!

This past weekend...now that I am recuperated and can nearly think straight...Dave and I spent at Lake Mead for my "surprise distance" Las Vegas Triathlon. Having registered for it 2 months ago, I thought I knew the typical distance of an Olympic course would be the same, but noooooooo.....a couple hundred meters into the swim, I realized that it was 1500 meters, not 1000, and into the rising sun. Pretty difficult to see the buoy with this set up.
Bike course was 40K vice 30K that I had originally thought, but I'm good for that any day; it was rolling hills with an 8% grade....no sweat....really, I was still slightly wet from my swim.
And the run....well, 10K is 10K except in your mind with long steady inclines and gravel in your shoes.
All in all, I finished 2nd in my age group, ("Decrepit Old Bats") and vowed to train smarter.

Everytime I see Deb out on a tri course, it makes me think of the first time I witnessed her run for competition (and for fun!) at a race in Australia. There's this prideful feeling that comes over me, knowing she gives her absolute all out there. Same goes with how she lives her life, whether that's at work or at home. As a Marine, she's a dedicated leader who has the best interest of her young Marines in mind first. I enjoy getting to know her each day! Deb is kick ass!!

Proud of you Babe!!