Monte Cristo and Superior

The snow is all but gone from slopes on a southerly aspect, so this weekend seemed like a good time to climb Superior and Monte Cristo in summer conditions. Summer is trying to get here, but once gaining the ridge, a lot of the route looked like the highly precise diagram 1. This is why the trip took so long.

 Diagram 1: Typical ridge conditions

Also it was windy.

That makes 4 11ers down!

It's like RAAAIIIIIINNNN on your skiing day

I recently summited my second 11,000 ft peak and managed a clumsy ski descent. The forecast showed a 70% chance of rain, but that seemed like a pathetic and un-manly reason to stay in so we went for it anyway. We drove up the canyon in heavy rain which miraculously cleared about the time we got to the parking lot. By this time we were high enough to be in the clouds, and were treated to this stunning view while skinning up:

Now, climbing mountains is a serious endeavor, particularly when there is snow on the ground, and to some extent requires specialized gear as well as a certain amount of preparedness. Imagine my confusion then when near the summit we were passed by a blond-haired, blue-eyed German man carrying no gear and dressed in black slacks, black suspenders, a dress shirt, a black beret, and a ¾ length black trench coat. Seriously. After a brief stay on the summit, he wandered off into the fog. I tried to get a picture of him, but he didn't show up on camera, confirming my earlier suspicion that he was a ghost. Or it was foggy. Whatever.

Anyway, upon arrival to the summit I pulled out my camera and snapped a shot of the grand vista laid out before us:

And of course we needed incontrovertible proof that we had actually been on the summit, so:

After a quick break on the summit, it was time for a clumsy ski down the same route after determining the chute we wanted to shoot didn't have enough snow. The snow was heavy, soft and hard to ski up top. The poor bond between new and old snow only exacerbated the situation. Of course, it is the middle of June so I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. Lower down the snow got a lot better and was more fun until it started pouring rain mixed with little pieces of graupel. We hurried to the truck and made a hasty retreat to the Great Salt Lake Valley where the sun once again graced me with its presence.

Red Rocks: Moab Aeterno

Went down to the Moab area to check out Arches NP over the memorial day weekend and do all the usual tourist stuff. We set up camp on some BLM land just North of town and were serenaded all night by 4 wheelers and diesel pickup trucks. Apparently some people feel that enjoyable recreation is impossible below 100 decibels. We got up in the morning, cooked breakfast, peppered it with diesel exhaust ash, and headed down to the park.

Standing around camp

Camping under a full moon

We started the short hike to Delicate Arch, famous for being on the Utah license plate. Actually, as far as I can tell, it's famous because it's very photogenic. From the proper angle, the arch stands out from the rest of the landscape and nicely frames the La Sal mountains in the background. (See this Google Image Search. Most pictures of the arch are identical.)There have been millions of pictures taken of this arch. Seriously. Geologists are worried that photon bombardment from all the cameras is accelerating erosion of the arch.* (Fun fact: The La Sal mountains were named by a Spanish explorer who saw large patches of white stuff on the mountains and assumed it was salt, La Sal being Spanish for "The Salt." Turns out it was snow. Mexico then ceded the region to the USA in the 1840's  out of embarrassment and to avoid confusing its citizens.)

Posed photo in front of Delicate Arch, 

of license plate fame

It blows my mind that such a sign exists.

After Delicate Arch we hiked to Double O Arch, creatively named for the two O-shaped holes in the rock.It was a fun hike with lots of rock hopping and expansive views in all direction.

Me walking across the top of Double O Arch.

On Sunday, we went to the Tusher tunnel. It's a natural tunnel in a sandstone bluff that formed after water seeped through a crack. The tunnel goes all the way from one cliff face to the other. It's neat.

In the Tusher Tunnel

 *This is not true.

Powder turns? On May 12th?

It's more likely than you think.

Sugarloaf 2: The Sugarloafening

Dedicated blog readers will recall that last year I tried unsuccessfully to summit Sugarloaf Peak. This year I decided to rectify my failure in true Utah style- on skis. I got up at 5 (in the morning) and headed up Little Cottonwood Canyon for a solo ski adventure. I skinned uphill for a couple uneventful hours until I reached the ridge below the summit. It was very scenic and I saw things like the people at Snowbird who got to ride lifts up to the altitude I'd just spent nearly two hours attaining. I shook my fist at them in impotent rage.

Figure 1: Doing the sacred ski dance below the
summit to appease the mountain gods.

With the pleasant hum of ski lifts in the distance I started skinning up the ridge to Sugarloaf, then stopped to strap my skis to my pack and booted up the rest of the way on intermittent snow and talus.

Figure B: Sastrugi!

A short while later I Captain Morgan'd the summit.

Illustration 3: Captain Morganing the summit cairn

Image 4: View from the summit with
mighty Mt. Timpanogos in the distance

And then my camera's battery died. But all I really did after that was ski down the way I came up. I skied from the summit all the way back to the Taco save for about 10 feet where the snow didn't quite cover some talus. The snow was pretty hard going down Sugarloaf, but below the saddle the sun had cooked it to perfect spring conditions.

Dusting off the hiking boots

I was hoping for a nice snow-free hike up Mt Olympus yesterday, but alas it was not to be. About 2/3 of the way up the 4,200 ft ascent, snow appeared. It was perfect on the way up: just soft enough to kick steps and put an ax in, but still supportive.

Mandatory summit shot:


Summit panorama:
As the sun cooked the snow, it softened. I was sinking balls deep on the way down. Never before has something inanimate prompted me to string together so many four letter words so creatively. Back on dry land again, I motored past the small children, shirtless frat bros and kids sitting on a rock playing guitar (it's a popular trail, although the crowds went way down at snow line) and arrived back at the Taco 6.5 hours after starting.

Avalanche Rescue Dogs

The other day I had the opportunity to be involved in a demonstration with an avalanche rescue dog. Lots of ski resorts keep dogs around because in the event of an avalanche they can sniff you out from underneath quite a bit of snow. The bad news is that it takes some time for your scent to waft up through the snow, so a dog rescue is still a last resort. The best plan is not getting caught in the first place. In any case, here's how dog rescues work.

Step 1: Get in a hole in the snow

Step 2: Get inescapably sealed in

Step 3: Let Jake the avalanche dog sniff around and dig you out. (Kind of a bad picture.)

Step 4: Play tug o' war with Jake the avalanche dog. That's his reward; the promise of getting to play keeps him motivated. Plus he pulls really hard, which can help you get out of the hole in the ground.

Did you know

that this stunning view is only 14.67 miles from my house? I can go places like this on weekday mornings before work. Life is good.

Hey I still have a blog! Neat!

I've been skiing the backcountry lately. It combines the painful exertion of cross country skiing with the epic wipeouts of downhill skiing. It's awesome.

Almost on top...

A quick descent after hours of climbing

That's a faceplant.

Arrrrgh

Enough with the rain already.

If you didn't know, it's been raining in Salt Lake for at least the last 3 weeks. According to the weather forecast, there was a 60% chance of rain in the Wasatch today, so I figured I wouldn't get to do any climbing and I slept in instead. When I got up, the sky was blue and nearly cloudless, so I decided I'd have a go at Reynolds Peak (9,422 ft above sea level) since it looked like a short, relatively easy local climb. When I got to the trailhead, the sky was still blue. About twenty minutes into the hike, I felt a few drops of rain and the air had that feel to it that said "It's gonna pour, fool!" (In my imagination, the air talks like Mr. T.) I reached in my pack to get my rain coat, only to realize I'd left it at the house. I turned around. On my way back to the truck, it started pouring. I started jogging, only to arrive at the truck under bluebird skies. I guess in the end I made the right choice by turning around since the lightning started soon afterward. Still, this unending weather situation is unbearable.

Rafting

Not climbing, but it was an adventure. Ryan (who works in Montana) had a 3-day weekend and I was getting antsy sitting around Salt Lake, so we decided to float the Snake River in Wyoming this weekend. So I rented a raft from the U and headed up on Friday afternoon. We camped out a few miles south of the town of Jackson. It rained all night.

Saturday morning, we got up and headed to the river. We looked like this at the put-in spot:The high temperature was 53 degrees Fahrenheit, and the sun never came out. The water of course came from melting snow. The river was flooded and fast. We had an average speed 6.5 mph, and a max speed of 12.4 mph in some rapids. It rained all day.

After dinner, we went to bed around 9 because it was still raining and we didn't want to sit around outside. It rained all night.

If you ever find yourself in Jackson, Wyoming, leave. It is an unholy tourist trap with more T-shirt shops per capita than any other town in the USA. Seriously, I saw a T-shirt shop next to a T-shirt shop. If you want to buy a T-shirt proclaiming "I got drunk in Jackson, Wyoming", Jackson is the place to be. If you want to gorge yourself on all-you-can-eat buffets, guzzle clear alcohol diluted with high fructose corn syrup and take pictures in front of a place called "Cowboy Bar," (2 shows nightly!) go to Jackson. If you want to wiggle your way through a suffocatingly dense horde of obese retirees waddling around the town square, go to Jackson.

If you want to have fun, explore the surrounding countryside. Just south of Grand Teton National Park, it's in a great location. At least I assume it is, but the weather kept me from getting a good view.

Spring Training

Shaping up...ish. Maybe I'll be in decent shape by the time the snow melts.

Plans for this summer

Living in Salt Lake, I have great mountains right next to town. It's great. I mean really really great. There are 3 different foothills with 1,000 to 2,000 feet of elevation gain that I can climb on weeknights as a nice workout. All the trailheads are within about 2 miles of my house.

On weekends, I've been doing a little snowshoeing but I've been keeping away from the big peaks because I don't know anything about avalanche safety. But the snow's starting to melt (or was, until we got two epic storms this week) and I'm getting antsy to get out. And so, I present my goal for this summer:

The Wasatch 11,000 ft peaks

Zacatecas

I am in Zacatecas, a wonderful old mining town in Zacatecas state dating back to the 1500s. I took a guided tour this morning of one of the old silver mines and I think I annoyed the tour guide with my myriad technical questions. Then I found a bunch of other mine adits and shafts where the locals seem to have been dumping garbage for years.

I'm on a computer right now that has a card reader, so here are some pictures from my camera:

I take a hydrometer reading at a tequila distillery in the town of Tequila

Crocodiles in Chiapas state.

Hanging out in the oh so touristy but still fascinating Mina el Eden in Zacatecas

I just realized I haven't been taking many pictures of myself.

Back in Mexico City

I'm back in Mexico City for a quick stop after the 14 hour overnight bus ride from San Cristóbal. I was seated near the back, where I caught a good whiff every time somebody opened the door to the lavatory. On top of this, there was an obnoxious group of loud people next to me who wouldn't shut up. I didn't really want to come back through Mexico City, but it's a pretty major transportation hub so another visit was practically unavoidable.

I ought to be back in New Mexico in about 5 days or 6 days, barring any unforeseen obstacles such as a bus driver strike, guerilla attack, etc. On my way back I'm going to wind through some of the old mining towns in the northern mountains.

San Cristóbal

is a pleasant small city in the mountainous forests of Chiapas. That's where I am. I'm still alive, in case anybody was wondering.

Oaxaca

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been too busy having the time of my life. Last Thursday night I went to the Ska-P concert which was beyond amazing. They only have about 9 fans in the US, so you haven't heard of them, but they're a brilliant ska-punk outfit from Madrid. These guys are huge down here; I've never been to such a massive, energetic ska show. It was worth hanging out for 4 days in Mexico City to wait for it.

Then, after a quick 6 hour jaunt by bus last Friday, I arrived to the much smaller and more pleasant town of Oaxaca. This town has managed to suck me in and keep me here for a week. It's up in the mountains, the weather's great, and I've been spending the days volunteering with a charity that runs a small kindergarten for some of the poor children, gives them a meal, and helps them get into primary schools around the city. So far I've spent two days in the kitchen, washing dishes and performing other menial kitchen tasks that even I am capable of. Yesterday they started me translating the children's letters to their sponsors. Here's the best of the best of what I got to translate:

"It's very very cold out. I almost freeze in the morning when I go to school. I even drink hot coffee and I'm still cold. Maybe I should start eating pure chiles and the spice will make me forget about the cold."

"I'm doing well in all of my classes, except for Spanish, physics, P.E., math, history, and English."

Also, since I've been here, I've been trying out various local dive bars and have found a clear winner. I'd tried out a couple that weren't terribly exciting, but then one night a couple of the more intrepid travelers staying at the hostel went out and found another one to try. We walked through the old-fashioned, saloon style swinging doors and everybody looked at us kind of funny. Looking back, that was the first sign that we'd struck gold. The patrons were actually quite friendly, one proudly telling us in English "Welcome to Oaxaca" and we chatted for a couple minutes. We ordered a round of beers, and partway through the bartender came over and showed us a bottle of mescal (liquor kind of like tequila) with dead scorpions floating in it. He buys the mescal himself and throws the scorpions in live. He claimed it was an aphrodisiac, which he emphatically illustrated by holding his index finger limp in front of him and then quickly pointing it up. It's a hell of a drink, but an aphrodisiac it is not.

Mexico City Part 2

I´ve done a lot of things in Mexico City, and am having a surprisingly good time considering how I tend to feel about large, polluted, overcrowded cities.

Day before yesterday, a few of us went to visit the pyramids at Teotihuacan. I got to climb the 3rd biggest pyramid in the world!

Yesterday, I went to the Leon Trotsky museum. The museum is in the house he lived in when one of Stalin´s men found him and killed him with an ice pick. I got to see his study (where the murder went down) as well as the rest of the house, which has been preserved pretty much how it was on the last days of his life. (They do seem to have cleaned the blood stains out of the study, however) Those of you who knew me in high school may recall that I once played Trotsky in a school play. His ashes and his wife´s ashes are kept in the yard under a Soviet flag.

Today I went to the anthropology museum, which was very impressive, even to a guy like me who has little to no interest in anthropology. There was an excellent display of Mayan and Aztec art, especially stone sculptures of their gods with several explanations which body parts of who were sacrificed to which gods. These folks seriously sacrificed a lot of people to their gods.

Tonight I´m hitting the Ska-P and Panteón Rococcó concert, then tomorrow I head to Oaxaca.

Mexico City

is big.