A few of our favorite things

As Mark and I get ready to head back out, we are slimming down what we brought along for the first few months, and stocking up on our favorite things.  It got me thinking that it may be interesting (?), and maybe even useful, for us to share some of our favorite things: places, camping gear, climbing gear, camping food, etc.  So in no particular order, here are some of our favorites.

Gear and Shoes

ThermaRest NeoAir Dream:  After spending summers backpacking in the Sierra and getting psyched on going light, I decided that if we were car camping this trip, we were going all out.  I am talking two burner stove, cooler, blankets, and most importantly: deluxe sleeping pads.  Out of all our gear, these may have been the biggest splurge money wise.  But being an avid bargain hunter, I found some cosmetic seconds for a total steal.  These sleeping pads, the ThermaRest NeoAir Dream, are a combination of a NeoAir self inflating pad, and a pillow top (memory foam-ish) topper.  The NeoAir has quite some loft (I have found myself lightheaded at altitude blowing it all the way up) and combined with the foam topper, it is the ultimate in car camping luxury.  They pack down to a reasonable size, and they have a system to connect multiple pads next to each other.  As a bonus, the NeoAir part can be taken out so if for some reason we are backpacking and want something small and light, we have it!

La Sportiva Muira: Some girls are really passionate about their shoes, they love how they look, don't mind the pain, and know that they are worth the price tag.  I have to say that I share that sentiment, but maybe in a different way.  I am not talking about some cute heels- I am talking about my favorite climbing shoes: the La Sportiva Muiras.  First off- they are gorgeous.  Second- they perform.  They are relatively comfortable, but when it comes to climbing shoes, especially for harder climbs, comfort is not that high on my list.  Before this trip I knew I loved Muiras, but after Smith, I knew they were my favorite shoe.  My favorite thing about the Muiras is how well they edge, while still being sensitive.  All this said I have to admit that these shoes fit my foot really well.  Mark's feet for example just don't fit right.  I am guessing that I have probably lost most people by this point so I will cut myself off, but seriously, I think every climber should try these out.  Oh! I almost forgot- they resole well too.

The Muiras performing at Smith

Five Ten Guide Tennie: I have gone through a few pairs of pants because I have gotten holes on the butt from scooting down steep sections of rock.  This was pre- Guide Tennie.  Now, thanks to some sticky rubber, I have slightly improved by scrambling ability and I don't think I have destroyed any more pairs of pants.  Guide Tennies are considered approach shoes which means that they have stick rubber so you can do more technical moves on steeper terrain, but they are comfortable enough to wear on the approach and descent.  I totally suck at scrambling and am one of those people that really insists on having three points of contact at all time so having these makes scrambles much easier.  I have a pair of the leather, and the canvas, and so far I prefer the leather ones.  I would imagine that even if you are a hiker that gets a little nervous on slabs, these shoes would be confidence inspiring.  I often find them on 6pm.com for pretty cheap if you are interested.

Food

Great Basin Bakery: If you are going though Bishop, you gotta stop here.  Yes, Schatt's has cheese bread, but aside from that, Great Basin has them beat in terms of bagels, bread, and baked goods.  Everyone we have taken here or told to stop by has had nothing but good things to say.  So if you are headed up that way, it is well worth the stop.

Red Thai Curry: One of our favorite meals this trip has been quinoa, veggies, tempeh (or garbanzo beans), and....Trader Joe's Red Thai Curry.  Between the quinoa and tempeh we are set on protein, and the curry is worth the extra bit of money you pay.  I think it is like $2.70 a bottle, and every time we have it, we are always psyched.  I would post a picture of the meal, but it does not really fall into the picture worthy category.  I will just say that this little bottle of curry turns a bland camping meal into something worth sitting down and enjoying.

Clothes

Patagonia R1 Hoody:  I would recommend the R1 hoody to anyone who does anything outside.  It is versatile, it has a hood (!), and it is a perfect weight for taking up climbs.  It is my go-to layer: it is surprisingly warm and breathable.  The only downside is that this thing gets stinky, as do all synthetics, but this thing really retains the stink.  This could also be correlated with our frequency of showering.

Life is good in an R1 Hoody

Lululemon Swiftly Tech Racerback:  I would consider myself a connoiseur of racerback style tank tops, and I have the tan lines to prove it.  After testing out just about every brand and material, I have decided that my favorite is the Lululemon Swiftly Tech Racerback.  They are cute, they dry super fast, and they are lightweight.  Yes, as with everything Lululemon they are super expensive, but I would say this one is worth it.  I also like the Short Sleeve version in the Swiftly Tech fabric, but I haven't bought the long sleeve because I find that it is way to snug on the forearms. #climbergirlproblems (?)

People

Mark:  Even though I already knew this, a few months on the road confirmed even more that I am one lucky girl.  Mark is so supportive, so understanding, and reminds to enjoy each day as it comes. I also have to hand it to him: he didn't even give me grief when I threw my big bag of nail polish in the truck. I could go on, but I'll just leave it at that.  He is a great guy, and I am so happy to be on this adventure with him.

And that wraps up some of my favorite things.  Tomorrow we are headed out to the Grand Canyon, then onto Zion, Canyonlands, and Arches.  We have a week in Breckenridge planned thanks to my Mom's timeshare magic, and after that we will get back into some climbing!  

xoxo

Lauren and Mark

Squamish to San Diego

A little over week ago Mark and I woke up in Squamish with a lot of rain in the forecast and decided to pack up and head south.  By dinner time we had crossed the border and were eating Chipotle.  Charlotte and Huckleberry graciously hosted us in Seattle and in the morning we were off to see our friends from San Diego, Jen and Caleb.  After attempting to eat an omelette the size of my head we eventually headed to our destination for the night: Lava Beds National Monument, about an hour outside of Klamath Falls.  We rolled in around 11 and got back on the road at 5:30 so I am not actually sure what this place looks like.  The general consensus on Yelp is that it is a very cool place with lots of deer mice that make driving at night more like dodging bullets.  Well, maybe not bullets, but who wants to run over 50 deer mice?

The whole point of this whirlwird trip south was to meet up with our friends Tim and Jess in Tuolumne.  Both of them were originally planning to climb Whitney but the thunderstorms have been dominating the Eastern Sierra this past week.  Because they are leaving for Europe soon, we persuaded them to keep heading north and go to Tuolumne so we could climb and hang out before they leave.

Passing by Mono Lake on our way to TM

Jess' brother Matt also came, which was super fun.  Matt had never been to Tuolumne, and he is a climber, so showing him around was akin to taking a kid to Disneyland for the first time.

Our first day there all of us topped out Lembert Dome in some fashion, finally getting our first look at the smoke from the Rim Fire.  At this point, the skies in Tuolumne were completely clear, and the only effect of the fire was the deserted Tuolumne campground, and some spectacular sunsets.

Mark giving Matt a lay of the land

The next day we cragged at DAFF dome.  Just over 3 years ago, Mark, Tim, and I cragged in the same spot, and climbed what may be the best 5.10 slab I have ever done.  Perfect crimps between slick glacier polish- requiring precision and thoughtfulness.  This time, we toproped a 5.11 slab at the same crag, and I was equally impressed.  After a leisurely lunch/ nap at Tenaya Lake, the boys decided to climb the water cracks on Lembert Dome.

One may think this is an extension cord given the way it is coiled.  But, it is in fact a rope.   I still don't understand.

The water cracks are apparently notorious for stranding tourists- they start as steep walking and before you know it, you are stuck in a water formed groove, that is slick and not too easy to downclimb.  Interestingly enough, an international tourist found herself stranded on the side of Lembert dome (but not in the water cracks) right when the boys were starting up the climb.  Some guy in bare feet walked over to her, trying to coax her from her little perch and eventually she made her way back to the significantly lower angle slabs leading back to the parking lot.  Since she was really in no danger, the whole situation was pretty laughable, especially given the stories we had heard of tourons getting stuck on Lembert dome.  However, I decided that it probably wasn't the most tactful thing to whip out my camera and snap some pictures for the blog.

The boys nearing the base of the water cracks.

A big bird came swooping by while Jess and I were watching the water crack adventure.

After the minor rescue, Matt, Tim, and Mark, began what turned into an hour long search for the bolts that are supposed to exist on the water crack.  Not psyched on questing up into unprotectable territory with no bolts in sight, we all headed back to camp and got ready for the next day- Cathedral Peak!

Cathedral Peak is one of the most classic climbs in Tuolumne- moderate climbing with spectacular views leading to a memorable summit block.  And this just so happened to be Jess' first multi-pitch climb!  The approach was not as bad as I had remembered, well, minus the additional mileage we tacked on by leaving from our campsite.  Just for future reference- the Cathedral trailhead is not close to the Tuolumne campground.

About three pitches up the route, we could see smoke from the Rim Fire creeping in the meadows due to a shift in the winds.  Within a few hours the smoke had completely enveloped us.  Fortunately it didn't affect the climbing at all, but it definitely added some eeriness to the climb.  Getting on the summit and seeing Fairview Dome shrouded in a cloak of smoke was pretty weird, and a little creepy.  By the end of the day we couldn't even make out Lembert Dome from the top of Cathedral.  After negotiating the downclimb and getting off the backside of Cathedral it wasn't long before we were back at camp, calculating, or I may say, exaggerating, the distance we had covered that day.  I think the final calculation came to about 15 miles.  But I also heard 20 thrown out there.

Jess and Matt heading up the 4th pitch of Cathedral 

Party wall!

Looking back at Cathedral and the summit block.

By that time, the smoke was pretty overwhelming and by the morning it was obvious that sticking around was not really an option.  After some car troubles, we finally made it to...the Buttermilks?!  Yep, we ended up at the Buttermilks.  There were some other stops in between, and we got to catch up with some friends that we had not seen in a while.

I love this view!

Now we are back in San Diego, and I have to admit that I have already watch the rest of the Real Housewives of OC season.  Mark and I will be back on the road soon, with a different trajectory than we had planned but that is the beauty of this trip- we can adapt to changes, and go where we want.

xoxo
Lauren and Mark

Shirts Off on the Rock!

Despite an iffy forecast, Doug, Rosie, Connell, and myself headed to the Apron last Monday hoping to do Calculus Crack and Ultimate Everything.  Due to other parties occupying Calculus Crack we ended up doing Rock On to Squamish Buttress and I think it worked out in our favor.  Rock On had been on my to do list for a while so I was psyched to get on it.  The climbing was much steeper than most of the other routes I had been on, and I would highly recommend it!  After walking over to Ultimate Everything and seeing a party just starting up, and not looking like they were going to be moving all that fast, we decided to do Squamish Buttress.  Earlier in the trip Mark and I did Butt Face, a variation to the last couple of pitches on Squamish Buttress that avoids the crux 10c pitch on Squamish Buttress.  After doing both, I think I like Butt Face better. 

Rosie coming up the long 10a pitch on Rock On

Mark didn’t join us on Rock On because he was resting up to climb University Wall the next day.  The climb is burly, with two pitches of 5.12 and the other six pitches no easier than 10d.  Unfortunately, Mark hurt his shoulder five pitches up so he and his partner Jim rapped down instead of continuing on.  Mark has had shoulder problems in the past so we decided to make a trip back stateside to see a doctor and get an x-ray to check for any trip-ending injuries.  The trip to Bellingham was extremely successful- an optimistic prognosis for Mark’s shoulder (shoulder sublexation), some calls back home, and a trip to Trader Joe’s!  And we were able to watch a couple episodes of Downton Abbey while we waited to cross the border.  All in all, a worthwhile trip.

A few days later we went to Crankworx, a mountain biking event that spans a week or so up in Whistler.  Mark and I were pretty psyched to check it out and we were not disappointed.  The mountain biking was awesome, but I think the most memorable part was the scene at Heckler’s Rock. Heckler’s Rock is exactly what it sounds like, a big rock overrun with rowdy hecklers.    The further we walked up the course, the closer we got to the shirtless hecklers.  I always thought that the climbing scene was pretty male dominated but it seems like mountain biking is even more so.  And the guys seemed a little more rough around the edges to put it nicely.  As we were walking up, some older men commented to Rosie and I that he hoped we had bras on.  At the time we didn’t fully understand that you can’t wear a shirt on Heckler’s Rock, so we were a little taken aback by their comment.  But once we got closer, we realized that their intentions were good natured; any time someone got near the rock, the hecklers would chant “Shirts off on the rock! Shirts off on the rock!” We stayed clear of the rock itself but got a front row view to a pretty hilarious scene. Not only do they heckle the riders racing, but they heckle everyone who goes by on the chair lift and their more sober fellow spectators.  Some of those people on the chairlift do a variety of things to get a reaction out of the hecklers, most notably stripping down naked.  Some of the racers even stop by the rock and drink a beer with them real fast then keep riding down.  It was colorful experience, but I was happy to witness it and not necessarily be a part of it.  Aside from Heckler’s Rock, the racing was really awesome.  I am not sure I will be charging downhill anytime soon, but it definitely got Mark and I psyched on the idea of mountain biking someday.

Looking up at Heckler's Rock

The past couple of days we have done a bit of slab climbing at Seal Cove and on the Apron.  Seal Cove is in a very unique location and can be a bit exciting depending on the tides.  I took a bunch of pictures because I couldn’t get enough of this place!  The pictures are a little out of order but you get the point.  Mark and I also had a ton of fun climbing there with Rosie and Connell, two of our friends from back home.  We crossed paths a number of times up at Tahquitz over the past year but for some reason haven’t climbed outside with them until this trip. Which is unfortunate only because we have a blast with them. 

Rosie ventures off over the water

I love the different colors with the rock and the water

Connell traverses over to the base of Swept Away (5.9)

Connell negotiating the down climb to the foot traverse.

Connell on Swept Away

What a cool belay!

Traversing over to the base of Sole Mate (10b)

Connell cruises up the slab

Quite possibly the most scenic top rope I have ever done

Mark hasn’t been climbing since he hurt his shoulder so to ease back in, he picked out a slab climb called Over the Rainbow on the Apron.  Slab climbing is low angle and generally requires much less “pulling” than steeper climbing.  This is perfect for Mark as he starts climbing again and doesn’t want to stress his shoulder that much. The climb itself was surprisingly fun with some high quality friction slab, some “thank god” edges thrown in, and an exciting bulge surmounted by mantling a crystal of granite.  I tried to get some pictures that show how few holds there are on a slab climb. Slab climbing is a unique in that half the fun is the fact that you are still sticking on the rock despite really not holding onto anything. Also, slab climbing is surprisingly challenging-  you have to be delicate but bold, and not hesitate.  As our friend Drew so appropriately puts it, “sneak past the move before it notices you.” 

Mark on the last pitch of Over the Rainbow

xoxo

Mark and Lauren

Rainy Rest Day Photo Dump

The past week has been super busy so I have a lot of pictures and a few stories to share.  

Thursday of last week Mark’s Dad (Tom) and his sister (Venessa) came up to Canada!  We started off their Canadian tour with dinner at a brewery in Vancouver where I got a raspberry wheat beer.  Or as I like to call it- pink beer.  Seeing as how it was National IPA Day (in the US), I had to send my Dad (a devout IPA-ist) a picture of my pink beer. 

Over the following days, Mark and I gave Tom and Venessa the grand tour of Squamish—the Smoke Bluffs, the Grand Wall boulders and the wall itself, Shannon Falls, climbers eating pie made from fresh picked blackberries, and the spit to watch kite boarders.  

Mark shows us what it is really like to kite board

Tom, Mark, and Venessa at the spit, with the Chief in the background

Tom and Venessa looking up at the Grand Wall

A picture Venessa took of me on Lounge Act, a v6 I want to do.  

Picking blackberries

What a haul!

Tacos for dinner, pie for dessert.

The finished product!  The first of three pies that were made on Pie Night.

After carboloading on some pizza while watching Psicocomp (an awesome deep water soloing competetion held at the outdoor retailer trade show in Utah) we got psyched up for a hike up the Chief.  The hike up to the top is no joke!  Venessa and Tom rocked it and we made it to the top not long after the clouds had cleared so we could take it all in.  In addition to the views, there are some pretty cute chipmunks.  The chipmunks up at the top are pretty bold and sneaky, but after Doug and Greg told us about a group of guys on top of third peak the day before yelling “dude get the nuts,” (to feed the chipmunks) it is understandable as to why they are fairly habituated.  I imagine that those chipmunks eat like kings.

On top of Second Peak

Cute and sneaky!

I love how the water  looks from the sound and the river meeting.

We saw our friends Alix and Jim on Freeway (11c).  Here is Jim on one of the crux pitches.

The day before they left we headed up north to Whistler to see what that place was all about.  And as it turns out- it is awesome!  Skate parks, bike parks, crazy downhill biking, and a lot of shopping.  And a gorgeous lake not to far out of town- Cheakamus Lake.  The water was turquoise, tolerably cold, and we had the place to ourselves more or less.  Considering the day before we went to check out Alice Lake and we showed up to what looked like La Jolla Shores on a summer day, we were pretty impressed with how quiet and gorgeous Cheakamus Lake was. 

We stopped to check out Brandywine Falls on our way to Whistler

Mark makes friends in the village

Gorgeous

Cheakamus Lake looked even nicer after walking onto this scene at Alice Lake the day before

Mark and I after taking a dip in Cheakamus Lake

We were able to get some climbing in at Murrin Park before they headed back to Vancouver.  It was so good to see them, and both Mark and I were super happy to have some family around after being on the road for two months.

Due to some last minute work schedule changes, Charlotte was able to head back up north and visit for a few days! I don’t get to see her that often so when she texted me asking if she could come back up, I was already making plans for us before I had texted her back.  I got my fill of some much needed girl time, and Huckleberry (big black dog) time.  Charlotte and I caught up, walked along the river, and cragged, all with Huckleberry by our side.  I think my favorite part was when we couldn’t find Huckleberry after we had been packing up at the crag. Luckily “big black dog” is a pretty recognizable object and after some hikers pointed us in the right direction, we found him a minute down the trail, playing in the lake and making new friends.  I can only imagine the sight of a 120 pound dog running down the trail, by himself, and then splashing into the water. When we found him he looked pretty pleased with himself.  

Huckleberry likes to pick up sticks, or maybe more appropriately, logs.

As far as climbing goes, we have been doing a little bit of everything here and there.  We spent an afternoon at the Pet Wall, climbed St. Vitus’ Dance with Doug, cragged at Octopus Garden, and Mark climbed the Grand Wall again with Greg as part of Greg and Ryan’s grand link up.  And when I say grand, I mean it!  I am talking snowboarding, mountain biking, climbing, skydiving, and surfing.  After some flat tires, some closed airports, and some wallet losing, they managed to hitch hike their way back home and it sounds like it was quite the adventure.  Hopefully in the not to far away future Greg will have the footage together.  I don’t think my second hand account really does their link up any justice.

Mark starting up Memorial Crack off of Memorial Ledge, after climbing St. Vitus' Dance

I can’t believe that it is already August 11^th!  We still have a long to do list in Squamish but we are also starting to think about the next leg of our trip.  The month of September is fairly open for us- we have some definite stops, but other than that our plans are somewhat loose.  I figured this was the perfect place to ask for any suggestions for stops along the way.  We are planning to head to Montana from Seattle, check out Yellowstone, and probably head back towards California by way of Colorado and Utah, and ultimately be in the Valley around the beginning of October.  If there are any places along that general route that you recommend, let us know! 

xoxo

LMo and MK