08.06.11
Posted in Climbing, Road Trip, recreation at 7:45 pm by heidihoho7
Frogs and Dinos
Every year Bela and i try to take a trip that’s just for us, not always climbing but something we both enjoy. This year we decided to head west to my favorite state for some climbing, hiking, and exploring. It just so happens that many of our friends happen to think it’s a great state as well so we have a few friends out here that we’re going to visit and hopefully meet up with to climb with… so as the weather in Chicago finally cools down from its ungodly humidity and heat and becomes bearable again, we decide to leave…. luckily i don’t feel so bad about that knowing we’ll be in the foothills and mountains soon enough.
Thursday afternoon arrives and after a few quick errands we’re finally on the road. We missed most of the traffic, but as always there’s construction everywhere… luckily we timed it well and didn’t get too delayed. As we got into Nebraska rain started coming down pretty strong as we hit a pretty big storm. The visibility got worse and worse and it got to the point where we were going at least 20-30 under the speed limit just to see the lines on the road. i may be conservative when it comes to driving in the rain, but i just dont think its worth the risk and since we weren’t under a real time constraint we ended up pulling off into a rest stop to take a break and let the storm pass.
On the way into the parking area i noticed something hopping on the road – a frog. On the way into the parking area i noticed something hopping on the road – a frog. then i noticed it wasnt just 1, they were every where! Big ones, little ones… crossing the road, hanging in the grass. They were loving the rain, we didn’t. Since it was 2am we decided to take a nap.
We woke up to dawn and got back on the road. after a few miles and just shy of colorado our stomachs reminded us that we needed some sustenance…. After a quick breakie and top off to the tank we could have gotten on our way…. but as most folks know a great road trip just isnt complete until someone rides/pets/accosts some plastic/metal animal or sculpture (mythical or extinct ones just get you extra points). So this is when we realized that the sinclair station does in fact have a miniture dinosour that is just the right height to attempt to ride 
So bela does a great impression of an old time cowboy and leaps right on up onto his back, proving that if cars magically disappeared that he’d likely be able to function and ride off into the sunset and make it look good.
After a quick ride, it was my turn and let’s just say that it wasn’t pretty. Lucky for you all bela was snapping off pics of my wonderuflly not graceful mounting of betty the brontosaur. we had a great laugh at my awkwardness as well as the few folks who drove by and saw the mid 30 year olds riding a fake dinosaur…. It was awesome.
Front Range Tempatations
The rest of the drive went quickly as we entered colorado and then had the big debate – where to go and what to do? we figured our friends ben and karleen were likely busy on a friday morning so we decided to head to my old stomping grounds… I had lived with my sister tiff back in the summer of 1997 at her apartment south of denver. so we drove by my old jobs – performance bikes and the movie theater that had the 3 story high screen… It all slowly started coming back, things looked very familair and it was fun to see if my memory worked at all. it did!! ok well most of it, i was able to get us back to the general area of the apartment but didn’t quite find it. i decided that it didn’t matter and we had to make a decision on what to do with our day.
Now bela isn’t that familiar with the area so i started explaining to him that i would start driving west toward a bouldering area just in the foothills and a mere 15 minutes away and if we didn’t like that we could head north another 15-30 minutes and hit Golden – another spot for climbing and a cool little town, or we could head north yet again another 20-30 mins and hit eldorado canyon for some more climbing and so and so on… There’s climbing in just bout every canyon/valley here and you really have your pick on where you want to go.
So we deciced to start with Golden since it was so close. I mentioned that we probably didn’t have a good guidebook seeing as how we left it at home since it was from 1995 and things had likely changed a bit since then. the Bent Gate (an awesome climbing gear shop) just so happens to be based out of golden so with a new guidebook in hand we had a plan – grab a quick lunch and check in on the kids to see if anyone could join us for some afternoon fun on the rock.
Karleen had to work, but ben was available but had some errands to run so we had an hour or so to fill. i had vaguely remembered my friend steve mentioning a whitewater park in the foothills and thought maybe it was in golden so i convinced bela tthat we should explore the area in town. There are some nice parks and great walkways along the river right in town and we parked when i saw some whitewater boats and got a bit excited.
We’d found the clear creek whitewater park!! While the park is manmade, it is quite natural and has some nice features. Including some nice surf waves and play spots with some really great places to hang out and watch. i noticed 2 gals just socializing along the river and ended up asking them about renting boats becuase i may just be able to convince bela to let me go out for a few hours to play in the water – its just too tempting! luckily there is an outfitter in town and i should be able to rent when the time comes (we’ll see!)
So by that point it was time to meet up with ben and we headed off toward golden cliff’s north table. Both bela and i had been there before and remembered the hike up being horrible, not to mention the late afternoon sun on a nice warm day… It didn’t seem the best choice but we really didn’t care at that point, we just wanted to get on some rock. So we prepped our gear and in no time ben pulled in and we were off up the steep climb to the rocks.
Despite the heat the hike wasn’t nearly as bad as we expected, and we found the area we were looking for fairly quickly. there were 2 nice 5.7s in a small alcove that was almost in shade so we decided to do both of those and then see what else looked good.
The first two climbs went really well with bela leading them both and they both ended up completely in the shade so we didn’t have to sweat the whole day. The rock was great – fun holds, ledges and moves. ben even pulled off a superb chaco toe crack move in addition to climbing the 2nd one totally barefoot (he brought his super tight shoes that no longer fit…) We finished the day with bela leading a beautiful 10c that had some tricky moves. I made an attempt (halfway wasn’t too shabby!) and then Ben finished cleaning up.
We worked our way back to Superior where B&K live where we got some dinner and waited for K to get off of work. After catching up with everyone we realized that we were all exhausted and that it was time for bed….
We declared our first day in Colorado to be quite a success… tempation at its finest. Tomorrow’s plan – tennis, relaxation and maybe some bouldering 
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10.18.10
Posted in Climbing, travel at 8:52 pm by heidihoho7
Flew in Thursday night and right from the get go, it was clear that I should not be operating motor vehicles. Driving according to Grand Theft Auto rules, I managed to skip traffic lights, pull across traffic for a delayed three point turn, and later proceeded to hang a left from the hotel into oncoming traffic. But don’t worry. I pulled all the way around in a full circle hopping the edge of the curb. Who would have thought that Andy should be the one behind the wheel?
The first day of climbing started with a couple small hiccups as I slipped off the first pitch of the day, twice. Having just put in my second piece of pro, my foot popped, giving Andy a good reason to stay awake for the rest of the trip. Andy, having made a wonderful catch to keep me off the deck, went back to his dual duty of photographer and belayer as only he can.
Dismissing a less than inviting route description from the guidebook, Andy cast off on DungFu next and, wouldn’t you know, it turned out to one of the coolest climbs we did all weekend. As climbing company started to roll in, we moved over the Dairy Queen wall and dusted off a couple more beautiful routes to complete our first day. The weather had been toasty in the sun, but quite beautiful in the shade. We figured going forward that if we paid attention to the guide book for sun exposure, we’d be able to hit the best climbs and avoid prolonged exposure to the sun.
I was hurting from the sun on Friday afternoon, and while I lay down with a washcloth over my face trying to quell a pounding headache (which made me puke up all the water in my system all over the parking lot) Andy ran across the street to make sure we had food and beer for the next couple days. After some recovery time, it was on to the night-life of Joshua Tree which consisted of either Sizzler or Applebees. Tough choice that it was, we went with Applebees. Local talent was out in full form and we enjoyed hanging at the bar with intellectually stimulation conversation all around us.
Saturday morning we returned to the rock and Andy led the SW Corner of Headstone wall. It was a truly exposed, headstrong lead with just enough protection in tough spots to make you pucker up a bit. Right next to that climb was a little sport route with nice thin moves and thin feet that I led. There was a couple that had just gotten off the route and their draws were already hung, and they offered to leave em, and well, how could I say no to that?
We drove over to another new area for us and hopped on a route called Fote Hog. A cool two-pitch climb with really committing moves over pretty thin pro, Andy led the first pitch and let me mop up the enjoyable softer second pitch. By then the sun was really creeping over the route and we moved our way down to a series of well traveled and very popular single pitch climbs along a freestanding wall of rock that rises out of the desert as if someone put up the first wall of a stone castle and said, nah, I changed my mind.
I had originally left this part out of the first draft of the recap, but Andy was too kind to remind me that while we were walking towards the second set of climbs, I decided to pet a cactus. Actually, it looked squishy so I squeezed it. In hindsight, not such a smart idea. I had put about 100 little cactus needles into my thumb and pointer finger. These little buggers are hard to see and even harder to get out. I never claimed to be a bright man, so we’ll just move along.
Using the eyeball test, Andy picked out a fun climb called Butterfingers Make Me Horny. I joked that he was taking far too much gear for the length of the climb as he was only going to place 7 or 8 pieces, he reminded me that we’d been sewing up most of the climbs so far and he’d need more gear than one would normally place. For the record, he made the climb look ridiculously easy and placed only 6 pieces. Once I’d cleaned up his fine lead, it was my turn a bit further down the wall on a soft 5.6 called Ain’t Nothing But a J-Tree Thing. And yep, I put in six pieces as well.
Done with another fine day of climbing, we grabbed a bite to eat at a little café, checked out a small gear shop next door, and headed back to the hotel for a well deserved nap. Then, but of course, it was off to Applebees for another great night of sports watching from the bar. While Andy chatted up the locals, drank his vodka, and spewed every ounce of sports knowledge he had in him, I happily sat back and sipped my drink enjoying a headache-less evening.
We woke on Sunday at 5:30am to drive out and catch the sunrise in Joshua Tree. As expected, we were anything but disappointed. Orange, pink, and yellow hues cast over rocks painting the horizon and enveloping the desert in a glowing silhouette as we sat back practicing our amateur photographic skills. As it turns out, we weren’t the only ones waking up for the morning. As we approached the first rock of the day, we were greeted with the howls of the coyotes. For a few minutes, a choir of coyotes sang to the valley reminding us that we were on their turf. And just to hammer the wilderness point across, right at the base of our climb was a cute brown and white snake. Andy was soooo happy. I told him he should pet it as it would be softer than the cactus. Instead, he walked away and I took a photo with my feet dangling over him.
Focus quickly turned back to climbing, and we hopped on a warm up climb called Toe Jam and finished our short morning with a great 2 pitch climb called Overhang Bypass. Andy led the first pitch, about 70 feet of gulley crack giving way to an exposed bulge with some big commitment moves up and around a blind corner. Of course Andy wanted to protect the section well before pulling through, and of course, the protection is exactly where you want you best hands. But he cranked through it with no drama and I led the abbreviated second pitch that took us underneath a pumpy roof traverse to a welcomed bolt and a couple little slab moves to the top.
That’s all we had time for. Packed up and feeling quite content with ourselves, I’m writing this on our drive back to LAX. Hope you enjoyed the recap.
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05.28.09
Posted in Climbing, Road Trip, friends, kayaking, recreation, travel at 7:36 am by heidihoho7
so it’s become tradition to head out east for memorial day. Typically for me (heidi) this means that i have to decide if i want to paddle with the chicago whitewater crew or do i join up with the old NIU climbing crew? Most years i let bela make my decision for me – its just easier that way This year Bela had a ton of stuff to do at home (pics will be shown as well) so he opted to stay back – which meant that my main activity for the weekend would be paddling with a side trip in to visit WV and my climbing buds. Totally worth the 2 hour trek…
So my adventure began Friday morning at 3:30 AM, not so bright and sunshiney but that meant we’d get on the road at good time- no traffic and plenty of time to sneak in a paddle on the way. Kris was my only driving buddy due to some last minute changes (poor steve got meningitis and couldn’t join us- we were very bummed about this- but luckily he’s on the road to recovery). So after some waiting past his planned arrival time, we decide to give him a call- lucky boy was getting some extra sleep! So we got on the road a little later than planned but it all worked out as Mel’s vehicle (complete with a sleeping Cody) also took the long way around in Indiana (why is it we always get off route in Indiana??) and we were able to get our full caravan set without too much extra time. I just had a thought- Jack was in Mel’s vehicle with Haley the magical GPS unit- hmm now i’m wondering why they got off track!
The ride out was pretty uneventful and we decided to paddle upper section of Slippery Rock Creek and we were able to meet up with Greg, Susan, Randy and Theresa to make a nice big group heading down the river. Levels were a little low but it was a beautiful day – finally no drytop! We had fun surfing and playing in just about anything we could find
We still had a bit to drive so after a yummy dinner we were off driving again deeper into PA to find our B&B and a good night’s rest. We stayed in a different B&B this year, we love the old one but it does have a train that tends to go by in the wee hours of the morning RIGHT next to us and the screeching can get annoying if you aren’t already passed out or aren’t using ear plugs. So we thought this year we’d enjoy the lack of train sound effects… I think di and I jinxed us because as we were just going to sleep we made the comment about getting good uninterupted sleep, what do we hear just an hour later?? a train of course, actually i think 2! tho at least these didn’t screech and weren’t nearly as close… PA has a ton of trains!
Most of us woke well rested and ready for a fun day of paddling. I opted to go to Seneca Rocks, WV to go climbing while the rest of the folks went to the Lower Yough. They met up with a huge group – Jack & Tina, Mike & George, and i’m sure i’m missing a few… sounded like a great day on the river for them. Lots of playing at swimmers and no major epics.
I drove on down to Seneca and met up with the group at the campsite – lucky for me they had gotten in late and were sleeping in so i didn’t have to find my own way up to the climbing areas. They were suprised to see me at 9am but it actually wasn’t that bad considering the 3am wakeup from the day before- it felt like sleeping in to me too So i forgot to put my request in about doing the closer, lower climbs on the day i’m there, so we hike up to the top of the ridge. They hiked, i plodded… with Netty and Neely just staying in site to keep tempting me to keep going. too out of shape but it’s all good- i blame it on the midwest hehe.
So i’m not even sure what climbs we set up- Andy set up a nice TR for us gals who wanted to take it easy, Karen led another right next to it. Joe, Scott and Karen ended up doing a cool multi-pitch that took them to the top of the fin- again i dont know which one but it was near the old ladies route. We had fun taking pics of each other and just hanging out til the sun came over the ridge. This is where i was stupid and didn’t put back on my other shirt… i got a lovely burn on my back where i forgot to put on sunscreen…
I hiked back with Netty and we decided to play in the river – we hung out below the bridge just watching the strange river critters and mating froggies and cooling down a bit after the hot hike down. We decided then that we’d definitly drive next year- that hike back up is brutal after a long day in the hot sun. i contemplated just staying in town so i wouldn’t have to hike back up to the campsites, but the rest of the group was up there so i sucked it up. We ended up taking a nice little nap (more like girlie gab session) in the shade on our sleeping pads. Both Netty and i decided taht we wanted to be Neely as she looked like a model – even after a hot sweaty hike! (that andy is a lucky guy!) we enjoyed a quiet afternoon waiting for the multi pitch team to return to do dinner by drinking wine and margaritas.
of course by this point i think i realized that i had a form of heat exhaustion or maybe my body didn’t appreciate getting burned so badly and decided to have its revenge… i went with netty to take a cool shower, now i only wanted cool, not freezing! no heat what so ever, but it did feel cool on my back for the 1/2 second i could stand to stand in it thanks again to netty or helping me during my time of unpleasantness! I ended up taking some advil and setting up our “bug hut” – our new mesh tent. fly-schmy. of course i was debating on that fly situation when i heard we might get storms but i was so comfy in my little hut that i just made a back up plan- get in anyone’s tent if it starts raining.. i had lots of offers -it was quite nice. we taunted joe by saying i’d get in theirs but luckily i didn’t even have to decide as it was a lovely night with no rain (at least for us!). so we just hung out by the fire, eating pizza and passing out fairly early as everyone had a wonderfully long climby day
In the morning i had to head back, as i needed my day on the Lower too. On my way back i got sidetracked by pretty things- which tends to happen but i made myself stop for the good ones I scared the crap out of 2-3 deer who apparantly couldn’t jump over a wire fence so they tried to squeeze themselves through it – they finally did it but i have no idea how… the holes were like 8″ square. I also stopped for a cool looking barn with fog and then again at the top of a major hill/mountain for some wind turbines.. on just the other side i saw one of the most pretty views that i’d seen in a very long time. the hills were totally covered in big fluffy white clouds but with some of the tops just peeking out. it was hard to get a cool shot as they were kind of blocked by trees but i think it was still worth the stop
Back with time to spare, we packed up for the Lower while Kris packed up to take on the Upper! We were all a bit anxious for him as it’s a bit harder than most of the rivers we’ve paddled but he looked super solid the day before so decided to go for it I’m sure he’ll have his own write up but it sounded pretty cool (and he made it back alive, in 1 piece, with randy’s boat and my car all in perfect condition). The rest of us had a great day on the lower. Lori, Randy and Thersa joined us for the Loop. We were very proud of Theresa for making it through Entrance. We also decided that Randy will never lead her down Cucumber again- we’ve decided that Diana has that pleasure next year – no hero routes!
Speaking of hero routes, i think we’ve created a monster- or maybe cody has rubbed off on Bob – he’s a machine taking every hero route possible. We’re very proud of our Conant creations the rest of us continued on and had a nice day surfing, playing, and just enjoying the river. I even attempted to get into Swimmers – just once it took too much energy to get up the stupid eddy! maybe next year i’ll get in more than once I was pretty happy with the day- i made my 1 goal- catch the eddy at river’s end next to snaggle tooth. i am pretty sure it was the first time! As usual a great day on the river with good friends.
We got dinner and wandered through town for a bit before retiring for the night (and finally meeting the B&B owners). We all tried a beer Bob had brought – a belgian cherry ale.. i didn’t make the face! so that’s 2 now that i can drink…
Monday we got our usual yummy breakfast at the sisters cafe and decided to run the Loop one last time before we headed back. Jack and I opted out and decided to hike down to Cucumber to take pics. I saw a copperhead snake (we think) – i almost stepped on it! Luckily a couple warned me before i did, they ended up being from Chicago and actually an old CWA member- one of the originals! I absolutely love the small paddling world and chatted with him for some time before our group showed up. I took a ton of pics and jack and i ended up hiking back up to the falls to explore. by the time we had shuttled all the cars to the takeout our group was already walking up, so we were on the road home in very little time.
The drive back was also pretty uneventful – luckily we didn’t run out of gas this time!! Yay! actually we got super awesome mileage and didn’t really need to fill up on each stop – we’ll take those 2-4 gallon “top off” stops! nothing like spending a total of $90 in gas for the whole weekend (and that included both side trips for me and Kris!)
Now I forgot to mention what bela was up to the whole weekend. for some reason he can’t get anything done while i’m home (haha i wonder why!) so he ended up cleaning out our garage (much needed) and the office – putting in a new desk. he even got all the networking stuff setup correctly
after his days of cleaning and organizing he was enjoying some down time on the couch when all of a sudden he hears a “whap!” against the window. he looks out and sees a suicidal bird just lying on the ground, not really moving. he went out with some gloves to take a closer look and it seemed to be still alive. so he picked it up and it seemed to grasp his finger. so he took it to the front of the house and put it on a branch of our evergreen tree where it again grasped the limb and seemed to be able to stand up now on its own. he ran to get the camera and took a few pics as he petted it. he went to grab something again and this time on his way out when the door shut the birdie flew off. it was ok! which was good because he’d been considering what it would take to nurse it back to health hehe. we’re such animal suckers….
so we both had great long weekends, hope everyone else did too! Full galleries can be seen of Seneca and Yough.
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