DAY 1 Lilly Bluff Right
Saturday morning we headed to Lilly Bluff. There was some seepage in some areas so we started out on the far right on two routes we'd never done - Dinosaur Junior (10b) and Blade Loafer (10c). I was surprised by how hard both of these felt! They definitely were not the confidence building warm ups I'd hoped for; instead the doubt crept in. I had planned on working Osiris again, but after those two I couldn't bring myself to get on it. We did Beach Ball 5.11a (Poison Ivy in guidebook) and now I think that THIS was the route I redpointed second go on my last trip to Obed (DUH!) Other than not knowing where the sweet spot on the bouldery move at the beginning was, I found it to be very easy. I guess it built my confidence up because I couldn't leave without trying Osiris (11c). I rediscovered that getting to the first and second bolts are by far the hardest on the route. I used an undercling to cross and match to the good hold at the first bolt. Next there is a hold out left that stabilizes you with the right hand hold, but neither hold is very good alone. This makes for a very intense clip. A few well timed "You got this" and "Breathe" comments are probably all that got me through this clip... I saw another climber match on the intermediate before the first bolt, then pull up, clip the second bolt from there, but I'm not sure I'd be able to do that. On my next attempt I'll try to clip the second draw onto the bolt hanger before I start, and try to analyze the feet to see if I can get more security there. I cruised through the next several bolts and when I arrived at the "big move" I remembered from August, it didn't feel that big anymore. The next move was not as hard but I was so tired I didn't make it. After a short rest I was able to complete the route. I felt like I had a long ways to go towards putting it all together and I didn't feel like doing that hairy second clip again, so I cleaned the route to try to assimilate the beta. At this point we were sufficiently tired and ready to head home for dinner.
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| Jason on Blade Loafer (10c) and Noah on Dinosaur Junior (10b) |
Sunday morning we lazed in bed waiting for the rain to stop and then headed to Little Clear - a new area for us. The hike included crossing a 30 foot wide creek that was engorged from the recent rain. We'd heard everyone who crossed that morning had gotten wet, but we managed to choose a path and carefully maneuver to the other side keeping the kids and adults dry (shoes and all!) Next there were some serious hills and then we arrived at the hanger ledge. We thought we were lost because it so closely matched what we had heard about the hike to South Clear! Thankfully we did not have to walk on the ledge, but could easily hike down around it. We continued on to River Wall and started out on Roofus Doofus (10a) since there was a large group occupying most of the other routes. This route was fun, casual way to start off the day.
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| Having fun at River Wall |
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| Uni-boob (11a) heading into the small roof |
We loved hanging out here at River Wall - we got to make several trips down to the river to skip rocks and eat lunch. Finally Sweat Lodge (10b) was available so we hopped on it. It was short but sustained - I just kept telling myself, "keep going, the next hold might be a jug" and that thought process took me all the way to the top. Finally - an onsight! Noah was able to hop on another group's rope to climb Monkey Brains (5.7+). He struggled to follow the line but once he did he progressed to the bulge at the top. He wedged himself into it and then was sketched out about coming out of it. It was hard to watch him weighting the rope so much on this route, but with some encouragement and route beta he rang the bell.
As we hiked back, I looked for some more routes to tackle. When we found the recommended "Black Nail" it happened to be next to a 32 Feet Per Second Squared, a 5.5 sport route so I unpacked our gear thinking Noah and Lukas could get on it. As I looked at the route, I thought, "Noah could totally lead this." I suggested it to Noah and he immediately said yes! It was totally unplanned and spontaneous (and when Jason walked up and learned Noah'd decided to lead his eyes bugged out!) We'd done some practice leading in our woodie and he'd done one mock lead in the gym just for fun, so skill-wise he was ready. After a quick check on backclipping, our standard safety check, and a stick clip, Noah was off. His first and second clips went smoothly, but the hold to clip the anchors was out of reach. I tried suggesting some beta but it wasn't working for him. Finally he figured out his own beta which included jumping up to the clipping hold. All he had to do was drop his rope over the shutts (love Obed!) and his first lead was complete! It was awesome watching him do it. I would rather see him lead 5.5's all day than hang on a harder top roped route.
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| Noah preparing for his first lead climb! |
Looking back I wish I had gone for Black Nail (11d), but we ended up hiking on to Losers Weepers (11a) to finish off the day a little more gently. I wish I'd known that the guidebook's "sloper move" meant slabby finish because, given my history with slab, I would have chosen another route. The layback start and small roof were fun, but upon exiting the roof I faced a slab-fest that looked completely blank. I launched for a large hold with lots of chalk on it, but could not reach it it. Oddly, the critical hold for me - a crimp just below - was not chalked at all. Once I found it, I was comfortable moving onward and upward through the slabby moves.
We followed the path back and were spit out at a different place on the creek. We took off our shoes this time and boy was that water COLD! I'm sure the boys will save this creek crossing in the memory banks...
DAY 3 - Lilly Bluff Left
On Memorial Day, the last day of our trip, the boys got a ride through the extreme mountainous terrain in a Polaris ATV. Apparently Lukas was bug eyed during parts of the wild ride!
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| Returning from an exciting ATV ride through "extreme mountainous terrain" with Mr. Rob |
We headed to Lilly Bluff left side for the final day. I hoped to revisit another unfinished route - an Obed classic called Heresy (11c). Back in August, I'd come heartbreakingly close on my fourth attempt but could not quite clip the final chain. I wasn't even 100% sure that I'd try Heresy on this trip because in my memory the roof was intimidating and exhausting. I'd had issues with rope drag and gotten a huge flapper trying to hang on to clip the chain. There are several easier routes along the hike in but as fate would have it, they were all taken and Heresy was wide open. I hopped on the start but changed my mind and asked Jason to hang the draws. He worked through it with relative ease to the last permadraw before the chain. I'm coming to understand that sometimes just seeing someone else do a route can make it seem less intimidating and more exciting. The bouldery start flowed well but as I reached the entrance to the crux, I didn't feel like I was well set up and I didn't want to fall due to a careless mistake. I tried a few different approaches until I felt secure and clipped the bolt just before the crux. I vaguely remembered the crux holds and I got through it cleanly. I thought of the heartbreaking third attempt where I nailed the crux and went left afterwards and slipped off; I knew I wanted to end up right side after the crux and eventually I was high enough to use the feet on the right. I grabbed the jug and clipped the fourth bolt. Now the pressure to turn this into the redpoint was on. I clipped the first permadraw and worked into the chimney and forced myself to rest there until the pump was minimal. Finally I pushed out into the roof and worked myself up high into it where the good holds are. The second clip is the most mental because you feel like a fall before clipping it could slam you into the rock face. I placed my hands and feet carefully and concentrated on not overgripping with my feet (no calf cramps this time!) It seemed to flow so smoothly, hand - foot - hand - foot - clip - hand - foot - hand - foot - clip. I was a little surprised to find myself at the at the end of the roof and still feeling really strong! My previous struggle to clip the chain and beta discussions with fellow climbers were all swirling around in my brain. I looked at the foot way out left and quickly decided that it was still my best option. I released my feet so that I was hanging from the edge of the 40 foot high roof by only my two hands, swung my left foot over and locked it in. I reached out for the chain and found it within my reach - EASILY! I tried not to get too excited as I pulled the rope and brought it to the chain. The roped didn't drop right into the stiff permadraw though - I had to pull it again and fiddle with the carabiner several times before finally clipping it in. I matched hands again on the final hold, released my left foot, dangled for a moment and let go! It was an amazing feeling knowing I had finally done it. I was so happy and surprised to find the roof to be so easy! As a bonus, Jason managed to capture the send on the GoPro!
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| Clipping the chain on Heresy (11c) |
Our first trip to Obed was a turning point for us in that we realized that we could climb as a family. In the nine months since then, we've learned a lot, but it's still evolving as the kids get older. One thing that always makes it better is yummy high energy snacks! My latest recipe - the "Homemade Clif Bars" aka Cold Cookies - were a huge hit with all of us. I'll be making a double recipe for the next climbing trip!
It seems that Obed is good for my head game too. I started out the trip doubting myself and thinking that I must be weaker than I was nine months ago. By the end of the trip I realized that my training is working - I am stronger - but I have to believe in myself. Ever since my whipper, it's been a lot harder to cope with the fear of falling I can see that it is affecting my confidence. The good thing about disappointment in life though is that you learn from it. I've had enough of regretting "not going for it" so it's time to FALL TRYING!!!
