New Video

Here is a new video I made about some local climbers around SLC.

Autumn Session

Its been a while since I've had a chance to post anything. There has been so much going on with my work and family that I kind of forgot that I climb and post here.


Today I got out for a perfect Fall session with some friends at the East Gate. Today was all about new problems and I had plenty. Those who came along were Jami, Tyler, and Greg. Here are some photos of our session.


Ok, let's be honest, pretty much the only good ones were of Jami.

Jami being pointed the holds on her 100th LCC problem.

Gorgeous v1

Round Room v6


Tyler on a great v2

Jami v0 undercling problem

A Rope?

Yesterday Tyler and I ran up Ferguson Canyon to go sport climbing with Jansen, Rob, Deric & Melinda, and Troy. I haven't been sport climbing outside in years and have never been up Ferguson Canyon. This was something new for me. Ferguson is a gorgeous area that is totally enclosed and filled in with beautiful trees and a stream. Cliffs line each wall of the canyon and the rock is the most featured and solid granite I have ever climbed on in Utah.

We were there for more social reasons than climbing as I had climbed the last two days up LCC and the gym. Therefore, all I attempted to do was a 5.8 that was extremely fun. T took a couple of photos of me and then went back to throwing rocks and playing with sticks.

While I was belaying Rob a person decked on a 5.9 not 100 feet behind us. I guess he was in a dodgy spot and a bit off route. His belayer supposedly caught the fall, but it wasn't enough and he swung into the rocks at the base. He clearly broke his right ankle which Jansen and Troy applied a splint. They then, along with two other guys, carried the guy out to the cars, about 3/4 of a mile.

It was an exciting night. Here are a couple of photos.

Saturday Session 9/13/08

Line-up: Me, Jami, Trent, Aaron, Erik

We went up to the Yukon area. I have done a few things up there one one or two boulders, but that is it. The purpose of this trip was to do a bit more exploring and see if we could add numbers to our total count of LCC problems. It was a successful day.

Jami warming up on a nice V0

Topping out

Green V5

Hard not to dab

Topping out was brutal

Saturday Session 9/6/08

Me, Rob, Jami, and Trent headed up to the Wasatch Resort, Paul Bunyon area to log a bunch of easy problems we hadn't done before. It was a good day and the weather was perfect. Below are some photos from our session.

Jami on Paul Bunyon

Me trying the wrong beta on a v7

Me on a fantastic and hard v1

Rob sending a chossy v0

Beginning of Autumn

The temps are really good this week. I don't think they'll last too long, but I'm trying to take advantage of them while they are good.

Yesterday, Steve and I went over to the Wasatch Resort, Yukon area. It was beautiful outside. I didn't climb well, but it didn't matter. It was just good to be outside.

Me on an easy V2

Steve sending the Campus Problem V7

Steve working First Down V8

Brighton Ridge Run

Yesterday, Steve and I wanted to make an effort to do the Brighton Ridge Run, which generally includes a few peaks and then back to the car. We, however, decided to extend the trip and try and summit 6 peaks, making a full loop all the way back to the car.

It has been very hot all week with temperatures in the 90s, but on Sunday a storm rolled in, dropping the temps and a whole lot of rain in the valley. It continued through the night, depositing about 4 inches of snow in the mountains above 8,000 ft. Our trip was going to be dodgy to say the least, but we felt that if we woke to no rain/snow that we would still make an attempt.

We met at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon at 6 am and made our way up to the Brighton Ski Resort parking lot by 6:25 or so. On the trail by 6:30 we had little need for our headlamps even though we wore them for the first 20 minutes or so. Neither of us had hiked from that trailhead before so route finding was a little tough at first. We had to do some cross-country trekking before we finally got on the right trail, but it only slowed us down a total of about 5 minutes.

We ran into consistent snow once we got to about 9,500 ft and after that spent the rest of the time hiking in no more than 3 inches of snow.

Our first peak was a no name peak, 10315 (elev.). On the summit it was still partly cloudy and you could see all of the peaks we were attempting to hike. In the picture below you can see all the peaks, 5 in all if you know where to look.

Me on the summit of 10315.

Once on top of Pioneer Peak you got a goo look down into the valley. Below you can see the smaller lake, Lake Catherine, and the larger one is Mary's Lake. This was about the end our our partly cloudy skies as we got closed in by clouds for the most part of the rest of the trip.


Route finding was easy considering we couldn't see very far. The route is straight forward and makes a horse shoe shape around the lakes pictured above. Once on the ridge, you simply stay on it until you are right back at the car. There were times when the clouds would break and we would get a good look at the surrounding area. For a short time we even had a good look into Albion Basin and even caught sight of Devil's Castle and Sugarloaf. It lasted about 5 minutes and then we were socked in again.

Below you can see me peak jumping on Tuscarora, our 4th peak of the day. By this time we had very limited field of vision, but our spirits weren't dampened and we thoroughly enjoyed every part of the hike.

Millicent was our last summit and just as we got done taking photos a storm rolled in and it started hailing heavily on us, with wind gusts upwards of 50+ mph. It was a bit scary going down, but once off the summit cone we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the hike down.

We completed the whole hike in almost exactly 4 hours. It was extremely fun and I would love to go back when the weather is better and I can enjoy the views more. What a great trip.

Dawn Patrol 08/26/08

It was a relaxing morning, with little climbing and more relaxing. We went over to the Swamp area and headed for the Top Rope boulder.

That thing is insanely tall.

We did the V2 on the left hand side of the east face. It doesn't top out very tall. The V2 that traverses in is really tempting, but moving out over those scary blocks was enough for me not to try it.

I topped out the entire boulder, finishing on the V0 classic shothole crack. It was beautiful.

We then went over to the Bog boulder and did Hike. That problem is ultra-classic.

Dawn Patrols are pretty much done for me. I get to go next Tuesday and that will be it until who-knows-when. It has been a great summer though.

Parking Lot Boulders 8/20/08

Nothing special. We all met at the park-n-ride and instead of going to do the Beer Can slabs, we decided to just stay close and do the parking lot boulders. I did do one new problem I had never done before, so that was good. Here is a couple of photos.

Steve on a classic v4 arete

Enoch warming up on a v0

Mt Baldy 081808

I made a solo attempt to do Mt Baldy as quickly as possible this morning. I am still not a very good uphill mountain runner, but I am getting better.

I made it to Cecret Lake in just over 12 minutes, about 1.5 minutes faster than the last time I jogged it.

Sunrise about a half mile past Cecret Lake

After making your way up to the top of Sugarloaf lift you turn West and head for the Baldy ridgeline. From the beginning of the hike it is apparent that you will have a false summit to deal with. This isn't really a big deal considering that the true summit is so close after topping out thefalse one.

Standing on top of the false summit. The top is so close.

Peak jumping is hard when you are alone on top of a mountain. Fortunately, the self-timer on my camera is easy to predict and I got my jumps first try.

Timp in the background.

The view was gorgeous. I believe you can see almost every 11,000 ft peak in the Wasatch from this vantage point. I enjoyed being the only person on the mountain that day. I didn't see another person until I was less than a quarter mile from the car.

Cottonwood Ridge in the background.

I'm really working on my stamina and high altitude running. I was tired running and hiking up, but going down I caught my wind and was to the car in about 20 minutes. My legs felt great and even my cardio is getting better. When I have to walk I focus on not resting. I never sit down to rest and when I actually need to stop because I'm tired I only stand for less than 10 seconds.

Lots of work still to do. Its so much fun though.

Dawn Patrol 08/15/08

We headed up to the Grist Mill this morning. I had never been there so this was a new place for me. I was reluctant to go considering how tired I was and I also had Tyler with me.

It turned out to be a great time. The warm-up problems were fun and easy, with good landings.

Jami on a V0 warm-up

Steve topping out

After the warm-ups, things got a little taller. Not much harder, just taller. Below, Steve attempts a super scary V3. Neither of us did it. Technically, I probably got the highest on it because I had both hands on the overhanging section, but that isn't saying much considering I backed off too.


Around on the front were two beautiful looking slabs. The bottom parts were easy, but then you had to basically mantle the ledge, then mantle over the overhang. On the left problem you got two decent crimps to grab, but then had to highstep onto a mediocre foothold. On the right problem (not shown because we were too scared) you had to hand/foot match over the edge and then balance up to the jug top. Both were terrifying. The landings were good, but it was a long way down.

DP 081408

Dawn Patrol was quite good this morning. We went to the Secret Garden so that we could do a little filming. We spent most of the time at the Shingles boulder taking different angles. It was nice to feel successful again.

Rachel going for the jug

Steve sending

Post Work Session

I went up LCC after work to circuit some easy problems that I hadn't done before. I went to the Buzz area and located a few new boulders. I don't know if it was too hot or I just suck lately, but was only able to do three problems. There were a couple of other ones I tried rated V1 and V2 that should have been easy, but I thought they were impossible.

What a horrible climbing day. Maybe I can make up for it on Thursday morning.

Millicent Peak 8/8/08

I decided lat minute to head up to Brighton and take a run at Millicent. I had intentions of jogging the Twin Lakes road up to the top of the Milli lift and then boulder hop from there. About 100 yards into the run I decided that the road was too steep and I slowed to a quick walk. I maintained that pace all the way to the top, resting only briefly two or three times. I'm sure I was still feeling the affects of the King's hike only a few days earlier. I also didn't eat a very good lunch, so I was low on energy which is probably why I felt nausious for most of the way up. I hit the summit in 50 minutes and took a quick few pictures. The descent was fast and easy and I made it in under 20 minutes, for a total trip time of 1 hr 09 min. Millicent is a great, easy hike that I would recommend to anyone. Very beautiful.

Dawn Patrol 08/07/08

I can't really write much. I was still tired from Tuesday's hike, but I managed to drag myself out of bed at 5:15am and make it to 5 mile by 6am.

Steve, Trent, and then Jami showed up. We all just laid on our pads for almost a half hour before Enoch and Ian showed and we started climbing.

I think I sent a V0 a V1 and a V4 and that was it. I simply could not get into climbing today.

Oh well, I touched rock and hung with my friends, so I can't complain too much.

King's in a Day

Yesterday two of my friends and me attempted to hike King's Peak in a one day trip. King's Peak is Utah's tallest mountain, standing 13,528 ft above sea level. Normally it is hiked in three days; one day to approach to Dollar Lake, one day to summit, and the third to hike out. I have done the 3 day version on three other occasions, so this would be an extra special and challenging attempt.

We left the trail head at 3:30am and quickly set a good pace. The first 9 miles is pretty easy going and then the trail steepens as you make your way up to Gunsight Pass. We were at Gunsight by 8:00 am and hoped to be on the summit by 10:00am.

Leaving Gunsight Pass for Anderson Basin

The next major point is Anderson Pass, which sits at approximately 12,600ft elevation. We stopped for snack and a rest before tackling the challenging final push to the summit, which would consist of tricky boulder hopping and 3rd class climbing; nothing to challenging, but risky in that you encounter a lot of unstable boulders.

We made it on top, me first, by 10:06 am, only 6.5 hours since we left the car. Unlike other trips, this time we had the whole summit to ourselves for more than an hour. We ate lunch, took pictures, and just enjoyed the perfect weather and scenery.

The three of us on top.

Peak Jumping - looks scary, huh?

On the way down we found a really cool rock that overhung a cliff by 25 feet or so. It looked much higher when you weren't sitting on top of it.

Feels like flying

We continued to make our way down, slowly at times. We stopped for water below Gunsight Pass at a perfect spring and then stopped often to talk to ascending hikers and giving them key instructions to making the climb a little easier.

Leaving the Henry's Fork basin.

As we continued down the fatigue set in more and more. The last three miles were an absolute killer. I'm not sure if I've ever put that much continuous effort into a single day of hiking. Ok, I take that back. There was one day when I put in even more - I climbed Utah's three tallest peaks (including King's) in a day. That was really hard, but it was from Dollar Lake, not from the car.

What a great trip. I hiked with the perfect team; Steve and Scott. We made great time, had tons of fun, and enjoyed some of Utah's best hiking, all in one day.

Devil's Castle, Again

For the second time this week I hiked Devil's Castle in Albion Basin, Alta, UT. This time I went with a group of friends and even took T for his first ever peak bag. We meant to start at 5am, but do to some late arrivals we didn't get on the trail till almost 5:30. We made quick work up to Cecret Lake and were on the steep section before sun-up.

T showing his mad skills. He led the whole way.

We reached the saddle just as the sun was coming of the eastern mountains. It was beautiful and exciting to share it with my son. He had never seen the sun rise over the mountains, and certainly had never seen it rise while up in the mountains. He loved it.

Looking back down to Cecret Lake.

In the lei of a cliff at the saddle someone had built two wind shelters. Both were in great shape. We sat and snacked for a few minutes before going for the summit.

Steve in the wind shelter.

We made the first summit pretty quick. I ran this whole trail on Wednesday and didn't have much trouble on the technical parts. Honestly, I viewed them as mostly 4th class. Once I had T up there I realized that the scramble to all of these summits are more like easy 5th class, which can be extremely challenging for a 10 year old who doesn't like heights. That being said, the kid was an absolute champion and with very little help (except to protect him) he did it all on his own.

T on top of the first summit

It wasn't long before we had traversed over to the main summit and were on top. We didn't take the knife edge arete, but came from below, up an easier, but still challenging 4th/5th class section.

I couldn't be more proud.

Steve and Jami recording the memories.

And of course, peak jumping. Classic.

The descent was fun and pretty easy. Round trip was 3 hours.

T about to stumble.

Peak Bagging

In a couple of days the Peak a Week club is heading up to Albion Basin to attempt Devil's Castle. It is an easy hike, only 3 miles round trip. It does require some 4th or even 5th class climbing though and therefore poses a bit more of a challenge.

Because I have T this weekend I would want him to come along, but I would also want to make sure that it would be something that would be safe and easy enough for him to do. I also wanted to see how quickly I could make the loop hike as I am getting more into trail running.

I left the car at 6:10am by myself and quickly worked into an easy jog. At the first stream crossing I was surprised by a bull moose about 50 yards away. He gave me a good long stare, but wasn't making any attempt or actions to charge. I slowed to a walk until I had a tree between him and me and then picked back up into my run.

I did have to slow to a quick walk for some of the steeper sections prior to Cecret Lake, but I still made it to the lake in 13 minutes. Not stopping I continued up to the main trail heading to the saddle and maintaining a quick pace with few stops I was on the saddle in 32 minutes.

A quick drink and a turn left had me heading for the summits (there are three, one proper, but two others worth doing). I was never really able to get a good look at them till I was close since I had a direct look into the rising sun. Beautiful. All three summits were technical, but easy; hard 4th class at the most. The third summit required the most from me technically, but that was because I purposefully made it harder than it had to be; I guess I just enjoyed the challenge and exposure. I was on the final summit in 56 minutes.

I was down the other side and working my way down to the access road to the Supreme lift. That was a dodgy part as it was steep and loose, but once on the road I drew back into a steady jog and it was only 5 - 7 minutes before I was back at the car, making a total trip time of 1 hour and 23 minutes.

So much fun. Friday I'll have pictures.

Dusk Patrol 7/28/08

Sevrdhed, Trent, Fluffy, Jamesmonster, and I went up to White Pine Chutes for a night session on Monday. It was a lot of fun. Classic problems up there and you are always alone. So great.

Steve warming up.

Me warming up.

Fluffy sending the classic cave v2.

Jami working the start to the v2.

Steve sending the cool v6.