Well, we're movin' on up...to the sky..

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Here's a picture gallery of all of the climbing we've been doing...or at least that of which I have pictures; often, Jen and I climb alone, which makes photography just about impossible. I mean, I don't really want Jen taking her hands off the ATC or rope to snap a shot off (and I'm sure she feels the same).

We're fortunate, however, to have lots of friends who like to climb, and also plenty of great climbs moderate enough to whip the old CoolPix 3100 out (thanks, Dad!). So, here's a few pictures, broken into categories. Enjoy!

Mountaineering | Free Climbing | Bouldering

Every once in a while, we do some epic climbs/road trips that warrant their own pages (and are safe enough to take lots of pictures on). Here they are:

Monkey Face at Smith Rock

Mount Jefferson in the Oregon Cascades

The Sisters in the Oregon Cascades

Mount Rainier in the Washington Cascades

The Wind River Range in Wyoming

Be careful! You can get hurt (or die) even walking next to rock climbs.
Even in bouldering, when you're only a few feet off the ground, you can still really hurt yourself if you fall wrong.
Use good sense.
Don't let your ego get in the way.
Know your limits.
Belay attentively.
Wear a helmet if you have to.
Listen to your little voice.

Moun·tain·eer·ing: The fine art of moving uphill very slowly while not feeling very well.

When we moved out here, I swore I'd never climb a mountain. I mean, when you look at it statistically, the mountain always wins. Always. You have to get up the damn thing; all it has to do is sit there and not let you. Well, I came to peace with the Cascade volcanoes. We have an agreement: I won't do anything stupid, and, every once in a while, they let me get to the top.


The view on the way up Mount Theilsen, the 9180-foot tall "Lightning Rod of the Cascades".	Jen on Theilsen's 40-degree scree.	Rufus with Theilsen in the background. The last 100 feet or so of 4^th classing make the 5-mile slog well worth it.

Hiking to base camp on Mount Jefferson, at 10,500 feet the 2^nd tallest peak in Orygun.	It doesn't look like much, but this bivy site allowed us to summit the Bastard on our second try.	Prettiest peak in the state, if you ask me. And that's not even the peak...

This is why I think of mountaineering as applied rock climbing...Franz cruxin' his way past the 40 foot headwall on Faith...at 10,000 feet.	Comin' across the shoulder on Pahtoo (Jefferson). Check out the full-grown pine trees in the distance past the ridge.	Jen on her way up to the peak of Sepulchre Mountain in Yellowstone NP. The Hoodoos are over her right shoulder.

A b-e-a-utiful view of Mount Electra from the top of Sepulchre. Not all of our climbs are sketch...the only danger on this one was getting eaten by a grizzly bear.	Mount Sneffles (14150') in the Colorado Rockies, right outside of Ouray.	The route Rufus and I took up Sneffles. The standard route sucked (2^nd class, scree), so we ran up the ridge you see here (3^rd and 4^th class).

...and of course, the best part of any alpine climb...sliding down an ice slope into 32.1^o water. That's Rufus on the left, me on the right.	Rufus, 12,000' up 45 degree ice at sunrise on Rainier.

Free Climb·ing: The fine art of trying to defy gravity without realizing you can't.

Don't confuse "free climbing" with soloing. Free climbing is simply climbing using only your hands and feet; you also use a rope and other protective gear, in case you fall. Soloing is, basically, doing free routes without ropes. It's also freaking stupid.


Honky Alex onsighting Blue Light Special.	Skratch lightin' it up out by the Monument.	Big D finishing his first ever lead, Round River.

Bobby clippin' on The Outsiders.	Jen escaping the offwidth of Parking Lot Crack.	Me halfway up Light On the Path.

Jen making the rad traverse on Super Slab.	Skratch...say no more. At least he's holding the rope for Katie.	Me plugging gear on Moscow.

My first ever gear lead on Staender Ridge.	Big Al sending Float Like a Butterfly.	Jen way up on Koala Rock.

Rufus leading Wicked Little Thing with Monkey Face looking on.	Me and Rufus at the top of the Pleasure Palace, with the Smith Rock group and Terrebonne beneath us.	Jen and Bobby in the Monkey's mouth.

Jen swinging through the wild, overhanging crux of Buddha's Belly at Hartman Rocks in Gunnison, CO.	Alex under the beautiful roof on Chain Reaction.	Me on my next project, Big Boss Man.

On the fun Boating Prohibited in the Lower Owens River Gorge in CA	Rufus staying consistent on Results May Vary.	The b-e-a-utiful Quail Trail in the Owens River Gorge.

Boul·der·ing: The fine art of clinging to ridiculously impossibly overhung rock faces while wearing shoes that destroy your feet and losing the outer layers of skin from your fingertips. Occasionally, you move upward...but not too far. Usually, you fall...but not too far.

"Bouldering" might be a misnomer. You aren't limited to just boulders. Some of the greatest boulder problems we've done consist of traversing as long as possible along a crag's base, until it feels like someone's holding a Zippo to our forearms. Now that's entertainment!


Jen sticking a dynamic lunge in Acadia NP..	Me staying dry in Acadia.	Meg in Central Park on Rat Rock.

The aptly named Shit Rock in Central Park.	Jen's a beast (part 1).	Jen's a beast (part 2).

Rufus on a pretty rad problem at Big Bend in Moab, UT. It was, like, 214^o that day.	On the glacial erratic at Yellowstone NP, the only boulder in the whole park. Wild.	Jen, lookin' for the topout on WidgiBrain.

In the constant 55^o of Skeleton Cave. Note the cutting edge footwear.	Ah, granite...near Deep Lake in the Wind River Range, with the Cirque of the Towers watching over me.	Bouldering at the beach in O'ahu, Hawai'i, at Waimea Bay, home to some of the only climbable rock on the island.

I know that beach bouldering sounds rad, and, for the most part, it is, but getting the sand off of your shoes before starting can be a real pain.	Traversing in the Happys in Bishop.	Hookin' the ledge in the Cirque of the Towers (Wind River Range, WY) with Warrior I behind me.