While we are away...: 2008

Heading Home for the winter.

Well... our first season in Yosemite is over now and sitting at home writing this it makes me want to go back so bad it hurts. It was an amazing season in one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen. We have been very blessed to have the experience and cant wait to go back in February. We didn't get to do as much climbing as we would have liked and of course I didn't get as good as I had hoped but there is always next year and I wouldn't trade any of the experiences we had for anything.... Until next spring, Later Big Ditch....

Ansel Adams shot it first and shot it best. But here is my humble try...

Moonrise from the driveway.

Krystina leading Jam Crack.
It was a great summer for us. Neither of us climbed as much as we wanted and didnt get as good as we had hoped but we both got much better on cracks. Next summer should be great.

Krystina hiking back to the car after our last long climb this summer.. It was Regular route 5.8 on North Dome. It was a great route with a terrible approach.. I wont be doing in again any time soon... haha.. it was still an awesome day and a great experience together.

So. to me this looked like a dinosaur eating a bush.

The summer tribe. It was so cool to get to know all these people and to experience life in such an amazing place together. God put us all there and we were quite a group for sure.

Adam in the Big Ditch

We didnt get to do our goal but still ended up doing a lot of easier stuff and just hanging out which was still great. Its crazy how much you miss great friends and a usual climbing partner.

At the top of nut kracker 5.8

you can see Adam coming up the last pitch just above the center of the frame

Adam leading the second pitch of Nut Kracker 5.8

Adam and I decided we were going to give the Nose a go so the first day he was here we went to Leconte Boulder to do some steep practice. It was good and he got the hang of it really fast. We ended up not getting on the wall though because of the line. There were four parties in the first 3 pitches. Really stunk. I wanted to get on it all summer and when it all seemed to finally line up we still got shut down. We're planning to meet up again in the spring and get on it when there are less people.

San Fran and The Coast While waiting on Adams Plane

We had some time before Adam arrived in San Fran so we went and shot the sailboats and bridge. It was a beautiful morning.

The next three I forgot on the last post.

Mom and Dad in the Valley

Got Dirt?
Mom and Dad came out and hung out with us for a week or so. We hiked Half dome, climbed Cathedral Peak, hiked around and just enjoyed the valley.... It was a really good week.

Mom and Dad on top of Cathedral Peak. A 3+ mile hike and 800ft of climbing and then 3+miles back out... they were exhausted but they had a blast. Neither of them fell or hung for the entire route (only one little butt push) and there was very little complaining..... They're tough as hell for a couple of 50 year olds.

Mom coming around the summit block on Cathedral Peak.

Uhhhhh...Really?

my wife

Kry on the beach off of Highway 1

Vernal and rainbow

Vernal Falls. When we first arrived in Yos this was a huge waterfall and now it is almost dry. Look very closely at the left side of the water and you can see two people sitting on a rock ledge near the water.

Vernal Falls after the park service turns it off for summer.

WE MADE IT TO THE TOP!!! (of Half Dome). It involves 16miles of hiking and then cables running up the slabs. The cables are steep and there are a lot of people on the usually. Mom and Dad did great. Never would think they are 50....

They did it!

Mom and Kry after coming back down from the cables. YAY!!

The cables are steep and blister hands easily so there is a huge pile of gloves at the base that people leave for the next hiker.

Back down at the base of the cables.

Krystina on top.

mom and dad on the visor.

The view looking straight down to the valley floor from "the visor" of Half dome.

Mom and Dad finishing the cables on to the top of Half dome.

Walking the steep slabs down to the trail, but the view was pretty.

neat green on a sappy pinecone

Mom and Kry on the not so misty Mist Trail.

The Jeffery pines in Yosemite smell like butterscotch or pie...so much you can almost taste it and the smell stays in the nose for a while after a sniff or two. Its a really neat experience and for mom and dad it was quite THE experience :)