Hueco day 4.

In order to visit North Mountain we had to watch the orientation video. That's me in the back sleeping with the sunglasses on. I love the fact that no matter where the camera is, Mark turns to the lens and cracks a smile.

Here we are trying Daily Dick Dose V7 with the silly toe hook drop knee beta. Mark started using the heel hook gaston beta which we later found out is probably easier. None of us got it though. Thanks again to Takako for the photos.




This day sucked so bad I'm not even going to talk about it... I guess Carlsbad wasn't really a rest day for my weak ass since walking 2 miles underground for several hours wasn't exactly the same as lying in bed with a beer and watching cagefighting in your underwear.

Ghetto Simulator V2 - flash
Nobody Gets out alive V2 - failure
See Spot Run V6 - failure
Daily Dick Dose V7 - failure
Babyface V7 - failure
something next to babyface V2 - flash

More of my m.o. ... either flash it or forget it. I guess v6 or v7 is pretty ambitious given the fact that anything I've ever sent at those grades had been worked on for weeks, months, or years. So I shouldn't expect to just show up and send those guys. Sort of sucks though because classics abound in the v6-v7 range.

4 point day... yikes! Clearly out of gas. No amount of caffeine or creatine was going to revive my mitochondria or kick start my Krebs cycle on this day. Starting to wish I never came here because everything else with the exception of Bishop and Font is beginning to look like choss. I'm sure that's a common side-effect of Hueco and I hope it wears off once I depart.

Yusuke climbs into heaven...

Hueco day 2.

East Mountain...

Warmup Roof V4 flash.


Below is me trying Warmup Roof V5 variation. No dice as my mind-body was unable to corkscrew properly while coordinating with the core.
Problem of the day for me was Try Harder because it contained all the necessary ingredients for my type of climbing: Big moves between big holds, no crimps, and demanding some power. Sort of like the Pearl at Red Rocks. I think Try Harder is old school also, as our guide Chris said it was put up back in the day by some hard man like John Sherman or something like that. Try Harder and Hobbit in a Blender were the only problems on the whole trip to make me scream my ass off. The primal yell is very satisfying to release. However, not any scream will do... it must be pulled out of you by a very demanding move (mentally or physically, preferably both simultaneously.) In other words you can't intend or plan such a spontaneous act. The problem has to pull it out of you. All you can do is get on the boulder and if it happens it happens. Below is me on Try Harder.
I'd like to extend many thanks to Masa for filming my attempts with his tripod; I wasn't in a filming mood at the time but now I'm very thankful he did it. Also many thanks to Takako, a budding climbing photographer, who took the sequence shots above with Yusuke's DLSR.

Warmup Roof V1 - flash
Warmup Roof V2 - flash
Warmup Roof V4 - flash
Dragonfly V5 - flash
left of hobbit "Ostracizer?" V2 - onsight
Hobbit in a Blender V5 - 2nd or third try
Try Harder V4 - redpoint

23 point day - whoa! I think this is a record for me, and my body definitely let me know it was gonna cost me dearly.

Cattleman's Steakhouse was the reward. I think this may have been the best steak I ever had. I am not a steak connosiuer like Masa though (Masa enjoys steaks in the $100+ range).

Hueco Tanks day 1.

We visited West Mountain with our guide Cooper. Our group: Yusuke "Snake", his girlfriend Takako, Masa (Totem animal = Killer Whale), Six ft. Satoshi, St. Mark, and me (Totem animal = Flounder.)
Takako doing some yoga on West Mountain.
Me about to flash Body Snatcher V4. More my style; no static moves necessary and very gymnastic.
Killer Whale o.d.'s on peanuts and Amber Bock at the Texas Roadhouse.

Between the Cheeks V4 - redpoint. This was a hard old school problem with a little bit of everything... slopers, pinches, heel hooks, toe hooks, crimps... took a bunch of attempts even with beta from the guide Cooper.
Masa obtained a good deal at a Days Inn in El Paso. I'm rooming with St. Mark, whose good nature is almost contagious. Unbeknownst to him, I was born with a natural resistance to good nature and to cleanliness.

8 point day.