2 New Posts read Both -- Black Cliffs -- Rock Climbing

The last several weeks we have been logging some serious hours on the Basalt Columns of the Boise Black Cliffs. Rock climbing has several elements that make it fun and challenging the three that stick out to me are the Mental element, the Physical element and the Fear element. Ever since we've been rock climbing we have tried to take the Fear element out of the equation as much as possible by following the safest technique in rock climbing; "Top Rope Climbing". When top rope climbing (as seen in the below picture) the rope is always fixed above at the top of whatever you are trying to climb.

If one were to let go of the rock when top roping the climber wouldn't fall at all as the rope is always holding them from above! At first top roping has the element of "Fear" but it goes away quickly when you realize you aren't falling anywhere when you let go of the rock. So to add the Element of Fear back into our climbing we decided it was time to Lead Climb. When lead climbing the "Leader" ties the rope to his/her harness and starts to climb. As the leader climbs higher they fix protection in elevated increments using carabiners clipped to the rock then they clip the rope into the carabiners thus protecting themselves from a fall. The protection points are anywhere between 5-12 feet apart on most climbs, so if the leader is above the last protection he would fall double the distance from the last protection; possibly 24 feet at worst case. Below are some pictures of me leading for the first time on a climb called Sweet Adene a 5.8 difficulty. Luckily I didn't fall and had a great time with all 3 elements of rock climbing back together again!

Vince and Randi joined our climbing crew today... it was their first time climbing on rock, and they both did excellent! Here are some pics from our day out on the rock.

Vince Belaying

Before the Big Climb!

Vince making a leap... Nicely Done

Fighting the bulge to get on top!

"Easy"... He says

Randi half way up

Having a great time look No Hands

Randi fighting the bulge to get on top

Everyone is watching... Don't Screw Up!

No problem she says as she sits on top of Sweet Adene!

Extreme Adventures -The Movie- and a couch!

Sorry, we are a little behind on our blogging... but when you get busy it happens so here goes, a little recap from the last several weeks. I (Zach) have been working on a little movie project for the last few months the movie entailed 4 Extreme Adventures from the past 3 years they included: Ship Island Lake Summer 2006, Mt. Borah Climb Summer 2006, 33 Lake Summer 2007, and Enos Lake Summer 2008. All these were trips guided by me with my group of friends. I had about 6 hours of video footage to compile into one extreme movie. Well to keep the story short and to the point I spent around 50-60 hours making the 45 minute movie! I know that seems like a long time but after you try and make a masterpiece movie you can criticize me. So once finished with the movie I took the DVD down to a local shop and had them burn 10 copies put a custom label on the DVDs print a cover for the cases and shrink wrap them. These DVDs look like they where purchased off the rack from any store. Rochelle designed the cover and the DVD label and they looked Awesome!!! (My talented Wife... So Hot!) Anyway back to my story... for the Premier of the movie titled, "Extreme Adventures -The Movie-" I decided to invite all the Cast Members and their Wives/Girlfriends for a proper premier. Since we were going to have 18-20 people in our tiny house we decided to take the plunge and get a new couch. It is beautiful, and the best part is Rochelle LOVES IT! The premier was an absolute hit! All the boys and their S.O.'s were laughing to tears! I must say the movie is really good, I have some funny friends and we have a great time when we get out into the wilderness.

Random Clips from Extreme Adventures the Movie:

Mt. Whitney and More!

So there I was at work wishing I was somewhere else... somewhere Epic! So I sent out the invite to the boys to go on an adventure for Sept. After everyone else backed out Evan and I decided that going huge was what we are used to so we planned an Epic Adventure for the memorial of Sept. 11th. The plan was to stand on the top of the highest mountain in the lower 48 States on the morning of Setp. 11th. Mt. Whitney in CA, Standing at 14,494 would be 22 miles and 6,200 vertical feet.

We left Boise at 07:00 on Tuesday morning the 9th of Setp. and drove the 640 miles to Lone Pine Cali. It was 95 degrees and sunny skies; we were in for a temperature adjustment 10,000 feet higher. We were the 3rd group of people at the ranger station the morning of the 10th and got our overnight permits and bear canister and headed to the trail head...

Evan, just as last year brought his tiny backpack so I was stuck once again carrying the bear canister. Hence the difference in pack weight his 30 pounds and mine at 35. We started on the trail just after 09:15 with clouds covering the towering peaks of the high sierra mountains, Whitney wasn't in sight due to the cloud cover but we knew in less than 24 hours we would seeing it perfectly from the summit! See more through picture illustration...

Evan Proud of 30 pounds

Zach won't carry the bear canister again next year!

At 10,000' looking back at Lone Pine, CA

Extreme Tough Guys!

At 11,000' the hail and Snow began! We're prepared for the worst...

At Trail Camp 12,000' (the little community of climbers)

Looking toward the Mt. Whitney Spires from Trail Camp

Out of the Tent during the blizzard to assess the camp...

Small Puddle in our campsite, the REI Quarter Dome T3 performed perfectly not a drop in the tent... We got to sleep at 19:30 just after the snow stopped in preparation to arise at 02:00 for our summit bid.

About halfway up the 97 switchback ascending the ridge to Trail Crest 04:00, the snow was only about 3 inches deep on this side of the mountain...

13,600 feet, 05:00 Trail Crest the snow is getting deeper!!!

Back side at about 05:45 The summit is in site and the snow is 6-8 inches deep we are the first on the trail that day and are blazing the trail for all other climbers to use...

The sun rising on the East Facing Spires of the Whitney Range

Evan, blazing trail toward the top which is the far point in this picture

From the summit of Mt. Whitney at 07:20 on Setp. 11th. 14,494' the temp was 22 degrees and the sights are breath taking! The blanket of snow adds character to our Epic Whitney Adventure!

The stone shack on top

Picture taken straight off the East Face of Mt. Whitney shows (2) beautiful deep blue high mountain lakes...

Spire formations in the morning sunlight on the way back down to camp

The maze of switchbacks we traveled through that morning in the dark I believe there is 97 of them?

With the mountain conquered it is time to head down one last picture of the Extreme Tough Guys from Trail Camp looking west toward the Whitney Spires.

After conquering Whitney we headed for Big Pine CA to explore the Ancient Bristlecone Pine Forest. These trees are the oldest living organisms on earth!Scientists have dated them as old as 4000+ years old! They look half dead but still they live! This is a shot of me standing on the ridge line overlooking the Grove of the Ancients!

Pictured below is the largest Bristlecone Pine tree on earth it is 38 feet in diameter, and is called the Patriarch

The oldest tree I'm guessing... They won't straight out tell you which tree is the oldest but this one looked the oldest to me it is called The Methuselah, well over 4000 years old and still going...

After our trip to the Bristlecone's we stopped off in Mammoth CA to see the Devil's Post pile, columns of rock that are perfectly shaped into hexagons and octagons they appear to have been chiseled by the devil himself!

Standing on the top of the columns you can see where a glacier from several thousand years ago sheared the columns off leaving a tiled surface to walk on... if you look close you can see groves left by the glacier as it slid by.

Well this is the end this Extreme Mt. Whitney Adventure... Don't worry about going out and exploring Epic places, just keep coming back to BlurbityBlurbity and I'll let you see all them. Seriously get out and see the beauty that god has created, I'm not saying pick up mountaineering, but at least turn off the TV grab the kids and the dog and get out of the house.

-AZA #1 Tough Guy and Extreme Billy B.A.