A couple of friends and I went climbing in Leavenworth, WA this past weekend, eager to get in one more good session of bouldering before the outdoor season pretty much ends. And apart from my mood tanking on Saturday evening (PMS + recent death in the family + allowing myself to get cold, hungry, and dehydrated), we had a really good time. It only rained at night, when we were all nestled snug in our tents, and although the rain did mean a few climbs were untenable, we still managed a good selection. Highlights included B flashing “The Physical” (a V4), E flashing “Lovage” (V3-) and me getting my first-ever outdoors V2 (“Machine Gun Funk, AKA Susan’s Arete”). That was particularly nice because I tried it repeatedly, getting about the same distance each time, then took a big, long break, actually really looked at the problem and did some beta-thinking, and the next time I got onto it and tried my new beta, which I had worked out myself, I finished it.
I also had a lot of fun on “The Hueco Route” (V1) in Mad Meadows, and was gratified to complete the start and first traverse of “Drugstore Cowboy” (V3), mostly through pig-headedness. The second half was just too slimy for me to feel comfortable trying it, but it will be there next season, and I think I’ll be able to do it then.
An added bonus of the weekend was the beautiful autumn colors in the area. I don’t recall ever having seen so many different kinds of trees all turning the same glorious golden shade, but between the big leaf maples, the vine maples, the cottonwoods, and the larches, the weekend seemed to have been sponsored by the color yellow!
HaskinPhoto 