Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Message to Joe

Having family that is good is better than bouldering. Next to that, bouldering. Bouldering is the presence of so many things, not the absence of things. Just gear. Have a doppelbock, sit back and relax, enjoy the nature around you… this is bouldering... C'mon Joe don't be lame, you can send hard and easy. I'm gonna be ready soon!!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Bouldering with Ian

Took him to Elephant Rocks and he LOOOOVED IT. He's such a good little climber, too!
This was last year over the summer.















Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Rowing is great exercise

My little raft in the water...
Feels great!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

8 more weeks!

Until I can climb again. Aah! So I'm grabbing my bike. Doc says I am healing good, though. The surgery was a success. I do have a theory: climbing (has given me) great range of motion on the great toe (as I do have), though sped up a degenerative process as well.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

The Swiss Clock Project

This was October of last year.
It will climb like a Swiss clock. Every move matters!


This is an amazing problem
that has seen no send yet!

By the time my toes heal it may just be too warm
for this one this year! Plus it's desperate!
Peter come send it!

Old Training Notes

I used to train like a regimented fiend. Looking back, it looks silly! But I don't mind my dedication. I am much mellower now, though, may even climb harder. I now just climb and do exercises to get and stay strong. But youth is what it is. It may have taken these dedications to get to where I feel now, so much more free, so much stronger in fact. (If it helps, well, I am 35, can climb V13 on a wall, happy to still be strong and able after all these years; am trying to climb the V13 in Missouri, but it is hard, am weak now, 20 lbs overweight after toe surgery; and yet love discovering new areas even if I can not climb just yet.) I hope whoever reads this will never shut the light out on themselves, whatever works! Actually, I believe it is a combination of training and letting go that will get you up some really sick climbs! We are seeing that today if you read the climbing news...

These notebook pages are 18 years old now, taken around a time I had been climbing less than 2 years, a time when I just was breaking into climbing 5.13s and hadn't yet realized just how much of a boulderer I am, and love for bouldering above all else. I find myself reflecting on a time in American climbing milieu... and remember the rock and holds pulling on. I began to really feel at my place by 1995, I stopped competing, I stopped taking notes, and I began bouldering a ton in Lake Tahoe, resurged old classics at Indian Rock, and put down my rope for sick slopey wood holds and tiered roofs and wave walls as I learned crazy movements and training while in Sheffield, England, courtesy Johnny Dawes and gang. I had my first beer in Sheffield, and played my first game of pool, ever. I was 19, then. These notes, 18.

Today, I would never be regimented with any climbing. Perhaps that is why I climb better now? Or perhaps it was then I did?

These pages are recycled, now. I've kept just these few here. It's amazing, but we climbed hard during these years; I think we tried too hard. Funny, now we don't try hard enough, and seem to climb harder. These pages look silly but they are important: Climbed hard before the time. So these notes...they are captured innocent discoveries, as simple as they are.





There was much to send, then. (Several of my old bolted projects are still unsent.)



Many pages I have left out, but you can imagine. Tuesday, Feb 7th, I bolted, and rested. Friday, Feb 8th, I bolted. Sunday, Feb 26 I bouldered medium hard, and did 5 sets of something.





We trained too hard, I remember. I trained a lot with the strong Timy Fairfield, lived off my sponsor Power Bars, and scared people like Rob Candelaria at CATS before knowing it just yet; that a youth movement would be on its way in America. (It was just over a year later Chris Sharma would prove this, first at an event, one that Christian Griffith and myself and friend set for; Christian believed I made the semi-finals route too hard, and thus he made it easier, all climbers flashing it; I knew the young, us, were going to need harder climbs).



So methodical I was at this time!



A schedule











By 1992 I had been flashing V6s, by '94 V9s, but by 1995, I would try the Dominator, wasn't quite strong or good enough just yet for it, or perhaps was, and yet knew this was what I loved. That amazing clean granite, the forest, the warm sunshine, the crisp air, the smell of pine and other trees, those steep gymnastic moves, I was at home. But only had an hour to try it! Then I got injured on a road trip and had to take some time off, taking years before returning.



Last day of climbing


I am very happy now I still climb! I loved it then, I love it now. Hope you enjoyed these notes! To your joy, to your goals, fellow climber!

Feel free to read other stories here...

http://echelmeier.wordpress.com/

Stories such as, unknown climb, 2002


 :)

And much more writing.

Thanks, Mad Rock

Thanks again, Mad Rock! The BEST sponsors I've ever had in over twenty years!!! Just a shot of my woodie and some Mad Pads. Keeps me alive.  The new Mugen Techs I can't wait to slip on soon!

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=996580881863&set=p.996580881863&theater

Tuesday, March 08, 2011

First time back out this year!

An adventure leads to some great rock!

A small raft, 400 lbs

The river

Shark's Overhang
Big Gorgeous Climb
The New Slabs Dan

Shark's Overhang


Toes in the water to cool off

A big roof, and the rock is whitewater polished and feels great!



A great photo from last year. Summertime. Arr!!!

Thursday, March 03, 2011

Lost strength only epheremal

Last year's forearms now am weaker! (V prob 12 maybe 13 was climbing last year though no problems outside just wall, V10 on rock) to V0 now haha! So quick to gain, so quick to lose. Was starting to get stronger oh well! I had a great season last season, lots of personal success, but I wished for a bit more, which means I have things to look forward to.


...Post surgery, post depression, I have only lost my strength temporarily. My veins are still waiting to get back with my Missouri streams (Missouri has over 110,000 miles of them, isn't that amazing?) Most new great bouldering in Missouri is alongside these intermittent streams. My drawings from last season are making me impatient. Well, we are going exploring in 3 days for the first days of this new season! And to think two weeks ago the doctor screwed titanium screws into my toe bones! I have to be careful to not overdo it, walking. And I shouldn't and won't climb for a few more weeks.


Black and blue feet just 2 weeks ago. Now though all is healing!




Change canoe to raft with oars. Better. The water is high now likely and roaring. Keeping logistics simple to go check them out, and saving canoeing for other trips. No need to class 5 if can go inbetween the rapids and just row across to boulders. These appear-to-be special boulders I spotted last season are isolated and hard to access on the south side of the river. The rock is impeccable. North side boulders I put up several new lines, one semi-highball, this past summer. My buddy Jim Thurmond showed me here. I have been further exploring and finding great stuff. What great granite bouldering!


What a great line this is! Was super happy last summer to climb it in a day.

I refer to it as "The Block", I think Greg keeps calling it "Big Block". It is a rather few big moves, not super
hard, hard enough just perfect. Here it is overgrown upon discovering it (Thanks Jim!)




...So I better start getting fit. Isn't it grand that we have these weird, working living machines called bodies that are really essentially machines? I think it's great, and I may even be attracted to yours, if you're a female and kindof cute. Perhaps our mechanisms ... ok I quit now. Yes, its been a long winter. New bouldering, Missouri. Several secret areas, overlooked areas, and boulders at popular areas, with more boulders to discover. Psyched. Bouldered hard for 8 months straight last year, was burnt out by the time I needed surgery, started hiking before the knife. Glad I've been getting plenty of rest, doing other things, though its a bit boring to not be climbing! Climbing or no climbing right away, I can't wait to get my toes better enough to begin trail running and great hiking. As compared to last year, where I was super fit and aggro, doing some ridiculous moves on walls and underachieving on rock, not trying hard enough things, I've been pretty darn lazy the past 3 months, doing nothing at all! 

Good friends and bouldering I look forward to very soon, sharing many of my solo experiences from last year. Big boulders here we come next week! We need a boat for place number 1. So tomorrow, we buy one. Check. Next week, we shall paddle across the river. Check. And then we will walk from here! Memory in hand. And compass and pencil. Sure, GPS. Who ever said all I do is wander in the forests or unname boulder problems?

April here I come!

Tuesday, March 01, 2011

We will explore

We will explore this river with a new canoe. Along the banks are big, robust, beautiful boulders. I found gorgeous boulders. It is whitewater on the river, big time. It has mostly snowed lately, so we shall see. Late last summer I put up two new lines. These will be great to meet back up with and climb before the day is over. (Canoe out on river next week). Dan will have to do the climbing, as I am still injured. Well, he is injured too (broken finger). So I suppose this means we will have great things to return back to and do. But in the meantime, we will hobble up to and up things!

Whew!

Back in tennis shoes from the post-surgery boot! Am wearing my Brooks Cascadias, great trail running shoes, the best. Treats my feet well.  Four more weeks to recover fully. ...Thankfully I can shower today! It's been too long (2 weeks)! I'm healing fast!


I saw the xrays today, great work. What a grueling process it has been. I could have killed on day two the pain was so bad. But it's nice now, not even any more scabs from the allergic reaction to Steri-Strips (peeled em right off, blood blisters the size of my palm). Nice to see titanium screws show up well, too. So good to be able to move a bit again! It has been great timing to do this surgery, as I was getting burnt out after 8 months of hard bouldering, and am inbetween jobs. Prognosis: good!


Xray 2

Xray 4


DOB is wrong.