Bummin in Bishop

Okay so I've had a little writers block lately and haven't been able to come up with how to describe our latest outing to the south. So, let me just start out by saying that those of you who haven't been to Bishop CA then you're truly missing out on one of the most amazing places to climb, hang out, and enjoy some breathtaking scenery. This year was my second time around and the first for Kaylene and Dan.
On our first day there we decided not to venture too far from "The Pit" (climbers campsite) and head just down the road to that Happy Boulders. As we made our way up the steep and sand covered trail memories of the year before clouded my mind and excitement filled both Kaylene and Dan's mind (I'm pretty sure at least). We summited the trail and made our way back deep into the boulder filled canyon pointing out all the recognizable features and routes, "ohh look up there, Atari!" and "this is Heavenly Path boulder". But we kept trudging past making it almost to the end of the main trail where my project of last year sat, Carrot Top V3 on The Fred Boulder. My first thought as we stepped up to size the problem was "I can't remember these boulders being this big!" Climbing around in SEIdaho has kind of skewed what I thought was tall and what wasn't. Everything in Bishop is a highball in comparison. This year the problem gave me little trouble and I actually flashed the thing, muscle memory lasts I guess? Dan could get all the moves and almost flashed it too but the top out gave him some troubles so we created a way to mark if we finished the route or just got to the top hold with a "-" next to the route in the guide. So we marked it like this: C (carson) D (dan) K (kaylene). In the Happy's for the whole trip it summed up as Carrot Top: D-, Cf. (f for flash), Celestial Trail: Cf, Df. Mmm... Nice: K. Up Your Skirt, Left: C, D. Up Your Skirt, Right: C. Kaylene's route on Savannah Boulder: K. And we also worked some other problems but were shut out. Dan and I found a wonderful V2 on the Savannah Boulder called Kling and Smirk with some of the dopest moves I've ever worked before. It starts with a perfect match undercling then moved out left to a deep and far jug followed by a right hand into a DEEEEP pocket, then the crux, a left hand up to a sloper get a heal up on the side of the wall to a right cross into a pinch, readjust your feet and BOOM! launch out to a far ledge to your left... This is where we were defeated but it WILL be sent next year. (Video of us working it will be posted soon).

Dan workin' the sit start on Up Your Skirt, Right V2

Kaylene stepping up on Carrot Top V3

Making my first and only attempt on The Hulk V6 (beautiful!)

As the days went on and started to blur together we would go from the Happy's to the Buttermilks everyday. We never made it to the other spots like The Dreamers, Druid Stones, or even The Sad Boulders because I felt that Kaylene and Dan both would like to work the best of the best in the little time we had to spend out there. On our day's out at the Buttermilks we definitely made the best of it going to all the classic problems like Green Wall Essential and Kaylene's pronounced project the Buttermilk Stem, a beautiful test piece thats starting move is one of the most difficult to solve. Kaylene worked and worked and worked it until her palms actually bled! They call this problem "the palm eater" for obvious reasons. Overall the Buttermilk standings went like this: Birthday Left: C, Df. Buttermilk Stem: C, D (soon to be K). Essential Peabody: C-, this one needs some explanation though, this problem is on the Grandma Peabody one of the 2 largest boulders in the Buttermilks standing at around 40-50 ft. tall and as I made my way up the route I got to the lip (which is around 15 maybe 20ft up) and made the move to the last hold, and when I got up I reached my hand into the deep hueco pocket only to find my hand half submerged in water!! making the top out near impossible without chalk so I was forced to down climb and drop... giving me the C-... anywho! Green Wall Essential: C.

Grandpa Peabody in my hands

Kaylene's crazy legs on Buttermilk Stem V1

If the bad ass climbing isn't enough for you then maybe the lure of meeting new people and sharing bad ass climbing memories with them may be your thing! On our second to last day on the trip we were in the Happy's heading to find something to work on when we past a group of guys working The Hulk, we must have pasted them 5 times and each time they would ask if we wanted to work their problem with them, but we would decline and move on to something else. It wasn't until the last time that we past them when they asked where we were camping out at and if we'd like to chill with them, so we did what anyone else in Bishop would do, invited them over for beers and the warmth of a fire. Ryan, Dane, and Josh a group of friends who got to Bishop the same day as us and stayed the same length of time as we did and were in the same campsite.. Was it destiny that we'd climb with these guys and make some new climbing buds to plan trips with? maybe. We swapped stories and talked nonsense to each other making funny noises or saying anything random that pop into our nogs. The next day we met up with our newly found climbing friends at the Buttermilks and we worked some of the same problems together, such as the Buttermilk Stem. Later we would go to the Happy's and work Kling and Smirk and the Hulk together on our last day in the promised land. (Videos will be posted later).

Dan showing off his Jugs while Dane plays a sweet drum solo!

Ryan and Josh posing in front of The Hulk

Ryan sticking the crux on The Hulk V6

Overall the trip this year was great! We met some rad guys, climbed some WAY rad routes, and experienced life the way it was meant to. So again to all of you who haven't made their way down south then you're missing out, GET DOWN THERE! ASAP! and remember:

"We should come home from adventures, and perils, and discoveries every day with new experience and character".

~Henry David Thoreau

If you'd like to see more pictures check em out on Kaylene's Facebook! or just ask for more and I'll post em!