Three Days in Squamish ..

Sabrina and I teamed up for three days in Squamish. We had big plans. There was talk on the drive up about Diedre, Calculus Crack, Snake and St. Vitus. We even discussed The Ultimate Everything. Could these all be done in two and half days? We were about to find out.

Day 1:
In the car we eventually decided to hit Shannon Falls on the first day. We figured trying to get on busy apron climbs on a Saturday late in the morning was not going to benefit us in our time use equation and opted for Shannon Falls. After a quick stop to set up camp (the last tent site!) we got rolling south to Shannon Falls.

Our objective there was the new route Skywalker. A mellow 5.8 multi pitch route that would be good for us to do as our intro to the weekend. We hiked quickly up to the base to get in the queue. There was a second leaving the ground, and a party of two ahead of us. We geared up while we waited. Three parties of two arrived shortly afterward. This is a very popular climb.

Finally it was our turn, and I waited for the party ahead of us to get to the belay before I started out. The first moves were a touch tricky with a seeping corner where I wanted to place a foot. Eventually I succumbed to putting a foot in the wet corner to make the crux move of the pitch and continue up. There was then a move leaving the crack to traverse the slab to where the crack continues and up I went to a tree belay. (The party ahead of us was currently occupying both bolted anchors. ) I brought Sabrina up in time for her to head up the next pitch behind their second.

The next pitch was a 5.8 corner that was a little compressed, but offered great climbing and good pro opportunities. I found it a little rough on my right foot as I continuously wedged it into the corner/crack. But it was a nice pitch. I got the next pitch which followed some cracks up to a heady move right before the next belay. Gear was good until that point, but sort of disappeared in the last ten feet or so. I made the moves and brought Sabrina up.

The next pitch(4) is where the route gets its name. It is the Skywalker Traverse. One of the bolts at the belay actually says "May the Force be with You." It is a really easy, somewhat exposed traverse. It is slabby and can be done with counter pressure with hands in the crack at the base of the wall above it, but I walked it for the most part with my hand on the wall.

The final pitch was a short easy bolted slab that I ran up and brought Sabrina to the top. This route was an excellent warm up for us, and a pretty nice route for the grade.

We walked off and headed to the Klahanie Crack area. There was of course a line for that route as well and we waited for a couple to get off of Dirty Dickie before we attempted to climb it. Sabrina led it and I followed, finding the wide section near the top to be the crux. We rapped, and then Klahanie Crack was available. Sabrina racked up for it, and headed off on the sharp end. She was placing a lot of gear due to it being late in the day and her energy level. This caused concern about having enough gear to finish the pitch. Her feet were sore from jamming the crack and she hung a few times to cool them off. Once at the top she brought me up and we rapped. With our feet worn out, we did not even bother with Cardu Crack. Maybe next time. A cool soak of our feet in Shannon Creek did the trick before we returned to our camp site.

Day 2:
We had big ambitions of climbing a new route, the North Face variation of Squamish Buttress, aka Squamish Buttface. Our approach climb was to be Snake on the apron. Definitely not the fastest way up to the South Gully, but one we thought capable of doing. The alarm went off at 5am and we both felt a little tired from the previous day to wake up at that point. So we slept in until about 6am. It was at least a few more hours before we were able to leave the campground and walk to the base of the route.

Even though the first pitch is 5th class, it appears the guide book either wants you to scramble the pitch, or simply does not count it in the pitch total. We roped up for it and ended up climbing two short pitches to reach the ledge where Snake starts. Since I led the approach pitches, Sabrina took the lead on the first pitch, which starts the right facing corner climbing. Before she left, we discussed if she would do the unprotected 5.7 traverse or head up to the tree leaving me to the traverse. She told me she might, but would probably end up at the tree. Which is where she ended the pitch and brought me up to. I led out for the 5.7 traverse, and was not happy with the lack of protection. I was able to sling a horn, but botching the moves on the traverse would have led to a decent pendulum. I balked numerous times attempting the traverse high until I somehow noticed a really good foot hold low and down climbed a few moves to make the traverse from there. Once on the low path, I made quick work of the traverse and was at the bolts on the other side, bringing Sabrina in.

The next pitch was lightly protected 5.9 traverse, so I got that one too. It started out on easy ledges and ramps to a good sized ledge with a not so good sized bush. There are two variations that follow: one that continues left on a unprotected slabby traverse of a dyke, or another that heads up a slab with a 2" corner moving left once you gain some ledges. Both options were 5.9. I placed a cam at my feet and went left. There was a large hand pocket about two thirds of the way, but I couldn't reach it and came back. I looked up. It appeared promising. There was a small pocket in the corner where I got at least three lobes of a blue alien. I was going up. By placing the cam I negated the first hand hold on that section but made do with what I got until I got the second hand hold and kept it until I could reach the ledges above. On safer ground, I slung a horn and headed to the belay tree. I brought Sabrina up as she thanked me for leading the sketchy slab.

Sabrina got the next pitch and headed up the long right facing corner. There was a steeper section early on, but the crux came close to the next bolted anchor. I quickly followed as Daryl and Luke from the previous day were now on our tails. I offered them to pass at the next belay, but Daryl was only about a quarter up the pitch when I arrived at Sabrina's location. So I quickly headed out thinking we could stay ahead of them. This was proving true as I dispatched the first half of the pitch quickly. There were few pro opportunities, which kept me moving quickly. The lay backing of the corner was a touch strenuous, and moving kept it more manageable. Then I came up on the crux. There were some thin moves up a flake before gaining a ledge at the base of a large wall. A traverse back right overcomes the wall, but not without going through the crux first.

I got to the ledge and slung some roots. Moving further, I removed the sling and placed it on the tree in the middle of the traverse. For some reason I had my feet really high and they were getting tired. I placed a cam in a pocket a few feet from the tree. I tried to move right, but couldn't figure out the moves. My feet were getting tired. I hung. My foot slipped while hanging. There was a patch of slick damp rock from a seep and my foot must have got in it. I dried it a bit. I attempted again. No luck, I was hanging again. But this time I dropped my feet. All I have to do is climb it like a slab, and not rely on my hands so much I thought. I tried again. But it still couldn't make the move. Then I finally shortened the draw on the cam and was able to make the move and zip around the corner to the next belay. I brought Sabrina up and she quickly moved on to the final 5.7 pitch and then we scrambled up to Broadway for a lunch.

During our lunch break we discussed our slowness and tiredness. We also discussed which route we should take to reach Squamish Buttress. There were four people lined up at Memorial Crack and we had moved slow to this point. It was later in the day than we wanted, and I offered a suggestion to Sabrina that we head down and perhaps try another route on the apron and shoot for Squamish Buttress the following day. On the way down we were once again fairly slow and chatted a bit with other Seattle climbers on the trail. We then chatted a bit with Luke and Daryl before heading down. It was now 4:30pm and I recommended to Sabrina we call it a day.

Day 3:
We awoke tired again, but we were motivated and got out of the tent quicker and started our day. We left the campground at least an hour earlier than the previous day and hoped to do Diedre as our apron route. Upon arriving at Diedre, there was one party climbing and another waiting. We opted to take Banana Peel to the top as it also would deposit us at the base of Boomstick Crack. Sabrina led up to the crack and started the traverse. When the rope ran out, I simul climbed until I reached her at the base of the first real pitch. She led again which gave me the crux pitch of the route. I almost passed the bolt on the way to a .10b bolt before Sabrina caught me and directed me in the right path. I went through the crux moves, and brought Sabrina up. We danced up the rest of the pitches and took a snack break on Broadway before tackling Boomstick Crack.

Sabrina balked at the opening crux moves, but I wouldn't succumb to her pleas of leading it. She got the moves and made quick work of the rest of the pitch. I climbed up to her and dispatched the remaining bit before untying in the woods. We kept our rock shoes on and scrambled up to the base of Squamish Buttress. We stopped for a bit in the forest to have lunch and then arrived at the base.

I took the first lead. But we allowed a quicker team to go first before I left the ground. That was pretty much the last we saw of them. The opening moves of the first pitch are easy gaining a roof, but then there are some thin moves to a bolt, and then even thinner moves above the bolt, the crux of the pitch. I took a bit to unlock the moves and then I was on my way. I combined the first two pitches and it got progressively easier as I went. However the protection opportunities were pretty scarce most of the way. I arrived at a tree belay and Sabrina soon joined me. She ran up around the corner to the next bit, and I followed. I set a belay and she led the next two pitches as one. These pitches were awkward bits with a few pro opportunities to protect them.

Once arriving at the belay, I poked around the corner to find the start of the North Face Variation. I found it, and Sabrina joined me. It was steeper than I imagined, but was completely doable by our party. I wanted to lead this 5.9 pitch as I wasn't too excited about the other one. But I often get spooked by steep climbing and had to work myself up to it. I took the rack and led off. A few pieces up and I was pumping and down climbed back to the base. I looked at the moves again and gave it another go. An adjustment of my top piece and my mindset, and I was higher and placing another piece. A few moves later I placed another piece and then it was up to a bolt. From the ground it looked as though the climbing got easier at the bolts, by this was untrue. A few moves leftward the climbing eased a bit and I gained the ledge. The remaining portion of the pitch was awesomely exposed climbing up steps on the ledge. It was amazing how quickly the gully floor dropped away after the short steep section. I belayed Sabrina up enjoying Ravens flying below me and the tops of trees down in the South Gully.

Since she was leading the next 5.9 pitch, I led the short bit to the tree and brought her over. I laughed when I saw the gaping maw that was the next pitch. She joined me and was startled by the look of it. She expressed her concern about leading it. I told her I would if she wanted me to. She did. We reflaked the rope and I headed off. This was supposedly the last 5th class pitch before reaching the top, but it was a considerable looking obstacle between us and the easier ground. I placed a nut and made the mantle move into the bottom of the scoop. I got a small suspect cam in between flakes near my feet and then entered the hole to place a blue alien in the back. I made a few moves and then placed a cam higher. I climbed back down as I was getting pumped and not unlocking the problem. I went up again with a better strategy and got higher, placing yet another cam in the deep back. I found a pocket in the back for a finger and I used holds on the arete with my right hand and foot. But trying to chimney the moves was proving difficult for me at best.

Was I in too deep? Were my long legs not suitable for the size of the crack? I felt I had to succeed as to not spend the night on the ledge. I moved up and was able to place the #1 cam listed on the topo. I was now in reach of the flake on the wall and grabbed it with my left hand. Now I had to turn my hip toward the wall. What to do with my right hand? I grabbed the draw, adjusted my feet and then grabbed the top of the flake and pulled myself up into an awkward stance on the next ledge. From there I placed a cam before continuing to a tree belay. Sabrina had no issues climbing the pitch and joined me on the ledge where we tried to figure out where the scramble ledges were supposed to go. Nothing looked like ropeless terrain to us, so Sabrina led out on the pitches at least attached to the mountain. Zig-zaging up the ledges she couldn't place any pro and stopped at tree. I came up and for some reason left without the rack on a perfectly protectable ramp that led to 2nd/3rd class terrain.

Once Sabrina joined me we put away the rope. A short 3rd class scramble got us to some easy slabs where we stopped to enjoy the view and have some snacks. Now the task was to find the tourist trail down. We poked around on slabs a bit before attaining the trail. Sabrina led us onto an exposed trail that went down a needly ramp. I didn't want to go and told her I thought the best way to go down was to go up. I liked a short gully heading up and went back to climb it. She reluctantly followed. Near the top of the gully was some third class moves with some rebar in the rock via ferrata style. After topping out of the gully we were on the summit area and I proceeded to the top while Sabrina scouted the descent.


It was nice to finally be on the summit and in direct sun for the first time all day. We chatted a bit with a "reporter" who said she was interviewing Sonnie Trotter about the route. Then it was off down the trail. The trail down was enjoyable. Plenty of stairs, a few ladders and chains and some nice trees. The most beautiful thing about it is that it deposited us right at camp, and our car so we could drink fluids and start making dinner.

This was a great trip. We didn't accomplish as much as we were hoping, but what we did accomplish was great fun. I was glad to be out on what may be my only multi day trip of the year.

The rest of the pics are here.

Arches National Park :: A Few More Views

These pictures were taken on the morning of May 17th on my final drive-through of Arches National Park. It was another beautiful day!

Typically Belgian Cuisine: Mussels with fries and Flemish Beef Stew

So where to eat in Brugge?



For our late lunch-early dinner in Brugge (Bruges), Bru and I found this super cute and charming restaurant near the Dijver canal—‘Bistro Restaurant ‘t Lammetje’





I’ve been hankering for something typically Belgian, and in particular typically Flemish while Bru was ready to settle for something more mainstream which she did. It was actually her who found this cute restaurant. While I was busy taking pictures of the Dijver canal, she inspected the nearby inner square and came back to me enthusiastically announcing that she has found a restaurant where I can order Flemish stew.



My order: ‘Vlaamse Stoofkarbonaden’ (Flemish Beef Stew) + Leffe brown beer:





Her order: ‘Mosselen met friets’ in wine (Mussels with fries):





This was a really tasty and gorgeous late lunch-early dinner. 4.2 stars out of 5.



The beef stew was delightful and the meat almost melted on my tongue when I chewed on it. I do not mind eating meat when it is this good! While the mussels have huge meat in them and the spices and flavour were exactly how we wanted it to be. We shared our lunch together but I think I ended up eating more for my share of mussels. So greedy but I was quite hungry from the cold and for only having eaten a single hollow croissant the whole day. It was almost 5PM when we had this!



Trivia: Did you know that when you eat mussels in France and Belgium there is a very high probability that the mussels came from the Netherlands? Precisely in Zeeland, the heart of mussel farming in the country.



And it looks like the kitchen is upstairs, perhaps in the attic, because we saw this traditional pulley lift system that brings the food down and the used dishes up.





The restaurant has two food servers, one spoke Dutch who’d rather speak with me and the other who spoke French who’d rather speak with Bru. Bru has always something with waiters, they always seem to flirt with her especially when she starts speaking French, haha. Like when we were having lunch at the Royal Turenne Bistro in Le Marais, Parislast year.



Nevertheless, I think it’s about time that Bru works on her Dutch, however, living and working in Amsterdam is not helping at all.



FACT: Many expats-foreigners can survive without having to learn Dutch in Amsterdam for years, and even for the rest of their lives if they elect to stay here forever. I know individuals who’s been living in the city for 10-15 years and they only have these in their vocabulary: ‘ja-nee-goede morgen/middag/avond-dank je wel- alsjeblieft-gezellig!’



This changes though if you decide to live outside Amsterdam, because the pressure to speak the local language will get to you in time.

How I Got My Moser Back...

So I bought my Francesco Moser frame back from the person I sold it to, and built it up as a geared racing bike with modern components... despite having sworn off vintage roadbikes earlier. Yeah, I know. Allow me to provide some context:

I got this 1978 Moser racing frame in Vienna two summers ago, mailed it to myself in the US and built it up as a fixed gear. It rode nicely, but wasn't really suitable for fixed gear conversion with its low bottom bracket and resulting tendency toward pedal strike. Once I got my fixed gear-specific Mercian, I moved the components over and decided to sell the Moser. Building it up as a geared roadbike was not feasible: I would have had to spend a fortune on new wheels and components only to put them on an old steel frame, with no guarantee that I'd like the end result. It seemed wiser to buy a roadbike that I could test ride beforehand.

For what it's worth, I still believe that it is not financially practical for a "civilian" (i.e. a person who is neither a wrenching enthusiast withspare modern groupsets lying around, nor someone withbike industry connections), to take on a project like this. However, I have not really been a "civilian" for some time: I am interested in bikes not only for personal use, but also for the sake of learning and writing about them onLovely Bicycle. And I do at this point have industry connections, as well as readers who are interested in making specific projects happen. All of these factors played a role here.

One of my readers offered to donate some of his used modern Campagnolo components and his old racing wheels if I were willing to experiment with a vintage racing frame. Around the same time, the person who bought the Moser from me built it up (with modern Shimanoparts) and discovered that the bike felt too small for him. Luckily, I'd sold the frame locally. I saw this as a cue to buy it back.

The second-hand components I received were a 9-speed Campagnolo Record drivertrain and levers circa (I believe) 1999 and a Campagnolo Vento wheelset of similar vintage. I already had the headset, stem, handlebars, tires and seatpost among my own spare parts. I bought a new bottom bracket, brake calipers, cable housing and bar tape at Harris Cyclery and they built up the bike for me.

The Moser is now finished, and I've ridden it - but not as extensively as I'd like before writing about it. I am also waiting to put some finishing touches on the bike before I take pictures.Not sure what I will do with this bicycle in the long run. The frame is 33 years old and was raced for years by the original owner. The drivetrain and wheelset are around 10 years old and well-used. Even if my impressions of the reborn bikeare positive, I have concerns about frame/component failure and will need to think about that aspect more carefully. But it is certainly informative to compare this bicycle's handling to the modern roadbikes I have been trying over this past summer and fall. Let's just say I am surprised.

I am glad to have theMoserback; in a number of ways it is an even more unique bicycle than I thought.I hope to share my impressions in the coming week and fingers crossed that it doesn't start snowing in the meantime.Stay tuned, and a huge thank you to everyone who's helped me with this project!

Happy New Year from White Sands, New Mexico!

Above left: New Year's Eve moonrise. Above Right: My friend Roger photographing the dunes under the New Year's Eve full moon.

Well, my trip is nearly over... almost 6 weeks ago I left Grand Portage on a quest to explore the West, focusing mostly on the Pacific coastal areas of Washington and Oregon. Its been a great trip, but some of the best experiences were at the end of the trip! My friend Roger and I arrived at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico the afternoon of December 31, . We were planning on camping overnight in the dunes and arrived at the park just in time to get our orientation and register for our campsite before the daily deadline. After we registered, we had just enough time to scope out a place to shoot sunset and the moonrise. Watching the moon come up over the white sand dunes was incredible.



Above: Our campsite. We placed our headlamps inside the tent to illuminate it for this shot.

After shooting the sunset and the moonrise we decided to set up camp before doing some moonlight shooting. Our campsite was about a mile from the parking area and after finally locating our site (which was a little difficult to find, since the trail markers through the dunes are VERY difficult to locate in the moonlight!), we set out for a few hours of moonlight shooting.



Above: Our campsite, nestled against a dune with the San Andres Mountains in the background.

White Sands is an awesome landscape during the day, but switch to night and throw in the light from a full moon and its downright magical! We had a blast hiking around the dunes and taking pictures. It was a lovely night, the air was crisp but not too cold and there wasn't a lick of wind. Its pretty amazing when its so still and you can't hear anything except for your own breathing. Thule (Roger's dog) even seemed to really enjoy the night as he was friskier than usual, running laps around us and jumping up and down.



Above and below: Roger photographing the White Sands landscape.



Below: A wider view of our campsite amongst the dunes. This view is looking south towards Mexico.



We were out shooting until about 1:30 a.m., so we rang in the new year while walking around on the dunes :-) We settled into our sleeping bags, hoping to get at least 5 hours of sleep before sunrise.



My alarm woke me at 6:30, and when I crawled out of the tent I noticed right away that it was much colder than it was when we went to sleep. In fact, our tent was even covered in a thin layer of frost! I don't know what the temperature actually was, but it felt like it was in the mid 20's. As I crawled out of the tent I turned my eyes skyward and the first thing I saw was the full moon just above the dunes directly out in front of the tent. What a sight to wake up to! I quickly forgot about how cold I was and went back into the tent to wake Roger and retrieve my camera gear.



As the sun got closer and closer to breaking the horizon, the sky to the West took on this amazing pink glow. The pink sky with the moon and the white sand made a view that was to die for. Definitely one of the prettiest New Year's Day mornings I have ever seen!

Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico

This sign sits in the park or town square in Old Town Albuquerque, New Mexico. My friend and I decided to take a walking tour around the shops and sights while she was visiting on July 15, ... She had never been but I have been going now and then ever since I was born. Although it has been about seven years or so since I was last there with my two aunts on one of their trips to Albuquerque. http://www.albuquerqueoldtown.com/ The town of Albuquerque was founded in 1706. The church of San Felipe de Neri Church sits on one side of the square and the other three sides are full of shops, and cafes, as well as one old, large, and famous restaurant named La Placita. When visiting you need to remember that Old Town now is mostly for the tourist trade and prices may be higher here than in other, more modern, parts of Albuquerque. There are lots of gift shops, jewelry stores, and artist shops and galleries. Some shops have the cheaper tourist trade gift items but lots of unique, and very high quality items can be found in other shops.
http://www.virtualalbuquerque.com/VirtualABQ/OldTownPlaza/ This website has lots of photos, history information, and tourist information about Old Town.
I have posted a lot of the photos and some brief descriptions of the day that we toured Old Town. I have tried to put them in a semblance of an order of the way we walked and so that it would make since to those readers that have never been there. Hope you find it interesting and that maybe if you are ever in Albuquerque you will find time for a visit to one of my favorite places in my home state.

Rainier After the Storm!

After receiving nearly 8 ft. of snow over the past week at Paradise, the mountain is looking particularly PHAT!(View from the Tatoosh)

Chiricahua National Monument

If you should happen to be driving along Interstate 10 in southeast Arizona, you need to turn south onto highway 186 in Wilcox. Your destination is a little over 30 miles through the desert, uphill. It is the same terrain you have been driving through from Texas and New Mexico and you're wondering why or how this will be any different. But when you reach the little road that takes you into a canyon, you enter a different world. A delightful, surprising one.

There was green grass. And trees. Not just the little scrub bushes but real trees. And it was cool. And there was a stream with flowing water. Of course, it was early spring. There had been a lot of snow during the winter and it was melting. The first time in many years that there had actually been water flowing in Bonita Creek, according to one of the Park Rangers.

This fascinating place is Chiricahua National Monument. I had never heard of it until I saw a sign on the Interstate. I'm so glad that I took that road. The campground was pleasant with some sun making its way through the trees. It was refreshing to return to after several hours of hiking the trails, which were created by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.

My Campsite.

The Erickson/Riggs home at Faraway Ranch, Bonita Canyon.
In 1887, this remote canyon became the home of Neil and Emma Erickson. Swedish emigrants, they met at Fort Craig, New Mexico. He was a sergeant in the Army and she was a a maid and companion to the Colonel's wife. Neil was often away from home, working, and Emma tended to the children and the ranch. In 1903 he became a forest ranger, which took him further away from Bonita Canyon. In 1917, the eldest daughter, Lillian, began inviting guests to the ranch and it became the getaway destination. Her husband, Ed Riggs, became foreman of a CCC Camp and helped build the trails used by visitors today. They did an amazing job on the trails. Faraway Ranch is now a part of Chiricahua National Monument.

Beyond Bonita Canyon are the mountains. The trails wind through the incredible rock formations – pillars and balancing rocks galore! It is a wondrous place, indeed.

Velo Corsetry: Rescuing Vintage Saddles

The Co-Habitant has recently acquired a gorgeous vintage Roadster. The bicycle itself was in great condition, but the B72 Brooks saddle seemed to be a goner -- hard as a rock, with cracks on the verge of forming all over the surface. Rather than give up on the saddle, he decided to try the lacing technique. Lacing can rescue saddles that have become rigid and brittle with age: It holds the shape of the saddle under pressure of the cyclist's behind, allowing the leather to slowly regain its flexibility. Here is how it is done:

A dried-out saddle should first be treated with Neatsfoot oil. If the saddle is rescuable, it will begin to soften. Take care not to use too much oil, so as not to oversaturate: Rub the saddle with a cloth or napkin, never soak.

Punch several holes on each side of the saddle, through which the laces will be threaded.

Thread the laces through the holes, overlapping them underneath and pulling the two sides of the saddle closer together -- like tying a shoe. The traditional method is to use a long strip of leather, though some use shoe-laces.

The tightness can be adjusted, like a corset, to control the shape of the saddle. Afterwards, the laces are tied in a secure knot.

This is what the saddle looks like in the end. The stiching itself can be executed in several different ways. The Co-Habitant likes the "underneath" stitch, but the side-to-side stitch is also popular.

And voila: an ancient B72 saddle rescued and happily returned to its proper place. It has not cracked after being riden on. Happy saddle, happy Roadster, and happy Co-Habitant.

More information about lacing Brooks saddles is available from Wallington Bicycle Parts.