So it's been almost a month to the day since I've last updated on my life and going-ons. Since we left Idaho, we went through Glacier Nat'l park in Montana; through Calgary; to Banff; to Squamish; back to the U.S. for some reason; through Oregon, CA and have landed ourselves in Yosemite. I shall try to highlight the important points.

• Mike ate a giant sandwitch
• We successfully consumed 3 pounds of blueberries in a very short amount of time
• Drove the Road to the Sun through Glacier National Park, which is AMAZING
• Mike crawled through an ice cave while I sat on the side of the road, next to the 'Danger, this snow and ice might collapse at any moment' sign
• Went to Canada!
• Learned about buffalos jumping off cliffs
• Met up with Mike's friend in Calgary, and saw tons of gay cowboys
• Drove through Banff, saw Lake Louise/Lake Moraine and I fed a chipmunk a flower
• Went to Squamish. Need I say more?

From left to right - Mike eats a sandwich, glacier national park, and me interacting with nature


While in Squamish we.....

• ...sat in the rain for two days, proving that rain stops as soon as you build the best tarp set-up known to man
• ...sent 58 pitches of trad up to 10c, 2 pitches of sport up to 10a (which involved me leading the scariest slab traverse ever, then having Mike bail and forcing me to tension traverse over the crux to retrieve the draw), and something like 54 boulder problems (mostly sent by Mike, but I did a whole lot of spotting)
• ...ate delicous baked goods at the local bakery
• ...learned how to aid climb
• ...went to Vancouver to see Mike's Dad and sleep in a comfy hotel room bed with a shower!
• ...found some booty, including a draw, cordelette and sling from the 1980's
• ...desperately hoped to see hikers mauled by bears, to no avail
• ...took very few photos because we were lazy and it's annoying to photograph while belaying

from left to right - Mike frees Coogee Crack, 5.10 c; I fight with gear after aiding Coogee - A2; Mike sends Superfly, V4: I lead the final pitch of Calculus Crack, 5.8


For some silly reason, we then left Squamish. Things promptly went to shit. Highlights include...

• ...being woken up in Washington by a guy with no teeth looking for pot
• ....not sleeping well for a week
• ...not climbing in Smith Rock because it was 100+ degrees
• ...getting a flat tire
• ....getting said tire fixed for free!
• ...not finding Metolius in Bend, Oregon
• ...going to Tahoe for cooler weather and EXTREMELY crowded campsites
• ...finding some AWESOME bouldering in the Tahoe area, at Bliss and the Secrets
• ...fleeing the free camping at the secrets due to large animals nearby
• ...driving to another bouldering site in Nor Cal, only to be deterred from camping there due to the drunken, scary partying happening around us

Mike in Bliss; me in Bliss; Mike in the Secrets


Then we made it to Yosemite, where it is hot, and extremely crowded. So far we have....

• ...sweated
• ....swam in the river to avoid overheating
• ....successfully got into Camp 4
• ...collected booty at the base of the Nose
• ...bouldered a LOT
• ...did some single pitch stuff
• ...sweated
• ...practiced hauling - what a pain in the ass
• ...made plans to go hang out with Jed and Gary at the Needles (where it is LOADS cooler)

half dome, me on an off-fist boulder problem, mike on Bachar's Crachar V4

So that is the general update. Heading to the Needles tomorrow, then we'll be back to sort gear, rig clip-in loops, shit our pants, and send the Nose! (hopefully)