I have been climbing rock since the spring of '96, and decided to take an extended trip during the summer of '98. The more I planned, the bigger it got, until eventually it took up the entire summer. This pitiful attempt at a web site is simply an easy way for me to tell you about it and maybe deliver some useful advise for your next trip. After two years of fairly intense climbing, I was becoming good enough to warrant a trip to expand my skill and knowledge. I figured the best plan would be one that took me to as many different climates, cultures, and types of rock possible. I had traded my worn-out kayak, a 'dancer', for a '77 VW camper bus the year before. After getting the engine rebuilt, I took a trial run to City of Rocks, Idaho on my way to Crested Butte Colorado. It was April'96 and the 'Spring thing' was great. The only breakdown was a distributor problem at the ski area. Over the next year, the bus and I went many places together, including two trips to Lake Tahoe, Ca. and over 30 runs to Smith Rock, Or. where I did most of my outdoor climbing.
The beauty of climbing lies not only in the physical aspect of vertical dance, but also in the fact that, once you buy all the nescessary equipment, it's FREE.
At each area, I made every effort to preserve that beauty. With help from 'Rock and Road'- a climbers guide to North America, and lots of friendly advise, I was going LOW BUDGET.
The most important element is your state of mind, next is your vehicle. Sleeping, cooking - LIVING in my bus for nearly six months? You bet!
After warming up by climbing weekends at Smith Rock while ski patrolling during the week, I headed out. It was April 24th, 1998.
At this time I had onsighted 5.11c, redpointed .12a and trad led .10c with almost no injuries worth mentioning.
This was going to be a summer of discovery and improvement, I'd hoped.
Travelling solo turned out to be the ticket. At each area I was forced to find climbing partners, which resulted in meeting lots of great people. (This went along nicely with the 'dicovery' part.)
