Things to do besides climbing installment

Clear Creek Caving-

This past Sunday, Marcelo talked a few of us into an underground excursion in clear creek. A fun little fault cavern with several small squeezes offered up a couple hours of non-climbing entertainment. Yes. "Mano". Hand.

Everyone was psyched at the bouldering potential found both near the entrance and exit to the cave. Maybe we should take some pads up sometime!

The pinches and confinement begin right as you drop through the entrance and underground.

If you are at all claustrophobic, this little trip is not for you.

Yes, this is an actual pinch that you squeeze through. Marcelo squirmed through inch by inch and I followed.

It leads to a fault about a foot wide that runs for 30 feet. Very cool.

Strangely enough, Marcelo has to go down and under the block frank is standing on to get to him. It's a labyrinth down there!

This photo was shot by frank back down towards where I was at in the previous photo.

There is quite a bit of graffiti in the cave. Frank is dropping down into the biggest room which is close to one of the entrances.

Pretty freakin cool. Though admittedly not as cool as bouldering.

Doc said the finger MIGHT be ready for super-jugs in February.

Until then, no straining the finger and rest.

Suck.

More "things to do besides climbing installments" coming soon.

Add another to the Disabled List.

Our very own Rylan has suffered a finger pop in Hueco on the first day of his 8 day trip.

He was on his project for the trip (I don't know the problem name) and suffered a finger injury in his middle finger just as I have.

This is turning into an epidemic people.

So far, the tally goes...

Rylan

Frank

Andy Mann

NARC!!!

Myself

Please please please kids, if your digits are sore, take a couple days off instead of a couple Advil. You'll thank yourself.

It's CARTER SESON!!!!!

Although winter brings the closure of our favorite alpine areas, it opens up some of the local possibilities such as CARTER LAKE.

Some of the crew escaped up to Ft. Collins to enjoy Carter this past weekend. As usual with our crew, there was a lot more shenanigans than climbing.

Fiona is getting STRONG again. She's pulling moves in the gym that I cannot touch and sending everything in her path.

Here she is cruising the moves on Kahuna Roof. She fell off the top, but it will go soon for sure!

Ok... It appears that the swashbuckling Black Beard has cornered Rich with a stick-brush saber. She allegedly is trying to help him with a case of "mud-butt" he came into during a tumble down the hill. I don't blame him for being scared. This appears to be Lee and Steph. in the middle of a choreography session for the upcoming Kahuna Roof production company's version of CHICAGO.

Not entirely sure. Maybe a scene from Jurassic Park?

As I understand it, Steph. and Flan came up with a scale of difficulty as related to "smelling" objects. On this scale, S0 (S-Zero) would be like an onion, and S11 would be smelling water. Here, the girls are sampling one of the finest S7s in the state!

Back to the climbing...briefly. Lee is crushing a line that I have not been on, but assured by many that I would "LOVE, CRUSH, FLASH"... you get the idea. All I know is it looks SICK.

I can't wait to heal up and enjoy a session at Carter. It really is good, and I REALLY need to finish Kahuna!

Satellites...

Before the pop, Diggs and I had the pleasure of a Satellites tour from Sara and Chuck.

It is an excellent place for climbing and letting chuck take pictures that make a sandwich look 3X the size of your head. SICK
Upon Healing, I will require "tall" beta for turning point.
Just sayin.

Fail.

Climbing in the gym last night I suffered the first "Pop" I've experienced in a finger while climbing.

Yay 3 (minimum) weeks off.

It was the textbook example. Crimping hard, feet cut, try to hold it, SNAP, hand goes limp and fall. I iced it immediately. Today it is swollen, VERY tender, and weak. It does move back and forth, but it is unpleasant to do so, and it doesn't close all the way.

Looks like I will be working out my thumbs a bit through Christmas. Anyone up for some video football? I've been meaning to re-play through the Metal Gear series. As good an opportunity as any I guess.

There are also the fringe games I haven't been playing. PSYCHED!

In short, this sucks on a level I never thought possible. If your fingers are sore kids, do yourself a favor.

Skip a session or two.

I would be happy to hear treatment plans from anyone who has endured this sort of bullshit in the past. My health insurance hasn't kicked in through work yet, so I am wary to go to the doctor. It doesn't appear to bowstring so maybe it is not TOO bad?

Foolish Faces: Moab

As I mentioned, some of the crew disappeared to Moab a couple weekends past. Thankfully, they shot some photos from the top of the brown-power boulder which always yields good foolish-faces shots!

"Is it gone? There was a SPIDER up there. I swear." "Damn you spider! I will kill your face! You cannot hide!"

"EEEWWWWW. Rich left spider guts up here in mah crimp!"

"You said it DIDN'T hurt!"

"But it hurts A LOT!"

"A LOT alot!"

"Smile through the AGONY."

"Kristen's Birthday Party Face."

-Amy Carden

C-Wood Recon (Cave Caves area)

After spending a couple days sick on the couch, I decided to check out some boulders I've never visited in Castlewood. A couple look REALLY good.

The big cave. Could be very chossy. I didn't pull to find out.

This block could have two or three warm-up problems. This one looks good, but HARD. A few good holds leads to blankness before another good hold and a sloping topout.

OMFG. This felt solid and the features were super cool. A bit of a landing, but nothing some organic foam can't fix.

I think this is listed as "Jonah and the wale" (V5) in the benningfield guide. It looks freaking amazing.

In short, if we get a dry couple days in the coming weeks, I would like to drag someone up to do a couple of these. Has anyone been up there before?

Before the storm...

This past weekend, I was working and could not make it to Moab with the crew.

(Photos up soon)

Sockhands and I snuck out to the wood for a quick sesh that did not require a 10 hour drive home due to snow and closed mountain roads.

Somehow I feel like we still won.

See the full post HERE.