Levi's Silly Blog - MEALS 2006

Aaron's Thoughtful Diatribe

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

[This entry was originally written under the 6 0ctober entry, but was actually written on october 9th, and was therefore moved to that date.]

I am going to diverge from our daily activites to mention our moral. I think that [up until the 9th or so] it was a bit low. I really can't talk for Levi and so these words are from me only.

Causation:
1) As silly as it may sound the day that I spent with Julia only amplified the amount that I miss her. With the novelty of our climing trip wearing off, in some ways I feel as if I would rather be with her than down here.
2) Althought not annoyed with Levi, the stress of a long car ride, and sitting around for a day is evident. Climbing today has helped aleveate the need for each other to entertain one another. It is a bit funny, on the car ride down we talked about relationships (mostly girls) and how it is healthy to have your own time. Then, although a bit forced into it, we spend the next 72 hours right next to each other. I suppose that our talk of relationships is more encompassing then we mentioned in the car.
3) After being spit off 5.8 slap climbing [over the last few days] I am reminded of how I wanted to become a better climber. I had thought that 4 weeks on the road would help this. But after 2.5 weeks we haven't climbed enough to help much. I feel intimidated sitting in camp 4 with great climbers from all around the world. I guess that I feel intimidated what ever I am doing; climbing, frisbee, skiing.

Resolution:
There is no way for me to get over missing Julia. The feeling does wane, the longer we are apart, and for the most part I don't want to stop missing her. I also don't want my thoughts and feelings to distract me from my surroundings.

Not being couped up has taken all of the stress off Levi and my relationship. I knew that it would and it has been awesome to be on this trips with him. His joy and child like awe of the rocks around us and being out in nature is refreshing and inspiring. It will be interesting moving to Jackson after spending the last 4 weeks in such close quarters.
I know what it takes to be a good climber and suppose that I wasn't prepared to do what it would take this summer. As if it only takes one summer. Maybe someday? I will always be intimadated by other people. I need to learn to be less so, they are just people too. Blah, blah, blah, this is just silly mental shit that I could write about for hours but don't feel like writing about at all.
Anyway, it is much later in the week [filed correctly in this blog] than the day that I am writing under. My moral is much higher and I feel much more balanced.

Journal Entry by Aaron Richards
Transcribed to web by L. Kilcher

Day 18

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Fri, 06 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Another slow morning, good weather, but waiting for the rock to dry a bit. Finally around 11 we head down to the Manure Pile. With next to no parking we decide that the climbs that interest us are probably crowded and change plans. This makes our first climbin Yosemite "The Grack", a 5.7 over on the Apron of Glacier POint. Our spirits are revived as we are finally climbing. We eat lunch on the top (400-500' up) enjoying the view and the sunshine.
Without a watch we decide to head up a seven pitch 5.9 next. Levi takes the odd pitches and on his second lead passes the anchors and heads off-route on a deteriorating crack. As the climbing gets hard he voices concern and I ask whether he can see the anchors. After looking around he realizes that theyare 20' below and that he has gone the wrong way. I lower him off his last piece and he belays me up. A good lesson on route reading/finding. My lead takes me a ways up, past unproctable slabs over a large drop off. I slowly work my way to the anchors, relieved to be off the sharp end of the rope. Levi heads out over similar terrain and I think is equally relieved to finish his lead.
Now the sun has been gone for a few hours and teh temperature has droped a bit. I head out on more frictiony slabby shit and feel as if my shoes have lost there grip. Levi mentions that the rock reached the dew point and be getting a bit wet. Regardless, I can't make the moves, which seem easier than before and so we bail off the 5th pitch.
Turns out to be a wise choice. By the last rappel we are completly in the dark. Luckily I had packed our head lamps and we make it safely to the bottom. Back on the ground, it starts to rain, and the 15min walk back to the car finds us soaked.
Not wanting to deal with cooking in the rain we head to Curry Village and eat pizza. This distroys both of our stomachs and puts us over our budget. We joke of how Mike would handle our crazed spending.

Journal Entry by Aaron Richards
Transcribed to web by L. Kilcher

Day 17

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Rain and snow it does. All day we spend in the Yosemite lodge cage. Avoiding rain seems all to common on our trip thus far. Reading, writing and talking dominate our day and by mid-afternoon it stops raining. The rock is still wet, but hope of climbing the next day is strongly on our minds. Sitting around all day also inspired us to create a home-made chess board. This is mostly Levi's doing, although I provided the idea of using pennies and then funding the 0.32$.
Two or three years ago I played Levi in chess. Winning, I swore never to play him again because of his boastful attitude and knowing that he wanted a rematch so badly. However, after countless hours of sitting in the cafeteria I finally agreed to a game.
The match was long and drawn out in my opinion. Levi taking nearly twice as long as I for each move. Once again the game down to the final pieces. I having percerviered in keeping a couple of more key players, once again won at the end. Ahh, 2-0 in chess against Levi. I now feel that I have nothing to prove in our mental chess games. The two years of worry about a loss tim has dissipated and I feel a bit like Gary Fischer.
Later that evening we managed to get kicked out of Curry Village's cafeteria before coming back to camp and going to bed.

Journal Entry by Aaron Richards
Transcribed to web by L. Kilcher

Day 16

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

We wake lateish, but pull out of camp before any rangers show up expecting us to pay for camping. Unfortunately however, we realize that we had forgotten to refill the propane canister and so we pretty much have to drive to the opposite side of the park to fill it up.
Anyway, we do so, and on the way we pass by El Capitan, and I am completely floored. I had no idea it was so fricking huge. It's amazing. Words can't describe.
After getting propane, we're both feeling a bit groggy from the long drive the day before so we get a campsite and spend most of the rest of the day getting other supplies that we were short on. In the evening we do a bit off bouldering in which Aaron is far more succesful than I (what's new?) We make dinner and meet Cate (Kate? - Caitlin/Kaitlin?) our british campsite neighbor and another british bloke whos name I can't recall. There is talk of rain/snow tomorrow. Disheartening.

Day 15

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Aaron arrives at my house late, and I dilly-dally a bit doing things that should have been done the night before. We finally depart La Hacienda around 8:45. Julia, Aaron and I head down to sunn-side-up for breakfast, and neither I nor Aaron are in all that much of a hurry to get going - though he has two reasons (Julia) and I only the one (avoiding the long drive). We finally drop Julia off at her truck and head out of town around 10:00.
The drive is long.
We stop for bread w/ cheese (a staple of the Levi Aaron Mike crew) and gas a couple times. We chat about the relevant topics in our lives: friends, girls, climbing, ultimate and a dosh of politics/philosophy. We eventually stop for pizza in some crap town south of Sacramento before making the final push toward Yosemite. In the end we only make it to the campground just inside the park entrance where we try to figure out how to pay but end up giving up and just going to bed.

Day 14

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Today starts out much like yesterday. Cold, wet, dark; egg samiches for b-fast.
First game of the day is a sectional championship rematch: Hippo (state of Oregon champs) vs. Rhino. Pink vs. green. Beauty and grace vs. method and training. As should have been the case at Sectionals, the heartless technicians beat the free-spirited hacks by five or so. We went on to lose mostly on hucks to a physical team from Canada. After that game though Ellen and the team presented me with a birthday cake, a card, and a wonderfully off-key rendition of what I think was “Happy Birthday.” Written on the carrot cake was “Mike you are sooo hot!” I didn’t know the team thought of me that way. I was touched…in an uncomfortable place…by I don’t know who…
We stuck around to watch some more of the games. The best part was watching Rhino beat the old Jam (now Justice League…what a horrible name) for the fourth bid to Nationals. After a long, drawn-out, over-the-top fake argument with Bluhmer and Jerome about them taking some stuff (or people) back to Portland with them, we finally get on the road. Ellen and I ride with Slow and Slower while Aaron, Levi and Sierra keep the elk antlers company. My car picks up Thai food to bring back to Mike and Kristen’s place. She has just arrived from a wedding in Colorado and the seven of us and the two dogs sit down for a right proper family-style meal. I find it a fitting crowd to celebrate my birthday with.
And thus ends our saga.
--MD

Compassionate Agnostic Propaganda

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Sun, 01 Oct 2006 00:00:00 -0700

4-things You Should Know:

1. Open-mindedness is an avenue worth exploring.
2. Tolerance builds character.
3. Walking away from fundamentalist religious zealots is okay.
4. God, Goddess, the Great Spirit, the Creator, the Nothing and/or the Everything loves you (Well, maybe not the Nothing, but then you’re probably an atheist so that’s okay too and then we love you.)

--elw

Day 13

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Sat, 30 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

We wake at 0600h. It’s dark and cold outside; heavy dew covers everything. Aaron starts preparing egg sandwiches and coffee. I am tired and groggy, but as the sun rises from behind the hills to the east my spirits also lift. Ellen and Levi brave the air outside their sleeping bags and join us. Ellen leaves for a run and we other three trot over to the playing fields.
By no means am I physically ready for two days of Ultimate. We had grand plans of running three times a week while climbing. I went once with Levi at City of Rocks. Plus, I ate too much for breakfast and am feeling bloated and slow. Too late now! Games have started and Aaron Switzer was all over me for not playing enough at Sectionals…don’t want to rile him up. Ellen takes time during the first game to visit a laundry mat. Upon her return she informs me that she forgot her cell phone there. In a true testament to our differences in outlook, she wonders if perhaps it isn’t easier to leave the phone there and just order a new one? She’s joking, but only partially.
Can’t recall details of specific games. I do remember though scorching a defender for a goal in one of the early games and Levi, standing next to Ellen, singing out from the sidelines, “She’s impressed Michael! She’s really impressed!” A little motivation to work harder, to be sure.
Hippo ends the day with a 3 and 1 record, the loss coming at the hands of Revolver. Jay Jannin made the point after that game that too few folks played and those that did looked tired by the end. Aaron and I were definitely guilty of playing a lot but in my defense at least I felt good physically—despite the fat start to the day. Jay pointed out Levi as one of the guys who could and should have played more. I agree, especially b/c he was one of the few players with a decent huck; and, more importantly, no fear in using it!
Dinner is pizza and salad. We are to play Rhino first thing Sunday morning and Bluhm does his best to get in their heads early, heckling hard as they straggle past our table to the counter to order food. Ellen and Jerome hit it off well, finding that they know several people in common from UT and its program in South America. Levi and Aaron shower at Bluhm’s hotel and drive themselves back to the fields. Thumper drives Ellen and me back to our tent city after I shower at his place, the COCUSA, or, as he pronounces it, the COCK USA. He’s pretty funny for a straight-edge kid.

Day 12

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Ellen and Mike rise early for a quiet morning walk. The air is still and warm, the fautumn colors on the maples stand in stark contrast to the grey morning sky, and the birds sing for no one but themselves. Aaron is alone in camp when we return: Levi drove to town to check the legality of keeping the elk antlers. The three of us start to break camp. For me it’s like packing up summer, carefully stowing it away until next year. Weather again is beautiful—clear blue sky w/ temps the mid 70s.
Levi returns with the car and we load up. Well, Aaron, Ellen and I load up. Levi carefully—very carefully and very thoroughly and very…slowly—ties the gigantic rack to the rook rack. We other three are kept busy picking up his odds and ends all over camp. Sheesh!
We make several stops in Leavenworth. Our efforts at recycling are rewarded with—squat. Nothing we bring to the center is acceptable except one small cardboard box. So much for saving the world. Levi and I do have an epic game of King of the Hill on a giant gravel pile. It brings to mind the old t.v. show “American Gladiators,” except a whole lot dustier. We toss all the recycling in a dumpster behind a German bakery, where we also buy some yummy pastries and a loaf of bread.
We stop a picnic area just west of Leavenworth on Hwy 2 to enjoy the pastires. It ishere we encounter the right-wing fundamental religious zealot that inspires Ellen’s “4 Things You Should Know” brochure. This old man (mid 80s?) wearing a Seahawks cap shuffles over to our table and hands out pamphlets about Jesus and Redemption. He tries to soften us up w/chatter about football. Strike one—none of us give a hoot about it. He HATES UCLA—strike two—religion and hate don’t mesh. He then starts his religious tirade by condemning all Muslims as blood thirsty, ignorant natural-born killers. Strikes 3, 4, and 5. Ellen and Aaron quietly slip away. Levi and I attempt to debate/converse but some comment sends me off in a huff, telling the zealot that this was the most “dishonest and distisgusting” conversation I’d had in a long time. Our saving grace is all the nice comments we get about the “horns” on the car. Aaron and Levi politely give their thanks while I restrain Ellen from shouting about how they’re ANTLERS, NOT HORNS! Man, zealots all over the place…
We spend the afternoon bouldering. With about 10 big boulders in the area one afternoon certainly only whets the appetite. Alas we must move west to our destiny. Ellen gets a free nudey show as the boys do some skinny dipping rock jumping into the Wenatchee b/f we all fold ourselves into the car one last time. Ellen drops $80 for dinner in some small town Indian place. We arrive at Matt Guy’s hotel room in Burlington around 2030h. Ellen showers (good for all of us), we pick up the Hippo jerseys, buy supplies at the grocery store and head for the fields.
--MD

Day 9-12

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:03:00 -0700

Okelee dokelee, this hasn’t been written in since MONDAY, and today is FRIDAY. That’s probably because we’ve been having too much fun and been occupied with other things. That was NOT sarcasm, just for the record.
We’ve had some mighty fine and beautiful days since arriving in Bavaria, Germany. I mean Leavenworth, Washington, USA. (It always makes me feel good to write the place names down. I feel like I know where I am even though aside from here and Potholes I know next to nada about this state.)
--It’s beautiful though! Love it.

So! To do a QUICK run through of the week:
Tuesday (9/26/06 Day 9):
Sword Boulders in the morning. Mike dominates a sweet balancy problem he’s been working, Aaron and Levi conquer their 5.11 (yes?) and the party moves on and up to Bathtub dome (name verification please?) where Levi does a sweet 5.10 (should be 5.9 he says) route up a granite face and Aaron leads a nice route that finishes up a 5.8 crack (yes?) and has a walk-off descent or a two-rope rappel. Aaron and Mike walk off and when Levi and I climb it (he leads as well) we bring two ropes and rap off.
I should mention that the day has been leisurely (oh! We had gone to town that morning for internet and something else…extra food?) and the sun had already set by the time Levi and I had rappelled. So he went to pull the rope—or more so, I had already tried to pull the rope but to no avail and Levi met the same challenge as I. So, he hiked up around to get the ropes and Aaron went up the start coiling them, they took a headlamp with them while Mike and I began our descent with a headlamp between the two of us. We had maybe a 45-minute or so descent before us and my mood was chipper because downhill scrambling in loose entisols with falling light is one of my favorite things to do. Right.
To make a story not as long as the hike down we four took quite the brambly, cliffed-out, steep, and rocky turn of events when all light was gone and our headlamps helped us not in locating the trail. A rapid descent turned into one met with rock slides (small), scree slopes, plenty of bushwacking, a couple good falls by Levi, the acquisition of a sweet set of ELK ANTLERS (not horns), scratched legs, drawn blood but luckily, towards the end, seemingly good humor by all.
Mike and I were about 20 minutes behind Aaron and Levi in exiting (we ended up right at Sword Rock, amazing!) and when we arrived we discovered dinner and fire in progress, wound maintenence and Aaron on hi sway to track us down if we were any slower. (Did I mention how I’m not a fast downhill-in-the-dark walker?) But! Reunited as such we feasted on giant tacos (not burritos) made by Aaron (delicious!) and sat by the fire. I read a story about Finding Abdelati from my women’s travel stories book, and I believe after this we all retired for the evening. Whew! Okay, Tuesday’s done. Now, I’m going to summarize here so someone else can fill in if they want to.
Wed: 1. Corina’s Crag
3. Mike’s delicious peanut spice dinner
2. Town (again)—propane, water, snacks
Thur: 1. Pancakes
2. Bruce’s boulders (sweet swim spot), domestic dome
3. Lovely dinner!
Oh! Dinner last night was awesome. But I’ll leave space here for someone to write about that because…you’ve heard me talk enough for now. I’m going to work on a brochure instead. (See following pages.)
(→Oh, please contribute to the brochure as well if you have additional input.)
--elw

Day 11

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Somehow we all coordinate and get to Bruce’s Boulder before 0900h. It’s a good thing too b/c we pull in just before a van full of novice climbers who end up swarming the rock across the road from us. We set up two top ropes. Aaron and Levi puzzle over something in the 11’s. Levi left for the river in something of a funk following an intense session on the wall. Ellen did an excellent job working out a 5.9 flake, all the while sending positive vibes to the wasps whose home her toes are invading. After I do the flake Ellen and I ponder over a 5.10d move up into a nice 5.8 crack. We give up and head for the river, leaving Aaron and Levi to work more on their route and the 5.10d.
We lunch on left-over tortilla soup, sitting on a rock perched above the sparkling Icicle River in the generous shade of a ponderosa. Levi dips into the swimming hole while we other three doze.
For the afternoon we go to Domestic Boulder. Levi, declaring his desire to take it easy after a trying morning, head with Ellen to lead a 5.9 mixed route. Aaron and I scramble up dirty, slick rock to a precarious belay station, looking for a 5.10b or c shown in the book. What we see matches up not at all with what’s in the book. The bolts (those we can see) are few and way too far in between. We are both nervous as Aaron pulls himself onto the wall. He sets one piece in a hollow-sounding flake on the way up to the first bolt. Thankfully he decides the route is too sketchy to continue and commences a shakey, nerve-racking down climb.
Ellen, meanwhile, forgoing her new effort at cleaner language, is forcefully cussing out the climb Levi led. He is belaying from the top and the route needs to be cleaned b/f he can walk off, so I rope up and give it a go. It is the hardest 5.9+ ever! Congrats to Levi for figuring it out. I have to swing around the first bolt, which irks me, but am please with my efforts to balance my way past the second bolt. The rest is no problem. Levi states on the hike out: “It’s funny how the guy who wanted take it easy (Levi) gets a much harder climb than he wanted and the guy who wanted to climb hard (Aaron) doesn’t get to climb at all!” The look on Aaron’s face suggests “funny” isn’t the word he would use to describe the afternoon.
Dinner and desert though bring everything back to normal. It’s our last night out and any food is fair game. Aaron fries up tofu with spices and very few veggies while Ellen makes such-esque wraps with seaweed paper, rice, avacado and cucumber. Levi assembles a lovely centerpiece of pinecones and fall foliage (it’s the one dinner we eat seated at the table) and we eat by candle light. For dessert we spoon chocolate cake batter into hollowed-out orange peels and bake them in coals. We have a riot of a time laughing at the batter pushing off the little orange lids and slowly oozing out the top. All this laughter is on top of that resulting from Ellen’s humongously fat lip—some sort of bug bite suffered at the water pump. We enjoy the night sky one last time.
--MD

Day 10

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

A Wednesday. Pancakes for breakfast: the first of three days in a row of them in fact. Another loose, rocky unmaintained climber’s trail that quickly rises up out of Icicle Creek Canyon and terminates at Corina’s Crag (?) We spend what seems to be an inordinate amount of time trying to figure out where exactly we are. The guide book is from the early ‘90s so things have changed a bit. And although the rock and routes have not changed, the drawings of them prove to be much more difficult to interpret than the photos in the Smith Rock book that we are familar with. And it’s not just today that we’re having this problem—it’s been a common occurance on this trip.
After some tense moments regarding navigation we do what we came to do and start climbing. I belay Levi on a challenging 10b that has mixed protection. He falls two or three times on a well-placed nut, as well as on a bolt higher up. Great perseverance! After I get on the wall Ellen and Levi switch place b/c Ellen was unable to follow Aaron up the route he had led. They do a two-pitch rapell after Aaron belays from the top and Levi cleans. I end up completing Levi’s route after trouble in the same places where he struggled. Tons of fun w/ lots of balance.
After lunch Aaron and Levi climb Levi’s route while I lead a 5.8 sport. My one and only lead of the trip. I feel bad, not being able to contribute to the “team” effort. I realize that putting up a 5.8 does not contribute much but I feel better nonetheless. Ellen follows me and Aaron raps off to finish the day.
We make one more trip into town—this time for propane, water, phone calls regarding Regionals and ice cream and swedish fish. The one drawback to our campsite is that the motor for the water pump is solar-powered and has only a small amount of reserve juice. The sun doesn’t hit the panels until around 1100 each day and we usually drain the battery (and our H2O bottles) each night so we’ve resorted to boiling creek water. The extra boiling necessitated more propane but we got extra H2O to limit the boiling. This is all superflouos to the main story which is that I made a spicy Thai peanut sauce w/ veggies and rice noodles for dinner which Ellen didn’t eat b/c she was stuffed on swedish fish, we sat by the fire and looked at stars. Yes, again.

Day 8

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Mon, 25 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Drawings by Ellen:
--Sword Rock, no name climb, 5.11
--Belaying @ Sword Rock
--sooo this WAS going to be a sketch of Sierra, BUT Levi walked by and she moved…

It has been a great day; good food, lots of climbing and a laid back feel, making everyone happy. The sun has also been out all day and the temperature was perfect.
Levi and I got up pretty close to each other, made pancakes, and coffee, and decided what we wanted to do for the day. We settled on climbing and were basically ready to go before our two love-birds made it out of their tent. Not wanting to waste the morn. we left them w/ directions and headed out to boulder.
Almost to the first rock Levi realized that he had forgotten the book so went back and got it, I waited by the boulder. The only clean route was a 10− which we figured out pretty quickly. Excided to be climbing early and in such a beautiful place; pines and firs, dry forest floor, granite boulders and the sound of Icicle creek down below.
The second boulder had six prob. That were at our level. Starting w/ a 5.7 traverse we then did a 5.8, another 5.8 and 5.9. None of which really challenged us. There were two 10+’s but we didn’t want to brave the fall and so top-roped both of them. Both had fun moves and leaned a bit on the challenging side. I think that the biggest challenge came when Levi realized that he had neglected his bowls again and so made another trip back to camp.
I thought that maybe he would bring Mike and Ellen back w/ him, but he couldn’t find them so we kept climbing. What happened to our two friends was Mike had wondered way past the trail up to the boulders and Ellen was on a run. Mike found us on his way back b/c Sierra started barking.
Now w/ three we climb/boulder solidly until lunch. Levi and I repeat a few of the problems and Mike warms up and then gives good attempts on the two 10’s. I think that they will fall to his hands by the end the trip.
--AR

Ellen and Mike prepare sandwiches for lunch. Mike and Aaron get in a cookie eating contest. Mike wins. Heading back to the boulders, we grab water on the way. Aaron and I work out a couple more problems and Mike and Ellen give good attempts. These, as well, will fall for them. Then Aaron and I work on the 5.11 (see Ellen’s sketch) and he is much more succesful than I. We pack up and head back to camp just in time to watch the stars come out.
I have the desire to attempt to express the beauty of our campsite. We were fortunate enough to get 1 of 6 sites at the “Bridge creek campground”. It is quiet and peaceful. Our neighbors wave each time we pass by, giving this place the feeling of a small, warm community in contrast to the eye-averting 40+ site city-style campgrounds throughout the rest of the area. Here it feels as though we are happy to have neighbors to share the beauty of this place with, rather than being annoyed by congestion.
Our site, 2nd from the early, sits just upstream of the bend in the creek created by “Campground Wall”. The hillside rolls of quickly below the firepit and lacquer coated picnic table to the riverbed below. There, the creek rolls by providing that constant audio backdrop that soothes the soul, but I dare not describe further. I wonder how far up the valley walls one can hear that sound? Do the rock walls carry the stream song to the peak or do the pine trees muffle it quickly? Many trees line the creek bed, but the fire scorched red pine catches my attention. Leaning over the creek as if frozen in time, tempting fate, it still Lives. The thought of leaving this place and returning to the high paced life in town raises lumps in my heart and saddens the soul.
Ellen prepares a magnificant tortilla soup and we all head off to bed shortly.
--LK

Day 7

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Sun, 24 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Sunrise! This is not only the first morning I’ve seen the sunrise but also the first morning that the sky has been clear.
We all wake around 7am and Mike heads straight for the lake. Aaron, Ellen and I have cereal with soy Milk…yucky! When Mike returns he has that intense, focused look that I can’t help but be at least a little turned on by. As it turns out, he was just trying not to think about how cold he was.
He eats breakfast and we load the car. The drive to leavenworth is uneventful and we therefore arrive 2 hours ahead of schedule. We find a sick campsite along a river in o time and set camp quickly. Then its back to town to find hex’s for Me, but I get a new sleeping bag at 50% off instead—they didn’t have the hex’s I wanted. Then we go to the grocery store for a weeks worth of groceries. And finally to upper castle rock where we only end up getting in one climb. Fortunately Aaron gets to pro lead it, and shakes out the nerves from yesterdays climb. Then I climb and give my shoulder a workout and Mike does a sweet climb followed by Ellen in her toe shoes that she ends up ditching.
We pack up and head home, grabbing a bag of ice in the gas station in the way. The one event of note in this sequence was me closing the trunk apparently too hard, and Aaron and Mike giving me a hard time about it. When I asked whether it really was a big deal, Aaron said
“I was obviosly being passive-agressive about it.” Which I found humorously ironic, the idea of “obvious” passive-agression.
--LK

Day 6

nospam@example.com (Levi Kilcher) — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 00:00:00 -0700

Mike rises first but Sierra quickly joins him. Mike asks if he can take her on a walk,…ah duh, and let me sleep in. But, alas I’m awake and go join the two compatriots on their lap around the campground.
We get back to our site, deciding there is no advantage to moving and we start breakfast. Yummy pancakes are made as the sun starts to come out, Yes, I said the SUN.
Breakfast is finished, we throw all our stuff in the tent Mike and Ellen set up and move on to our days activities. It stats w/ yoga, lead by Ellen, and the weather is so warm that Mike takes his shirt off. God he is good looking. Levi and I leave our shirts on, mostly out of jealousy I think.
After yoga we are finally headed out to get our second full day of climbing in. The cliffs look sweet as we drive up, and I am getting excited. At the bottom of our fist climb we hear a hissing, having heard and seen a rattle snake 2 wks ago I let Levi, who is standing a few feet from the spot, that I am 90% sure it is just a cicada.
I gear up for the climb, Ellen to belay, Mike and Levi go around the corner to set up another climb. W/in feet of getting off the ground I am pulling chunks of loose rock off the wall. Should have backed them. But, it is my 1st climb in almost a week while on a “climbing” trip. I move on. Set a piece and do a few more moves. Hmm, only a tiny crack to set anything, so that is what I do and more above it. Rock is still loose, my right foot is on a piece that wants to break but I think my left hand is solid. I put all of my weight on my right foot so I can move my right hand up and that rock breaks. I fall onto my left hand which pulls three more large chunks of rock off. My fall sends me past my second piece that breaks the rock that is around it and I keep falling, basically onto Ellen’s head. She is pretty scraped up and I am OK, a bit shaken and annoyed with my mistakes and the rock around here. Lucky no one is hurt!
Ellen heads to the car for some FA supplies, IK am pensive about trying the climb again. Looking up at the gear I hear the cicada again and look into a crack/hole where the nosie is coming from.
I have to jump back b/c there is a ginoremous rattle snake in there. My 90% goes straight to 0%, and I think I owe Ellen a few of my lives. And Levi at least one. So far, not my best day.
--AR

Ok, so Aaron covered all the really exciting/crazy stuff so this entry is in some ways kina disapointing to write, but Mike really wants me to write something so that he can do a journal reading. But anyway…
After all that excitement, we top roped another couple climbs (10/12) from a single anchor. The 10 was a fun jaggy crack that all four of us climbed and the 12 had a hard start that Aaron promptly pooped one of the holds off of—again, not his best day—but eventually he and I figured out the sequence. Unfortunately, when I tried to string it together my shoulder popped out of socket. Aaron gave it another shot but wasn’t quite able to string it together either. Anyway, it was rated 12, but was probably more like 11−.
The pack, hike and drive home was uneventful. Ellen and Mike prepared a delightful pasta dinner while Aaron started the fire and I reviewed my constellations. After dinner—peanuts and beer were dessert—I did dishes while others prepared their beds. We finished the evening studying a few more constellations, and Mike and I revelled in the fact that we knew a constellation in every direction in the September sky. Another wonderful nights sleep was had under the stars.