Ski 1 - Friday Nov 7 - It All Begins With A Dawn Patrol

It may have happened a little later than the past two years, but the beginning of this season follows suit and begins with a dawn patrol up the hills of Little Cottonwood.  In 2006, it was October 27.  In 2007, it came early on October 8.  This year is not far behind, but comes packing a punch.  Getting ready for your first dawn patrol of the season is always a bit nerve-racking but very exciting.  I prepared all my gear last night making sure I had every last piece of gear ready to go.  I retired around 9 o'clock (after 30 Rock was over) and slept surprisingly well.  The first tour of the season to me is a lot like Christmas morning was when I was a kid.  I spend the whole night dreaming of how great it is going to be.  I go to sleep early thinking this will bring the morning quicker.  And I always wake up earlier than I had planned.  My alarm was set to go off at 4:15am.  I awoke at 4:00 ready for my day.  I got up without issue and finished my preparation (this is something that will soon change for dawn patrols - when I begin completely regretting my decision at 4:15 when the alarm goes off and I don't want anything more than to stay in my warm bed).  I met my co-workers - Nazz, Jason, and Daniel - at the ShopKo parking lot at 4:45.  We traveled together up to Alta ski resort.  After a small injury in the parking lot (Daniel slipped on the ice and cut his face), we were on our way up the hill.  I felt really good.  Maybe it has something to do with my short daily bike rides to and from the train.  Whatever the source for my fitness is, I was happy to have it.  I tried to take a few photos of the skin up but only got one that turned out.  We skinned up to the top of the Wildcat lift and skied the Northeast face.  This proved to be the best snow on the mountain.  And it was better than any other first day of the season I have previously experienced.  There was about 4 feet of new snow.  We were skiing about 2 feet of fresh stuff on top of the base.  There was not a rock in sight.  I was a little off balance in my first turn, but quickly got back in the groove and had good turns for both my first and second runs.  Again, I tried but failed with the photos of the skiing.  The light was just too low and I am not yet back into the swing of things where I can get everything ready super fast and take the right shots.  We will see how that goes next time.  I stayed to the more Easterly facing stuff all the way down finding good, but tracked snow.  We were able to get to work by 8 o'clock just fine.  I showered there and was ready for my day.  Really, it was a quality morning.  I look forward to many more of these as the season progresses.  On Ski.

Climb 21 - Tuesday Oct 14 - The Egg

It has been cold lately.  So cold that one would think winter was right around the corner.  This assumption, however, would be quickly debunked if you were to go outside this afternoon.  It was sunny and the weather was warm.  I suppose I can wait a little longer for winter... but not much longer.  I had an InDesign class at SLCC this afternoon (as paid for by my office).  This allowed me to be home at an hour more condusive to climbing.  Carvel and I went up Little Cottonwood Canyon to climb the Egg.  I had never climbed there and it had been some time since Carvel had.  There was a nice new trail to follow, but we missed it on the way up.  We followed some old directions and they took us through some interesting terrain.  We eventually made it to where all we had to do was scramble across the rock face to get to the base of the climb.  Why is it that this part is always the scariest to me?  Ugh.  It took me a while, but I made it.  Then Carvel lead the climb.  It was a long one which he lead with two ropes.  He got a little off route on the way up giving us a taste of all the climbs on the Egg.  When he eventually made it to the top I then got things together and followed.  I had no issues in the cracks, but as soon as I got out on the face I just got a little sketched out.  It turns out that face climbing with small holds is not my gig.  I like face climbing with big holds (even if it is overhanging) or crack climbing.  I did make it and then it was time to descend.  It took us a while as there was some problem solving involved in this task.  This is one of the things I like about trad climbing - I like the thinking aspect of it all.  We hiked back down by headlamp and made it to the car around 7:45.  Remember when it didn't get dark until 9:30?  This is only another sign of the impending winter.  I had a good time this afternoon.  I apologize for the lack of photos.  It is just hard to do when there are only two of you.  I plan to take a lot more photos this winter so get excited.  There should be some good ones as I have been learning more and more about photography and how to use my camera.  Until then, On Rock.

Just A Side Note About Bicycle Commuting - Tuesday Oct 14

As of June 2008, I have commuted some distance to work.  This has taken some getting used to.  First, I carpooled with several others from work which meant I only had to drive in once a week.  Then my office got us all train passes.  I have taken the train ever since.  It has been nice.  On ideal days, Stacy drops me at the train station in the morning and picks me up in the evening.  This works out to be a 10 hour day for her and she gets a day off work per week because of it.  Recently, however, due to scheduling difficulties, I have been driving myself to the train station.  Until last week, I had been carrying my road/tri bike with me every day to ride from the train to my office.  This was just more hassle than it was worth - I mean, putting my bike on the car in the morning, then taking it off, then dealing with it on the train (they don't have the best bike racks on there), ... etc, etc, you get the picture.  So two weekends ago I picked up an old bike from my in-laws, fixed it up with fenders, slimed tires, etc. and I have been leaving it at the Clearfield train station locked up.  This has been working out beautifully... until today.  I got off the train this morning all bundled up due to the cold weather we are currently experiencing.  I unlocked my bike and began my ride.  The route includes a small section of gravel.  I was half-way through it when my front tire locked up and I went end-over-end onto the ground below.  I am not the type that gets angry and frustrated over these things (after all, I probably can't count how many times I endoed while on my mission), so I laughed about it and tried to get back on the bike.  This is when I found out that my front fender had been sucked up into the wheel well of the bike.  I spent a few minutes to try to free the different components so I could continue my ride to work, but to no avail.  I then had to carry my bike (or at least the front half since it wouldn't move) and I started walking.  Again, this was not a big deal since I was in no huge hurry.  Soon after I reached the main road, I was picked up by two people I work with and we drove the rest of the way in.  With the help of some tools, I was then able to free my wheel and take care of the bike.  I sent the fender company an email this morning and they were very kind in offering to relace it immediately (not to mention how fast they were with the email response!).  I have discovered that bicycle commuting is not always going to be as smooth as I would like it to be.  There are factors that make it a little more unpredictable - weather, drivers, bike parts, etc.  However, this in no way makes me want to discontinue doing it.  I like it.  I like getting my legs going in the morning and in the afternoon.  I look forward to when this can be done by skiing, but until then (and even after then) a short bicycle commute will continue to do me good.  On Ride.

Climb 20 - Wednesday Oct. 8 - Wait, Shouldn't I Be Skiing Right Now?

As mentioned in the last post, I really wanted to get back up to Sport Utility Wall and knock off that 10a.  Jer and I met after work to do just that.  He was running a little late so we met up there.  I was waiting for him up at the climb as I tried to explain the approach to him over the phone.  Due to either my bad directions or the ambiguity of the turn area from the gully which he climbed up, he got a little lost during the hike and we lost some time.  No big deal, we still had time to both get up this rock before total darkness.  We quickly got our stuff together and I began leading the climb.  The first section is a little tricky, but I had done it before so I knew where the big holds were.  There are plenty of big holds on this climb, you just have to know where they are and maybe reach a little for them.  I got past the first few bolts with ease.  This was feeling good.  Then I came to the first of the two tricky sections.  It took me a minute to remember the move, but I did and it was easier than I thought.  There was one more move keeping me from the top and a true redpoint.  I had plenty of strength left and I just powered through it.  I was stoked to do it.  I just haven't climbed regularly this year and much of it has been with beginners - therefore, at easier areas.  I am not sure how many more times I will get out climbing this year.  Snow fell last weekend and will be falling again this weekend.  It was this day last year that I got my first ski day in.  I am super stoked for the ski season.  If we get any more snow before next weekend I may just have to go walk around and try to make a few turns on Saturday.  We will see.  On Rock.

Climb 19 - Tuesday Sept. 23 - Scouts v3.0

It is the last week of the month and it is time I came up with something to do with just my scouts on our own.  On Sunday we briefly talked about going climbing, but I had not done any follow up.  When I got home from work I texted the boys and found that they were both still into the idea.  We quickly got our stuff together and headed up to Sport Utility Wall.  Time is short nowadays since the sun goes down so early, but I figured we had time for one route each.  When we arrived I was surprised to see some others up there.  There were on the 5.10a, but this wasn't a problem since we wanted to get on the 5.9.  The problem was that they wanted to get on the 5.10c by leading the 5.8 which shares most of the bolts with the 5.9.  The 10c is a completely different climb, but the 5.8 and 5.9 are the same except for the top section.  The 5.9 goes straight whereas the 5.8 heads right to the 10c chains.  So we waited for them to lead that and set up their toprope.  The dudes were nice, but they certainly didn't see the need to hurry as much as I did.  As soon as they were done, I quickly lead the 5.9 and set up our toprope for the boys.  Will followed and climbed it pretty smoothly.  I figure anyone who is athletic can climb 5.9.  He did fall once, but I think that was primarily due to him sticking his hand in a pile of some sort of animal droppings half way up the climb.  Tony climbed last and he seems to be into it.  That's cool.  I wish I had started climbing at a younger age.  I would be a lot further than I am now.  We were able to get down clean up and hike back to the car before the sun went down.  Although it was short, it was a successful evening.  I am hoping to get back up there soon so I can redpoint that 10a before the season is over.  I mean, let's be serious here, I probably won't get any climbing done once the ski season starts.  On Rock.

Climb 18 - Wednesday Sept. 17 - Scouts

I am the venture scout leader in my ward (boys 16-18).  At my first meeting with the stake venture leaders I was asked what I do for a living.  I told them I do marketing for a rock climbing company and their very next question was whether I would be willing to take the boys climbing some time.  I said I would be happy to and we planned it for this evening.  Last week I gave a little presentation on climbing and went of some safety and gear basics.  I tried to stress the importance of coming early tonight since we have very limited daylight at this time of year.  I went up with Stacy, Jer, and Jer's friend, Calvin around 5.  We met up at Dogwood in Big Cottonwood Canyon and began to get ready to have the boys meet us.  I was hoping we were going to be the first after work group up there and we would be able to set up a few ropes and stake out our territory for the evening.  This was not the case.  We arrived to find several other groups and even more on their way.  We were able, however, to still kind of take claim on the far left area of the first section of the wall.  I led three climbs and we set up the top ropes.  They were a 5.7, a 5.8, and a 5.9.  Each were fun climbs and I figured the boys would enjoy them.  We were met by Mike as time went on and we all climbed and waited for the boys.  It wasn't until just before 7 that the first group showed up... and it was only one boy with two leaders.  This boy got the best deal.  He got to climb all three routes and the one leader that wanted to climb got on two routes as well.  The last group of boys didn't stroll in until around 7:30-7:40 making it difficult to get much climbing in since it gets dark at 8.  We were able to get them on rock and each of them got the chance to climb one route.  I suppose they just didn't get the hint when I told them to come early as it gets dark.  Oh, well.  I think they had fun and they may have just got enough that the sport will interest them in the future.  I had a good time since I was able to climb three routes.  I liked the 5.9.  If I make it back to Dogwood anytime soon, I will certainly be climbing that route again.  On Rock.

TRI 4 - Saturday Sept. 6 - Yuba Lake

It has been a good summer.  There has been some training, some racing, a little bit of climbing, some dog training, etc.  Today marked the end of the 2008 triathlon season for Stacy, Ryan, and I.  I feel it ended in a good way.  We left SLC last night as soon as we were all done with work.  In an effort to avoid the traffic in Utah County, we decided we would eat before getting on the road.  We stopped at Johnny Carino's in Sandy for some pasta.  Much like our experience at last year's end of season tri, our night-before dining experience was less than stellar.  Our service was slow, the food was just alright, our server forgot to bring us a few things we asked for, it was loud, and more.  We left as soon as we could to avoid the grumpiness that was overcoming Ryan and Stacy already (just like last year).  We then began the trek to Spring City a little later than we had hoped.  Upon reaching San Pete County, Ryan was pulled over and given a ticket for speeding in Fountain Green.  He was in the process of slowing down from a 60ish speed limit to a quick 45 then quickly again to 35.  He was clocked going 48 just past the 35 sign.  Really?  Give me a break.  He was obviously slowing down.  The speed changed so quickly there that it would be hard not to be speeding at some point.  Whatever.  We then finished the drive into Spring City, greeted Stacy's parents as they were cleaning the place for an upcoming Historical Society visit, then got ready for bed.  It was a little later than we would have liked to be getting to bed since we had to wake up at 4:30 the following morning.  I slept like a log.  After the local kids shut up, it was just silent down there.  We got ready fairly quick upon waking up and got on our way to Yuba.  It was about an hour from Spring City and we wanted to be there by around 6.  We got a little lost on the drive and ended up driving all the way out to I-15 then back in towards the lake.  But we still had plenty of time to prepare for the race.  We set up our transition stations, signed in, and prepared mentally.  The race started at 7:45 (a little later than they were planning).  The water was nice - smooth and a good temperature.  My swims have been getting stronger and stronger as time has gone on.  Today was no exception.  I had the best swim of my career.  I do not have that time as the they had issues with the timing chips, but I can tell you that I honestly know that it was the best swim because of how smooth everything went.  I did run into Ryan about 1/3 of the way through the swim.  He reached forward and have me a little bum squeeze.  I was impressed that he could tell it was me.  I pulled ahead of him not far beyond that.  After a strong swim, I came out of the water ready for a solid bike.  My transition was decent and I was on my way.  It was not far in before I realized that I had a lot of energy and should be pushing myself.  So I did.  I am not the fastest biker in the world, but I am not too bad at climbing hills.  I think it is the skier in me that has built up those muscles.  I passed a few people on the bike and was only passed by those that obviously were super bikers that are poor swimmers.  The first half of the bike never seemed to end.  It was all uphill and every time you would think you were going to turn around soon, you would come upon another long hill to climb.  Eventually we did reach the turn around point and a little while later I saw Ryan headed the other way.  This was the first time I saw how far ahead of him I was.  The competitive side of me just wanted to know what was necessary to beat him - he did beat me in the Half and I had to redeem myself.  Soon after we had our final real climb on the bike followed by a long downhill.  This was a nice break.  I finished the bike strong, made a quick transition to the run, and began on my way.  I was surprised to feel relatively strong at the beginning of the run.  I didn't want to burn myself out, so I paced myself, but at a little faster pace than I had in previous races.  There were two turn around/out-n-back sections on the run at which I saw Ryan.  I never did see Stacy on the run, but that was because she was out on an out-n-back when we would have crossed.  I had just enough left in me at the end of the run to go a little harder for the last half mile.  It was a good race.  Perhaps training is overrated.  Perhaps I do better when I just take the month off and relax before a race.  I doubt that, but it did seem to work for me today.  Ryan finished just minutes behind me and Stacy finished a little while later.  They had difficulties with the timing so I don't know exactly how well I did, but it felt good and it was a good end to the tri season.  It was just enough to get me excited to do it again next year.  But for now I will do some climbing and get ready for the ski season!!!  On Tri.