My whole quick stop at Horne Lake then spend ten days in Washington plan changed, and I stayed 6 days in Horne Lake. It was just too good! I got the project I’d been hoping for, Subdivisions. It was my first true power endurance route, and I think I took….I don’t know, like 6 tries total over 3 days. The day I did it I gave it one burn in the morning and fell at the anchor, which is the same anchor as a route I have already done, Moonraker. It’s a few moves on jugs into a slopey hole, a few underclings to clip from, and a very awkward body position. I had forgotten how specific the moves were up there, and didn’t rehearse that section ahead of time because I am lazy. After the fall I almost started to cry, because the sun was killer hot and I was kind of nauseous from climbing in it. But I collected myself and figured out the moves, brushed everything, made some ticks and top roped the end 5 times, then twice more just in case. Then I came down and hid in the shade for 4 hours til the sun went behind the wall.
this is the first rest right before a cruxy part of Subdivision. The pic is from that German guy Axel's blog, which you'll get to if you click on it. I have no idea who the climber is or who took it, just wanted to show you kinda what the route looks like.
In the meantime I tried a few burns on Plastic Jesus, the first “pitch” of a badass endurance route called Jesus Saves the Pusher. I didn’t do more than a few moves of it, because again, I’m lazy but also because I was saving myself for proj. But next time I’m here I’m going to work hard on that line and see what’s possible. I finally got through Subdivision by climbing fast and letting this awkward, sharp holds on a weird face section be a rest. So yay! Basked in that one for a day or so.
I also managed to do this short, pumpy line called Code of Honor, which had been very painful and annoying on my last trip, with close-together bolts at the start and some tufas that were easy to bang the shit out of your knees on. I don’t know why people get so excited about tufas, they’re almost always just bad sloper pinches. I mean I like sloper pinches too, I guess, especially these because they’re covered with limestone warts and are super sticky, but still. I think what I like would be more accurately called “roofas.” But anyway, I used a long draw and the downgrader and got through Code, long moves between huge holds and some pump.
But then it was Tuesday, and I’d been thinking to be back and gone to Washington by Sunday so…yeah, here I am, still in Squamish where there’s a hot spell and it’s in the high 80s until the sun dunks down. I may go back to the boulders this evening, but eh, I’m enjoying the chill time, organizing my car and hammering out my fall plans, working and reprogramming my body with pilates and yoga. Here are some shots with/by Lotti and Martin, gettin yogic in the park. Lotti’s been introducing me to her specialty, therapeutic acro-yoga. It feels as good as it looks, but I don’t like doing it with strangers.
This slideshow requires JavaScript.
???????
