Quality Of Life Revisited

As some of you may know our shop Core Mountain Sports is a Jackson Kayak Superstore which means we have alot of debt, just kidding well not really but anyhow we carry the full line of Jackson Kayaks and we have a demo for every model. It's been a real eye opener to work with the folks at Jackson Kayak, they are easy to work with and they communicate to their dealers and customers better then any other company I have ever dealt with. Back to the point of this blurb, Erik Jackosn wrote this nice little bit and I wanted to share with all of you.

Measuring your quality of life, and improving it instantly. People often make the mistake of assuming that one’s situation has more to do with their quality of life than their attitude. I have made some major changes in my life’s situation to pursue my dreams and improve the quality of my life. However, after succeeding in my quest of having my family together full time, of becoming the athlete I have always wanted to be, to being in the driver’s seat in my professional career, and traveling the world as a kayaker, paddling nearly daily with my own boats, with my kids, and with friends just about anywhere I go, the quality of my life is still held in balance by one thing; my attitude. How do I know that? I only need to have one bad day to realize that everything I have built for myself and family to be able to live the dream is less important than deciding to have a good day first and create an attitude that no external forces can shake.

I don’t have a bad day often, and they are never because bad things happen. I am fortunate in that I didn’t come by my current situation easily. I have lived what most average middle income families would consider a “living hell”, which is poverty and debt from 1985-1991. Luckily I got married and my wife Kristine got a baby sitting job at age 18, which added to my Armand’s Pizza waiting job brought us into a more stable environment. It became a challenge of mine to never let hunger or any bad news put a dent in my attitude. A good part of that was because I was training to make the USA Team and felt I had a shot of doing it. I also knew that my coach, Bill Endicott, would say that you can’t paddle well with personal stress in your life. I couldn’t seem to improve the things that were classically known to create stress, like where the food or rent money was going to come from, so I decided to simply eliminate the negative thoughts that came with it. I also had a set of tapes called the “Psychology of Winning” in which one line was for every time something went bad, you should say, “that’s good!”, and then set about to find what is good about that situation. In finding the good in the situation, you are simply digging beyond the obvious negative in the situation and instead of dwelling upon that, you can actually take action on what is good, our could be good in the situation, which offers new opportunities. Examples are, getting fired from Armand’s Pizza for being late too many days in a row, “that’s good”, what was good about that? I decided to go to training camps that I wouldn’t have done otherwise, made the USA Team, and after 5 years of failing to make the USA team, I was now practically a permanent addition to it. Today, the types of “bad news” are quite different, but the effect is identical. I can be just as unhappy today I was before I had a pot to pee in. In fact, when you appear to have so much going for you, you simply get lazy and often forget that happiness requires effort and attention to what kind of thoughts you allow yourself. When your situation is less than ideal, or you are struggling with things that seem to be in between you and the life you want, you recognize that you will have to create your own “happy place” in order to have a good day and peace of mind. This is why the idea that “life’s a journey, not a destination” is found in writing, songs, and psychology books everywhere. This is why retiring is a sure way to depression and early death. When you are focused on achieving something in your life, you have a purpose and any progress towards that goal allows most people to have a feeling of happiness until they focus on something different. That could be for a moment, for an hour, day, or a week. Since I have essentially created what I defined for myself years ago as the “dream life” and am realizing much of it today, I am at risk of experiencing “retirement syndrome” which comes from wanting to sit down, look around and simply enjoy what I have already, as if I am somewhere worth stopping at. It is much harder to mentally deal with negative experiences under that kind of situation and not have it affect your mood because you expect things to be rosy and don’t want to have to tolerate anything negative. Does that make sense to you? Don’t worry, however, I am good at looking at the bright side of where I am in my life for a pick me upper, like a strong cup of coffee in the morning, and then looking at the “needs improvement” and the “unfulfilled goals and dreams” areas of my life to make me want to roll up my sleeves and put in an honest days work.

Here is how you can make more hours of each day ones that you will want to remember in the future. If you want to know what moments, hours, days, etc. of your life so far were worthy of your living by your own standards, simply think back over time and write down the things that stick out in your mind, good or bad. Especially think about your happiest moments. Many were trying times that you overcame, some where achieving a major goal, like graduating, and many were little moments that you simply were kicking back and enjoying the moment. It is different for each person, but you can easily come up with your own formula for living the rest of your life under the happy banner, instead of the “just another average day” or worse, “another bad day”. For most people the happy moments they remember had little to do with the exact situation, but simply that they forget themselves and the struggles in their lives long enough to just enjoy themselves. Here is a list of things you can do to improve your life immediately:

Connect with your friends and family each day in a more intimate way: Give them a hug, look them in the eye, pay them a compliment, and smile. Remember that a smile is the candle your window that says there is a caring, friendly individual inside. Most negative interpersonal relationships can be avoided or improve upon with a smile.
Set a least 15 minutes of each day aside for yourself. Use this time to “step away from the canvass of your life” and take a birds eye view of who you are, what you are doing. It is always easier to be happy when “what you think, how you act, and how you feel” about something are consistent with each other. This is the time to celebrate what you do have and recommit to where you are going.
Decide to either enjoy you current situation, or change it. You may not like everything about your current situation, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it and make the best of it, and be happy in it. If you decide that you can’t be happy in it, then the choice is clear, change it. Contrary to popular belief, most people are more apt to look for greener pastures than to fertilize their own pasture. Changing your situation to improve your happiness is a cop out much of the time. New wife, new job, new home, new car, new whatever. It is only a short amount of time until they aren’t new and you are in the same situation only worse. So start where you are already and be happy. Then change what makes the most sense for your long term goals.
Finally: “It takes just as much energy and effort to live a bad life, as it does a good one.” Dennis Whately I hear all of the time, people say to me, I don’t have the kind of energy you have. I watch those people expending tons of energy worrying about things, dealing with problems that come from not being proactive, etc., etc. It clearly is not easier to try to coast through life in neutral. You just have to decide what kind of life you want to live and your drive will surprise you. Lack of energy, being tired, and feeling like you can’t take on any more comes from the empty feeling you get from not having a target to shoot for that is attainable. A worthy purpose in your life is the key to having a natural magnet that pulls your brain towards happiness, and your life towards “success”.
I wrote this as much for my own good as for yours. It is always good for me to verbalize my goals in a way that I can remember. Today will be a great day.

:) EJ www.jacksonkayak.com

The Local Ditch Is Up!

The Shoshone in town finnaly kicked up and they will be relaesing this 1000cfs level until October you cant beat livin gin Cody, 5 minutes from work and your boating class 4 and surfing waves. People have been asking me for a long time what does the Shoshone look like and so today I decided I would take the camera. ENJOY!

this is the first rapid on the run called Entrance Exam and it warms you up for Customs and Iron Curtain that come soon after. note the slot of river left is a hige sieve stay away!

This is Customs which comes very quickly after Entrance Exam

Here is a photo taken last summer of Iron Curtain so you get an idea of what it looks like

Couple shots of the Montana boys running Customs

One of the great things about the shoshone is the hot springs along the way, when your hands are cold this hot spring is priceless!

This is Gameboy and Pinball and as always this photo doesnt show the vertical drop in here. This is probably one of the most complex rapids on the shoshone between the start of the rapid and the rock in the middle of the river it drops about 13-15 feet.

Dropping into Pinball the WRONG way, this is a big hole!

The right way!

There are some drops I havent gotten pics of but will try to soon, also I will get the play spot pics also. The Shoshone is damn good and especially when it's in your back door and this is only 1 section of 4 good runs just in town. If your thinking of coming up to Cody drop me a line and we can hook up for a run. there are 3 or 5 of us in town that usaualy make this run everyday after work and we never see another soul so when we se people from out of town we get pretty excitted to share the river.

Aaron Mulkey 4-28-06

 

 

 

 

Bring on the kayaking season

4-23-06

As the ice starts to melt in the valley and the warmer weather blows into Cody I started to feel like it was time to think about kayaking. The one thing I have always enjoyed is the turn of the seasons, when ice climbing season ends i'm super psyched to get on the river because it is such a different mind mode and physical focus. Psychological differences are huge as you stand at the top of a 30 foot waterfall or some big mentally challenging rapid with only one line thru it and you have to make every move, you start thinking i'm on the bank standing here safely why don't I just walk this one? Sometimes the most demanding rapids give the the hardest mental challenges of shouldering a boat or to run it...

Sometimes I think the portages are harder then the rapids themselves but I dare not to question these choices since I have seen many people stand on the bank and say "the portage sucks i'm running it" and they proceed to get there ass handed to them and then I feel much more confident in my hike ahead. This mental challenge of the sport of Kayaking is what draws me..

Ice Climbing is much different to me and that is if i'm standing at the base of a climb and I'm unsure if I have what it takes to get to the top I almost always fail, but If i'm standing there and i'm confident in my line up the ice I know I will prevail and I usually enjoy it much more. In ice climbing if you get half way up and your burning out the last of your reserves and your biceps are screaming you can slap a screw in and scream "take". The sport of kayaking does not allow for this safety net. If your half down a 30 foot waterfall or a big long complex rapid and you decide you have had enough, well your screwed and there's no turning back. If i'm not confident in my line while kayaking I usually end up packing my boat on my shoulder and sucking up my pride.

Dont get me wrong the two sports have there unique mental challenges and i wouldnt say one is easier then the other although you can probably get into more trouble kayaking then you can Ice climbing since anyone can sit in a boat and float down stream into a class 5 rapid and get the crap beat out of them. In ice climbing you uasually have to get the up the climb in order to get in to trouble. I enjoy both of the sports passionately and they challenge me in there own ways and when boating season is over i'm ready to hit the hills in search of that elusive untouched ice.

Anyhow blah blah blah

I broke away from the shop and headed to Idaho with the legend Ed Conning. Here are some photos from the trip.

We took a break in the drive and played around at the new play park in Misoulla, Mt

Ed Throwing Down

They have 3 different waves one for low water, medium water and high water we ended up on the low water wave most of the time, it was good for just about anything loops cartwheells etc. . The park was great fun and we were jealous.

Boulder creek was big and steep and a whole bunch of fun and excitement

Ed telling us young lads how it's done! There is usaully always one rule to follow while boating with Ed and that is do not follow him!

Ed and Dave hitting the flat water of boulder creek

Ed hates to hike and boat but the Boulder creek was well worth it!

After a long day on the river I had to hit the hotsprings and this was pretty sweet.

it had just enough room for perhaps 4 people but more then that would be a tight squeeze and it was about 104 which was perfect.

It rained everyday except for about 4 hours of th trip!

Would you really want this guy guiding you on your hunt with a name like that. Sorry for the water marks!

ed riding in the back on the shuttle, dont let his looks deceive you he boats at least a 100 hundred days a year.

One of the many drops of the lochsa, I had a bunch of shots that i took with my water camera but just about all of them had bad water marks.

The Pipeline was in nicely!

Oh yes the old dry suit trick!

all in all it was a great trip boating the lochsa, Boulder creek and Fish creek and now i'm ready for things to start rocking here in Cody.

4-23-06

Aaron

Big Hike = BIG ICE

I had been to this area awhile ago and climbed a route directly to the left of this grand pillar although It was much earlier in the season and it was nowhere near as big and fat as it was this weekend.

This is the route directly to the left of the pillar, the upper pitch is 200 feet!

Joel Anderson on the First Ascent of the lst pitch

If you look closely you can see Joel standing next to the giant!

I was looking for my ropegun but I couldnt find it!

Where is this great place, well I will tell you some day!

Aaron 3-28-06

Off The Couch

Kenny warming up on some classic South Fork rock climbing approach while out main objective looms over head

It had been ahwile since I had been out, life has been dealing me some bad hands and I had been dealing with some demons of my own. let's just say I was due for a good day in the mountains with good friends and good vibes. Joel and Anya had come up from the big city (Billings) and Kenny decided to join in on the day also. Climbing as a party of 4 is not exaclty what I call ideal but we were able to move fast and efficently as 2 parties, although some of us were targeted buy some large chunks of ice.

As we stepped out of the car the temps were very spring like possibly 50+, I started to wonder if there was going to be any ice once we got there. One Arm Bandit comes in during the late season or early season usally due to warmer temps and longer days, however it has been in and out all of this season it seems. There's nothing like hoping out of the car and hiking straight up out of the car 2000 feet.

Joel Anderson heading up into the chimney

As we made our way into the chimney the temps were much colder and the ice was very wet but as fat as I have ever seen it.

Anya heading up the 2nd pitch

The lower pitches off One Arm Bandit are very enjoyable chimney pitches which warm you up for what looms above.

As I looked above all you could see was hanging umbrellas of ice. To say the least I was a bit suspect of the looming ice above. The right side of this pitch can offer an easier version when it's in but this day it was more like a waterfall

These photos dont do this pillar any justice but if you look back to the first photo where kenny is hiking up to the climb you can get an idea how big the pillar really is.

More Pitches to go!

After topping out it started to feel more like winter as a full on blizzard started to unveil itself. This has got to be one of my top 5 favorite climbs in the valley without question.

3-20-06 Aaron Mulkey

Warm Waters

So my local boating partner is used to begging me all winter to come and boat and he's used to me saying no way there is ice in the valley still, but when it's 60 degrees out it's hard to say no. The local ditch runs year round and although it's low thru the winter it's pretty good boating for the winter time and add the hot springs into the mix half way down and the waters feel pretty good especially after the 2nd hot springs.

Ed Conning wamring up with Entrance Exam (notice the sieve on river left ....urgh...)

Ed sliding into Customs

After Customs be ready for Iron Curtain the river bottle necks to 7 feet wide. These few drops are in a row and come quickly and are good fun at every level however they get much more intimidating as the water rises. The day was really nice and getting wet felt really good it's nice to switch it up and start thinking about boating.

Ed A.K.A. the old man runnin Pinball

Everyone always asked me who's the old guy and little do they know he always the last one at the play hole. Dont let Ed's age or looks fool you he's the man! There are many more drops on this run but my camera battery was going dead, but i'm getting out again Thursday!

Playing in the warm waves of the Shoshone

At the end of the run you get to soak up the heat and surf the hot springs , you just cant beat Cody, ice climbing one day and kayaking in the hot springs the next!If your thinking about coming to Cody for boating give me a call at Core Mountain Sports and I can give you the info on the run etc.

More pics and info coming soon!

Later, Aaron 3-7-06

Festival Wrap

Dan (Doc) Smilkstein soaking up the rays on the 6th pitch of Broken Hearts (both Photos)

The air was cold for the 8th annual festival but that didnt stop climbers from getting out and getting after it. Conditions were great for the festival other then it being a bit cold, pillars like the 6th pitch of Broken Hearts and 1st pitch of Ovisight which are typically WI6 are in big and fat conditions.

7th pitch of Broken Hearts, Photo: David Light (the Trango Man)

I have always enjoyed the festival for many reasons but the biggest is to hear from you guys how much you enjoy and apprreciate Codlfear.com, hearing your good words and appreciation keep me motivated to keep taking photos and climbing and most of all sharing my experiences with all of you.

Broken Hearts 5th pitch in big, Photo: David Light (the Trango Man)

I got to sit and work the shop (Core Mountain Sports) most of the festival while most of you guys were out taking in the cold weather and fat climbs. I must say I was really immpressed with the Steamboat Boys ( Matt Treadway, John Beaupre, Dan Smilkstein and Jeff keller) these guys come to the festival every year and have a great time, but this year it was frigid cold and they still went out and got after the big stuff and they had big grins on their face the whole time. Thanks for the photos guys!

1st Pitch Ovisight in very fat conditions Photo: David Light

I got out Saturday to teach a clinic and I dont think it got warmer then -15 brrrrrr, but everyone had a good time and they were super motivated. One of the guys in my group had never ice climbed before, I believe his name was Bryan and I was thinking to myself he must think this ice climbing crap sucks but he was so psyched i dont think it would have mattered if it was snowing and -40. It's great to see people that excited to get into ice climbing.

Dunces Corner Photo: David Light

David Light and his partner were one of the other parties who really went out and got after it, thanks for the photos David.

Bithes Brew Photo: David Light

I really want to thank everyone that stopped in the shop (Core Mountain Sports) and supported the store, in this small town every penny spent is very appreciated. I know most of you have big shops in your local town that you can get gear and clothing at, but I hope you find that we are more knowledgable and personal then the rest. I cant tell you how much my family and I appreciate your business and support, thanks for every dollar spent!

When you guys need info or gear feel free to give us a call 877-527-7354

Thanks, Aaron Mulkey

Off The Wall

The cold weather during the ice fest sent climbers looking for warmer
conditions to test their skills. One such route was spanked in a near
flawless performance by Jeff Keller of Steamboat. Dry tool Amya was
originally put up in 2004 by matt tredway , also of steamboat , but has
seen little or no attempts since.
Said Matt of the route " im not sure if the approach keeps people from
trying, or if it is the daily rental.. all i know is that is a sweet climb,
and perfect for a colder day. The thermostat says it can only get to 75
degrees, but we had it to 80 at least".
The route is cruxy from the start... two serious figure 4s are required.
The axe placements are bombproof, although contact with the sheets can
seriously create havoc with the othersise mellow Kenny Gash. A huge bonus
of course it that it can be done without crampons... or boots for that
matter. The exit point of the route may be cluttered... always check
first.

Beta... Bison willys bunkhouse... south side. Be sure to get key from
Kenny... or you will never get on. Once inside, bunk on right! Route must
be started from a horizontal position. Reach to a figure 4, then trade off
to the other 4. exit on the top mattress... this requires a pretty long
slide. the climb off is obvious.
After spending days hiking,and climbing the thousands of feet of virtually
unpicked ice in the South fork... this is a nice but strenuous wind down.

Doc how do you feel about the route?

My cold sweat is slowly forming into a thin layer of fine salt crystals on
my forehead and my moist palms are barely dry. I have as of this moment
dedicated myself to Dry Tool Amya. I can not close my eyes without seeing
6+ spray and figure of fours dance in my head. It will be a long time
before I sleep again and a year of deprivation, training and religious
focus as I try to achieve my one true goal in life...to Dry Tool Amya.

Thanks for the report Matt Treadway!

I cant wait to try this new route and I feel so cheated that i have longed looked at that line but I just didnt have the vision.....

Aaron Mulkey

Damn Kayakers

I was heading up to Smoked Turkey yesterday and found this poor guy hanging from the ice flow. If you've ever a met a kayaker you know that they just don't know when to hang the boat up for the season. After a couple of hours we were able to get him out but he definitely had hypothermia, once we got him to the car we rushed him to the hospital. It's good thing we ran into him when we did, keep your fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery.

Needless to say we never made it to the top but the route looked like it was in fat.

12-13-05

You gotta get after'em

Many years ago on a hunting trip at a ranch, my father and I had been hunting for numerous hot and dry days and we hadnt seen a single animal. On the last evening of the trip my father and I were dragging our tired bodies back to camp when we ran into the ranch manager. He asked if we had any luck; I think the looks on our faces told the story. Before continuing on to the camp, the ranch manager said something that changed my whole outlook on hunting, climbing, kayaking, life, and perhaps all of my future adventures. He said "You Gotta Get In There And Get After'em". It sounds like a very simple statement but ever since then I have used that as my motivation to get things done. I have been telling myself this the last few days as my body hurts more and more each day I climb. I have climbed the last 8 out of 11 days and can say I have never had so much fun, but the South Fork approaches are starting to catch up with me.

This past weekend I got the opportunity to climb with Mark Jenkins he happened to be in town with family for turkey day and wanted to get out to swing some tools. Mark is a super nice guy and he has been around the world climbing mountains some of us dream of, he also writes for outside magazine check him out www.thehardway.com . We ventured into Bozos for some early season conditions and it was fat and juicy. I have been wanting to get some photos of this climb for awhile.

Kenny and Mark getting their gear together.

Kenny taking the sharp end.

The next day I took the pack for a walk in hopes of Sendero being in. Sendero Illuminoso looked great from the road but it was deceiving you might say.

I wasn't up for a thin desperate brittle ice climbing solo. The ice was so thin you couldn't even place a stubby for at least 160feet. Keep you fingers crossed that this gem comes in.

11-28-05

Almost everything in life is easier to get into than out of.

In these days, a man who says a thing cannot be done is quite apt to be interrupted by some idiot doing it. My good friend and partner Mark Devries came back from the South Fork saying everything was getting baked and things didn't look good for the valley. I asked about Moratorium since I knew it had been close to touching a few days ago and he said the bottom was doable but the top was looking ruff. Kenny Gasch and I decided to go a for a quick climb up the valley so we could be back by noon so we wouldn't be in the dog house with the wives which is a never ending battle. As we traveled into the valley we saw the Moratorium and quickly got the binocs out to glass it and it looked like it would go. Neither Kenny or I had ever climbed Moratorium for the fact that it has not showed itself in perhaps 6 years or more. The decision to get on it was quick. Kenny pulled the car over and said "we're gonna get it done today!". I was a little bit hesitant knowing I would be getting the 2nd pitch which looked steep and thin and chandeliered, needless to say I was not as enthusiastic.

I had climbed the last 5 days out of 7 seven and my legs were feeling the South Fork elevation gains.

After the classic South Fork kitty litter climbing we arrived at the Moratorium and it looked much better then it did from the road, in fact the first pitch was fat and the second didn't look too bad. Don't be fooled however, this is a big climb, a solid 400 feet top to bottom.

Belaying may be the hardest part of this climb, I swear it was a full on war at the base of the climb. As Kenny got higher I had to hike further up the chute and you have about 4 feet to run either way of the aerial assault. Mark Devries has a very good story about nearly killing his belayer on it, he stood on the ledge at the top of the first pitch and a huge snow/ice ledge gave away and tumbled towards his belayer. All he saw was a cloud of snow and his belayer rolling down the hillside. Luckily he survived with out much harm but Mark was officially off belay.

The first pitch is a nice Long WI3 slab. The 2nd pitch really handed it to me, as I reached the first steep section it was great ice, but as I came towards the top it became a shower and the ice got thin. I found myself below the big pillar and it looked horrible a basic shower of water streamed off of the chandeliered ice. I figured I would follow up the left side runnel and then cut back towards the top of the pillar. Unfortunately the ice was either hollow or to thin, and was very new and most of it was basically slush. At one point I thought I would just bag it and lower off but I couldn't even see a good gear placement. So I ended up finding myself at least 80 feet from my last piece that was actually good. Completely wet I topped out and emptied my boots of water and was preparing myself for a very cold belay. Now people might understand why I wear neoprene gloves!. The 2nd pitch was a definite early season mind game.

Valley LIfe

November 20th, 2005

One of my great friends and partners walk into the shop with a look on his face like he just saw a ghost. I notice his hands are shaking and I immediately ask what's wrong and he just stares at me for a few seconds as a big grin begins to form from ear to ear and he says it's in. I immediately know what he's talking about and my heart begins to race, I soon feel a rush of exhilaration overcome me with the thought of climbing High Noon.

We agreed an early start was a must so we were up at 5:30 the next morning making our maiden voyage up the South Fork for the season. We were hoping for cloudy skies because we knew that if it were sunny it would melt fast. High Noon was the fattest I have ever seen it and it's very surprising this early in the season. Many things have to happen for this to come in one is cloudy skies for consecutive days, plus cold temperatures but not to cold that things are not melting from above and the other big thing is absolute luck. The truth is who knows what temps and precip make this 400 foot icicle form it's amazing that it does and so many things have to happen that nobody can predict it's formation.

As we made the 2000 foot ascent to the base the clear skies and sun were not ideal, plus the temps were only in the upper 20's and we knew in the sun it had to be much warmer. As we got closer it was melting before our eyes and our hopes of finally sending this giant were being crushed.

We stood at the base in amazement, we had missed our chance to climb High Noon. We were kicking ourselves that maybe we didn't get up early enough and etc. We started to think that if we could climb thru the first 40 feet of thin climbing we could reach the thicker and better ice above but neither of us were excited about the first 40 feet as it wa literally melting in front of our eyes. Mark walked to the base to give it a quick hit to see if it felt as bad as it looked and at that point it started to fall apart. Ice was falling off from up high and Mark was running from the base with his tail between his legs, we were crushed. The color of the ice had changed from a brilliant blue to sun bleached white in a matter of an hour. As we hiked down the hill we kept thinking maybe we were just a bunch of posers and our egos had been softened, we kicked ourselves all the way down the hill.

3 hours later we felt much better about our decision not to climb! The scariest thing is the section that fell down is the section we thought was the best on the first pitch.

It's not very often I get to climb 4 days in row but with my wife just getting back from europe on a backpacking tour for 17 days she knew I was due for some serious play time. After getting it handed to us on High Noon we scoped the valley out for more potential ice climbing for the next few days.

To say the least things were looking good for the next few days. Many of the ice climbs in the valley were very thin but a few were just thick enough to begin climbing such as these two gems. Hostile Takeover on the left and High school Squids on the right, these two climbs have not been climbable or really even seen since the late 90's so we were ready to get after'em.

Mark was all over it he wanted to solo Highschool Squids bad, in the late 90's mark used to solo this as part of a circuit in the triptych drainage. I also had the video camera out so maybe that helped give him some film courage. Me and some of my partners are determined to try and make a ice climbing video of the South Fork so for most of the season we will be packin it in. Climbing and taking video sort of sucks since you have set up different angles etc. so it's hard to get allot done during a day. Climbing this 250 foot chunk of ice was one of the most enjoyable pitches of ice I have ever climbed in the valley.

Mark enjoying ever minute of High school Squids!

Hostile Takeover has changed in the past years since a very large roof fell down (see previous hot flash posts for pics) and now there is just a steep slab of ice instead of a pillar having to touch down.

Hostile Takeover has to be one of my favorite leads in a longtime it was just absolutely enjoyable.

Grabbing this small pillar and working you feet high to gain a high pick placement in solid ice was exciting.

Joel Anderson was the man up for the 2nd pitch which has a real sense of exposure, as you look over your right shoulder you get about 500 feet of exposure it's a very unique pitch.

At the top of this pitch it gets very thin and then spicy as you get to traverse out onto a rock face to gain the tree anchor. The weekend was filled with good fun and great pitches of ice.

Thanks to Joel Anderson and especially Travis Hannon for taking photos and video.

Creek Boating in October

Anyone that knows me very well knows I'm always looking for a new adventure, sometimes they become epic hikes with no kayaking or climbing but other times they become great days outdoors (some partners may disagree with great days). I ran this very cool creek a few years ago and have not been able to get back so i decided it was time to venture back since nothing else was running. This is a very unique creek since it's October and it's still running, it runs from a very deep lake that has a natural dam that naturally leaks out of a huge glacier moraine and constantly runs through out the year. It was an awesome day it felt like summer 80 plus degrees and the roar of water coming down the valley.

There was a fire a year ago that littered the creak with wood and I had not returned since the fire to see the damage but it appeared that some high water had cleared most of it out. This creak rips down thru steep sage brush hills and from far away doesn't look like much. You step out of the car and walk across the desert like terrain to this small creek that is raging with water and it's October.

 

I will post more photos soon!

 

The Turret

Posted September 24th 2005

My life has been pretty hectic since about April. We were building our rock climbing gym and the new shop and climbing of any sort was really put on the back burner. In May we were done with all of the building and summer was upon us, this meant I had to get my but in gear for river rafting season and since we were the new guys I knew we were going to have work hard to get business. So know it's September and my life is much calmer and simpler and I can begin to think about climbing!! Yeee Hah,

So to kick of the momentum from my dry spell of climbing Kenny Gasch and myself decided we were going to climb the Turret.

This large formation of kitty litter has drawn the eyes of many ice climbers as they make there morning trek up the South Fork Valley. Many have often wondered about the rock quality

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Kenny ponders half way thru the hike what have I gotten myself into?

After allot of elevation gain we reached the ridge that would take us right to the North face. At this point I was a bit disappointed the North face route that I had scouted out a few weeks prior was full of snow which meant are only choice was to try a line kenny had scouted on the Northeast face

The rock quality of the Turret and the surrounding South Fork is very poor. The turret is formed from at least two colossal Volcanoes in the early Eocene time that spewed lava mudflows and ash for several million years. This rock mostly Breccia and Lava has been referred to as Kitty Litter and the greatest slag pile on earth.

After a relentless assault of wind all night long Kenny and I were up early although his idea of early is much earlier then mine. We began by climbing a large chimney full of loose rocks and a bit of snow which made some of the climbing difficult, just imagine grabbing on to a bomber hold and next thing you know it falls right out of the rock and at the same time your feet are skidding out from underneath you from the snow on your feet urgh. The climbing itself was not very hard it was just mind over matter.

There was no gear placements or cracks in sight and after 800 feet of climbing un roped we came to a point where the wall got steep and blank and we were only 150 feet below the saddle and then we could traverse over to the two main cracks on the upper headwall. Unfortunately with no crack lines in sight we were stuck without a way to protect the next 150 feet of climbing.

Without a way to make forward progress we had no other options but to go down. We did learn alot about the mountain which will help us in our next attempt in the summer when all of the faces are clean of snow.

No More Roof

The rock roof on Hostile Takeover has fallen. When this route would form it was a must do, however in the past few years it was done as a mixed route climbing up and out of a 7 foot roof (AKA Hostile Makeover). When the curtain would touch down it was a great grade 5 pillar/curtain. The roof must have fallen down this summer and now lays on the ground a 100 yards down the drainage. It's a real shame this route fell it was surely in the top 10 of the valley although it may form more frequently now since it will just flow down the steep rock, I would imagine it will now be WI4 when it forms.

Hostile Makeover Roof

 

A Great Turkey Weekend

By: Aaron Mulkey