So I just finished loading up a bunch of my photos from my Joshua Tree climbing trip and the thought of writing all about the trip now seems daunting. I'll just write a bit about the each photo but it'll be a lot more brief than my normal posts and it also means I'll end up leaving out a lot. In short: It was Jake's spring break from school out in Oklahoma, he asked if I wanted to go on a climbing trip somewhere warm, I'd have been crazy to have passed up a trip like that...a few weeks later we were in Joshua Tree National Park climbing for 5 days. It was fantastic.
Day 1: Climbing in Conan's Corridor.
I got my own rope, it was band new and this was it's inaugural climb, our first climb of Joshua Tree, Gem. 
Jake at the top and looking for the downclimb. (Normally he doesn't wear a purple wind breaker but it was super windy there and he borrowed mine to wear while he sat at the top and I climbed.)
A cool tree
Wandering around looking for something to climb. Lucky for us Jake bought the GPS guide to finding climbs. 
Last climb of the day, Touch and Go. It got dark a little faster than we expected when the sunset and I had to climb in quickly growing darkness. I took this picture just as I started to climb. We down climbed with headlamps. Day 2: We'd borrowed some camp chairs from Alicia and James and when I sat down to eat my oatmeal party I ended up on the ground and the chairs ended up in the dumpster when we left. Sorry Alicia. 
On the trail to Hemingway Buttress
On the trail to Hemingway Buttress
At the top
Jake on rappel
So we were climbing Overseer and a tour bus let out a whole bus load of Chinese men and they came all the way up the boulders to us and announced, "We are here to cheer you on!" They were so loud I couldn't hear Jake at the top of the climb. They took so many pictures of me as I climbed, I turned around and took a picture of them part way up and they all waved at me. When I got to the top they all cheered and clapped like I was a hero. I felt like I was in some kind of competition and I'd won. It was so much fun.
We climbed a couple of multipitch climbs at Intersection Rock and "rendezvoused at the top for an abseil" with some Icelandic climbers. This is me waiting at the top for my turn to go down. This water was pretty cool and even had tadpoles in it. I secretly wanted to take a sample of it and look at it under a microscope. 
Jake wanted to climb this route and I didn't. Lucky for me another pair of climbers had the same predicament so Jake cleaned it for one of them and me and his partner got to sit at the bottom and watch...and take pictures. If you look close in the one below you'll see Jake rappelling off the top. This is the same rappel that I'm waiting to go down in the earlier picture with the pool of water. 
Pretty sunset...pretty much ever night it was a pretty sunset. 
Jake making dinner including fancy salads. 
Our Lady of San Juan candle.
Jake on rappel
So we were climbing Overseer and a tour bus let out a whole bus load of Chinese men and they came all the way up the boulders to us and announced, "We are here to cheer you on!" They were so loud I couldn't hear Jake at the top of the climb. They took so many pictures of me as I climbed, I turned around and took a picture of them part way up and they all waved at me. When I got to the top they all cheered and clapped like I was a hero. I felt like I was in some kind of competition and I'd won. It was so much fun. Day 3: Intersection Rock
We climbed a couple of multipitch climbs at Intersection Rock and "rendezvoused at the top for an abseil" with some Icelandic climbers. This is me waiting at the top for my turn to go down. This water was pretty cool and even had tadpoles in it. I secretly wanted to take a sample of it and look at it under a microscope. Jake wanted to climb this route and I didn't. Lucky for me another pair of climbers had the same predicament so Jake cleaned it for one of them and me and his partner got to sit at the bottom and watch...and take pictures. If you look close in the one below you'll see Jake rappelling off the top. This is the same rappel that I'm waiting to go down in the earlier picture with the pool of water. Pretty sunset...pretty much ever night it was a pretty sunset. Jake making dinner including fancy salads. Our Lady of San Juan candle.Day 4: Doing laps on Dappled Mare
Whenever I climb mulitpitches and my partner is out of view, it's always nice when you see them for the first time. You know you're close to the top and you're not alone anymore. This was my first view of Jake on this pitch. 
We'd take a lot of shot of ourselves and somehow we'd end up with some like this. I don't really get it. I mean, I'm taking the picture so how am I not looking at the camera? It's not like you can catch yourself off guard right? I also think it looks like Jake's shooting me with something. Maybe it's just me that thinks this picture is funny. 
Jake took the camera next. This above picture cracks me up. It looks like someone photoshoped me in and got the perspective all wrong.
Whenever I climb mulitpitches and my partner is out of view, it's always nice when you see them for the first time. You know you're close to the top and you're not alone anymore. This was my first view of Jake on this pitch. We'd take a lot of shot of ourselves and somehow we'd end up with some like this. I don't really get it. I mean, I'm taking the picture so how am I not looking at the camera? It's not like you can catch yourself off guard right? I also think it looks like Jake's shooting me with something. Maybe it's just me that thinks this picture is funny. Jake took the camera next. This above picture cracks me up. It looks like someone photoshoped me in and got the perspective all wrong. ACTION SHOTS: yeah cool!(Thanks Jake!)
Climbing makes me happy!
The view from the top. Just rocks and joshua trees as far as you can see.
Another Jake self portrait where if you look close you can find me in it. (check his sunglasses)
Jake scrambled up to the very top. 
The end of the day walking back to the car.
The Subaru is so much better for stuff like this than the Audi was.
Another beautiful sunset. The layers of blue mountains looked so perfect we pulled over for some photos.
Climbing makes me happy!The view from the top. Just rocks and joshua trees as far as you can see.
Another Jake self portrait where if you look close you can find me in it. (check his sunglasses)Jake scrambled up to the very top. The end of the day walking back to the car.
The Subaru is so much better for stuff like this than the Audi was.Another beautiful sunset. The layers of blue mountains looked so perfect we pulled over for some photos. Day 5: Climbing at Playhouse Rock (no photos) Then one or two more back at The Old Woman. 
Me at the top of Double Cross, my last climb...looking tired...looking at my beat up legs...and looking at the sunset. 
Me at the top of Double Cross, my last climb...looking tired...looking at my beat up legs...and looking at the sunset.
Jake at the top watching the sunset too.
Overall it was a great trip. The weather was great, the camping was relaxing, the food was good, the company was fun, and the climbing lived up to all the hype Joshua Tree gets. I wish I could have stayed a month, I'd happily go back to climb there some more.
Overall it was a great trip. The weather was great, the camping was relaxing, the food was good, the company was fun, and the climbing lived up to all the hype Joshua Tree gets. I wish I could have stayed a month, I'd happily go back to climb there some more.
No comments:
Post a Comment