Tag: climbing (Page 2 of 3)

Big Goals For 2011

So beginning this year I have been thinking of the goals that I set last year and how I either achieved them or failed at them horribly. I am happy to say that I was able to accomplish one of the biggest goals that I have wanted to do for a while and that is bike to work more. As you can see in my last few posts I was able to do that and it was great. I had a goal of 15 times and I did that and more. I am going to triple that number for the coming year and shoot for 45 times.

Another goal of mine was to go climbing a bit more. I have to say that I wasn’t able to accomplish this. I did go out, but not the 30 times I was hoping. I did however go out hiking more as that is a lot easier to do with young kids. Both my boy and girl love the outdoors, and I have carried them, held their hands and watched them grow in the outdoors this past year. A little mud has never bothered my little princess.

This year I am not putting a number on how many times I would like to get out climbing. I am going to shoot for maybe a little more lofty goal of doing a few more multi-pitch climbs this year. I have picked out one in general and I have pinned in up on the cork board in the kitchen to remind me of it daily. I will be doing a lot of indoor climbing this winter to prepare myself for this climb.

Running is also another activity that I need to do a lot more of. I remember the days of coming home from work and trading the work shoes to the runners and hitting the pavement almost everyday. I have been trying to figure out when and how I am going to workout a little more and the answer that I keep coming up with is cut out a little sleep. I probably don’t really need 8 hours anyway. I never got that much sleep when I was back in college and working two jobs.

Something that I said last year I think is still applicable this year to all of us. “I am good at coming up with excuses at why I can’t reach a certain goal or maybe why I haven’t been able to go outside as much as I would have liked (Kids, work, family, tired). But when it is all said and done, these are just that, EXCUSES.”

I hope we can all figure out a way to stop making excuses and start living our dreams. I would love to hear from all of you. What are you planning this year? What goals do you have? What excuses you might have as why you didn’t accomplish your goals last year and how you are going to achieve them this year. Please reply to this post and by doing so we can all help each other succeed.

Gear for climbers: First Ascent

Maybe I’m just a cranky, old-school guy, a non-conforming Libertarian. Don’t know what category to place me, but I rarely endorse a certain brand of outdoor gear. I get asked to do so often – to recommend a tent or backpack, a jacket, harness, or rope. I always resist, because gear is so personal it seems. What works for me may not work for someone else. The stuff I use is all over the board: cheap stuff, quality gear, long-term, short-lived. My favorite camp-cup was a lime-green plastic cheapo I’d had since childhood – it lasted 15 years.

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Leave No Trace

Leave No Trace

Nature. It is the essence of the world. It belongs to the wind and water. It belongs to the trees and insects; and to the birds, reptiles and mammals. And it belongs to us. We have a duty to protect and respect the natural wonder of the outdoors, whether it’s 80 feet below the ocean or 14,000 feet on top of a mountain. Leave No Trace is a set of seven principles created over 40 years ago to help us remember what to do and how to prepare for a safe, rewarding, and environmentally friendly experience.

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Beginning Safety Tips for Rock Climbing

Rock Climber

The setting sun’s heat warms you as you reach for one of the last holds at the top of a climb. A gentle breeze cools the sweat from your body. Your hand sticks to the rock like a spider. Your heart beats ferociously and your muscles scream as you make the final push to the top. As you turn around, the lights of the city below begin to sparkle one by one, like fireflies on a summer’s night. A smile is inevitable and beams across your face. You did it, and it was amazing.

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A Quick Get Away!

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This past weekend the I was ready to leave town. I needed something different. I had the climbing itch and I needed to find somewhere that could scratch it for me.  I called my wife while at work and told her that I think we should head out of town when I get off work that night. I started to think where we could go and have the itch scratched. I live in Salt Lake City and have two young kids so I needed something relatively easy and close but still out of town. I thought a bit and then decided Pocatello, Idaho was the spot for me. I told my wife and ask my brother if he and his girlfriend would like to go with (It is always nice to have a couple of extra hands when going climbing with a 2 year old). We packed our bags, booked a hotel for the night, and headed out the door.

Pocatello is about 150 miles north of Salt Lake City and just over two hours driving. This makes it a quick get away for those who live in Salt Lake and surrounding areas. Pocatello is a well kept secret in Idaho.  More than 1000 miles of groomed trails for mountain bikes are within the public lands of Southeast Idaho. Many more miles of trails for hiking, backpacking and riding horses area available in the area. Camping is also available. But there is some great climbing as well and that is why I went there this past weekend.

There is plenty of climbing in Pocatello and if you are up for a little drive even more stuff is available to you. One area that I love is the Ross Park Areas. Most of this climbing is top roped only climbing. But it is a great place to take the family and enjoy a day of climbing. There is a sunny side and a shady side with over a 120 climbs between the two. The local climbers in the area have made this a nice place to climb and enjoy. You can find free guides and information about this area on Idaho State University website. Another great site for up to date information is the http://www.seiclimbing.com/.

A Selection of Recommended Literature on the Subject of Climbing

It’s a slippery slope (pun intended) in making any list of books, albums, or favorites of anything. Such lists are almost entirely a reflection of the list-maker’s preference, and representative of his/her experience. It is a wholly subjective exercise, and usually met with skepticism, and the inevitable: “but you left so-and-so (who wrote the greatest book ever), off the list!” And one could never deem any collection of climbing literature a definitive ‘best of’ list – the genre has too many good authors in a myriad of experiences for that. But a reading list of recommended titles is a place to start if you’ve recently started climbing and want to know more of its story, or, have climbed for years and just haven’t read much on the subject. Maybe you just enjoy reading as an ‘armchair mountaineer’ and want to know more. If any of these describe you, then consider the selections below.

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