Rock Climbing in the Rain
Man it feels like it's been a while since I posted up here. Summer's been crazy busy so far, without a second wasted, so of course I have less time sitting around on my butt inside (Right now I'm at work, so I have an excuse). :rofl Yesterday we brought out a few friends for some climbing in our usual favorite haunt, Archangel Valley. We got out in the morning and didn't see many people on the way in, and with sun peeking through the clouds it looked like we'd at least get some climbing done before the area's typical rainclouds moved in.
To kick things off, here's a stitched pano of Melissa working her way up a 5.7 climb called "The Slot." The rubble you see on the right is leftover trash from gold mining in the early 1900s. The stuff positively litters the area, but is mostly left untouched to to its historical nature.
Steven makes his way up the route after Melissa finished it off in good style.
An unknown climber on a nearby route called "Local Motion" 5.8 with Pinnacle Peak looming prominent in the background.
Kate has been a friend of mine for years, and never tied in to a rope. We finally got her on the rocks this time, and she gave it a shot.
Kate's brother Jake put in some effort as well, as the raindrops started to fall.
Steven's batteries were dead in his digital camera, so he played around with an old film camera he had.
As the rain got heavier and the rocks got slick, Melissa volunteered to climb "Zig Zag," a 5.9 climb nearby. She had a bad fall one of the two times she climbed in the past and wound up with a broken back, but she still didn't hesitate to step up and push the limits on this harder climb in conditions that negated the friction between her and the rock. :clap
Concentration shows on Melissa's face as she slip-slides her way upwards.
Her smile faded once or twice through the difficult moves, but even the difficult climbing on this slippery rock didn't keep it hidden for long.
Before Kate took off and went home, I snapped a shot of her and Pinnacle Peak.
And lastly, as we hiked around a cold and wet valley after calling it quits on the climbing, we noticed a few of these tiny deep blue flowers soaking up the moisture in the thin dirt covering the rocks.
This summer has been busy so far, and it looks like it'll stay that way, so I may not be around much until winter.
Hope you all enjoy the posts I do manage to share though!
To kick things off, here's a stitched pano of Melissa working her way up a 5.7 climb called "The Slot." The rubble you see on the right is leftover trash from gold mining in the early 1900s. The stuff positively litters the area, but is mostly left untouched to to its historical nature.
Steven makes his way up the route after Melissa finished it off in good style.
An unknown climber on a nearby route called "Local Motion" 5.8 with Pinnacle Peak looming prominent in the background.
Kate has been a friend of mine for years, and never tied in to a rope. We finally got her on the rocks this time, and she gave it a shot.
Kate's brother Jake put in some effort as well, as the raindrops started to fall.
Steven's batteries were dead in his digital camera, so he played around with an old film camera he had.
As the rain got heavier and the rocks got slick, Melissa volunteered to climb "Zig Zag," a 5.9 climb nearby. She had a bad fall one of the two times she climbed in the past and wound up with a broken back, but she still didn't hesitate to step up and push the limits on this harder climb in conditions that negated the friction between her and the rock. :clap
Concentration shows on Melissa's face as she slip-slides her way upwards.
Her smile faded once or twice through the difficult moves, but even the difficult climbing on this slippery rock didn't keep it hidden for long.
Before Kate took off and went home, I snapped a shot of her and Pinnacle Peak.
And lastly, as we hiked around a cold and wet valley after calling it quits on the climbing, we noticed a few of these tiny deep blue flowers soaking up the moisture in the thin dirt covering the rocks.
This summer has been busy so far, and it looks like it'll stay that way, so I may not be around much until winter.
Hope you all enjoy the posts I do manage to share though!
John Borland
www.morffed.com
www.morffed.com
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Comments
thanks for posting
Thanks,
Chuck
Aperture Focus Photography
http://aperturefocus.com
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D700, D300, Nikkor 35-70 F/2.8, Nikkor 50mm F/1.8, Nikkor 70-200 AF-S VR F/2.8, Nikkor AF-S 1.7 teleconverter II,(2) Profoto D1 500 Air,SB-900, SB-600, (2)MB-D10, MacBook Pro
Never did much above a 5.8, mostly 5.7s or even 5.6s
Now with my oldest getting close to an age to climb hopefully I will get back at it.
Love the scenery and looks like you guys had fun.
Keith Tharp.com - Champion Photo
www.morffed.com