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California et al


mick

29-Aug-2011
1:41:25 PM

Bit of a long shot but I will be in California from 13 September for a couple of weeks and am looking for people to climb with...interested in Yosemite, Toulomne, Red Rocks, Owens River Gorge and even Taquitz/ Joshua Tree..

Will have a car and trad gear...send me an email if you are around, I have no fixed itinerary as yet..

Mike


pmonks

29-Aug-2011
4:26:39 PM

Your mailbox is full, but in a nutshell I'm in San Francisco and while September looks like being a clusterfsck work-wise, I can usually wing a day trip to one of the local crags.

DM me for phone # etc.

Wendy

29-Aug-2011
6:10:33 PM

owen's river gorge is a dive. i'd go walking by myself in any of the other spots (which are in their own different way, stunning) in preference to bothering to go there.


Mick

2-Sep-2011
10:56:05 AM

Hi Peter, seems yours is full as well, I have sent you an email.

Cheers
Mike


Mick

2-Sep-2011
10:57:34 AM

Thanks Wendy, I must say Ive had several conflicting reports about Owens....


nmonteith

2-Sep-2011
11:09:52 AM

It's fine Mike! I've been there twice 10 years apart - it's not the most scenic area, but it has a certain industrial charm, and the newly flowing river is much nicer this decade than it was in the 1990s when i first went there. The routes are long and sustained - a bit loose sometimes but certainly worth a visit for a couple of days. Mix it up with bouldering at Buttermilks and Happy boulders, hot springs and a spot of granite up at Pine Creek Canyon and it's a great diversion from the big walls and altitude headaches.

Wendy

2-Sep-2011
12:23:48 PM

On 2/09/2011 nmonteith wrote:
>It's fine Mike! I've been there twice 10 years apart - it's not the most
>scenic area, but it has a certain industrial charm, and the newly flowing
>river is much nicer this decade than it was in the 1990s when i first went
>there. The routes are long and sustained - a bit loose sometimes but certainly
>worth a visit for a couple of days. Mix it up with bouldering at Buttermilks
>and Happy boulders, hot springs and a spot of granite up at Pine Creek
>Canyon and it's a great diversion from the big walls and altitude headaches.
>
>

whilst that picture makes it look way more attractive than my memories of it suggest, I still profess it's a dive, especially when compared with the other options on the list. I will certainly agree with the "bit loose" bit, the word polished comes to mind, and did I previously mention it feel like a quarry even though it has never actually been a quarry? That big pile of scree on the left might offer a hint of what the rock is like.

Tommo

2-Sep-2011
12:49:14 PM

On 29/08/2011 mick wrote:
>Bit of a long shot but I will be in California from 13 September for a
>couple of weeks and am looking for people to climb with...interested in
>Yosemite, Toulomne, Red Rocks, Owens River Gorge and even Taquitz/ Joshua
>Tree..
>
>Will have a car and trad gear...send me an email if you are around, I
>have no fixed itinerary as yet..
>
>Mike

Hi Mike, I live in Cal (Santa Cruz) but pretty busy through Sept. PM me your email though, you never know. Be aware that Red Rocks will be scorching hot, and Joshua Tree not much better. At RR's you might find some cooler rock deep in some of the canyons in the wee hours. Yosemite will be hot and slippery, and a circus as always, but obviously can't be missed. Tuolumne temps should be superb, as usual, and much less of a circus. Taquitz is cool (as in rad) and pretty quiet most of the time, and nearby Idyllwild is a cute little town. Will also be pretty warm, though the altitude might help. Owens - I have too agree, is not particularly inspiring, but probably worth a day if you find some shade. Essentially I would do a whirlwind tour of these places (maybe skipping RR due to heat) and spend my time in Tuolumne, and Y. Valley if you get some cool weather. And bag some technical high Sierra 14'ers from the east side if you find someone keen.


Mick

2-Sep-2011
3:13:44 PM

Thanks Neil, good looking photo, Pine Creek looks good as well, Tommo I will send you a note..

Cheers
Mike


nmonteith

2-Sep-2011
3:35:46 PM

Lovers Leap (near Tahoe) is a fantastic uncrowded granite spot. Excellent short multipitches (about Araps height). Stunning knobbly rock with crazy dykes. Beautiful spot.

singersmith

3-Sep-2011
9:47:46 AM

I think Owens has some alright stuff, especially if you're there alone or close to it. Neil's right that it was much more ghetto in the 90's when the water dept was on patrol and hippies were surreptitiously planting fish. The descent access, however, is about as crappy as it gets.

Wendy

3-Sep-2011
10:02:28 AM

Owen's might be alright if you are in the area for a long time, but Mick has 2 weeks in California. It's like having 2 weeks in Victoria and suggesting you go to camel's hump instead of araps and the gramps. Or Morialta in preference to araps or moonarie.

Why would you when you could go to these places?

http://www.redrock.org/rr_canyon/rr_gallery01.html
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=yosemite&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=k1Yh11DUMpzRyM:&imgrefurl=http://www.sagarmatha.com/galleries/UnitedStates/California/yosemite.html&docid=GDHvlp0vr4jEAM&w=1732&h=980&ei=bm1hTruBOK2iiAfr4K1v&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=949&vpy=146&dur=3039&hovh=169&hovw=299&tx=146&ty=99&page=1&tbnh=110&tbnw=195&start=0&ndsp=18&ved=1t:429,r:4,s:0
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=tuolumne+meadows&um=1&hl=en&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=PuLR3brdUacFRM:&imgrefurl=http://www.images35.com/yosemite.htm&docid=VMPu2ASwuHYH3M&w=1024&h=768&ei=u21hTtDWJufxmAW6sbXkDQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=1066&vpy=269&dur=11613&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=173&ty=151&page=1&tbnh=155&tbnw=208&start=0&ndsp=15&ved=1t:429,r:9,s:0
http://www.google.com.au/imgres?q=joshua+tree+national+park&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1366&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=WfdioQ_Gdi9DvM:&imgrefurl=http://www.redbubble.com/people/photosbyflood/art/3017489-joshua-tree-national-park-sunset-1&docid=Sx1eXXFAr3bKdM&w=550&h=367&ei=MG5hTtOOA-aQiAfAmbVj&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=398&vpy=94&dur=5423&hovh=183&hovw=275&tx=69&ty=114&page=1&tbnh=145&tbnw=202&start=0&ndsp=16&ved=1t:429,r:12,s:0

As another point, camp 4 would be the best place to find climbing partners as well.


pmonks

3-Sep-2011
10:28:14 AM

On 2/09/2011 nmonteith wrote:
>Lovers Leap (near Tahoe) is a fantastic uncrowded granite spot. Excellent
>short multipitches (about Araps height). Stunning knobbly rock with crazy
>dykes. Beautiful spot.

I wouldn't call it "uncrowded" by any stretch, but the rest of your description is spot on. It's also not as extensive as Araps, so it's harder to beat the crowds, particularly on the really popular routes.


nmonteith

3-Sep-2011
6:53:30 PM

On 3/09/2011 pmonks wrote:
>On 2/09/2011 nmonteith wrote:
>>Lovers Leap (near Tahoe) is a fantastic uncrowded granite spot. Excellent
>>short multipitches (about Araps height). Stunning knobbly rock with crazy
>>dykes. Beautiful spot.
>
>I wouldn't call it "uncrowded" by any stretch, but the rest of your description
>is spot on. It's also not as extensive as Araps, so it's harder to beat
>the crowds, particularly on the really popular routes.

We must have had it lucky then. 3 or so days of perfect weather and the whole place to ourselves. May 2002.

Duncan

8-Oct-2011
3:21:15 AM

I have extra travel insurance to cover me for trad climbing from 16-30 October, and intend to be in Yosemite for this period. Is anyone else around? I only have personal gear, but am happy to belay.

tinman

8-Oct-2011
9:28:44 AM

i will in in yosemite around the 16th of oct or so. will have shoes and chalk only so keen to check out some bouldering near camp 4.any idea where i can rent a mat?

Duncan

16-Oct-2011
12:12:22 PM

I'm about 2 hours away from the valley. I'm told that you can hire pads, but I couldn't tell you where. Useful, huh?

tshaw

17-Oct-2011
8:05:43 AM

we hired pads from mammoth and you can also hire from climbing shops in Bishop. $10 a day.

tinman

17-Oct-2011
11:29:09 AM

thanks guys. we'll be coming from san francisco so sorta out of the way. i'll go no mat.or use other ppl as mats. or dont fall.

Duncan

19-Oct-2011
11:14:32 AM

Tinman, I'm in Camp 4 in spot #3. I'm thinking I'll head to Mammoth tomorrow to get a pad and check out Toulumne though. I'd give you my phone number, but it's never on anyway. I met some super nice climbers from Melbourne yesterday and they gave me a bunch of useful information. I don't know if they post on here though.

There are 26 messages in this topic.