“Once in a while you get shown the light In the strangest of places if you look at it right” Scarlet Begonias by The Grateful Dead “I just want one first ascent,” I told my best friend Two Tent Timmy, while we stood amongst the winter solitude in our desert home of Indian Creek. Timmy just…
“Never pass up an opportunity to shut the hell up” I don’t have to squint to read the bumper sticker; it’s right there in front of me and I know exactly what it says. I know, in fact, precisely what it means for me, and that by some cosmic logic I pulled off the highway…
Are you looking for a synthetic, 3-season technical pant that moves as you move? If so, read on. Featuring NanoSphere® moisture and stain shedding technology the Westcomb Recon Cargo Pant does one thing quite well: wears like a pant for a person looking for just pants without all the bells and whistles. Retail: $240 When…
My hands gripped a small undercling in the alcove I had been resting in. I looked up at the move I would perform. Full extension, my hand rested a solid two feet below the next good crack system. I glanced down at the worn out webbing that represented my last piece of protection; the frayed…
As a pure rock climber with zero ambition for the alpine, but a desire to stay warm in cold camping temperatures, I often find myself using gear that is marketed towards alpinists. The Black Diamond Cold Forge Hoody puffy jacket is one of those items. Retail: $299 As the fall Indian Creek desert season began…
Usually, just the thought of a new pair of mountaineering boots would make my feet ache, but that is not the case with the Lowa Alpine Pro GTX. These boots were comfortable straight out of the box. Reviewed by: Amy Stevens (banner photo © Cody Tuttle) The Alpine Pro GTX has been designed by professionals…
Morning light reflects bright off the white granite ledge as my pal Patrick is slowly pushing our rope up pitch 4 of the Muir Wall of El Capitan. A local climber of immortal fame joins me on the large ledge. We each quietly feed and take rope while enjoying the morning view of the Valley…
We pull into the Supercrack parking lot in a rusty, mud smothered Subaru, named Shelly. The lot is dotted with similar vehicles, their windows all dusted by relentless desert sand, (some of which have been decorated by a climber’s tough calloused finger). Shelly the Subie has been with my friend Amy and I since we…