Indian Creek Weekend, Day 1

Day 1 - Superb climbing at The Optimator Wall

The warm sun wakes me. Wondering if I should get up yet, I hear the little voices of Giulia and Keenan. They chatter as they stomp over the rock bar and exclaim "Ooooohhh". (I'm not the only one impressed). They see my tent and realize someone "lives" here and unexpectedly considerate for their age (5 & 4), they start to whisper. How cute!

After my usual camp breakfast (oatmeal and a hard boiled egg), we rack up and head over to climb at The Optimator Wall at the "crack of noon". I get a chance to enhance my off road driving experience in the Audi with a river crossing and fun sandy spots. It's a steep hike up but stunning when we get up there. We settle under a "cave" created by an enormous fallen slab, right by Annunaki. The angles, colors, and reflected light are sublte and sublime. Of course, I forget to pack my camera that day and am so disappointed. Silvia, ever the considerate climber and hostess, picks gentle Lady Pillar to start with. There's plenty of face features for your feet so it's a nice mild warm up. Next, she strings up Neat. It's a dihedrahal crack climb that doesn't become crack only until the mid point. 3 feet beneath the anchors is a small roof. After very important hand camming technique advice from Silvia, I do fine until I get to the roof. Flailing would be an understatement! I take repeatedly and finally crawl my way to the anchors. My final climb of the day is on a thin double crack system, Unnamed B. I make my previous flailing on Neat look like an aquatic dream! Yikes!


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Tanya and I head back to camp with the kids so Glen and Silvia can get some more climbs in. Silvia gets to lead Annunaki with only one fall. It's a crazy hard thin steep crack. Wow.

We play "slack" board with the kids, climb up on one of the mushroom boulder, and take in the sunset. It's dark before the climbing group returns (Silvia, Glen, Matt, Katie, & Matt). Then later in the evening the Friday night arrivals begin (Baca, Tim, Lisa and Drew). As the whiskey bottles are passed, the fire grows larger and the laughter more raucous. At one point, white gas comes to the party. Let's just say whiskey and white gas is a bad combo, and hearing someone yell "drop and roll!" defines a moment like no other! No one is terribly worse for the wear and we are lucky to remember the night as "funny". The night ends (for me) with Glen teaching Ike and Jos how to make "dry fart" sounds (versus wet or walking, he he). Terribly amusing but after 10 minutes or so...it's time for me to hit the sack! Besides, it's 2AM and I need some semblance of sleep if any decent climbing is going to happen.