Joe's Valley 5/15/2007

After resting a few hours after doing Moby Dick yesterday, I was ready to climb again. So once the sun had gone down I talked a few people into going up to spot me on Team Effort. It was pretty dark but I remembered my head lamp and gave it a go and sent it first try last night. Felt really good to send it. It is the hardest thing I've done so far.

A photo of me on Team Effort from my April trip here:


And one Josh took last night:


Today, Josh, Ryan (a friend of Josh's from Portland) and myself headed up to New Joe's. It was the first time I'd been there on this trip. I warmed up on a V3 called Get Shorty that wasn't than fun and spent awhile putzing around on stuff I'd done before -- Super Sloper, Snake Bite, etc..

After a bit, though, we headed over to the Self Service boulder to try Self Service - a classic V5. I really should have flashed it. Got up into the top out but then didn't use my feet right and just got too pumped and fell off the thing. Pretty bummed but I sent it two tries later after slipping off the second move on my second try.

Video:


Then, we headed up to the Anarchy boulder to look at Pocket Rocket - a V6 I'd been recommended. It is an amazing looking boulder problem on a sweet rock face. It involves a big dyno off a good 2 finger pocket and a sloping side-pull up to an incut, almost jug quite a few feet up and then an easy top-out. I stuck the dyno second try but didn't get my fingers on it far enough and fell trying to match. Fortunately, I stuck the dyno again two tries later and sent it. Really, really fun.

Pocket Rocket: