Joe's Valley Part 2

Finally getting around to Part 2 of the Joe's trip....

Thursday ended up being a pretty good day for me. We went up to the Garden of Eden area and I checked out Anatomy Act - a V7. The guide isn't very clear as to what the problem is exactly but after talking with some other guys there I finally figured out it climbs up an arete. I almost flashed the thing. I fell off a sloper on the topout that I couldn't quite hang on to right. Fortunately, I did the thing next try which is the fastest I've ever done a V7. It starts on 2 crimps without really any feet to speak of and a pretty big move right to a pocket. Then slap your left hand up on slopers a few times, get your foot up to the start holds, then another pretty big move with your right to a bad sloper. Adjust it and rock up to a nice rail and it's pretty much over.

After Anatomy Act I checked out the other lines in the area and decided to try Arma - another V7. Not the most amazing line but it looked worth doing. I nearly flashed this one too! Falling off the topout again. After jumping onto the topout and doing it, I did it on my next try from the start. It involves 2 crimpy moves to a jug on the topout slab and then a couple of balancey crimpy moves on the slab to get your feet up. A nice little problem.


On Friday, I went back yet again to the Boy Size area but failed yet again on the same move. So it'll have to wait for a future trip. I did try Boy Size Right, however, which starts on the same starting holds and goes right. It ended up being a great problem. One guide calls it a V4 and the other a V6. I was able to do it in 2 tries and was quite happy to do it.

Brea worked more on Peep Show and made great progress. She made the crimpy first moves look easy and she got very close on the higher moves as well. It was cool to see the progress and even though it's too bad she didn't send it -- it's something for her to dream about and it'll be waiting for her next time :)...



We finished the day checking out the Gun Shot boulder and both of us climbed on the easy problems to finish the trip.



We still had some time left in the day so we drove out to the Gulch Overlook in the San Rafael Swell to check out the Little Grand Canyon. I had visited this spot last year and it is still amazing. Huge views of the canyon all to ourselves. A great way to spend the last afternoon of our trip.

Joe's Valley 2008 Part 1

It is good to be back in Utah! I've been in Joe's Valley since Sunday night for a week long trip with my girlfriend Brea and it's been a great trip so far. We made the drive on Saturday and Sunday and have been camping out here. We got here in a thick snow fall but got camp set up successfully and fortunately the snow was gone by mid-day Monday.

We started Monday at the Boy Size area which I hadn't seen before. I warmed up on a few easy problems and then ended up trying and doing a short unnamed V6 in a couple tries. After this I tried Boy Size - a very cool V7. I quickly did all the moves except 1 and thought it would go soon, but I wasn't able to put it together.
Brea also climbed a few problems in this area. She did her first outdoor problem - Dos Mundos -- a V0 on the back of the Boy Size boulder and then Sole Food - a really cool V0 technical slab on some very nice rock.
Sole Food:


After the Boy Size area, we headed to the Small One boulder which is right on the side of the road. Brea climbed 2 V1's on this boulder - Tiny and Mini. I decided to try Runt - a crimpy V7 that I briefly tried last year and couldn't pull off the ground on. This year, I nearly did it first try, falling off one of the last moves and then did it completely on my 4th try. Very glad to see the improvement.
Brea working on Mini:


On Tuesday we headed back to the Boy Size area as I really wanted to do Boy Size and I was also curious to try Golden Plates - another nice looking V7 in a picture I'd seen. I ended up making no progress on Boy Size but hope to get it after a rest day now. Golden Plates also shut me down -- the crimps were too small for my fingers. Brea did a cool unnamed V1 on the back of the Golden Plates boulder. She really had to work for this one -- got her first flapper in her pinky finger but it was fine after taping it up. She also did a nice V0 on the back of the Boy Size boulder. She then talked me into trying a V5 next to Golden Plates called Mono e Mono. I jumped on and did it first try. This is my first V5 flash so I was excited and glad I tried it. After this we hiked over the The Fit boulder which has a very cool looking wall on it with 3 problems. Peep Show is a pretty inspiring looking V1 that goes up the middle and The Fit is a V6 or V7, depending on what guide you look in. I decided to give The Fit a try since we were there and ended up doing in on my 4th try. Nice moves on solid rock on the face but then the topout was awfully sandy and quite scary feeling.
The Fit:

Peep Show:


After this, we headed to the Maxi Pad boulder to try the amazing looking V6 Maxi Pad. I must say this this line is among the best I've ever seen. It climbs out a huge prow that comes out of a big cave on amazing rock. It is set a bit up the valley as well in a sort of ampitheater section of the rock that is really neat to be in. The moves are huge and I worked it for awhile but couldn't muster the strength to do the crux throw. This is a must-do boulder problem someday.
This doesn't do Maxi Pad justice at all:



We finished the day by heading to the Warm-up boulder and I ended up doing a V1 called Scoopable that ended up being higher and scarier than I thought it was - but it worked out fine. Brea did a V0 called Whatever and we decided to call it a day.

Today is a rest day that we're spending in Price.

Only 2 days of climing left -- going way too fast. I really hope to do Boy Size, and I think I'll get on They Call Him Jordan on Thursday.