Hi all! Been a few months since I've posted anything other than brief responses on the board, but I haven't gone away - I've been haunting regularly. My plans for 2012 included a minimum of two trips to Cali with either my family or John (catpappy) - or both - but between family commitments and work crises four separate trip plans went down the toilet over the course of the year. Very discouraging - I began to wonder if I'd ever get back to the California mountains, especially since I had managed to do so for ten straight years prior to 2012.
When my latest plans fell through in August of last year, to climb the Whitney MR with Joe Q and John, I pretty much gave up and didn't hit a mountain or gym for most of 4 months. Needless to say, I'm paying for that now that I'm trying to get back in the swing of things. My first 2013 goal is to shed the 10 holiday pounds I managed to pick up since October. The second is to get back in reasonable hiking condition, and then finally into climbing shape. Before I threw in the towel back in August I was regularly getting 4-6K' of gain on workout days. It's been a struggle to get 2K' in a day since I re-committed after the new year. The mountain that I've used for regular workouts the past ten years is pretty damn crowded, but I always prided myself on rarely being passed except by trail runners (and John - he's an aerobic beast). It's been humbling the last few weeks, but I've been here many times before and I know I'll be back in shape in a couple of months if I stay on track. I keep telling myself that over and over . . .
So John and I put our heads together in January and decided to head to Death Valley for a few climbs in late February. Finally - back in the saddle! We're snakebit though - in this case, he had a pressing family situation pop up that caused us to delay the trip till maybe April. I've made a habit of hiking DV in winter, but never as late as April. I know things begin to heat up by then and the park closes the valley campgrounds, but I expect we can get to a higher-elevation campground - maybe up Wildrose - that's still reasonably cool. The heights should still be OK. We don't have an itinerary yet, but John's not climbed Telescope Peak and is really jonesing to do it, so that's a priority. We'll definitely hit DV Buttes again - that's a really fun, short class 3 climb (or knee-knocking C4, depending on route). We were also looking at the possibilities of Ubehebe Peak and maybe Pyramid Peak for scrambling opportunities. Joe Q plans to join us, and now that he has the Final 400 under his belt he's not so averse to doing some C3/4 stuff. Any thoughts or feedback on these or other DV climbs/hikes are always welcome. One of my favorite hikes in the park - Keane Wonder Mine/Chloride City - is still closed for environmental cleanup and safety concerns, dammit!
Anyway, while I've kept up with many of you through Facebook or e-mail during 2012, one of the biggest draws about California for myself, my family, and John is the people. We've made so many wonderful friends out there in the hiking/climbing community over the past few years - half the fun of these trips is catching up with with old friends and meeting new ones. When John and I lock down dates, I'll update the thread with more detail. Anyone who can see their way clear to DV when we're there is always welcome to hit the trail with us, or just enjoy a brew and a laugh at the campground. Several board members can testify to the hilarious result that can be had by combining John, a cooler full of strong porter beer, and an expertly-tended campfire . . .
And yes, we plan to resume our family climbing vacation to the Sierra in July. I still need to get my wife and daughter to the Whitney summit hut - rather than just looking at it from a mile away before turning back due to icing concerns. That was a tough one to swallow.
Gary
