WAGG Day 22 - Goes 63-65

October 9th, 2016

It's been 5 months since my last go on Whiskey, and it felt go to take three goes on the thing. Also, a summer of poor conditions (maybe better stated as low-motivation) brought me to the table a little weaker than the last time. Still, I took three goes, and did all of the moves at least twice. This thing is hard, but amazing. I need to climb/train more, and I feel like I'm over a little period of burnout.

Wyoming 2015

Some of the best days...

People tend to avoid climbing on days with bad forecasts like they tend to avoid hazardous material spills. While the latter of these avoidances is generally a good decision, the former is not...at least not at Devil's Lake. At the Lake, spring, summer and fall storms tend to be short and intense, but clear quickly - some locals have speculated that this is due to the Baraboo Range's tendency to "split" storm systems. I am no meteorologist, but I have witnessed this strange weather pattern firsthand in the past, and have come to believe in it, if nothing more, as a useful heuristic to get me off the couch and out to the bluffs.

Coming Full-Circle on a Magical Night at Devil's Lake

It has been about twelve years since I have gotten paid to go climbing (which in my case usually means getting paid to build anchors and belay - not pull down). I loved guiding when I was in college - it provided me with a great avenue for sharing the skills and knowledge I had acquired, put me in generally amazing work environments, allowed me to meet a bunch of cool people (my wife included) and gave me the opportunity to really build my skills by having to know them so well that I could teach them to a variety of people in a variety of circumstances.

About six months ago Nick Wilkes, owner of Devil's Lake Climbing Guides, and I were introduced through mutual friends. Nick and I began a conversation that led to him hiring me on as a part-time guide. I helped him out for the first time on the night of Wednesday, May 6th - it was a blast working with clients again, and I look forward to more of the same as the season goes on. As fun as guiding was, the highlight of the night came after I said goodbye to everyone in the parking lot. With gorgeous temps (and 0 pitches to my name for the evening) I grabbed my shoes, chalkbag and headlamp and ran back up the Balanced Rock Trail for a few quick solos.
The night was amazing, perfect temps, a light breeze, the stars, the moon. I did five quick "pitches":

• Basswood Chimney (5.2)
• Jam Crack (5.6 or V-easy)
• Balanced Rock (V-easy)
• New Box (5.4)
• Red Pulpit (5.6)

Balanced Rock Wall is the perfect place for this kind of thing, if one is so inclined. Fun climbing, low cruxes, and easy access.

Heading back down the trail on a perfect spring evening.

Walking down the trail in the dark, the climbing behind me, the talus still radiating the now-faded sun's heat and the warm breeze on my skin...all of  it, lit only by the small cone of light from my headlamp...I felt a deep a peace, a sense of place, and reverence for all that surrounded me. I felt in sync, if only for the briefest of moments, with the world pulsing around me. In that moment, life was not a struggle, or a race, but perfectly-natural, and easy - the whole universe was properly ordered, everything, including me, was in its place. The stars twinkled in the vast, unending sky and I touched eternity.

WAGG Day 10 - Go 30

04/24/15 (weight 179.2, AMRHR 44)

I drove up to Necedah on Friday after work to meet Charles and take a few quick burns on WAGG. To warm up, Charles led Tower Route while hanging draws, we pulled the rope, and then I led it with the draws in place. Then we hurried to the top of Y-Crack Wall and set a top rope on WAGG. Charles rapelled the line and I followed hanging draws and cleaning holds.

Conditions started to deteriorate almost as soon as Charles tied in for his first go, and they weren't any better by the time it got to be my turn. So, in a full rain, I tied in for a go  of my own (the route overhangs 10-12 feet, but the wind was blowing mightily) and found (mostly) dry holds up to and through the crux. For the first time ever, I climbed from the ground through the crux and fell a few moves above. I ended up two-hanging the route on TR, and doubt I would have sent if conditions were better, but I might have been able to one-hang it instead. I topped out in a full rain, cleaned the TR setup and rapelled to the ground. It was the happiest I had ever been in the face of failure and bad conditions. I was, and still am, incredibly psyched. Up until Friday, I was feeling like I had lost some ground over the winter, so the huge progress I made was exceedingly welcomed.

I cannot wait to get back to Necedah again. While a lead of the route is probably still a ways off, it feels like a real possibility. From here on out, I hope to leave the TR behind and make each go a lead go.

Opening Weekend at Devil's Lake - March 7-8, 2015

The weather over this past weekend was amazing! On Saturday, I met Matthew shortly after noon at the CCC parking lot, and we headed up to the East Bluff for an afternoon of fun in the sun. It was a little chilly in the valley, but by the time we made it to the top of the CCC trail we were sweating. The sun was out, the rock was warm and we were psyched.

Hope on the Horizon

Which horizon you ask? The 10-day forecast I reply.

Intellicast is calling for great weather in Baraboo next Friday-Sunday (March 6-8). Sun and temps at or above the freezing mark. If this forecast holds it will be officially rock climbing season at Devil's Lake. I am writing this for myself, I need to believe.

A Couple Days of Ice Climbing at Governor Dodge State Park

In the last couple of weeks, I have managed to sneak down to Governor Dodge for some ice climbing a couple times since Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Day:

 Today:
The second one is deliberately cheesy, but it was fun to make.

WAGG Day 6 - Goes 19-21

Originally I had planned on skipping climbing altogether this weekend since I had just returned from an all-out, six-day effort in New Hampshire - but, Saturday afternoon rolled around and the siren-song of Whiskey a Go-Go started calling me. I was sore, from an ill-advised campus session on Friday night, but the soreness felt good and I needed more. So I sent out a few texts, and even posted for partners on Facebook...in the end, my good friend Matthew came through and agreed to meet me at Necedah Sunday morning.

A Rad Weekend of Climbing in Wisconsin!

I had a great weekend climbing in Wisconsin this past weekend! It started on Saturday with a trip to Hillbilly Hollow. I met Justin, Matthew and Brittany in the parking lot and we headed back to the cliff.

The Weekend to Be 5/10-5/11 2014

This weekend's weather appears to be a little suspect, with Intellicast.com calling for a 40% chance of rain tomorrow and a 100% chance on Sunday. That translates into a 60% chance of at-least one rain-free day, and a 0% chance of a rain-free weekend. However, all hope is not lost! If one drills-down to the hourly forecast, Intellicast tells a much more promising story; only calling for rain overnight - late Saturday into Sunday morning that will clear up providing a gorgeous afternoon on Sunday. You should be planning on a full weekend of climbing at the Lake! Just allow yourself a little time on Sunday morning for a nice brunch or the like, by noon conditions will be prime for climbing!

Quick weekend to be weather update...

The weather for this weekend looks relatively rain-free, with Intellicast calling for only a 10% chance of precipitation on both Saturday and Sunday. This translates into a 99% of one rain-free day, and an 87% chance of both days being rain-free. Of the two days, Sunday looks better, with slightly lower highs, but more sunshine and less wind.

I will be out at the Lake, but taking it easy because the my shoulder is not quite right yet after the thrashing it took in Joshua Tree.

Wednesday Night in the Rain and the Coming Weekend

Wednesday:

I had the good fortune of getting a few hours of climbing in last night at the Lake with Jon and Liz. The weather was subpar, but not bad enough to turn us away. We headed to Many Pines and set up a few top ropes, but the rain kept us off the sharp end and the hard stuff. We had a good time and made it back to the cars in fading light around 8:00pm. And yes, I climbed Peter's...again - although I spiced up the rainy TR with a pair of flip-flops.

Wednesday Weather

The weather forecast for Baraboo this weekend is looking a little sketchy:

The weekend forecast from www.intellicast.com is calling for a 60% chance of rain on Saturday, and a 70% chance of rain on Sunday. Based on that there is still a 58% chance of having one rain-free day this weekend. So it is still a better bet than a coin-flip that you will get a good day of climbing in for the weekend if you plan on being at the Lake for the whole weekend! Ozark, IL looks much better, so some extra windshield time to Jackson Falls might be worth it. Regardless I will not be out this weekend, I have bigger fish to fry - have fun and be safe!

 

Today looks pretty stellar here in Baraboo, so I will probably end up at the park this afternoon for a bouldering session if anyone is interested. I plan on lugging a pad up to the Little Flatiron and giving it another go.

 

EDIT: I will not be heading up to the Little Flatiron today - have fun if you go.

My Tips Don't Lie

After-work bouldering on April 2nd.

Can you beat this weather for April 2nd?

Of course I had to get out for a Wednesday night bouldering session with sunny 50's called for. I split from work shortly after 4pm and headed for the park. For some reason the CCC trail had a slightly malevolent feel to it. Maybe it was the lack of snow, or the huge tree that had fallen across the base of the trail since Saturday; regardless of the cause it had an odd feeling to it.

Weekend Report 03/29/14 - 03/30/14

What a rad weekend! My old friend Phil and his family came up to the house to visit my family and me. Phil and I are planning a big trip later in the summer, but this weekend was about reacquainting and spending some excellent time out on the rock at Devil's Lake. I wrote about some plans last Thursday, but they (as they always do) changed. This is how it actually shook out.

Hatching Weekend Plans

It is spring in Wisconsin, which means, among many other things, that most Wisconsin climbers are feeling a bit lethargic from winter's low-activity levels and compensatory over-indulgences. Which is of course the nice way of saying that a lot of us probably spent too much time on our couches while consuming too much cheese and too many beers. I was lucky enough back in early February to have a good friend talk me into a "spring break" a trip to Joshua Tree National Park and have been working a diet/workout plan hard since. I plan on posting the details of that system along with a trip report from J-Tree when I get back.

For the last six weeks or so I have been working the hangboard, pull-ups, push-ups, core-routine and cardio pretty hard. I have dropped 20 pounds and gotten stronger.

Wednesday Night Bouldering Club of One

One of my projects for the next few weeks (hopefully, months maybe) is to send the Little Flatiron. I began that process tonight with an hour or so after work playing around in the overcast, windy and cold conditions that were not forecast yesterday. Anyway, the sun came out as I was wrapping up and I think I got a decent pic of the route:

The Little Flatiron (V4)



Wednesday and the Weekend to be!

The forecast for this afternoon is looking great, and I'm grabbing my shoes, chalkbag and pad to head up to the Lake for an after work bouldering session. Today's big goal is the Little Flatiron and perhaps Martini Madness - but I am going to see how the afternoon is going before hopping on that.

As for the upcoming weekend, I am psyched! The weather looks genuinely good for the weekend, and it cannot come soon enough.

Saturday has a predicted high of 46 with a 10% chance of rain, and Sunday's high is called at 62 with a 10% chance of rain. That means a 99% of a good day this weekend, see you up there!

It Snowed Last Night in Sauk County

Man, waking up to an inch of fresh snow on March 25th is no fun, especially when the weekend plans call for rock climbing. The forecast for the weekend still looks great, but that blanket of white and temps in the teens make a bright outlook tough to maintain.