We've been busy at World Wide these past two weeks; we did a Cataract Canyon trip in one and a half days, ran Westwater five times, and did a three-day Desolation Canyon trip.
Cat went by fast with an S-rig and one row boat. About 20,000 cfs.
I had never done Westwater before, and I was amazed at the incredible rock formations and intense rapids. Desolation Canyon is the best multi-day trip, but Westwater is a new favorite.
About 15-20,000 cfs
The black canyon walls are metamorphic rock called "Vishnu Schist." Westwater Canyon is the only place on the Colorado besides the Grand Canyon where Precambrian rock is exposed. It's eroded by water pushing around smaller rocks creating little tunnels called "fluting."
Meet Kirk, Ghia's husband as of January. He came along and helped train, as well as motor and cut down rowing time. He's a fly guy, and his boat is sweet!
This was my fourth time down Deso (about 22-24,000 cfs). I love that canyon; the history is full of ranchers and outlaws, indian lore, fun rapids, and incredible beauty.
Celebrating Joe and Jordan's birthdays with dutch oven carrot cake and lots of burning things.
Joe and I had a minor sinus issue... allergies.
A few of the crew this year: Will, Dallin, me, Ivy, Cameron, Joe, Libby, Ghia, Matt, Jane, Kim, Jordan, and Lexy.
Atop a towering cliff about Rattlesnake rapid. I love this place!
I just got home from an overnight backpacking trip in The Needles district of Canyonlands! Ivy got an internship for the SCA and is a park ranger there. River guide buddies Mike, Joe, Stephen and Amber joined Ivy and I hiking in Lost Canyon, Peekaboo, and Squaw Canyon. The trails were amazing! We hiked on solid slickrock for miles, where the trail is only discernible by numerous rock cairns until we descended through slots into canyons filled with meandering streams and newly-leaved Cottonwood trees. We explored several Indian archeological sites. I am always amazed at how well-preserved the wilderness is in the Needles. There are mountains of untouched cryptobiotic soil! The trails are followed and the campsites are well cared for. I love that place.
Camp broken and ready to go this morning at our campsite, LC3
Several animals visited us last night: hungry mice, Rodents of Unusual Size, and squawking birds at 4am. But after 10 miles, that pad has never been so comfortable!
We hiked to Peekaboo and found these incredible pictographs. I've never seen hand-prints like these.
Today I climbed Castleton Tower! Brian Hays and I climbed the Kor-Ingalls route, the route that made the first ascent of the tower in 1961. It was incredible! The climbing was fun and fairly easy, but the wind was terrible.
Behind me is the Colorado River, the towers Jah Man, the Priest and the Nuns, and the Rectory.
There are four pitches. The first, second, and fourth were easy. The third pitch was pretty hard, and slick hardened calcite didn't make it any easier. This is Brian at the anchors of the last pitch, about to rappel.
After night bouldering late yesterday, my internal adventure clock woke me up way too early this morning. It must not have known that today was going to be a cloudy, rainy day. I could not live in a place that was always cloudy, like Seattle, because after just one afternoon of gloom I feel doomed. Here's what a day like this looks like:
-check my facebook
-think of things to do
-realize that I've already done everything on my list
-watch YouTube videos
-get dressed
-listen to music, maybe buy new songs
-check my facebook
-call/text all my friends in town (who usually have normal jobs and can't play)
-finish project(s) that my understanding mother gives me
-browse instructables, mountain project, friends blogs
-check my facebook
-leave the house on my bike
-meander town, "bored shop"
-come home, check FB again, loaf around, fall asleep at 1am
I actually check my facebook a lot more than what I put on that list. Also, eating out by yourself isn't that fun either. Bleh. I'm always unprepared for days like these. I need to find a service project or homework or something.
In 2008 Ueli Steck broke his own world record ascent of the Eiger in Switzerland. The north face normally takes four days to complete. It has earned the German nickname Mordwand, or "death wall," because more than sixty climbers have met their death on the mountain.
Here's a few pictures from the weekend. We rode Gemini Bridges in the morning with snow at the trailhead, and rappelled in the afternoon with bitter winds. Never a bad day for adventure!
The crew at the bridges - Mick, Tyler, Arlee, Sterling, Jed, Mike, Chris, Chris.
Jed was our shuttle driver, and at the trailhead he just decided to follow us. We had truck support on Gemini Bridges! At the end I suggested we ride with Jed through the flat and uphill. He dropped us off at the top and we bombed down to the parking. Sweet!
Chris just got a new static rope so we can go canyoneering. So Mick took us to the top of Baby Lion's Back in his Jeep to test out the new rope on the rappel up there.
Crotch shot
That night we were too tired to do anything, so we let Dumb and Dumber play while we napped on the couches.
This time last year I had a machine breathing for me
I was put in an induced coma so I could not move and possibly cause more damage to my lungs
I was on more drugs than you can count on two hands
For weeks no-one knew why my lungs were hemorrhaging
I was in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Mary's for 13 days
I regained consciousness a week after I was supposed to be running the Canyonlands Half Marathon. I couldn't sit up by myself and it took effort just to talk. I was 25 pounds lighter than I was one month before, in my peak physical condition. It took a long time to get my body back. "Taking it easy," "not overdoing it," physical therapy... I had to be reminded to be patient.
I could've died. Miraculously, I live without lasting impairments. Life means so much more now. My physical body is the greatest gift I've received.
Now, I have been training for months. I am ready to run the Half Marathon that I missed last year.
This time this year I ran the Canyonlands Half Marathon.
Monday night I took Ivy to the Banff Film Fest here in Moab. After picking up the free posters and stickers from Petzl, we entered the auditorium and joined the crowds of adrenaline junkies waiting for the show. It started off with two sweaty-palm-inducing, on-the-edge films where you feared for the athelete's life. I got an rush just watching the incredible feats these people accomplish. Dean Potter was featured in the flim "Fly or Die," where he free BASED (climbing with no safety equipment besides a parachute) the north face of the Eiger, a 1,000 ft peak in Switzerland that more than 60 climbers have died on. After successfully topping-out, he leaped from a ledge and flew to safety.
Luckily for my adrenal glands not all the films were this intense. This was one of my favorite films they showed:
I hope someday I can grow a beard like that. After the show I felt like BASE jumping, or treking across a large desert, or something crazy like that. Sponsorships, anybody? Hmm, maybe I can get a camera crew and helicopter to document my float down the daily...
Today marks the one-year anniversary of entering Allen Memorial Hospital for my illness. I had been coughing sputum with blood for about a week previous and was being treated for pneumonia. Finally I became bed-ridden for two days and it was apparent that the antibiotics weren't helping. I went to the ER and within 24 hours I was sedated and flown to St. Mary's in Grand Junction. Five days later I was tested positive for p-ANCA+ vasculitis. Only about 3 in 100,000 people have this condition.
What it is: periferal-Anti Nuclear Cytoplasmic Antibody -- immune system attacks itself
Positive -- tested positive for p-ANCA
Vasculitis -- inflammatory destruction of blood vessels
with
Pulmonary -- lung
Hemorrhage -- heavy bleeding
In my case, the ANCA affected the large blood vessels in my lungs, but did not affect my kidneys. There is no known cause for this condition.
How I've been treated:
While I was hospitalized I was on and off too many drugs for me to keep track of. After I came home I was taking Predinsone (steriods) and Cytoxan (chemotherapy, which interferes with rapidly dividing cells that make antibodies), both immunosuppressive drugs to stop tissue destruction from attack by my antibodies. I took Bactrim to protect me from infections because my immune system is suppressed by the steriods and chemo. I see a nephrologist (kidney doctor) periodically to monitor my immune system to make sure it's not going haywire as my drug doses decrease. Kidney specialists tend to see more cases of vasculitis than lung doctors do, so this is why I'm under the care of a nephrologist.
What this means long-term:
Since I recovered from my hospitalization, I have been very active and suffer from no ill effects of this condition. If all goes well, I will be weaned off all medication soon. It is possible that I can have a recurrence, but this is improbable and can be treated quickly.
With cold weather, sickness, and long days indoors, there's not much I've been able to do. Right now I live by watching movies, eating soft foods (wisdom teeth out last week), and summer memories. These are some of my favorite stories that happened during the river season at World Wide. (Names have been changed to protect the guilty)
The beginning of the season, James wrote down his goals for the summer and posted it on the warehouse wall. Item #4: Get a back massage from Kim. Now Kim is not at all the touchy type, let alone the back massage type. A late night upstairs in the warehouse after most people had gone to bed, a few of the guides tried to get Kim to give James (who was asleep) a back massage. We dared her to tip-toe to his bunk, stroke his back and whisper in his ear "James, will you carry me to the bug hut? I forgot my shoes and I don't want to walk across the yard barefoot." We offered her a hundred and thirty-three dollars! After all the begging, persuading, and promises of money, she would not do it.
We all knew Jason had a thing for Sam, but he always denied it when we teased him about her. He was really awkward and had no experience with the opposite sex; Sam had no interest in him other than just a friend. Jason would take her out, but emphatically explain that they were "outings," not dates. He took her on so-called outings to Sunset Grill, Burger King, The Brewery, and he even got her a pair of shorts for her birthday. Finally, they reached the apex of their relationship when I was with Sam on an overnight river trip. After a easy afternoon float from Dewey Bridge to Hittle Bottom campground (more than 30 minutes from Moab), the guides and I were preparing dinner for our passengers. Out of nowhere Jason drives up, hops out of his car, and blurts "Sam-I-need-you-to-sign-this." She asked what it was. "Basically, it means if I die, you get 60% of all my money." The rest of us guides stifled laughs inside the trailer as she signed the papers. The next "outing" they had, Jason confessed that he really liked her and he wanted something more than just friends, and she shut him down. I guess including someone in your will doesn't guarantee she'll be your girlfriend.
Another late night in the warehouse found us listening to Paul describe his first kiss with another guide, Sydney, last year. "I suggested that we hike the amphitheater loop in the moonlight and read scriptures at the top. We're talking about Sydney here, you know? So we hiked up there, finished our studying, and talked for a long time. Then I said, 'A Hershey's Chocolate factory makes millions of Kisses a day, but I'm only asking for one.' and she said 'Are you asking me what I think you're asking me?' and then it was like magic after that." The best part of that night was after Paul had told us all that story. Sydney came upstairs with her Book of Mormon in tow and asked, "Does anyone want to read scriptures?" We all laughed hysterically, except for Paul, who looked like he had just been slapped by a monkey. When she realized what was so funny, she gave Paul the dirtiest look a Sydney could and left.
One night camping on the river, another guide and I were up late talking. We all slept in the inflatable kayaks called duckies. Suddenly Megan looked up from her pillow and asked, "What time did we decide to decide to do the downhill?" We said, "Uh, eight." She replied, "Okay," and then conked out again. About an hour later, she propped herself up in her duckie and exclaimed, "There's water running under us as we speak!" In the morning we asked her if she remembered any of her dreams, but she had no idea what we were talking about. I love it when people sleep-talk.
On a rent-a-guide trip for Western, Ivy and I were helping Lee (Western guide) rig our boats for the next day. I finished strapping down a confusing mess of gear with Ivy's help and muttered, "Whatever, that's good enough." Lee said, "Good enough for the girls Chris dates!" Ivy and I looked at each other, looked at Lee, and we both charity chuckled. "Wait, are you dating someone? Oh, are you dating her?! Oh man, I have a big mouth..."
This is the summer how CFA remembers it.
To finish this post, here are two favorite videos from the summer:
Today some friends and I went fishing in the LaSals. We rode Josh's four-wheeler with tracks, so that made the three miles to Oowah real quick! (faster than snowshoeing at least)
Last weekend Ivy and I borrowed snowshoes from our friends Brian and Angela and headed to the mountains! We parked on the LaSal loop road and hiked in to Oowah Lake. Three miles uphill in 2-3 ft of snow is grueling, with or without snowshoes. As our first time snowshoeing, it was hard to get used to (never try to walk backwards with those on!), but it was fun. There had only been two other people up there since it had snowed. It was cool to see how the mountains had changed from the last time I had been up there to the deep snow and green pines. Recharged with energy bars and fruit leather at the frozen-over lake, we breezed back down the trail just as the sun was disappearing. So excited for our snowshoe trip in February!
Another great family hike this year! The ugly weather opened a perfect sunny window for Christmas weekend, so we took advantage of it. We hiked the Moab Rim in almost-60 degree weather.
Thanksgiving Highline Fest in Moab! There were six lines set up with two short practice lines nearby. Ryan Matson took me out there, and I leashed up to a short 35 ft "practice" line. Just to get myself used to the height I scooted across on my butt and kinda played around a bit. Safely on the other side, I tried to convince myself to start walking. I could step on the line, almost get two steps, and then freak myself out. It's hard to step off a cliff and hold balance! I practiced falling and catching the webbing a couple times, and was finally able to step out and balance for a while. My inability to do better was all in my head! If a slackline like that had been set up 3 ft off the ground, it would have been no problem. I need more practice and control of my fears, and next time, I will walk the line.
From the title of this post, you're probably thinking that I've had a rough spot in my life and I'm blogging about it, but this is about a less solemn subject: climbing. Climbing is like no other sport. It is physically demanding, mentally straining, and dangerous. It focuses your mind and sharpens your senses. It offers a challenge that if defeated, brings an incredible sensation of achievement.
"This one seems pretty doable." Kerri, Sterling, and I stood at the base of a route on Wall Street, a beautiful red slickrock wall with many climbs. It might've been the last good-weather day of the year, and we wanted to make the most of it. We looked up with our necks craned, assessing the rock and the difficulty of it. "The book says it's only a 5.8? Let's try it - I'll lead."
"Leading" is to climb a route first, place anchors as you go along, and clip your rope at the top. On most climbs there is a bolt in the rock every 5-10 feet, and if you are about to clip into one and you slip, you will fall twice the distance since your last anchor before your belayer can catch you. So if you climb 10 feet, almost reach the next bolt and slip!, then you're going to fall at least 20 feet. There's a lot of stress and motivation to not fall while you're lead climbing.
And leading was exactly what I was attempting to do. I tied a figure-eight to my harness, squeezed my feet into my shoes, and took off. A little scramble to the first bolt, and I felt sure I could top out. I kicked my brain into hyper speed, focusing on the rock so I could move smoothly and save energy. One... two... three bolts behind me... and then I stopped. I was on an exposed rock fin with the ground a mile away. There were no holds to my right, drop-off on my left, and a small hold above my head about 6 inches too high. I thought, "If I dyno (jump) to that hold, I'm probably going to fall. But I'll try it--it's all in my head, right?" I ran through my plan. Focus, energy to my legs, and... "doh-AH!" I made an involuntary sound with my throat as I fell and swung down on the rope. "I'm going to try again - be ready to catch me!" It took too many tries, and I got tired of gaining all that distance just to fall again. Kerri, my belayer, yelled up that she'd try it, so I came down.
On the ground and trading places, I described the tough spot to Kerri while I took off my shoes and pulled out my belay device. She climbed past the crux and finished, and seeing that it was possible, I tried again. After I had made the difficult move and finished, I realized why I couldn't do it before. I didn't have the confidence in myself to stick that move; I was sure I'd fall--and I did.
Climbing is not only about skill of movement on the rock; it requires concentration to solve difficult problems, determination, and confidence to overcome fear. The process is stressful, but the rewards are sweet: an incredible sense of accomplishment and a good dose of adrenaline. Climbing is something I can't quit, but I think it's a lot healthier than other addicting substances. Climbing is a passion.
