In Redwood NP we met some guys who told us about a climbing area we had to visit while we were driving to Yellowstone NP. It is called City of Rocks and is in Idaho near to the boarder to Utah.
So we looked on the map and it was just 30miles more to drive. We decided to take a look and suddenly we were there for a week. After 6 days climbing in a row our bodys were finished.
I have to say that this is the best area I have seen so far in the US. It has everything. You find tradroutes and sportroutes as well. You want a crack? You got it. You want steep climbing you go on the other side of the cliff. Faceclimbing or slabclimbing? No problem. Multipitch? There are some as well. And the rock is just perfect, solid granit with knobs, huecos, crimps and cracks.
There are not so much pictures this time. Not even one climbingphoto. But nevertheless here are some impressions of this area.
You can’t compare the Sequoia NP with the Redwood NP. They are two totally different kinds of forests. Sequoia is dry and at high altitude, while the Redwood is at the coast, green, wet and beautiful mossy. We drove through the Humboldt State Park wich is the biggest forest with old trees in the world. You have to drive the Avenue of the Giants. One grove after another with a lot of really impressive trees. The Redwoods at the coast are not so big like the Sequoias, but they are taller. And it is more like a jungle.
The Redwood National Park is a nice place to stay. We camped at Flints Ridge with is for free. Just get a wilderness permit and you are free to go. Usually the woods are damp and full of fog, which is perfect for moody photography. But with our luck, we just had sun, all day long. Just in the morning some fog was there, but the sun was stronger.
First day was hiking day. So we visited the Fern Canyon. I’m not happy with the pictures I got there, because of the harsh light. Fog would be much better. But nevertheless it is just amazing. They filmed Jurassic Park 2 in this Canyon and you can imagine dinosaurs running through this green Canyon. After that we visited the tallest trees on this planet. The Cathedral Trail goes right through the middle of this jungle. Your neck hurts after the 3 miles but it is worth it. Once again too much sun for moody pictures. We followed the scenic drive and had a looked at the Corkscrew Tree. Incredible. Two Redwoods curling around themselves.
The other day we headed down to the beach. Time for some bouldering. You don’t need Crashpads with all the sand. The boulders are perfect. Some Highballs with easy topouts, a lot of slabs and walls. It was a really nice day with a perfect moment. We were having lunch, sitting on top of a bloc when a whale came up, pretty close to the beach. Just the perfect moment.
So here they are, some pictures from the Redwood NP.
Yosemite is over and so is the heat. Right now we are traveling up to Redwood National Park. We started in San Francisco after one day sightseeing in the city. Pier 39 was fun but the call of the wild is stronger. So we headed up the coast on Highway 1 up to Redwood National Park. The coast is beautiful and I can recommend this route instead of Highway 101. A lot of nice beaches, incredible forests and a lot of marine life.
So here are some pictures. The next days there will be some other new stuff.
The last day climbing in the valley is over. We wanted to try the Nose again, but right now, there are more than enough parties in it. Project for the next time. But we managed to grab some other ultraclassics like Separate Reality, Lunatic Fringe and the Central Pillar of Frenzy. All worldclass climbs. Now the feet will enjoy one happy month of not climbing, just hiking. Next stop: Up the westcoast to Redwood National Park.
Some people know that I love to take pictures of patterns, structures and details in nature. So here it is: Wood.
The last few days we have been in Tuolumne Meadows. It was way too warm in Yosemite. So we packed our stuff and headed out to the Meadows. There are less people than in Yosemite, the temperatures are much better and the landscape is just amazing. Better than Yosemite for sure. Clear lakes, beautiful meadows and the domes. The domes are just perfectly round granit mountains. Perfect to climb on. We did two ultraclassics on Lembert Domeyou called Left Water Crack and the Direct Northwest Face. Always around 3 p.m. clouds are coming and it looks like thunderstorm. So it is perfect light in the evening for photography. Here are some pictures I took the last days. Enjoy. No climbing pictures again, just one selfportrait on the Ultraclassic The Scoop on The Knobs. One of the weirdest boulderareas I have been to. Crazy rock, but so good to climb on.
Still in the Valley. After bailing on two routes on El Cap because of heat and too heavy haulbags the climbing motivation passed away. The last few days were way too hot. So we decided just having a good time. In Yosemite Village there is a show with Ron Kauk, one of the Yosemite climbing legends. We went there, keen on hearing some stories about the climbing in Yosemite. How it started and how it developed. First he was there … then after 5 minutes of talking he went out and a movie started. It was not what we expected … but now we know a lot more about water here in the valley. It was kind of a spiritual journey with nice pictures … thats all.
A few days ago we had the craziest sunset I have ever seen. Perfect light and amazing red colors right after a wanna be thunderstorm. No rain but big thunder. The first two photos were taken directly on Camp 4. If I had been somewhere higher it would be the perfect shot.
Anyway, here are some new photos
Yosemite half time. A lot of classic routes were climbed, like Nutcracker, Serenity Crack or Sons of Yesterday.We have done a lot of multipitch climbs and a lot of single pitch routes. Thats why there are not so many photos right now. Here in Yosemite I am more climbing than taking pictures. But nevertheless here are some. The first three photos are all taken from Galcier Point. I like them all, so you have to decide which one is the best. Enjoy:
Right now I am sitting in Yosemite. We were climbing there for the last three days. Yosemite climbing is pretty hard. The granit is more or less polished. Last week we were warming up for the Valley in Lake Tahoe. I think it is a very good place to get used to crackclimbing. The granit is much more rougher, the rock is more featured and you got dikes and knobs. I have never seen dikes and knobs in this form. It is perfect climbing. You can tie off the knobs and stand on the dikes. There are enough cracks for your placements.
The best place to stay is the campground at Lover’s Leap. You walk just 5 minutes to the first routes. If you are climbing at Lover’s Leap don’t miss „The Line“, a 130m Crack. No Bolts at all. If you prefer shorter Routes do „Tombstone Terror“, the name says it all. The Tombstones wait the first 6m with bad protections … But it is one of the best lines there.
Another great area is the Phantom Spires. This is were the knobs are. Don’t miss „Candyland“ one of the best routes I have ever done. The last day we walked up to Eagle’s lake. The perfect cliff with perfect ambiente. „Seams to me“ is the route to do. A 40m crack with the perfect ending for small people. You can’t get to the top without a really far far move … or just jump. The bad thing is, you last placement is some way below you.
So, no more writing, here are some pictures from Tahoe.
We spend a few days in the Sequoia NP. The trees are amazing. You just can’t show in pictures how big these trees are. You have to see it by yourself.
On our first day we hiked from the campground to the Giant Forest and when we were sitting under Genere Sherman, the biggest tree in the world a ranger came to us and said:
„Ah, it’s you! We were so feared for you!“
„What why?“
„You didn’t see her?“
„See who?“
„The bear with the two cubs. It was just on the other side of the log, 20 feet away. You were just passing it!“
„No, we didn’t see her!“
Good for us. A bear with two cubs is normaly more agressive and want to protect their babys. So luck for us we didn’t realize it was there.
On the way back to the campground we hiked back another trail and suddenly just 15 feet away a big brown head looked around a tree. Damn … another bear. It jumped on its feet and made a move towards us. But he stopped and we could pass. I managed to take a photo from far far away …
The next day we hiked through another grove were the second biggest tree stands. In my opinion the Grant Tree Grove is better than the Giant Forest. There are less people and the trees are much more impressive.
Right now we are in Lake Tahoe, climbing. There will be some pictures, too. But we still have one day left. So here are some pictures of Sequoia National Park
