Here I sit in my trailer trying to retrace the last week. My hand hurts, I’m out $80 more than I should be, not at my interview like I should be, and I had to walk 4 miles in the dark with temps around 25 degrees. I’ll get to that at the end though.
I’ve been bouldering and climbing my little heart out during the past week. I’ve done some really cool problems and routes. I spent a couple days with Magnus and Dan, then Dan had to leave back across the pond to the land of people drinking stout ales and yelling at their favorite football teams. Magnus was going to go back with him, but he didn’t need to be back to Sweden for a week. I offered to let him stay with me in the trailer.
(Me on The Hulk (v6), the crux is a little too much for me, maybe next year)
Well, after I week, I haven’t strangled him with his own socks, so all is good. We have been getting up every morning, having tea and breakfasts of all sorts, then heading out to boulder.
We had a partial rest day on Tuesday and went to the local hot springs. It’s actually the runoff water from a commercial hot springs, but its free compared to a stiff $8. We got there and a fella saw my Minnesota plates and asked what I was doing. I told him my story and he was so awestruck by it. He offered me a soda. I went into the cooler and it rivaled the local liquor store for the amount of goods per square inch. He had several hard liquors and beers and I figured out why he was so interested in my story. Maybe you should all drink and these posts would get better also! I digress, we spent a good while in a pool by ourselves. We were not too happy with ourselves because two good looking climber girls (and by good looking, I mean they were the first women I had seen in several months in a bikini….) had just got out. Instead we had a older vandwelling gentleman pull up beside the pool, drop trow, and fail to put on anything! Thankfully he took his wrinkly ass to another pool to haunt another couple.
We came back to the campground and found the two ladies that had graced us with a fleeting presence at the hot springs. They actually were quite alright up close too surprisingly. We got another fella that Magnus knew and we played Shithead. I had never played but won, beginner’s luck I reckon. We had plenty of beers and then picked up another chap that was originally from Boston but has lived the last several years as a Kiwi. Quite an interesting accent if you mix the two! We cooked Mac and Cheese because Magnus had never had it before. I also prepared some venison chops and everyone loved that. The girls never came! They were supposed to come over afterward for card games in the trailer, typical women, teases….
We then went sport climbing in the Owen’s River Gorge with the two guys we meet the night before. Magnus and I warmed up on some 5.8’s and boy, did I sure lose climbing endurance over the winter! After them and a bit of rest we moved to a 5.9 and that felt good. I then toproped a .10d and didn’t fall. I was surprised at how well I was doing! I onsighted a .10b and .10a also. What an amazing day! I forgot how much I loved going up higher than 15 feet. I hope to get a couple more days in at the Gorge before I leave.
Thursday night was bad. A storm rolled through with some gusts that I’m guessing were at least in the 50mph range. The whole trailer was shaking and I couldn’t sleep from 1:30 to 4:00. I felt bad for the people in the tents. They must have had no sleep at all, especially whoever had put the broken tent in the dumpster this morning. Good thing there wasn’t any precipitation last night, else they would have had a hell of a night. It was also very cold this morning. Magnus and I were on our second pot of tea when the campground host came and gave us a visit. He said that due to congress not being able to come to a budget agreement (we had no idea of such news, we haven’t heard any news besides there is a famous climber in Bishop working on a new project), that the campground might have to close on Monday! Even the host would have to leave! What a crock of shit. Just become some fucking big whigs in D.C. can’t play nicely with each other, all the people here and at every other federal campsite (not to mention federal jobs) are getting screwed. I debated to go to the Truckee/Reno area and stay there until I have training, but it doesn’t make sense financially. I am going to have to move the trailer a half mile down to the river for a hefty $10 a night. $8 more than the pit here but a little more scenic, still with no amenities accept the hand water pump we have been using for the past week. We fill up gallon jugs and then pour them into my tank in the trailer so we have running water. “Luxury” as Magnus puts it.
(Matt and Justin filling up a gas can with water)
Now, to the reason why my hand hurts and I’m out dough. It all started last night around 6:30. Magnus wanted to “light paint” a tree with the stars as the background. I had previously agreed and we shipped on down to a small pull off by the Happies. We took some sunset photos that were so-so. Then waited for what liked seemed forever for the stars to come out. During which, we listened to country on the one of three “decent” radio stations in Bishop. The news came on at 7 saying that there was no progress in the budget debate and it didn’t look like they were going to make the midnight Friday deadline. SWEET…. Then I started the truck to make sure the battery wasn’t too drained. I could hear the belt squeaking but it was cold out and I didn’t blame it for whining. All of a sudden smoke started pouring out of the hood, uh oh. I quick pulled the hood latch, shut off the engine and turned on my headlamp. Just as I lifted the hood, I got to witness the serpentine belt snap. SWEET…. Magnus took his pictures and I didn’t care much to take any. We ended up hiking the roughly 4 miles back to my trailer and good thing we bundled up, it was cold! My mind was racing on what to do since I had to be in Truckee at noon tomorrow and Magnus had to catch a bus at the same time. Truckee is 4 hours away and it was supposed to be snowing the whole way up. Good thing I had internet on my phone. Napa opened at 8 and O’Reiley’s at 7:30. O’Reiley’s it was. Hopefully we could get it fixed and on the road by 8:15 and book ass to Truckee. WRONG…. Turns out the belt had melted the plastic on the tension pulley. We tried to run it anyway to make sure that was the only thing wrong. It wasn’t. The compressor for the A/C had seized up and was causing more smoke on the new belt. SWEET… Back to town we go in Matt’s (the Kiwi) little Honda that was packed to the brim. I called around and no one had the correct belt to bypass the A/C, but we found a belt that was close. Now, if it was just close enough was the question. Matt and I went back to the truck, Magnus wanted to be dropped off so he could hitchhike to Reno or South Lake Tahoe to catch a ride to San Francisco or Sacramento. Hope he’s doing well. Hard way to part, but there was nothing I could do for him.
Back to the truck, Matt and I put on the new pulley and the new belt. It doesn’t fit but it’s really close… Between some old Indian tricks and brute strength, we get the sucker on. Everything runs fine, minus the A/C, but I will fix that on another date. Shouldn’t need it too much in Truckee I reckon. During the brute strength process, I managed to pull the muscle between my thumb and finger.
Matt is going to be here for a couple weeks and has no climbing partner as of right now. It looks as if I’ll be doing the Death March into and out of The Gorge quite a bit. It’s a roughly 500 foot descent into an abyss that very well looks like Frankenstein could inhabit it. Power lines and a power plant that hiss constantly kind of ruin the atmosphere, but the climbing is amazing and the rock is superb.
As for now, I’m just chilling and trying to recollect myself. I have to go to Truckee on Monday for the interview. I have to run to town to get Matt beer for his generosity, and to post this writing. Until then, I’m going to try to stay warm, high’s only in the 30’s for the next two days. Makes me remember part of the reason I left Minnesota. Have a good one, eh!
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