Back On The Rock

My buddy, James Nakagami, and I finally got together to do some rockclimbing. I didn't climb much in '06 but, lately, I've been wanting to get out. We both really love climbing at Index, WA, and made that our destination. Many people don't like Index; mostly, I think, they are intimidated by the grades. Index is 'Old School'. Guys from Washington went to Yosemite and learned how to climb cracks, and brought that knowledge home. Index is where they honed their craft, in a time when 5.9 was the hardest thing around. Nowadays we are poised on the cusp of 5.15 and modern 5.9 is watered down. If you want to know what real 5.9 is, climb Index 5.9. If you can lead "Index 5.9", there is a lot you can cover in the Cascades. Also, this will put you at a level to handle 5.10a/5.10b in Squamish, B.C.

One aspect of Index is that there are few climbs that the average gaper can do (5.8 or below); thus, these climbs get crowded on the weekends. We decided to avoid that crush and head to Private Idaho, a small crag about a 15 minute walk from the car. The crag was empty; we only saw a couple hikers the whole day. First up was "Senior Citizens in Space" (5.8); a sweet layback up an inside corner. Raising the bar a little, we moved left to "Battered Sandwich" (5.9); an interesting crack/layback to start leading into a flaring chimney. After a snack, we climbed both pitches of "Magic Fern" (5.9), an awesome (if somewhat seldom climbed) set of pitches which keeps giving all the way to the top.

After that, it was time to bail. Great weather. Thanks to James for ropegunning for me today.

1:19:58.81

Since my main riding partner, Mike, is out of the country for a while, I am competing against the clock when I ride up the Tiger Mountain Trail (Preston RR - NW Timber). I usually push myself to keep up with Mike but, solo I have to have something to drive me.

When we rode Tiger Mountain the first time this year, we slunk away after riding for 1-hr 33-min. and turning around before the top. Mike rode it the next day with Eric and they made the top in 1:33 (or thereabouts). For Mike's last ride, we hit what we call the Ultimate Poach. My next trip up Tiger was over a week later. Feeling sluggish in the aftermath of a cold, I was determined to beat 1:33. Working hard, and hacking up remnants, I posted 1:26:57. I knew it would go faster...even for this gaper.

Today, I was coming off of two days of a new plyometrics workout. My body was tired, but I actually felt strong the whole ride; I was pushing taller gears, and was able to take shorter breaks. Trail was muddy today, but not bad enough to really slow things down; just good old Springtime in the PNW. I hit the top of the NW Timber Trail in 19-minutes & change. After a brief rest, and a Clif Shot, at the bottom of the Preston R.R. Trail, I started climbing. Right away, Preston lets you know who is boss with a few railroad ballast rock gardens and a couple steep climbs. Once past those, it is a palatable grind interrupted by skill-building obstacles and bikers coming down. I took a brief breather at the "cattle fence", as we call it, and I saw I was at one hour total time. I was going to have to beat it if I was going to post a decent time. I kicked it down a gear, and pushed against the clock. This section always seems short on the downhill; you make it from the top to the fence in about 11 minutes. So, going up it I always think it is shorter than it is; I knew it was going to be close. I pushed as hard as I could, shifting into ever-lower gears as the terrain and my legs allowed. As you come around that final bend, you can see sunlight ahead shining on the road. I cranked for the road and hit the stop button on my watch as soon as I could: 1:19:58.81

It is always interesting to look at the things that drive us to excel. My goal of climbing the Tiger Mountain Trail in less than 80-minutes is totally meaningless. Proven more so by the fact that there are an untold number of riders who could smoke that time without breaking a sweat. That's fine, and I applaud them. For me on Tiger, it is to mark myself as better. Stronger. Faster. Not better than anyone else, but better than my previous efforts. With age, I've gained the humility to acknowledge that there are many out there better than I, stronger than I, and faster than I. That's okay. The competition that I seek is with myself.