Saturday, 06-Apr-13

I usually have a good breakfast on the weekends. During the week I just have a simple Banana Smoothie, but when I actually have time on the weekends? I make sure that I eat well.

This morning was no different.

This morning also found me on the back veranda (I am going to keep calling it a veranda until it sticks) eating a massive omlette – Eggs, Cheese, peppers, onions, ground beef, and a bit of bacon. With, of course, a cup of espresso, and a cup of orange juice. In a bathrobe. Like a boss.

From there, Marla and I packed up her car, tossing the gear into the trunk and minor into the back seat, and we rolled out for Hammond Pond. Simple and efficient.

At Hammond we climbed nearly all the main cracks there – I took the leads, with Marla giving me a belay and seconding the climbs. It was actually a pretty solid setup, because we didn’t have to make super-complex anchors; instead, I just slung a tree and pulled in rope as Marla climbed up. With that setup we got four or so leads done in roughly an hour and a half – not bad for the outdoors, to say the least.

And it was nice – a good relax and practice for me to get used to leading again. It’d been a few months at that point, so a solid little chance to lead a few routes was definitely appreciated.

• We took turns climbing – I would lead a route up and set the anchor, and Marla would follow me up while Minor ran around. We cruised through three or four routes this way.
• After getting bored of the main wall we moved onward – Marla and Minor taking a bit of a hike, while I headed to the main bouldering area to hang out with some gym-rats we had met earlier.
• While bouldering, a random guy’s dog “marks” my bag. He shrugs and walks off. I yell at the dog, yell at him, and fume.
• After Marla and Minor’s return, we move on to the Temple wall area to do a bit of exploring. We find a cave, a few interesting cracks, and I get some more bouldering in. It’s fun, but not overly strenuous.
• With climbing done and hiking complete, we head on home.