Monthly Archives: May 2023

May8

BCEP – Climbing at Windy Slab

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Last year, I took the BCEP class with the Mazamas – Basic Climbing Education Program. It was interesting; a great chance to review my well-trained skills, practice some that I hadn’t used in ages, and get to meet some new climbing and outdoors people. It was fun, and ticked all the boxes that I had hoped that it would.

My faith in the outdoors community reinvigorated, I quickly and happily volunteered to help teach BCEP this year. I was expecting to assist with the same group that I’d taken the class with the previous year, since leaders tend to continue teaching year over year, so I was a bit surprised when I was placed with a different group… but it turns out, this new group was just starting out – the first year the leader had led a BCEP team on their own.

The chance to help out with a new group, and to help build a similar culture of excitement and optimism for the outdoors? All while getting to show people the unbridled joy of rock climbing? Of seeing new views off the side of a mountain?

Well. Sign me right the heck up.


Saturday, 08-Apr-2023


After we finished up Hamilton Mountain, there was one more adventure of the day planned. Nothing big, and nothing too far… but an adventure I was exceptionally excited for nonetheless.

Why, you may ask?

It was my first chance to explore a new crag in years!



Looking back on it, I think I’d heard of Windy Slab before. Probably briefly in passing, since it’s anything but a popular large crag, but still – When the group leader recommended it, I jumped at the opportunity to help set up routes for the group.

We arrived, did a bit of scouting, and moved the teams up to the rock. I set a route while the leader set the one next to me, and we started walking the students through the whole process of climbing in the great outdoors.

Before climbing, we talked through leading – how it varies from top roping, what considerations to take in, etc…

While climbing, the assistants pointed out the details of what we were doing.

At the end, I got to climb one of the harder routes available to retrieve the anchor… but unfortunately the students didn’t get a chance to see, since I didn’t climb slowly enough. Yep. Not even remotely humble-brag right there.


Hey, it was a 10a, I’m okay being a bit proud that I crushed it record time.



What routes did Ben climb?

Night Music – 5.6, Sport

Dark Apron – 5.10a, Top Rope

May6

BCEP – Hiking Hamilton Mountain

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Last year, I took the BCEP class with the Mazamas – Basic Climbing Education Program. It was interesting; a great chance to review my well-trained skills, practice some that I hadn’t used in ages, and get to meet some new climbing and outdoors people. It was fun, and ticked all the boxes that I had hoped that it would.

My faith in the outdoors community reinvigorated, I quickly and happily volunteered to help teach BCEP this year. I was expecting to assist with the same group that I’d taken the class with the previous year, since leaders tend to continue teaching year over year, so I was a bit surprised when I was placed with a different group… but it turns out, this new group was just starting out – the first year the leader had led a BCEP team on their own.

The chance to help out with a new group, and to help build a similar culture of excitement and optimism for the outdoors? All while getting to show people the unbridled joy of rock climbing? Of seeing new views off the side of a mountain?

Well. Sign me right the heck up.


Saturday, 08-Apr-2023


Another Saturday, another adventure with BCEP team four!



I freely admit – I miss my lazy weekends, at this point. I’ve been having a blast with Team 4, getting lots of adventure in and getting a ton of great socialization… not to mention getting to see people come into their own and become the confident adventurers that they all can be. But it’s tiring, and having to wake up early so often wears me down a bit.

Ben needs his lazy mornings, dang it!


Thankfully, Hamilton Mountain didn’t start out all too early. I was able to stay in Portland with Jess, which meant a bit shorter of a drive and a bit of nice breakfast in the morning… which definitely helped make up for the early rising, I freely admit.

We got to the trailhead, we conferred with the rest of the team, and we hiked in.

Yup.

It was a hike.

We… uhh… we walked? We chatted?

I fell behind a bit so I could take some photos, and then caught up with the team as they hit the snow line near the summit.

We descended, and headed onward to our next adventure… I mean, it’s hiking, dear reader. You know the drill.


It was an excellent time, I wasn’t at work, and the pictures were great. What more could I ask for?

May5

How to cook steak – Ribeye

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Warning: This is a cooking post, and involves meat. If you’d prefer not to read about, or see photos of, carnivorous dining… please pull back now.



My friend Lea hasn’t cooked steak before.

I know, I know… heresy, right? But bear with her – At one point, I hadn’t cooked steak either.

At one point, I thought salting a steak was silly. I thought… forgive me… I thought that putting BBQ sauce on a steak was delicious. And it was! By my right hand, it was delicious! Simply because I didn’t know what glory I was destroying in search of that sweet tangy deliciousness!

I once… Once, I even marinated a steak in vanilla extract. Forgive me, cow-who-sacrificed-for-that-horror.



I feel bad admitting those transgressions, but I have to be honest. At least Lea knows what she doesn’t know, unlike a rash and foolish younger version of myself.



So, I present these recipes for cooking steak.



First up, we have the simplest option. Cooking a ribeye steak in a cast iron skillet, with a side of Ziti carbonara.



The Steak:
– Buy some ribeye, with a little bit of marbling… but to taste. Personally, I don’t like a lot.
– Bring it up to room temperature, with a generous helping of salt. Ideally, Kosher salt or Sea Salt… large grains are the key.
– Let it sit for ~60min
– Heat the oven to 500 Deg.F, and heat up your cast iron skillet ’till it’s smoking.
– Add some butter to the skillet, and toss the steak in, searing it for 30s per side. If you’re feeling fancy, use a kitchen blowtorch to sear the edges. Add more butter as necessary to keep the pan “wet”.
– After both sides are seared, flip once more and toss the whole skillet into the oven for 2min and 30s, approximately.
– Flip the steak, and let it cook for another 2.5min.
– Take it out, remove from the pan, and let it rest for 5min.


The carbonara:
– Boil some water, with salt and Italian Seasonings in it… generous helpings of both!
– Boil your choice of pasta until it’s almost al dente (firm, with a tiny bit of white inside when you bite it)
<In parallel>
– Cook up bacon! Then chop it!
– Whisk together an egg, with some parmesan and the chopped bacon… maybe with a tiny bit of bacon fat
– Take a bit of the pasta water, and toss it into a skillet. Then add the pasta, and the whisked ingredients.
– DON’T Put the skillet directly over heat! Just warm it using the boiling pot of water as a double-boiler.
– Carefully heating the skillet (I use a wok), mix and mix and stir the pasta / egg / bacon mix until the sauce is thickened. You don’t want to actually curdle / scramble the eggs… just kinda solidify them.

The finished set:
– Serve the two together, and enjoy with a glass of red wine, whiskey, beer, or any other beverage you may so choose.