Category Archives: Rock Climbing

Stories from Rock Climbing, or something in that general area

Aug6

Klimbing at Klinger – Fourth of July!

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Tuesday, 04-July-2023


I’m actually getting a fair number of rock climbing trips in this summer!

Not as many as I’d like, mind you, but… Frankly, I’m okay with it. I’m happy with the backpacking, and the climbing that I’ve gotten to do has been exceptionally fun and solid. No one will hear me complaining, and the 4th of July was no exception.

I was worried it’d be slammed – I mean, everyone has the 4th off, right? But this is Oregon, and you never can tell… But it was beautiful out, and warm, and quite dry… Ahh, who knows.

Bri and I took stock of options and picked a crag that we figured would be the least likely to be inundated with climbers – a spot on the Eastern side of Mt. Hood, far from Portland, called Klinger. We got going early, met up at her place, and even got ourselves breakfast sandwiches on the way. We drove, found the last spot at the parking area, and started in.

“The last spot at the parking area” doesn’t bode well for our heroes, but keep in mind – this was a parking spot that’s shared between climbing and a nearby trailhead… and it only held eight cars or so.

In the end? No one else nearby. We ran into maybe 8 people the whole time, none of which were climbing near us, so… I’ll consider it a win.



What did we climb, you may ask?
Hanging Chad – 5.7, Sport, Lead!
Hot Pockets – 5.8+, Sport, Lead!
Blue Grouse – 5.9, Sport, Lead!
Felsschlupfer (Rock Wren) – 5.10d, Top Rope
GSR (Good Sport Route) – 5.7, Sport, Lead!

Yeah – I felt strong. Lots of leading, though I was sad that we didn’t get any trad routes in… but I felt strong – even doing that 10d was pretty solid!


By the time we left the crag, we were the last car in the lot. We headed back, snapped some pictures of a cool little shrine we’d found in the woods, got a photo or two of Mt. Hood looking beautiful, and then I made a glorious dinner.

Not a bad 4th, huh?

Jul12

Bri’s Birthday Bonanza (of climbing)

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Wednesday, 31-May-2023


I took a half-day from work today.

See, that’s the joy of working a white-collar job as an engineer – I have vacation time, and I can use it for strange things. Like, say, helping my friend climb 36 routes in a day before her 37th birthday!

Yep, Bri’s turning 37.

I fully supported her goal of climbing one route per year on Earth – I left work around 2pm, and headed over to the gym. Bri and Lea had been climbing for an hour or two by then, and were optimistic about how long the climbing would take… I was a bit more cautiously optimistic, since I know how much fatigue can begin to wear on a climber, but I came prepared.

Snacks, protein shakes, drinks, and the promise of glorious tacos for dinner came with me.



Routes were climbed.

Hours ticked by, and numbers increased. Climbing slowed, but didn’t stop. We persisted, through energy and fatigue, we persisted.

22 routes were climbed by yours truly.
– 3x 5.9 routes, 3 on Lead
– 16x 5.10 routes, 8 on Lead
– 3x 5.11 routes, 2 on Lead


By the end, we were absolutely spent.

But you know what that means? It meant we got extra dinner. Just… so much dinner. Tacos, nachos, quesadilla, chips, and water. So much water.

110% worth it.

Jul10

Memorial Day in Portland – the Climbing

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Saturday, Sunday, and Monday – 25-May-2023, 26-May-2023, and 27-May, 2023

Historically, I used to go on big Memorial Day adventures – trips to Acadia, flights to France, adventures in Joshua Tree, and recently a drive down to Sacramento. This year, though, I kind of needed some rest and relaxation… Life, the Universe, and everything has been a heck of a time, and some downtime was exactly what the doctor was ordering.


Monday, 27-May-2023

Jess and I went climbing! At Ozone! Again!

It’s simple, right? I’d lived in Portland for ages, but how often did I actually get to go climbing outdoors? Not that often… though I will admit that, in retrospect, I did get out a fair bit… it always felt like a major objective, some huge challenge to get out into the outdoors to climb.

Now, it seems quick. A drive to Ozone isn’t long, even though I live further South than I did before. Maybe it’s not having to commute during the week, that lets me appreciate the drives a bit more?

Meh, who knows. We got to climb!


Memorial Day had been chill – biking around on Saturday, lazing around the house on Sunday… I was ready to stretch out and get some climbing in!

The Routes:
– Old Toby, 5.7, Trad, Lead!
– First Breakfast, 5.8, Trad, Lead!
– Second Breakfast, 5.9, Top Rope!
– Prancing Pony, 5.7, Trad, Lead!

And… that was it.

We didn’t do that many climbs, truth be told… and even then, I’m not 100% certain that the routes I wrote above are correct. I didn’t actually take notes, this time, and I frankly can’t quite remember why… Either way, I’m very certain that we did get out and get to climbing.

Why am I so sure?

Because, dear reader, I remember the picnic we had next.




After climbing, we drove down the road a little bit, off the main highway, and found a spot to rest.

Jess laid out the spread we’d bought the night before – a meat and cheese plate, with crackers and jam and drinks and… my ohh my. It was seriously amazing! We ate, we drank, we chatted, and I even flew my drone around a little bit… getting one or two good pictures of your favorite picnic-eers.

Yay Memorial Day!