R, like rain

These are a couple of photos from a Village climb day that Mark and I had in July.  The climbing shots are all of mark on a route called "R, like rain", 5.7 mixed.  I don't have photos of the Raven Memorial, 5.8 mixed, 60 meters, which Mark led and has seventeen bolts with three additional cam placements!

The first piece of protection is a bolt the is just above the big black horizontal crack, it's about twenty feet of 5.6 to get there.

A few more bolts gains a ledge and ample gear placements to finish the rest of the route.

You can't take too many photos when first ascents are under way.

 

     The last climb of the day was my lead of Climber Quotes which is probably 5.8 (at least in the rain) and mixed.  The route takes the left most slab of the above photo, more or less directly below the tree.
     At two thirds of the way up and with tons of rope drag, as I am new to the world of trad gear and alpine draws, the rain started to come down heavily and I new there was a limited amount of time before the rock became too slippery for me to climb without crampons.
      I gained some bolts and alternated between big jugs and quick draws for the rest of the climb. Upon making it to the top I felt like a sailor at the top of a mast during a squall as I cleaned the chain anchors and prepared to be lowered for cleaning. I definitely should have rappelled that one as the chains need some quick links for smooth lowering.  I don't know what I was thinking, the rain affected my brain.
     In the end I spent the entirety of a twenty minute rain storm at the top of a granite dome in a cotton t-shirt, feeling like I just fell out of a canoe.  It was not the cleanest or most glorious ascent but I'm trying to break into the world of trad climbing and you have to start somewhere, hopefully the only place to go from here is up.

At some point during the day I found an old carabiner at the base of the Morning Glove crag.  For a long time the Mcalpinist crew (a.k.a. the Montana Underdog Unit) was under the impression that we where the first and only people to climb and develop at the Village on Revenue ridge.  

While we always are aware of the pioneering and non-publishing spirit of Montana climbing which makes first ascents unlikely, we had never seen any evidence of climbers at the Village. That is until Mark started to seriously explore the Morning Glove crag. 
The Morning Glove is the most striking formation along the mountain side that makes up the Village. Upon developing the Morning Glove crag Mark bumped into some five piece bolt anchors, and we knew for certain that we were not the first climbers on the rock.  This vintage Eiger brand carabiner is further evidence that we are not the first people here and also fires the imagination as any rusty carabiner should.

Later that weekend I stumbled upon some abandoned mining equipment near by the camp and was inspired to take some art shots.

Moods of the Madison

     This year for my birthday we got tickets to the Moods of the Madison music festival.  We got to see RJD2, Collective Soul, Beats Antique, Leftover Salmon, and many others.  A huge, classy time was had by all.

 Always use the buddy system at music festivals.

 The weather in Ennis was great.

 Beats Antique!  The bass drum part is my favorite.

 At some point during the Beats Antique set a giant monster appeared and started attacking the audience.

 Eventually we were all able to band together and defeat the monster with the power of positive thinking.

 Collective Soul!

4th of July

I have the opportunity to attend an amazing 4th of July party every year and it's a real treat. I can spend some time hanging out on the Shields River, see some great fireworks and indulge in exotic meats, however this is only the beginning! For example, the Boat Race. What can I say about Boat Race? The rules include but are not limited to: No store bought boats, must not exceed 2 by 2 feet in size, and there are many more rules as they seem to continue to multiply as contestants continue to bend them. This year the question arose as to how many boats are allowed per contestant, and resulted in one of this year's contestants choosing to exploit this unregulated aspect of the event.  

Top Photo: And the boats are off!

Left Photo: Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria?

Right Photo: Yes, this is an actual boat

Left Photo: The Final Lineup

Right Photo: Rowdy times aboard the Santa Maria

Left Photo: Tasmania-

Nylon and found items on Styrofoam

Right Photo: The Texas Boat

Right Photo: Guess which one is mine!

Right Photo: This boat includes a non-electric motor, as no electronics are allowed

 Right Photo: Wilson and Tasmanian devil boat

 Right Photo: Official Boat Launch

 Right Photo: Political boat

 Right Photo: If you look close, you can see Shrimp on the Barbie


Below: Preparing for Boom Time

Left Photo: "Onions"









Left Photo: Wiring what we call "onions", these are the same class of firework that cities set off.  You must have an explosives license to purchase them. 'Merica.







Left Photo: The stars at night are big and bright... in the sky's over Baghdad

Left Photo: A pro at work - measure twice, explode once.

Left Photo: Firepit

Left Photo: Delicious Breakfast, and Kangaroo!

Left Photo: Basecamp

Daines Visit

On Monday, June 27, Montana Senator Steve Daines came to Bozeman and met with representatives of various local interest groups to discuss the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) and access to public lands.  We met at the new Frog Rock trail head that includes a climbing access spur trail to Frog Rock proper and a through trail to Chestnut Mountain and eventually Yellowstone National Park.  We learned about the effort that it took to over come the "checkerboard" ownership issue that plagues access to public lands in Montana in regards to the new Frog Rock trail. It has benefited the local public, including the climbers who used to rely on a heinous approach which was probably illegal in one or more ways.

The groups represented included Gallatin Valley Land Trust, Trust for Public Land, Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Wilderness Society.  All three county commissioners made appearances and I was invited along with Ryan to represent the climbing community as well as Mystery Ranch.  

Not only was I lucky enough to be invited along as a representative of the local climbing community, I was stunned to learn that Montana contains 1,955,445 acres of Public Land that is completely inaccessible to essentially everyone! This is due to historic land ownership patterns that go all the way back to the federal government granting land to the railroad in the 19th century.  That's 2 million acres, more than twice as much as any other state suffering from the same checkerboard ownership problem, and more than the landmass of Delaware and Rhode Island combined. Read all about it here:  http://westernpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Landlocked-Measuring-Public-Land-Access.pdf

 

We all went on a hike to appreciate the new and improved approach to one of Bozeman's most important land marks, as well as the addition of many miles to the Gallatin Valley trail system. This photo and the previous photos are all at an easement on private land that includes a trail that is now open to the public, and all of this used to be off limits. At two stops on the hike, Ryan and I were able to provide some commentary on the climbing at Frog Rock, what it meant to us and how glad we were not have to use the old approach trail.  I could not have been more proud to be given a chance to represent the Bozeman climbing community.

This photo of our congressman and I almost makes it seem as though I somehow participated in bringing this trail into existence, however this is not the case!  I am one hundred percent a beneficiary of all those who spent many hours (and years) in the office, on the phone, and on the trail with a shovel to make this happen. Thanks everyone!

 

After the hike, it was time for a sit down discussion which centered around the need to continue the LWCF. The LWCF is set to expire in September 2015 without congressional action.  There is the possibility of a permanent renewal, of which everyone at the table was in favor.   The crux of the issue is the fact that other members of congress wish to see the fund renewed with the presence of reforms that were not supported by the meeting's attendees.  Everyone adamantly expressed the desire to see the fund renewed without the three major reforms that have been proposed. Learn more about the LWCF here: http://lwcfcoalition.org/

Thank you to everyone who made the Frog Rock trail possible, Thank you Senator Daines, and Thank you everyone who continues to work for access to public lands everywhere!