The longest day

Somehow (possibly due to my own inability to process dates) I have ended up with 36hours off between 25 days of work and 34 days of work. This unfortunately co-insided with Ryans plan to raft the 97miles of the lower deschutes faster than he and Kai did last year (19hrs and 1minute). My first half day off was well spent on facebook, hotmail and falling asleep to bad movies then we were off on the DIAD (deschutes in a day). The crew was the majority of the logistics department and myself. We drove to the river slept for a couple of hours, got on the river at 247am and set off. There was cold, swimming, rapids, near flips, water fights, beer, pizza, a change of shuttle driver (thank you kelly and martha) and a slight slowing in the middle of the day finished by a strong finish. We made it to Heritage landing (on the border with Washington 16hrs 30mins later) It was great to put into perspective a section of river that i know well but usually do in 5 - 7 days. I am now prepping a 30 day rock, river, mountain course as my last big course of the season. Looking forward to it.

These are totaly out of order but I am extremely tired so cant face changing it.

Ryan looking a little worked around hour 14.
The ladies, (from left to right) Molly, Kelly B and Karen putting int some time on the oars (and paddles) around hour 12
Possibly around hour 8 or 9. in front, mike and molly, kelly at the oars, karen sitting and ryan asleep.
A well fueled trip. The cooler with pizza and oreos.

The portage around Sherars falls (class 6)

Mike and martha swimming buckskin rapid early in the morning
Molly with her hand stuck in the cooler
A beer with first light, hour 3 on the river
Ryan on the oars around 4 am
The team setting off. (me on top of the trailer) then Mike, Ryan, Karan, Kelly, Molly and Martha.

Thats all for right now, the new camera is making it hard to upload photos but I will see what I can do

Poverty with a view.

Time to throw up some more photos. Life has been kind of hectic for the last couple of weeks supporting three groups on the river and in the mountains but it does mean that I get to spend some time doing my own thing (or taking students to the doctors and then hiking them back into their group). Bend was recently described as "poverty with a view", currently with one of the worst unemployment rates in the US. It would be a mistake for me to claim poverty having just spent more money on a new camera than I have ever spent on a vehicle but the title seems fairly fitting.

I am 28 and live in a tent, albeit a nice big white wall tent on a platform, and it does have a good view. I also feel luckier and luckier as I see more stores close in the town and still eat great food, have beer on tap in my living room and get paid to take people into beautiful places.

The new camera is a bit of a step up - so much so that I am slightly afraid of it right now.... below are the last few photos from the old camera and some of the test shots from the new one.
The nice big white wall tent (my home for at least half the year)
An incredibly badly stitched photo of the sisters at dawn (with the moon far left). About to fix lines and belays on the NW ridge of Broken top at about 6am (having been up since 3am.. AH the joys of work)
End of a long day - Martha surrounded by gear after a ressupply for 30 hungry people in the mountains.
Paul leading a rope team down the Hayden Glacier late in the afternoon
My usual bed. A sleeping bag and some grass, in this case surrounded by RV's at Deschutes State Park at the end of the Deschutes river.
Courtney rowing white horse rapid, behind her you can see two of the named rocks, "Can Opener" and "Oh shit"!
One of the first phots with the new camera, two of our pigs (Hope and Bachelor) who eat all our compost and then......... supply the meat for the end of season party.
Whitney strumming it out in front of a local beer (Bend has possibly the most micro breweries per capita of anywhere ever)

Paul and I reflected in Ciscos glasses on the summit of Broken Top.

Too busy for photos?

So I have actually been working but for once not taking photos (which is weird as my camera was with me). I did come across some old photos that made me laugh though so they are posted below.

I have been around base in Oregon doing some training and then out on a Veterans course (Iraqi vets not just old people!) rafting and climbing followed by two days helping out with a rock camp at Smith rock. Unfortunately I still havent broken my record or 9 lead climbs in a day whilst working but I'll keep trying. Work has been great with the afternoon storms keeping us on our toes. The best example of this was me standing in the middle of a lava field waving my arms to signal to my co-instructor as the rain started and the Lightning cracked off the rim behind me. Despite the storms Oregon is heating up so I am again looking forward to the river. I have a couple of days off right now to get some personal climbing done before a couple of days in the office and then a 22day rafting and mountaineering course.

Anyway the "back in the day" photos (okay so some are not that old!)
The northern Corries in the afternoon light, not sure when this was taken but guessing either a day out with Dad, Snow holing with Alex or maybe an abortive attempt on something with Ruaridh??
Alex (without helmet) coming up the couliour on Coire nan Lochan in the Cairngorms. This was part of the plan to solo an easy route on every crag in the central Cairngorms in a weekend. Started in the Lodge bar then..... up, down, up, down, up, snowhole on the summit, some more climbing and finally missing the ferry to work after an epic drive across scotland. (check out how busy it is down in the Couliour!!)
In the (damp) snow hole at Garbh Uisge Beag with Alex and our matching down jackets.
Alex climbing the head wall to the Couliour in Coire nan Lochan below a rather snowless Cairngorm plateau. (2004?)
Along time ago... Me leading the eastern traverse on Tower Ridge on Ben Nevis. (photo taken by Mark (sorry i forgot your last name)) (2002)
Mark doing some deep slogging into Tower Gap on the Ben. (2002?)
Bob and me racing across the Rua Fiola mud pit (2004?)
A photo from Ben "Quake" Richter. me looking like a hippy on the car park boulder problem at Booroomba rocks.
Crazy Czech peter onsight soloing the pinnacle (HS/VS or US 5.8/5.9) at Little Killary crag on the west coast of Ireland.

play time (part 2)

So finally I am back to work tommorrow. The last stint of play has been amazing, starting with a long drive to Mt Rainier with Levi and Steve to climb Liberty ridge. Unfortunately the road head was not open so we headed back to a route that Steve and I (and steve Southard) tried in 2007). We climbed the Kautz glacier route which involved a days slogging across the Nisqually glascier and up to camp hazard at 11000 ft. a late start at 5 am saw us climbing the ice pitches in the early morning light but set us up for a late end to the day. We carried over the mountain (a mission in itself but better than descending the Kautz) down the Ingraham Glacier. We then drove back south and since then I have been climbing at Smith rock with Steve, Ryan and Mike Mourar getting on some of the classic pieces of rock right next to where I live.

(For some reason these photos loaded back to front)

Steve seconding the Aid pitch on the West face variation of the monkeys face (5.8 A0) - Mike belaying in the mouth
Mike and Steve (with lots of gear) in the monkeys mouth
Mike utilising a mono - getting onto the aid pitch on the monkeys face
Steve belaying Ryan at the top of "wherever I may Roam" (5 pitch 5.9)
Steve stepping across the gap on the second pitch of wherever..
At the end of the slog, Mt Rainier from the car park with our car and gear - levi is napping in there somewhere.
Panorama from camp hazard at 11000ft on Rainier
Levi with snow to melt for water at camp hazard.
Levi and Steve heading up the Nisqually Glacier
Levi on the "Turtle" the upper icefall on the way to camp Hazard.

Educators course photos (courtesy of steve baume)

This could have been entitled - me looking stupid Looking confused (lunchtime on the Owyhee)

The office. Actually doing what I'm meant to. Final day of course and a lot of talking for me - chatting to Jason mid afternoon

Where am I? - playing with the new GPS....

Not overly impressed about the indescision over where to camp - probably needed my 4th cup of tea that day

Play time (part 1)

The first part of the road trip is now complete, I finished work loaded up steves truck and drove south to catch the end of the "open season" on the Rogue river. It was beautiful to down in the coastal region surrounded by trees on a stunning section of river. We floated the wild and scenic section (35 miles) taking three days and a minimum of stuff. We unfortunately ran out of beer but stocked up at a lodge on the river side. We then drove (or rather steve drove) down to Mt shasta and were soon half way up casaval ridge. A beautiful easy ridge to the top of the second highest peak in the lower 48 states. At 13000ft we finally bumped into Rachel and Chris and their friends before summiting, heading down and grabbing a burger and beer in shasta city. Am now back at base planning the next trip, this time heading North to Mt Rainier and Mt jefferson. Me scouting Rainie falls (class 5) in the first mile of the Rogue - we ran the fish ladder on the right (class 3) where I managed to hit every rock possible.

A better view of Rainie falls, our raft is the grey thing in the middle right side of the picture.

Rachel, Chris and steve at bunny flats trailhead, Casaval Ridge sweeps up from the left to the centre of the mountain (the summit is further back)

Steve scouts Blossom bar, the most technical rapid on the Rogue.

The best way to start the day, putting on the river in the rain with coffee and cold pizza.