15 days

Just finished a 15day rafting and mountaineering course with 8 16-18year old boys and my co-instructor John. One week on the river and one in the beautiful Mt Jefferson wilderness (a first for all of us) was a great way to finish my season of work here in oregon with lots of lake swimming, a summit of Goat peak and some dusty trails. I am now just waiting for a local mechanic to put my van back together so I can drive to the other side of the mountains and hang out with whitney for a bit before heading to the north cascades (washington) and some sea kayaking in the san juan islands. The busy part of my year is over and life is beginning to look more and more exciting.

Trying not to hike to close to the students as they kick up dust on the trail.
The storm that followed us for a couple of hours before finally breaking right over our heads resulting in a bit of time in "lightning drill"
Jumping onto the summit of jefferson. I went up to scout the route on Goat peak and spent some time messing around
Solo debrief at table lake. We managed to squeeze a 38hr solo into the mountain section.
John hiding a snickers bar from the students at our high bivy before the summit day
Sunset and moon rise over the cascades (front to back - three finger jack, mt washington, the sisters and broken top)
on the summit of goat peak just after sunrise. (mt jefferson in the background)

A short trip to Australia

Now at the end of my 9 days off it actually feels like quite a long time. One day relaxing in Bend with Whitney and some friends and then I was on the plane to WA. It was great to be back in Australia noticing the differences, meat pies instead of corndogs, the size of a large coffee etc. The main purpose of the visit was to see Anna and Nick who recently got married and who I had not seen in 3 years with the added bonus of seeing my mum for a couple of days. Anna and Nick soon whisked me out of Perth and down to their house in Cowaramup near Margeret River. It was a great few days relaxing, walking on the beach, catching up, swimming (briefly) and a little fishing. I then jumped back on the plane and managed a day and half climbing before starting work in an hours time. Next up I am heading out to instruct a 15day rafting and mountaineering course................

Me being allowed to drive the boat while Anna pretends not to be sea sick
Another beautiful beach at margeret river (I think this is called Leftenders??)
Some foam at Canal Rocks
Nick, Anna and Cooper (looking a little down that all the attention is not directed at him)
Mum and Anna on the beach
Anna and Cooper in the back of the Defender (Cooper has a special platform in the back so he can see out!)
Anna posing with our mighty catch of whiting that then took Nick and I some time to fillet as they were so small but they did taste good.

Work, work and more work

Its hard to count myself as an outdoor educator right now considering how much time I am spending in the office but I cant really complain as I get to dash into the field to see one of the 4 groups briefly and still live near some amazing places. So just a few photos of the last couple of weeks. Slightly misarranged but some time spent on Mt Washington (a new one for me) with a group and some photos of the bouldering on our basecamp and just up the road at the beautiful Whychus creek. (Yes, climbing friends I will admit to bouldering!)

Not long now to a short flight to see my Anna (my sister) in Australia for a week............

on the summit of Washington looking south to the sisters.
My intermittent home (note the Jet boil behind)
Jor-El down at Whychus Creek
Ryan demonstrating perfect spotting technique for Frank on one of the problems on our base
Ryan on "the brick" traverse
Whitney, Kelsey and Ashley at Whychus creek
Kelsey and Karl coming up the ridge on our reconnaissance of mt washington
A groups headlamps moving in camp as the stars move overhead (on the river)
A long slow sunset over three fingered jack and mt jefferson from the north ridge of Mt washington

The past few weeks

The summer must have started as I havn't had much time to do things outside of work. This is not neccesarily a bad thing, lots of time with great people in great places. I did promise myself that I would climb more this year but apart from a brief spurt where I promptly hurt my right shoulder (so now they both hurt) I have been on the river or back at base getting ready for the river. First up was "all staff" 44 staff on the deschutes in three different groups, learning, bonding and generally having a good time. Next up a week long program back on the Deschutes river for Military Veterans then the river again for the first week of a 15 day youth course. After getting off the river I did manage a quick dash (in the name of staff development) up to Three Finger Jack in the Mt Jefferson wilderness with some of our interns. Setting out at 8pm we got to the high camp at 11pm got up at 3am, summited at 620am and were back at the trailhead for 11am.

Mike Armstrong (and Mike Mourar in the background) takes the plunge from the newly renamed "Kellens Rock"
Justin, Doug and Mike Mourar (generational picture anyone?) watch the flip drills
Some of the staff at the Ed Rodgers flag hike on the Deschutes
The staff of the Vets course (Tony, Paul, Mike, Josaf, Rob, Levi, Me, Erin, Steve, Justin, Jeff and mike carney)
Sunset over the deschutes
Gear boat flip drills in the river at base (Whitney, Carl, Mike and Levi)
Buckskin Mary Rappel (yes thats an abseil)
The team at the start of the fixed line at around 5am (stu, Carl and Jeff)
The best reason for climbing mountains - the view to other mountains. the sisters and mt washington
Stu on the summit pinacle

For now I have a 15day course to finish and then straight onto a 22day youth course. And then............ some time off

Rogue bowling

This seems like a long time ago, but my time off was filled with climbing, a trip on the rogue river with whitney and finished with the odin falls staff bowling championships. I have now just got back this years "all staff" river trip but below are some photos from the period before that.

Me attempting to surf the top wave on devils staircase rapid on the rogue
Bobo the clown (jay miller) and jason luthy watching the bowling
Whitney and Kat molesting the bowling mascot
Ralph showing one of many techniques for those of us who cant bowl
Whitney above blossom bar rapid on the wild and scenic section of the rogue.
One of our camps on the rogue
Switching out kayaking and rowing
Whitney rowing with the kayaks stacked behind her on the day 3 of our 5 day trip
another camp
The adventure mobile getting unpacked next to the river.

soon - all staff river photos

Just another 10 days in the office....

My big block of work is now finished and I am sitting in a coffee shop in Eugene - the last 10 days at work has been a crazy time, the last ten days of a 50 day course with a run of one of the more remote rivers in the lower 48 states and a summit attempt on Mt Hood. I was joined on this section by Steve Baume and for a brief time by Meagan. This year will probably stick in my mind for a couple of reasons - smoothest run of the Owyhee ever with lots of chilling and hot springs and good campsites, an epic drive out of the Owyhee drainage where the trailer came off the hitch, it took steve over an hour to back down an epic couple of hundred yards of road (once we rehitched the trailer) and we blew out our chains on the second attempt to go upwards (though we did in fact make it) top this off with three days pretty much tent bound on Mt hood in a storm with one summit attempt where we left camp at 2am and were back by 53oam covered in ice with a bit of frostnip this will not be a 10days to be forgotten.....

Mountaineer, Rafter and Driver Extraordinary, Steve Baume - Sponsored by Red bull and other energy drinks - takes another shot on one of the long drives across oregon.

Rye grass hot springs for a lunch time stop.
Sometimes its hard, sometimes its easy but it still work - steve living it up on the gear boat.
Raft below "Pruitts Castle" on the Owyhee
Santiago puts in a bold pry on Dog leg rapid (class 3)
And gets it spot on!
Lizzie scouts Whistling Bird Rapid (Class 4)
Me in steve southards Kayak paddling towards Mongomery Rapid (Class 4) at the entrance to Green Dragon Canyon.
Steve stops trying to teach us new swear words and surveys the broken chains at the top of the nasty road.
530am - up since 1245am and turned around at 430am on our summit attempt of mt hood
Steve, Meagan and I going a little crazy with yet more time stuck in a tent as the wind blows and snow falls.
final night in the wilderness - the students cooking in the snow kitchen.

So now I have a couple of weeks off - If the weather improves I might be headed for Mt jefferson, if it doesnt then Smith Rock followed by a week with whitney, headed for the rogue river in Southern Oregon and maybe Castle crags for some climbing in Northern California... For now I plan to watch some movies and drink some coffee.