Psyche at an all time high!!!

I´M SO PSYCHED! My shark watching adventure at the Farallons will be tomorrow in the morning, hopefully there will be tons of sharks around! I paid 875 dollars for that, so there better be SOME! 

I spent my last dollars on my pasta ingredients today, I´m gonna chef up some pasta for Brian, Emiliy, Jeffie and Damian...and Belle, if she is allowed to have some as well:)

I so don´t wanna leave. San Francisco is the most beautiful city in the world. Bridges Rock Gym is THE GYM! I wish there would be so many nice people around in Rosenheim...Hopefully I´ll see sharks tomorrow, go out bouldering with Austin and the crew on Monday and make these final days a blast...

I´ll arrive in Munich without a cent in my pocket. All my savings are gone. It was a fun ride...and DAMN was is worth it...

Out. Won`t be able to sleep. Great White Sharks, I´m calling you. Be at the Farallons tomorrow. We have a meeting. I wanna look into your big black eyes and realize a little more how beautiful the world is. 

Out.

Back to SanFran II

I`m back in San Fran again, just to let you know...pics of the second trip to Bishop and the Valley will soon be updated.

In the meantime I`ll enjoy the remaining weeks in San Fran, even though I can slowly count down the days, I`ld love to stay longer...

Valley Update

So here`s a short update on what I did since my last post. A lot of amazing things...of course I have gone back to working on my projects and I`m looking good...I think...I got to do some nice easier stuff as well, but most of the time I`m just working the stuff I left unfinished on my first trip. Today was different though, went to Candyland today with Brian and Sandra and finally got to session The Diamond...I quickly managed to do the moves and linked it to the upper sloper crux that neither Brian or me were having balls enough to seriously try...kinda scary landing! Really good problem though, I got some nice pics!

Restdaywise, I finally hitchhiked to Mariposa Grove and got to see some really BIG Sequoias...those trees are so big, I was just staring at the Grizzly Giant, the second largest living thing on this planet for 30 minutes...IT IS SO BEAUTIFUL and TALL and AWESOME and...

It`s a funny and sad thing that some dumb ass Japanese fucker, seeing a picture of the trees in the Gift Shop actually turned to his equally dumbfuck girlfriend and said..

"I seriously thought they were bigger, they are not that big, let`s get outta here"

How does that saying go? The eyes can only see what the soul can comprehend? Something like that?
Now that guy isn`t even capable of...I don`t know what...single celled animals probably have more brains...

I`m also the last man standing at my swimming spot, now that the nights are getting cold, the river cools down probably a degree per day, so all the douchebags have chickened out...good, there is silence, so I can finally take a nap on my pad after swimming.

There won`t be posts until Monday, cause the library closes over the weekend...

Out, take care!

Back in the Valley...

I`m back in the Valley...wasn`t he planning to spend like two weeks in Bishop, a lot of you might ask? I was...but I just couldn`t.
Let`s begin: Bishop is beyond doubt one of the most amazing spots in the world, both in terms of climbing and scenery. I got there after an epic eight hour drive since Tioga Pass was closed due to the fires around and pitched my tent in total darkness. I loved the place when I woke up the next morning. The climbing is phenomenal! I just got on everything that looked cool and doable with one pad. I relatively quickly realized though, that I wouldn`t be able to try any classic without having more pads...Bishop is so fucking highball...

So why did I leave? Bishop is also one of the most lonely places I have ever been. I didn`t get to talk to people...and the solitude was getting me. I thought it might just be a fit, but the second day turned out to be like the first and then I decided to leave...I don`t mind travelling alone as long as there are people around that I can share moments with...in Bishop however, there were only cactuses, boulders and the ever present high plains wind. Not to forget the blazing sun. I wanna come back. But Bishop is a place where you need people around. So I left.

The drive was horrible! I started at around 7 pm and got to Merced at 4 am in the morning, hoping to get a refund on the car. Shortly before Sonora Pass, I hit a deer. It came out of nothing. There were actually two of them. I jammed my foot on the brake (I had already hit a grouse earlier that evening, all those that know about the swallow in France will know how I felt about that...) and managed to slow down substantially before I hit the deer, still the impact shoved it to the shoulder of the road where it did a summersault, jumped up and ran for it. I pulled into the parking lot of the Inn I had had pizza at two nights ago completely shaking. Had black coffee. Had more black coffee. Tried to find out if I could call the forest service and have somebody look for the poor deer. They don`t do it in America. There are mountain lions. Their kittens are hungry. It`s like that. I hope the deer is fine. I was slow enough not to have the airbag triggered. Maybe the deer just was as lucky as I was, not getting hurt at all. I hope. Poor creature. I hope the only thing that was harmed was the car, which had a dented hood!

I didn`t drive faster than 40 miles after that. I was shit scared of hitting another animal.
Made it to Merced. Didn`t get a refund. Actually did but lost it seconds later. The car`s damage had to be paid. I didn`t go with addtional insurance, since it would have been 25 bucks each day extra. Shortsighted me...

The whole trip cost me like 800 bucks...thats the most expensive climbing trip I have ever been on. Well, I`m in the Valley now. Jumped into the River of Mercy and washed away the shakes of last night. Nice people all over the place. I`m happy and psyched. I`ll live on cereals and bananas, Amy`s chilli and have a cocoa per day as my well being bonus. I`ll climb! I`ll live and enjoy my time. I love the Valley.

Out...

Off to Bishop...

Since I`ll depart to Bishop in the early morning, just a very brief post that will go out to all my friends and familiy back home...I´m having a ball! Can´t wait to see Bishop. Spent the week monkeying around in Lake Tahoe with Austin and Ben and went to Mickeys Beach yesterday...Loads of fun. 

On a sidenote, I have downgraded almost every problem in the BRCM/Balkon areas...I think the grades fit now...coming back from the Valley I realized that Europe just has shit easy ratings...

Out to pack, more posts to come since you can get internet access in Bishop,

Chris

Back in San Fran...

I got back to San Francisco yesterday on the train after getting totally rained out the night before. But: since Libby and the guys at Yosemite Search and Rescue are so incredibly nice, I`ll return to finish my projects that I left unfinished.

Yosemite was a unique and amazing experience. I met a lot of nice people and I have seen one of the most beautiful places on this planet. I spent my days climbing and hiking, swimming in the beautiful Merced river. I haven`t felt as good as I did in the Valley for years, the climbing, the nature...it has it all.

In terms of climbing, it was really hot. All the time. I didn`t get to send my hard projects, I just slipped all the time and since I had only one pad (I bought one on my first day), there could have been better protection. Still I climbed a lot. I don`t climb on granite that much and I gotta say that it teaches you so much. It teaches you precise footwork. It makes you evolve. My most memorable ascents probably are the Ahwahnee Arete, a super nice and scary highball arete with a top out on micro holds in 9 metres hight...I have never been scareder and still have never felt as alive for a long time. In a way, life destills to its very essence, there is no past and no future, there is just you, the wind and the rock, you`re moving and everything is just so very present and in the moment. There is no doubt, there are only choices. After spending two days at the Ahwahnee boulders, I found my playground at the Cathedral Boulders and met Alan, who gave me beta and reconmendations, thanks man, hope to meet you again. I did So Good on my third day of trying it, topped it out in total trance after taking a few scary falls from the top. It was a moment in time. There is nothing that will take it from me. That`s what I live for.

Those two were beyond doubt the highlights. More are to come, since I`ll return to stay with the SAR team again. I`ll have fun, drink a couple of King Cobras and climb the shit out of my tips.
Swim in the river again.

What else was metionable? I saw tons of wildlife, the highlights being BEYOND DOUBT BEARS!!! I SAW BEARS...a yearling out of the El Cap shuttle which was a stroke of luck since the driver picked me up waving my hands by the side of the road even though there was no regular stop in the place. And then I had to wait and suffer from all the bear ruckus in Camp 4 every night. Bears came to Camp 4 every night in search of food. But I never saw one!!! I had to wait until I did Half Dome on Saturday. Right next to the trail on a meadow they were...Mama Bear and two cubs...I saw them for minutes!!! I WAS SO PSYCHED!



Huge amounts of thanks go to:

Jonesy/Itai/ Sorry your name is Pakistani so I can`t remember... for the American breakfast with pancakes and fried bacon...and the company...

Sam... for being a cool hiking buddy on the way down from Half Dome...

Libby and the whole SAR team... for being so welcoming and great and outspoken and amazing...

Alan... for the whole Cathedral beta and the talks...

my buddy at housekeeping camp... for the talks and the free showers...

Nick and Tessa... for picking up my hitchhiking ass at Crane Flat and for bringing back my camera which I forgot in their car

Karen... who did the Tuolumne tour and did an amazing job and all the bus drivers in general for being great and amazing and funny and damn badass folks

the docs and nurses at the Medical Clinic in my one situation of need...

and all the unamed people I met or whose names I forgot who talked with me, shared moments with me and made my time an amazing one.

MAY THE SUN SHINE ON ALL OF YOU!



Just as an amusement, here come my favorite quotes...

"So where you from, buddy?" "Germany" "Where the fuck is that?" "In Europe..." "Oh, I see..."
"Am I dumb or what???"
"Damn, there is fish in this river. I hate fish, they`re gross! Why do there have to be fish in this river?"
"KC (King Cobra), that stuff is savage..."
"Did you hike all the way in flip flops??? That`s ballsy, dude!!!"
"Get away bear!!! Get outta here!!! Go!!! Run, bear, run!!! Get outta here!!!"
"And to the left, we have the Yosemite Wet Streak aka Yosemite Falls in August..."

Pics will be uploaded soon...

THANKS TO MY FOLKS FOR THE CARD (I wish there had been money in it as well though...no, just kiddin`)...

See ya all in a couple of weeks...having a ball, restday today, went to Mortar Rock yesterday, tips finished, Nat`s Traverse is close, music is good, life`s good, Mortar tomorrow, Bishop to come...the journey continues...

Outta!

Chris

Two days to go...

I have two days left in San Fran before I`ll depart to Yosemite Valley on Monday morning. Posts will be rare or stop completely for the two weeks I`m in the valley, depending on whether I can find a cheap internet cafe or not. This week has been really cool so far, the kids camp was more fun than I anticipated (and I already anticipated a lot) and I managed to get my second day of Bay Area bouldering at Indian Rock...sweet place, I could flash a lot of classics and that was cool. I feel myself zooming in on my shape right on time, yesterday I came really close to getting the second ascent of that horribly sandbagged V 8 problem! Which felt really cool! In general I feeling strong right now!

This Sunday I`ll try and head out to Mortar Rock to build up calluses, like Chris Bloch suggested, so that I`ll be in shape for some sharp crimps...

Today I`ll just chill out and take it easy, I worked out for hours yesterday and so that`s a good idea, I think...

Out!