Monday, September 30, 2013

Gunks Routes: MF (5.9)



(Photo: Approaching crux # 1 of MF (5.9) in the fog. Is there a climber up there?)
The weather gods have been joking around with me.
Thanksgiving weekend was stunning. We had record highs, in the sixties and seventies, and abundant sunshine. I had a full agenda of stuff going on. This was joyous, important, family stuff. Stuff that I wouldn't dream of missing, it goes without saying.
So there was no way I could go climbing over this beautiful weekend. But I had to take advantage of the warm-weather window somehow. It was killing me to let it just roll by; this could be our last good climbing weather until next Spring. Surely, I thought, there must be something I could do?

I decided to take a vacation day on Tuesday to go to the Gunks.

The only problem was that it was expected to rain. After reviewing the forecast, I decided to go for it anyway. It was going to be warm, and the rain wasn't supposed to come until the late afternoon. A pretty full day was possible, even likely, I told myself. And the weather report for the following days called for deteriorating conditions: more rain and then colder temperatures. My obsessed mind saw Tuesday as my final chance of the year.

Parker agreed to meet me. We'd climbed together once before, in early summer. Back then we were both leading similar climbs but since that time Parker had been climbing a lot, and it sounded like he'd been ripping it up. I was eager to see what he could do. I told him I wanted to climb MF, one of my big goals for . He wanted to do Amber Waves of Pain (5.10a), which I was really excited about climbing (as a second) as well.

When I got up on Tuesday morning it was pretty gloomy out. During the drive up from the city I grew concerned about how foggy it was. The air felt damp. I worried that the cliffs would be coated in a slick, wet mist. It was an unpleasant experience I'd had before.

Then at the Sloatsburg rest stop, as I stood there pumping gas, I detected rain. Not just wet fog, but actual rain.

I paused to search the sky. Were these really drops of rain, falling from the heavens to the earth?
Yes, it was definitely raining.
It grew heavier as I stood there.
This wasn't supposed to happen! Not until later.
I was furious. I started yelling into the air. "Stop it! Stop raining!"
I'm sure I resembled a crazy person.
I got back in my car and started driving faster than before. I'm not sure why-- was I trying to outrun the rain? I kept hoping it wouldn't be like this in New Paltz.
The rain stopped, thankfully, before I got to Exit 18. I couldn't tell whether the cliffs had seen any precipitation. Actually, I couldn't tell whether the cliffs were even there. They were invisible, hidden by dense fog. This was not a good sign.
As I drove to the stairmaster parking lot I saw that the roads were wet. Also not a good sign. If the roads were wet, the rock was likely wet too.
Upon his arrival at the empty parking lot, Parker remarked that we seemed to be the only idiots intent on climbing. But since we were already at the cliffs, we decided we might as well go see if the rock was, by some miracle, dry.
We went straight up to the Mac Wall to look at MF. Described by Dick Williams as "THE standard for 5.9 in the Gunks," MF has a reputation as a tough climb. (As you might have guessed, the letters in the name stand for "Mother F**ker.") The first pitch has two cruxes, the first coming at an awkward, scary move around a corner, and the second involving some thin moves over a bulge. Pitch two has just one crux: a big roof.
I've been working up to MF all year-- all my climbing life, really. I knew on Tuesday as I stood before the route that this could be my last chance to climb it before the end of the season. But I was scared to try it if the rock was damp. Hell, I was scared to try it, period. Even in perfect conditions. Maybe in this iffy weather it was beyond scary. Maybe it was a stupid idea.

But Parker touched the rock and said he thought we were okay. It seemed dry to him. "Feel it," he said. "There's plenty of friction!"

I wanted this climb. Badly. I put my hand on the rock, and it appeared Parker was right. Even though we were surrounded by mist, the rock felt fine. I decided to do the climb. I could always bail if it started really raining. It's only gear, I figured. Who cares if I leave a piece or two behind? Don't I have a catchphrase that covers this situation?
Yes I do: Carpe Diem, bitches.
I tied in and headed upward.
The early going on pitch one is tricky. There is a steep bit right off the ground, and you have to make a few moves before you get any pro in. Maybe this part of the climb just seemed hard to me because I was a bundle of nerves. The conditions were making me jittery. I stepped off the route, back to the ground, just after I started because the fog suddenly turned to rain. But then in a minute it turned back to fog again.
I went back at it, placing two pieces at the first opportunity.
After the initial moves the pitch jogs left, then back right to the big overhang. I moved slowly, checking each foothold, fearful I'd pop off. I placed a ton of pro. As I approached crux one, it seemed much more intimidating and difficult than it did from the ground. It is steep there. It is pumpy to hold on. You can see the horn thingy that you need to grab as well as the foothold that will bring you around the corner, but it seems kind of improbable that this move will work out well.
On the bright side, the pro is great. There's a pin just where you want it and another piece can be put there to back it up. The fall is clean. The holds are good. You can stand there for a good long while, shaking out each hand in turn as you reflect on the life you've lived, and the leap you're about to take.

I hemmed and hawed there a long time, but in the end I found no real trick to the move. You just have to commit. Grab the horn, get your right foot on that hold, and go. And then it's about balance. Shift slowly to the right foot and keep inching to the right. The holds are further around the corner than you want them to be, but they exist, trust me!




(Photo: Having placed pro, I'm getting ready to move through the bulging crux # 2 on pitch one of MF (5.9).)

I spent even longer hemming and hawing over the second crux. I didn't want to blow it. My flash of MF was within reach, yet still so far away. Luckily there's a good stance below the bulge from which you can think over the moves as much as you like. Again the pro is good. There is a horizontal right below the bulge (quite slimy on Tuesday, but it took a cam), and an irregular pod/handhold up in the bulge in which I managed to seat a solid green Alien. This last placement made me feel really good. I clipped the piece direct and knew if I fell I wouldn't go far.

When I finally went for it the moves were not bad. The holds were small but positive, and before I knew it I had the jugs.

As I hit the chains I was thrilled. It had been a slow lead, a methodical lead, but it had been a successful onsight lead of MF. I was no longer breaking into 5.9. I felt solid in the grade. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Parker started following me up pitch one. I heard him say something about a nut.

"Did I place a crummy nut?" I asked.

"No!" he replied. "I said YOU'RE nuts! I can't believe you did this pitch. The rock feels so slimy!"

So much for Mr. "Go For It, There's Plenty of Friction!"

I tried to remind Parker that his enthusiasm is what got me to climb the route in the first place, but he wasn't accepting the blame. For some reason, he was convinced that I was the crazy one.

I have to say it didn't feel so slimy to me. By the time the pitch was over I'd forgotten all about the weather. I thought the rock was okay, and I really wanted to continue and do pitch two. Parker said if we kept going I'd be leading. He'd led the pitch before and he had no ambition to lead any longer, given the conditions.



(Photo: Examining the roof on pitch two of MF (5.9).)

Pitch two begins with easy moves directly to the right from the bolted anchor, around a small corner. Then it's straight up to the roof. Just beneath the roof is a pin. After clipping the pin I spent a lot of time experimenting and feeling around, trying to find some holds, any holds, that I could use to get up to the obvious horizontal that was out of reach a few feet above the roof.

It's tricky because you can't really see what's just over the roof, and there are no footholds right under the pin. So you paw around over your head, finding nothing. Then you paw around to your left, finding nothing. Then you retreat to the stance to the right of the pin, shake out, and get ready to do it all over again.

I found some really poor crimps around the pin, and kept trying to contrive a way to use them to reach the horizontal over the roof. But it wasn't working out.

After a while I looked at Parker, who was standing just a few feet to my left. I said "I'm about to have you take so I can hang on this stupid pin."

"Dude, your feet are, like, on a ledge," he replied.

"Yeah, but I'm getting frustrated."
I was tired of going back and forth. I wanted to rest and look it over. But just in time I finally found the crucial hold. I'm not going to spoil the details. It makes reaching the horizontal a breeze! And it's hiding right there, in front of your face.

As soon as I had that hold, I stepped right up to the horizontal and clipped the second pin. Then I placed a cam to back it up, even though I was already feeling the pump clock ticking away. Above me I could see the creaky little flake mentioned by Dick in his guidebook. It was the next hold. The path was obvious. It was time to go. A couple quick, pumpy moves and I was through the crux, standing at the big horizontal that heads left. Pitch two was basically in the bag.

Although I really enjoyed the crux, I didn't think the rest of the pitch was nearly as nice. The difficulty level decreases greatly and there's some questionable rock. After traversing left, the pitch follows an obvious corner to the GT Ledge, but it seems numerous other paths can be taken to the finish. It all goes through similar, moderate territory.



(Photo: Parker coming up the final bits of pitch two of MF (5.9).)

Parker reached me on the GT Ledge just as a real storm started to roll in. We could see the rain falling over New Paltz as we set up to rappel and by the time we got to the ground it had reached the cliff. Our climbing day was over after just two pitches.

Ah, but what a pair of pitches.

I realize this particular trip to the Gunks was a waste of a vacation day. I know I've been clinging to summer, to the climbing season. It's been good and I don't want it to end. I probably should have gotten out of bed on Tuesday, looked out the window, and called it off. That would have been the sensible thing to do.

But then I would have missed MF.

And MF I will cherish. It's so nice to have my last climbs of the season confirm that I've made progress. Maybe I'll still be able to squeeze one more milestone into the year. And maybe not. It doesn't matter. It's been a great year either way.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

SPD Pedals and Platform Support


When it comes to SPD-style clipless pedals, there is some discussion about the benefits of models with integrated platforms versus without. For example, here is an email I received from a reader last week:


...I see in your photos that you use both the Crank Brothers Eggbeaters and Candy pedals. Which do you recommend for a beginner? My boyfriend likes Shimano A-520 pedals because of the extra platform support. His thought is that the Candys provide the same level of support, but not the Eggbeaters. Do you agree?

To answer this question, let me backtrack a bit. The Eggbeater and Candy pedals fromCrank Brothersare identical, except that the Candys (right) have a flat platform built around the bindings and the Eggbeaters (left) do not. When choosing pedals, I heard several arguments in favour of the Candys, including that the platform offers extra foot support, that as a beginner I would have an easier time clipping into a larger pedal, and that the platforms would allow me to ride in regular shoes.



I have now ridden with Candys on my own roadbike for the past 9 months. Over that time I have also borrowed friends' bikes with Eggbeaters (including a 100K ride).In the very beginning, the Candys were indeed easier for meto clip into. However, this advantage was short-lived andjust weeks later I already had no problem using Eggbeaters and could not distinguish between them. I can also confirm that the Candys are much easier to ride in street shoes, on the rare occasions I find myself doing this on a roadbike. But as far as foot support, I feel absolutely no difference between the two models. I thought that I would, but I don't.



The Eggbeaters have their own advantages. The lack of platforms makes them considerably lighter. They offer more points of entry. And they are easier to clean. Overall, I think that I prefer them, although really I am fine with either.



While not the same as the Crankbrothers system, you could draw parallels to this comparison with Shimano SPDs. There are pedals that consist of bindings alone, and those that incorporate a platform. Some claim the platform provides additional foot support and allows for more power to be transferred, making it similar to a road pedal. Others argue that this is not the case, as the platform sits too far below the binding to provide significant support. I have no comment on the mechanics of this at large, but can only say that with my style of riding, and my specific pedal and shoe combination, I cannot feel the difference. As a beginner, I would suggesttrying lots of pedals and figuring out what feels better to you.

Friday, September 27, 2013

Critter cam - new location



We moved the critter cam to a new location that appeared to be on a game trail, and got this shot on the first night.

I felt a little guilty, because from the look of the leaves in the area, the flash really scared the poor deer. The poor dear.

The camera has a little memory card, which I forgot to return after downloading this photo. The camera will continue to take pictures, store them, and write to the card later on. But the quality doesn't seem the same...



...as you can see in this shot of my dear husband, just before he sprained his ankle. He was returning the memory card that I forgot to put back in the camera. Whoops.

Call of Duty 28, Coolum Cave, Queensland Aust.

Photo: Phil BoxBeautiful winter conditions, steep, steep rock and my favorite lap route.

Antoine is on belay for this lap at the "Coolum Sendfest" .

Old Friends and Fond Memories

Bob, Sandy, John, Gary, and Smitty. This photo was taken in December 1973, just a few weeks before I left Reykjavik, Iceland. It's really hard to believe that it was 35 years ago! My one-year tour of duty in Iceland was made much more pleasant because of their presence.

We stayed in touch for a while. . . Bob was onboard a ship heading for Japan about the time I left there in May 1979. I saw Sandy a couple of times before I went to Japan. John and his wife met me at the airport in Hawaii when I was on my way to Japan in May 1977 and I visited them in Seattle after my return. I have no idea what happened to Gary and Smitty. As often happens, we lost contact after a few years. I often wonder what became of them and some of the other friends I had while in the Navy. Occasionally I Google their names, but haven't found anything on them yet. I did get a couple of emails earlier this year from two of the girls with whom I went through bootcamp. They had found the posts on my letters from bootcamp. It was nice because I actually remembered who they were!

As my contribution to the 8th Edition of Smile For The Camera :: Stocking Stuffer, I would like to stuff this picture into the stockings of Bob, Sandy, John, Gary, and Smitty. Thanks for the memories!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Watermelon







We waited and watched and watered and waited and finally we had watermelon. It sure was good.
But the kitten couldn't figure out why we wanted to eat such a thing.

Monday, September 23, 2013

Sunday, September 22, 2013

Nick Hall

We want to take a moment and honor Nick Hall. Nick always showed up ready to give his all - not only at work, but at play too. Nick Hall came to our program as a mid-season emergency hire in when our climbing ranger program undertook a big transition. His calm demeanor and dry sense of humor kept even the most serious issues manageable. Spending time as a Marine Corps Avionics Specialist, Stevens Pass Ski Patroller (SPKA), and hunting in the great Methow Valley, Nick had a rich and varied lifestyle. Nick's dog Grommet even had a hard time keeping up with all his changes! One day he'd be in the hot desert climbing and the next he'd be back-country skiing with friends.



Nick served four years as a climbing ranger at Mount Rainier National Park. He moved quickly from a capable team member to leading climbing patrols and an entire shift of climbing rangers. His passion for the outdoors, skiing, and climbing showed while he was at work. Patrolling with Nick meant good food, mind boggling jokes, and of course rad terrain.



Climbing came naturally to Nick. He spent as little time as possible in the city (for locals: to get to Issaquah from Longmire - he'd drive through the east-side to get there). Granite and basalt columns were Nick's playground. Living out of the back of his truck he avoided suburban areas and flourished at local crags, big-wall hangouts, and took the occasional trip to Yosemite.



The deliberate lifestyle choices that Nick made inspired his friends and co-workers. His willingness to step up to challenges, try new systems and techniques first, and state exactly how he felt set the bar high for all of us fellow rangers. Nick risked his life to help others numerous times as a ranger at Mount Rainier. Never careless, he purposefully went about his job of alpine guardian with finesse and style.



These are a few links for articles regarding Nick... the Seattle Times Rainier Rescue, Last Rescued Climber Leaves Mount Rainier, and Last of Four Rescued Climbers Leave Mount Rainier. In the next few days as this tragedy progresses we'll be focused on Nick and his family.


Saturday, September 21, 2013

Painted Sky



This evening as I was finishing mowing my lawn I could see the sky was shaping up for a pretty fantastic sunset. After putting the mower away I grabbed my camera and went back outside just as things were starting to get interesting. These images were all taken from within my yard and from the beach in front of my house. Some of the clouds looked like brush strokes, which is why I chose to call this journal entry "Painted Sky".



Friday, September 20, 2013

White River Opening

So the latest news from White River is that the road to the campground and the ranger station will be opening this Friday around 7:30, barring some unforeseen event. The road to White River Campground is currently clear but still gated at Hwy 410. Climbers can gain access behind the gate by bike or foot to get an early start on the weekend.






Fuhrer Finger Sunrise

For the remainder of the season the White River ranger station will be open from 7:30 - 4:30 Sunday through Thursday, 7:00 - 7:00 on Fridays and 7:00 to 4:30 on Saturdays.



So it seems the weather is taking a break from summer and freshening up the skiing conditions for a bit! Remember to always be careful in stormy weather and bring your map/compass/GPS with you for when the visibility gets low.



Check out a great report on the Fuhrer Finger sent to us by some Utah climbers. Also, many thanks to those who have sent feedback on the Google translate feature. It appears to be a pretty rough translation, which doesn't surprise us, but could maybe be of use in certain situations. We will keep evaluating it.



Hope everyone has some great adventures planned for the upcoming holiday weekend!

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Assateague Island :: The Beach

Seeing these hoof prints in the sand gave me hope that I'd actually see the "wild" ponies on the beach.


But those tracks were from horses brought in by some campers. The big black ones are Percheron horses. Really big ones.



Wednesday, September 11, 2013

For Kevin.....



Godspeed my friend.......you are missed.



"People were always getting ready for tomorrow. I
didn't believe in that. Tomorrow wasn't preparing for them. It didn't even know
they existed."

- Cormac McCarthy


http://kevinlandolt.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Ice climbing skills and techniques

These day I tend to look at new tools, boots and clothing when I think about ice climbing.To be honest, once learned plain old ice climbingis pretty simple and basic stuff technically. But I am still working constantly to better my owntechnique.



More here as well:



http://coldthistle.blogspot.com//02/i-climbing-techniques.html



What I see is some/most climbers new to ice haven't really recognised the range of skills required without someone pointing it out to them.



To climb quickly and use the least amount of effort the technique I useis an A frame pattern. As do most. The tools never get placed on the same level unless you have done something wrong. One tool placed high, two feet supporting that arm's placement. Walk up on that placement as high as possible before placing your tool again. Imagine your body physically in anA pattern.





Will Gadd recently covered it quickly in his blog.



"If you don't have a good placement don't pull up on it. The situation will not improve. Make good placements, which are pretty much always possible. I see so many climbers get shallow placement and then pull up on it anyhow, which leads them to place the second tool at the same level as the poor placement."



http://gravsports.blogspot.com//01/new-years-tips-for-ice-ability-gains.html



More fromDr. Slawinski in his blog.



http://raphaelslawinski.blogspot.com//12/and-keep-your-heels-down.html





The basic idea is to cover the most amount of vertical terrain with the least amount of tool placements and effort involved.



If you are unfamiliar with the technique and are looking for aquick explanation, check out Twight's technique at around 3 minutes in the video below. Rackliff and Twight had ice climbingdialed back in 1988. Doing it withsome pretty basic gear compared to what we use today. Most would behard pressed nowto keep up. But you should be trying! Remember climbing is a thinking man's (or woman's) game. Pay attention and think about it. Climb smarter!



http://www.marktwight.com/videos.php?id=2





The three pictures below aren't the best but hopefully they will compliment the video to help visualise what I am talking about on the A frame position. All thephotos are on moderate terrain. (the video isn't) But theyshow good extension on the tool placements and intentionally climbing high onto the second set of grips.Jack Roberts in the first photo, myself in the second and Dave Fultonin the third. (dbl click to see where the tools are). Wehave all worked hardto limit the effort involved to climb ice and try to do so with every single placement. Don't let yourself get lazy. If you do you will be slow. On moderate terrain youshouldpush that extension as far as possible and just short of failure, whiletrusting your feet.We'll do the sameof steep terrain and just back off a tiny bit on the arm extension to keep the tool placementsmore secure. You can see I have short stroked it a bit on my climbin comparison to the other two pictures. The more tired or scared you get, the more you should be extending...not less. Because limiting the number of placements is the first BIG step in saving your strength for when you will need it. Eliminating multiple placements also allows you to climb much, much faster in all ice conditions. May beas much as twice as fast.



It is a big deal.



Jack





Dane







Dave




Monday, September 9, 2013

Bumble Bees

We have an over abundance of bumble bees in our garden. Anything that is blue they seem to be attracted to. A bee on aVitex bush in first photo.




Second photo shows a bee on a Blue Mist Spirea shrub.


Third bee in on a Blue Mist Spirea, too as well as the one in the 4th photo.







5th photo is of the very tiny blue flowers on a Blue Sage also know as Big Sage with one bee right in the center of the photo.(the round blue object is a bird bath.)



Although most of the bees were after the blue flowers I did find one on an almost gone zinnia blossom. We hadn't had a lot of problems with these bumble bees even though there has to be several hundred buzzing around until this morning. Lee was watering a Vitex bush when one went up his shirt and stung him on the back. Some solercane spray seemed to take care of the sting. (no, I didn't find a stinger in it)

Early Summer Morning, Two Island River







Yesterday morning on my way to see the Herons I stopped for some photography along Two Island River just south of Tofte, MN. I've always wanted to stop along this river and after countless times over the years driving right past, I finally took the time to stop. There are some beautiful rapids and gentle cascading waterfalls such as this just above the highway. A little further upstream a nice taller waterfall plunges into a pool at the base of a small cliff. All in all I had a blast photographing this short section of the river and I can't wait to stop there again!








- Off to a snowy start

Near record amounts of snow fell at Paradise in December and early January. The weather station there recorded over 360 inches (over 30 feet) of the white stuff so far this fall and winter. At that rate, the mountain is on track to break the previous snowfall record (93 feet in 1972)... The breakneck pace of snowfall has blanketed the entire Cascade range and has also caused a significant amount of avalanche distress and accidents. The thick unstable snowpack brought a series of severe avalanche cycles that have claimed nine lives in the region. Almost another record, yet very grim, for avalanche fatalities.

At Paradise on Mount Rainier, a snowshoer was caught in a snow-slide on December 18th. It took 3 and 1/2 days to find 22 year old Kirk Reiser. Though the accident occurred within 3/4 miles of the parking lot, a tremendous amount of continued snowfall made the recovery hazardous and arduous. To find him, we called upon Mountain Rescue and Crystal Mountain Ski Patrol to help. They showed up with many rescuers, search dogs and bombs (to mitigate the hazard). Left: Crystal Mountain Ski Patroller Chris Morin tossing a bomb, photo by Stefan Lofgren.

It's been over 20 years since someone has been caught and killed in a "winter" related avalanche on the Paradise side of the mountain. Climbers have certainly been caught, but those incidents happened in the spring and fall at higher elevations. The last four avalanche fatalities were in June (3) and October (1), not your traditional "avalanche season." Left: Mountain Rescue volunteers working a probe-line, photo by Stefan Lofgren.

Anyone who leaves the parking lot for a day of fun in the snow should definitely pay attention and adhere to the avalanche forecast. You'll also need to know how to evaluate the hazard and make route finding decisions that avoid hazardous areas. Another key is to carry the necessary backcountry rescue equipment (a beacon, a shovel, and a probe per person) and know how to use them efficiently during an emergency. Remember, rescue equipment is a last resort, avoiding an accident is the goal. Perhaps the best advice is to take a class and learn about snow safety. If you haven't done so, check out some of the avalanche courses offered in the area. If it's been a few years since you've had a course, take an update/refresher. A good place to start is the Level 1 AIARE or the Recreational Level 1 course from the Canadian Avalanche Association.

Over the last week, we've enjoyed mostly clear and cold weather (as attested by Chris Olson's image to the left). This allowed 3 climbers an opportunity to summit via the Gibraltar Ledges route on Jan 23rd!! During that weather window, numerous snowshoers and skiers made their way to Camp Muir. Most were reporting firm, hard snow, no one else summited (that we know of)... That said, the snow has again started to fall in Longmire and at Paradise (another 2 feet reported). Once again, things are very soft and hazardous. As a safety heads up: the emergency public radio at Camp Muir is not working (more later on when it gets fixed). As for the snow/ski conditions, check out our ski reports from Lead Climbing Ranger Chris Olson. As always, I appreciate any field reports route updates, if you send them, we'll share them...

And speaking of updates, we have a new writer on the website that you'll be meeting later this week. But to give you a quick heads up, get ready for famed writer and blogger: Rebecca Agiewich. Rebecca is a Rainier enthusiast, skier, and for the benefit of this website, a writer. She has signed on to help me with route reports and other updates so that YOU wont have to wait (sometimes 8 weeks) for the local scoop on Rainier traffic and events as I wade through NPS policy and budgets... Look for her pithy and fun posts to come. She'll spin her own Rainier press and provide added entertainment and information.

Above image is of Park Ranger Stefan Lofgren assessing the snowpack, by Mike Gauthier.

Friday, September 6, 2013

Observation Point

The guide for the Observation Point Trail states “This is a long strenuous trail with many steep sections and unprotected drop-offs. Not for anyone who is out of shape, or has a fear of heights.” An apt description, I might add! It ascends 2,148 feet in four miles, making it an eight-mile round-trip. Observation Point provides another view of the Zion Canyon, including Angels Landing, from above.

When I was about one-third of the way up, I began to be passed by small groups of kids. They just kept on coming. And passing me. Finally, several of them had stopped to take a break and I took that opportunity to talk with them. There were 63 kids (ranging in age from 11 to 13) and 12 adults from a satellite school in Houston, Texas. They had been at Zion for eight days and had gone on a hike every day, each hike being progressively more difficult. The day before they had ALL made it to the top of Angels Landing! In fact, each and every one of them had completed every hike they had done. Pretty impressive. However, I was extremely glad that they weren't doing Angels Landing at the same time as I was. It's not that they were terrible kids, because they were the most well-behaved group I think I've ever seen. It's just that there were so many of them!

A short time later I began to play leap-frog with a fellow, probably in his 30s, and asked if he was with the group of kids from Houston. Turns out he was the husband of the principal. We talked for a while as we slowly walked along the trail. He told me that each of the kids had earned their way during the school year by “doing the right thing” as much as possible. They have a system using baseball as an analogy, hits for the good things and strikes for the not so good. Sixty-three kids had enough “hits” to make the trip while 42 were back in Houston.

Anyway, by the time I got to Observation Point I had been passed by nearly everyone in their group, as well as a few other hikers. But I got there! And again, the views from the top and along the way were well worth the effort.

Part way up the trail, eyeball to eyeball with Angels Landing (with the help of the 7x zoom). It doesn't look quite so “bad” from this angle.

After you go up a series of steep switchbacks you enter a narrow canyon that has a stream running through it, but there wasn't much water actually flowing. This was one of the neatest parts of the hike, in my opinion!

There were pools of standing water but we didn't get our feet wet.

The sky and the walls of the canyon are reflected in one of the pools of water.

This was taken on the way back down, entering the canyon from the east.

The trail has exited Echo Canyon and is progressing up the east side of the canyon wall.

I'm still going up, but they are going down.

The destination, Observation Point, is just above the red “lines” in the center.

This last uphill stretch seemed never-ending.

Finally, the plateau. But there is still a ways to go to get out to the point.

Part of the group of 63 kids. A very well-behaved group they were.

The lower portion of the trail, coming up out of the Zion Canyon floor. The Observation Point trail goes off to the left (top center of photo). The three topmost switchbacks belong to the Hidden Canyon Trail, which goes off to the right.

The top of Angels Landing ranges from 20 to 40 feet in width. There are people up there...

As I was promised by my camping neighbors, Maryann and Rob, the view from Observation Point is spectacular. The Virgin River flows through the valley, Angels Landing is in the Center, and then the eastern wall of Refrigerator Canyon. Fantastic.