Logan Canyon

So...It has been a while since I posted, but that is completely fine. I wish it was due to the fact that I was always out climbing or hiking with my little fam or just enjoying the great Alaskan frontier.  However, that hasn't been the case all of the time.

I have been busy at work, traveled around during the summer, and have now started my Master's degree up here at UAA.  With that out of the way on with the post.

I thought some great posts would be looking back at some of the amazing climbing areas I have been to and sharing a few sweet memories that go along with them.  I figured I could highlight each of the main climbing areas I have been to.  Although I have been to a few more than I will cover here, I thought I could at least capture a dozen or so.

The real question is where to start. So I figured I would start close to home...our old home.  Logan Canyon!

Fucodile Quartzite - 5.10c - This is a super fun climb just to the right of T.X.  Me on my b-day.

There are so many memories from Logan Canyon it is hard to know which ones to share.  Well I guess this is where I started climbing.  I tagged along behind my older brothers Brandon and Jason, and really enjoyed myself.  I remember my brothers would just bring along some webbing and would tie a harness or swami belt for me and send me up a route after them.  I remember loving it every time and a few of the lessons stuck with me. I led my first climb, Kentucky Fried Chicken a 5.8, when I was about 12.

Truly it was the start of something amazing.  However, I got involved in soccer and my brothers got married, finished college, and moved away. It wouldn't be until I was 21 that I would make it back into the canyon to continue to climb.

Utopia - 5.9 - Chels with some sweet style going for  a dyno.

Clint, Loller, and myself would climb nearly every day after work.  We started with toproping and then moved on to the leading when funds allowed us to buy draws.  We had tons of fun and didn't experience anything to crazy until one night getting pulled over by the police in the canyon.

Betagraph - 5.10a - Chels pulling the crux move.

Clint's mom was worried about us, since we would climb into the evening until headlamp climbing would get too hard.  She had given the police officer Clint's truck description and asked him to find us and check on us.  It was really quite funny.

Another crazy experience with Cletus (Clint), was when I took my first fall.  I was climbing at the Wall of Jericho on a 5.10b/c and right near the top.  I was totally pumped and blind to a better hold and fell. Clint was caught off guard, having been the first time he needed to catch me, and it felt like my heart and stomach both ended up in my throat.  It was scary.  I have since taken quite a few good falls and thankfully walked away from all of them.

Betagraph - 5.10a - Practicing a top belay simul-climb. Dustin, Clint and myself.

Another super fun experience was with Dan Lamarra. We decided to embark on a stellar three pitch climb up at Utopia call Five Minutes for Fighting. We walked up to the base of the climb with extreme apprehension, not due to the looming climb, but the promise of rattlesnakes.

Another pic of the same as above.

We cast off with Dan leading the first 30' with one shaky piece of gear.  A little bold if you ask me.  Then I switched him up and lead an awesome hand/fist crack that is slightly overhanging, but with really good feet.  Having topped out on that pitch we traversed a ledge  through really tall grass and sure at any moment a rattlesnake would jump out and take a bite out of one of us.

Hamburger Hill - 5.10a - Jeff Buccumbuso enjoying a crimp fest up a rugosite campus board.

Well that didn't happen so we cast off on the next leg.  A sweet off-width crack to a squeeze chimney and on to a little bit of face climbing to finish up that route.  It truly was quite the climb and being unfamiliar with off-width all I could say at the top was "ouch".  We ate some bagels and pb and then wrapped up the ropes and gear and headed down.

On the way down we were talking and all of a sudden Dan jumps back up the hill probably about three feet.  I nearly collided with him sending him pitching down the hill.  However, we were ok and I asked what was going on.  Dan said that he saw something move under the  rock that was just off the trail to the left.  We crawled back onto some rocks away from the trail and tried to get a better picture of if there was truly anything to be aware of. Dan tossed a rock down there and sure enough a rattlesnake went off and my blood went chill.

Fucodile Quartzite - 5.7 - Dustin getting ready to pull of a sweet mantle.

Mission accomplished.

That sound is truly frightening and this was the first time I had heard it in real life.  Well we skirted that snake and stayed alert at the chance of encountering another one.  All told I would come across around 3-4 rattlesnakes every climbing season. I would have to say that I was truly blessed to have made it out of all of those situations without being bit.  There was one time I was scoping out a new climbing area (Crag in the Sky) and was inches from stepping on a rattler when it awoke and just kind of looked at me stunned.  I quickly backed off and took a slight detour to make it around him. Fun times to be had in Logan Canyon.

Fucodile - 5.7 - Dustin on his first lead, Drilling In The Dark.

Just about there.

So many more memories and tons more pictures.  I will try to upload all the Logan Canyon pics to Facebook in case you really want to see them.  One last story was with Garrett Smith, when it was freezing cold.  We attempted this super fun 5.10b at Utopia, however I believe we underestimated how cold it was.  Garrett made it to the last bolt, but couldn't finish it out b/c he was so cold.  He would rest at each bolt and try to warm up his hands.

Fucodile - 5.7 - Chels chalking up on the takeoff following her little bro.

When he couldn't finish it, I felt like I had to give it a go.  I made it to his last bolt and took about three minutes trying to warm up my hands.  After which I cast off to finish the climb.  Above the last bolt with one move to go I needed to toe-in on a credit card edge. Only problem was I didn't have any toes...only a solid block of ice crammed into a shoe with really stiff rubber. I sat there trying to get my foot on that ledge and make sure I had purchase before I shot for the bomber hold all the while my hands where getting pretty cold.

Fucodile - 5.7 - Dustin on Hand Me Down a Hold... he got roughed up a little bit.

Well push came to shove and it was either try it with the block of ice or take a whipper and find myself back in this position in about 5 minutes.  So I went for it.  I was so grateful for the chains.  I cleaned the route and proceeded to de-ice my foot.  Ahhh....the good times.  Wish I was still there.