In the two months since we've gotten back from the US, I've only climbed with a rope three times. However, I have been doing lots of bouldering outdoors, mostly alone. The good news is I'm as strong or stronger than ever (which isn't saying much).The bad news is I'm about six pounds heavier.
During a training sesh at the Usual Boulders last month
The reason I've been rope-less so much is that my main partners, Gaby and Martín haven't been getting out with me. After more than 20 years climbing together, it looks like my wife may be ready to retire from the sport. Each to her own! She just had her fiftieth birthday and our relationship together is as solid as ever. But it may not involve climbing as partners anymore. Martín, on the other hand, reappeared last Saturday with renewed enthusiasm to climb, after having disappeared for nearly six months.
Another vid from my training sesh at the Usual Boulders
The climbing-life news is I've to decided to try and step up my activity level this month. October will be for training. Mostly this means trying to climb a bit more than I have been and hike more frequently on days I don't climb. So far so good. To reinforce and evaluate my efforts, I'm going to keep a record of my daily activities in the blog. Maybe not so interesting, but that's what this post is about. So let's get started.
Ocober 1: A good day roped climbing in the Bosque with Martín, Analía and Rafy. I did two new (first ascent) gear routes (a 5.7 and a 5.9) the 5.8 crack, the 10a face, the 10b face next to the crack, the old-school 5.9 arete and the 11b face. I also managed the left to right traverse boulder without much trouble (a problem that typically gives me a hard time unless I'm in good shape).
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October 2: Went to climb at the Autodromo and we managed two 5.9s but then it started to rain. After that, I messed around bouldering in the gym with Martín.
October 4: An eight mile hike followed by an attempt to boulder in the gym. Couldn't climb much due to exhaustion.
October 5: In spite of rain and frustratingly high humidity, I managed about six problems in the gym and worked on some other ones.
October 6: A surprisingly fruitful training sesh at the Low Boulders, in which I climbed about a dozen easy problems.
October 8: A killer day with the kids at the boulders in el Bosque. Did six boulders then the V4 traverse starting from the beginning of the crux and followed that with the V3 traverse. Finished up working out the sequence for a V5 traverse the kids showed me but didn't have enough left to complete the send.
October 10: 5 routes 5.9 to 10b in the Autodromo followed by a 10d top-rope, with Martín, Analía and Rafi. I was pretty hammered after this (which is why I top-roped the 10d).
October 13: Went to the Boulder in the Bosque after work on Thursday and felt pretty exhausted in spite of a two day rest from climbing. Still, I managed to send six problems, including a couple of boulders which often give me a hard time.
October 14: I decided to go out after work on Friday because the forecast predicted rain on the weekend, Had a good day at the Costa Mosquito, climbing 8 boulders before it started to drizzle.
In case you wonder about the strange laugh in the following video, Daniel Alberto "Piti" Fernandez and Andrés Ciro Martinez explain it in the song Bicho de Ciudad
Y no te asustes si me río como un loco
Es necesario que a veces sea así
Será la vida que siempre nos pega un poco
Nos encandila con lo que está por venir
And then there's the last boulder of the day
October 15 10 kilometer hike on La Barrosa with the dog troop.
October 17 Another frustratingly humid day in my home gym. I could only manage 6 problems and my left wrist started hurting.
October 18 Killer 12 kilometer hike including a hill climb on La Barrosa and an 8 point pull-up ladder.
October 20 A slightly better but still frustrating day in the gym, Managed 8 problems before I failed on the ninth. My left wrist was still bothering me some.
October 22 Bouldering at La Curva. A tough, high gravity day where nothing seemed to work out well. I only managed 5 boulder problems.
October 23 Climbing in el Bosque in La Vigilancia with Martín, Analía, Rafi and Gaby. An OK day where I managed 8 short routes (four 5.9s, two 10as and two 10bs) although I was way pumped at the end of the day.
October 24 10 kilometer hike including a hill climb on La Barrosa and a 6 point pull-up ladder.
October 25 Finally I had a reasonably good (and enjoyable) session in my home climbing gym. I
completed 10 boulder problems and my wrist didn't hurt.
October 27 A five-mile hike with the dogs after work.
October 28 A good day doing 10 boulders at the Usual Boulders. Among other things, I managed to send a long-standing retro project, It's a boulder that I used to do, but haven't been able to climb since before my hip problems. Not too hard, maybe only V3 but it had stopped me cold on several previous efforts.
Getting on with the video log, my sixth boulder of the day was this V3 traverse
I didn't film the seventh boulder, which was the retro project I finally climbed. The eighth and ninth boulders were these two variations on a boulder I call the Cell Block.
October 30 Roped climbing in the Matrix with Martín, Analía, Rafi y Gaby. I had a pretty good day doing 9 routes of which six were 5.10, including the five easiest routes (which aren't so easy) in the steep part of the Matrix.
Ocober 1: A good day roped climbing in the Bosque with Martín, Analía and Rafy. I did two new (first ascent) gear routes (a 5.7 and a 5.9) the 5.8 crack, the 10a face, the 10b face next to the crack, the old-school 5.9 arete and the 11b face. I also managed the left to right traverse boulder without much trouble (a problem that typically gives me a hard time unless I'm in good shape).
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October 2: Went to climb at the Autodromo and we managed two 5.9s but then it started to rain. After that, I messed around bouldering in the gym with Martín.
October 4: An eight mile hike followed by an attempt to boulder in the gym. Couldn't climb much due to exhaustion.
October 5: In spite of rain and frustratingly high humidity, I managed about six problems in the gym and worked on some other ones.
October 6: A surprisingly fruitful training sesh at the Low Boulders, in which I climbed about a dozen easy problems.
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October 9: Did all 10 of the (easy) routes on the little wall in the Matrix (climbing a short 5.8 crack on gear jacked the number of routes up to 10) with Martín, Analía and Rafi., October 10: 5 routes 5.9 to 10b in the Autodromo followed by a 10d top-rope, with Martín, Analía and Rafi. I was pretty hammered after this (which is why I top-roped the 10d).
October 13: Went to the Boulder in the Bosque after work on Thursday and felt pretty exhausted in spite of a two day rest from climbing. Still, I managed to send six problems, including a couple of boulders which often give me a hard time.
October 14: I decided to go out after work on Friday because the forecast predicted rain on the weekend, Had a good day at the Costa Mosquito, climbing 8 boulders before it started to drizzle.
V1 boulder at the Costa Mosquito
In case you wonder about the strange laugh in the following video, Daniel Alberto "Piti" Fernandez and Andrés Ciro Martinez explain it in the song Bicho de Ciudad
Y no te asustes si me río como un loco
Es necesario que a veces sea así
Será la vida que siempre nos pega un poco
Nos encandila con lo que está por venir
V4 arete at the Costa Mosquito
October 15 10 kilometer hike on La Barrosa with the dog troop.
October 17 Another frustratingly humid day in my home gym. I could only manage 6 problems and my left wrist started hurting.
October 18 Killer 12 kilometer hike including a hill climb on La Barrosa and an 8 point pull-up ladder.
October 20 A slightly better but still frustrating day in the gym, Managed 8 problems before I failed on the ninth. My left wrist was still bothering me some.
October 22 Bouldering at La Curva. A tough, high gravity day where nothing seemed to work out well. I only managed 5 boulder problems.
October 23 Climbing in el Bosque in La Vigilancia with Martín, Analía, Rafi and Gaby. An OK day where I managed 8 short routes (four 5.9s, two 10as and two 10bs) although I was way pumped at the end of the day.
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| Climbing in el Bosque in La Vigilancia on October 23rd |
October 24 10 kilometer hike including a hill climb on La Barrosa and a 6 point pull-up ladder.
October 25 Finally I had a reasonably good (and enjoyable) session in my home climbing gym. I
completed 10 boulder problems and my wrist didn't hurt.
October 27 A five-mile hike with the dogs after work.
October 28 A good day doing 10 boulders at the Usual Boulders. Among other things, I managed to send a long-standing retro project, It's a boulder that I used to do, but haven't been able to climb since before my hip problems. Not too hard, maybe only V3 but it had stopped me cold on several previous efforts.
Getting on with the video log, my sixth boulder of the day was this V3 traverse
I didn't film the seventh boulder, which was the retro project I finally climbed. The eighth and ninth boulders were these two variations on a boulder I call the Cell Block.
October 30 Roped climbing in the Matrix with Martín, Analía, Rafi y Gaby. I had a pretty good day doing 9 routes of which six were 5.10, including the five easiest routes (which aren't so easy) in the steep part of the Matrix.
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| A 5.10 route in the steep part of the Matrix |
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| Rafi climbs a 6b in the steep part of the Matrix |
Getting the clip on a tricky 10d route
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| Martín climbs a roof in the steep part of the Matrix |
