La Vigilancia in August

El Nido en la Vigilancia 

La Vigilancia is one of the most extensive hills (sierras) in the Sierras of Balcarce. Along the northwest flank of the sierra, at a distance of about 15 miles from my home, is a cliff band that hosts some of the best sport climbing in Argentina. There are about 250 routes in la Vigilancia, mostly clip-ups but there are also a few interesting gear routes. The climbs are generally between 10 and 20 meters long but they tend to be continuos at their grade and physically demanding. And the quality is excellent.

The area is on private property and in order to climb it is necessary to pre-register online and pay a fee. There is a camping area available at the base, a refugio and also a safe place to leave your car.

Camping at the base of La Vigilancia

In August we made an overnight trip to La Vigilancia.

Gaby and Ceci on the hike in to climb at La Vigilancia

Making skull faces

Hiking up the hill to the climbing area

Because it was kind of hot (in spite of being winter), we decided to climb in one of the few areas that is shaded by trees. 

Ceci top-roping a 5.9

The first day we climbed with Martín (and family) as well as Hugo and Adrien (who is another friend from Necochea). On the second day we returned with Martín, Analia and Rafael to climb in the same place.

Martín starts up a 5.9

Martín does a high-stepping thingie on another 5.9

The highlights of the area were three side-by-side, steep, continuous 5.10 face climbs. All three of these climbs require a little effort to get to the first bolt. 

Gaby gives me some hand-jiving mojo while I climb to the first bolt on a 5.10

The hardest of the three face climbs (maybe a 10c) has a tricky crux section near the top. 

Getting ready to do the crux on a 10c

Got it!

All in all I red pointed seven routes: two 5.9s and the rest 5.10s  (I had done all these routes several times before, but I hadn't been back to climb in this area for about eight years). 

Ceci top ropes a 5.10a

Back at the camp area, Ceci and Rafi worked the slack line 

Rafi gives Ceci a hand on the slack

Ceci walks the slack alone

That night we ate a big supper in the dinning tent

A couple of days climbing near Rio Cuarto

Headmaster Enzo shoeing up by some boulders he found

As the month of July turned to August, during the second week of our winter break, we went a few days to the city of Rio Cuarto en Córdoba, where my wife's family lives. There is good climbing in the Province of Córdoba but until a short while ago there hasn't been any established climbing close to Rio Cuarto, so I tended to get a bit anxious after a few days at the in-laws' house. Recently, though, a friend of ours who climbs, Enzo, took a job as Headmaster at a bilingual school in Rio Cuarto. On a Thursday after getting off work, he took me to a small zone of boulders he discovered, bordering the river just outside the town of Achiras, less than an hour drive from Rio Cuarto.

We started up with some of the easier problems that Enzo had done before

Enzo begins a boulder problem from a sit start

Looking at the next move

Me chalking up a move higher on the same problem

The top out by a fence

Enzo on a traverse problem

The highlight of the afternoon was climbing a brand new (and very nice) V2 that actually took us a few tries to send. Well, I guess I had the excuse of not wanting to fall off haphazardly while still being (just barely) less than six months after surgery. We also worked a harder (V3 or maybe V4) variation of the problem, coming in from the left, that we couldn't do. At any rate, I felt happy to be climbing some new boulders in a new place so shortly after surgery.

On the following Saturday we headed out to Alpa Coral (about an hour drive from Rio Cuarto) to try some new routes which had been bolted near the river. There are about 12 established routes, mostly 5.9s and easy 5.10s, in a pleasant setting (good for swimming on a hot day), The climbing is not spectacular (the rock is so-so and slabby), but four out of five of the routes we did were both fun and interesting. Plus the area along the river is really nice.  

Me nearing the top of a 5.9 with Gaby on belay

There are something like eight different routes on this small cliff band bordering the river:

A friend of Enzo is top roping a route on the left side of the cliff

A friend of Enzo top ropes a 5:9

I managed to onsight the following 5.10a:

Enzo belays me entering the crux of a 10a

This short, tricky crux bulge is actually kind of steep

   

During the fifth month post-op

Climbing the 5.9 arete at las vias del Bosque on La Barrosa 

During the fifth month post-op we climbed several times with ropes, including a couple of trips to las vias del Bosque on La Barrosa, where my 12 year old daughter climbed the following 5.9 arete for her first time:

Ceci top ropes the 5.9 arete

Ceci prepares for a tricky hand traverse

That same day, I managed to redpoint a 5.11a face called la Placa Lista that I haven't been able to do for years (7 years?). It's not that the route is so difficult, but it does require a big high-step with the left leg (my revised hip) and there's not much way around that. It took me more than two years post-op before I finally recovered the necessary flexibility.

Tim and Gaby at the start of la Placa Lista

After the crux move of la Placa Lista

Finishig up la Placa Lista

Ceci also managed to top rope the 11a face climb with one hang

Ceci climbing la Placa Lista

At the end of the day, when I started the hike down, I found Ceci in a tree, like this

Another day we went to the routes above the autodromo where Martín and I climbed a 5.9 gear route for the first time.

Hero pose near the start of a 5.9 gear route

Butt shot on the crux

Martín with one of those funky crack moves

Martín in the exit slot

Yet another day we were back to las vias del Bosque where we climbed a short 5.10d called Rock Nacional.

Starting up Rock Nacional

Martín climbing Rock Nacional

Martín higher up on the route 

Me on the top out

We also top roped a stout 5.11 that I need to get back to and redpoint

Top roping a stout 5.11

First a roof

Then an awkward position before entering into the crux

The kids kept busy with their own creations

Rafael and Ceci with beautiful light

More bouldering during the fourth month post op

A beautiful sunset after a day of bouldering with Cecilia

For the past four years my main two physical activities have been hiking and climbing. At this point (seven months post-op for the HR and two and a half years after the revision) I try to do at least a couple of good hikes each week (around 6 miles each) and climb at least three days each week (if not outdoors then in my home gym). During the fourth and fifth month post-op I still used trekking poles for my hikes, although I've stopped using them since about six months post-op. In the case of the revision surgery I used trekking poles on my regular hikes until about a year after the surgery.

During the fourth month post-op, I continued with as much outdoor bouldering as I could. One sector of boulders we went to several times is an area in the woods on La Barrosa known as Aracnofobia.

An easy warm up boulder in the sector "Aracnofobia". 

Aracnofobia is actually the name of a V10 roof problem, the first boulder of this difficulty done on La Barrosa. Off to the side (and sharing the same top out moves) is a traverse that is quite possibly the hardest V4 on La Barrosa. This boulder is my nemesis. On my best shot, I've only managed to do the problem in two seperate parts (last year) but I've never sent the whole thing in one continuous push.

Getting into the crux of a difficult V4 traverse

I'm probably getting ready to fall at this point

At any rate, just coming back to work this boulder was an important milestone for me. More than four years ago, before I had my first hip surgery (the botched HR on my left hip) the boulder, literally, almost destroyed me. At the time, I was already planning to have my left hip resurfaced. Well, one day I was working the problem and getting close to doing it. I was surprised how well my hips were working, because the boulder involves aggressive left heel hooks and a very compressed exit move. Afterwards I went home and told my wife that maybe I didn't need surgery after all, at least not yet. My hips had done pretty well that day. But the next day, on the left side, my lower back and upper leg muscles cramped up so painfully that I couldn't sit or stand without experiencing intense pain. The only position where I could find some relief was lying flat on my back on the floor with my legs bent. This intense pain went on continuously for several days and was, by far, the worst pain my hips have ever caused me. I was unable to work, or even sit upright in a car seat. Finally, after about five days the pain subsided, but my left leg continued to feel numb until I had the surgery. So this is why coming back to work the boulder, last year, after revision surgery and (even better) coming close to sending it, was a big deal for me. I honestly think, with a little bit of luck, I have a good chance of doing the boulder this year. We'll see how that goes.

Another area we went to was "El Boulder en el Bosque", which I wrote about in the other blog.

Martín doing a warm up problem on el Boulder en el Bosque

We worked the beautiful (soft) V4 roof problem "Techo Clásico".

Martín starting into the crux of Techo Clásico after finishing the easy part

This is a problem that I used to hike without pads some time back, but I haven't sent the problem in about 10 years. I came close, but didn't have the endurance to do the crux move without resting.

After passing a little, tricky part

Starting the crux

Only a couple of hard moves left

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