To the Leap!

Trip Report – Lover's Leap
July 2009
Guest Blogger: Kenneth Davenport

Our good friend Kenneth and some of his fellow climbing buddies headed up to Lover's leap this past month. He spent the time taking a newbie on trad, and climbing some sweet 5.10 climbs. They experienced all sorts of situations, and it seems like they had a blast doing it! The Leap always brings an adventure with unpredictable weather, lines at the routes, stellar climbs, and more. Below, Kenneth describes their adventure in his own words-

The infamous stretcher

On Friday evening Chris drove up and got a campsite- however there were still some available on Saturday morning. Joss, James, Sarah, and I arrived late and bivvied.On Saturday Chris led Pop Bottle with Joss and myself following, then we futzed about figuring out whether to do Haystack in the hottest part of the day with two parties of two ahead of us already. We ran into a Seth (with dog Annie) and a Chad who work at Marmot, and we discussed options for short climbs.

Kenneth climbing

We all went to Surrealistic Pillar and I decided that I wanted to lead it. It was fun and challenging, but I bootied a UK nut on the way up. I went way past the first belay and ended up on top of a choss pillar. It turns out there were spots to build an anchor either there or 50 ft of down climbing below. The sky was looking bloated, and Chris decided that if it started raining she would not climb. She let Joss go, and by the time she got up to where I was, we were getting horizontal rain. With zero percent chance of precipitation in the forecast!! I rearranged the anchor with minimal cams and nuts and leaver biners, and we rapped off. Joss was a little nervous since she'd never rappelled before but I walked her through it. We auto blocked her setup, gave her gloves, and with Chris giving a her a fireman's belay, she got down safely. I pulled one of my cams from the anchor and left a solid .75 C4 and the bootied nut, and rapped down.

Chris climbing

When we got back to camp we ran into folks Topher knew (and we recognized from the gym). The Marmot dudes also came by with a couple sixers to share. I passed around the bourbon and we sat under trees to chillax, lament, play with Annie, take pictures, and set up tents before heading to the Strawberry Lodge for dinner. Cooking outdoors in the rain didn't sound appealing at this point. By the time we were finished eating however, the rain had stopped.

Who wants to boulder?

Chris and I woke up early Sunday to retrieve my gear off Surrealistic Pillar, and we found a party of three ahead of us on it at the first belay station. We hollered at 'em that we needed to bail yesterday and left gear, and not to touch it, and they acknowledged. I let Chris lead the first pitch, since we now knew where the first belay was. It was a heady pitch and Chris took her time but nailed it. Joss showed up for moral support and a photo op while Chris was setting the anchor.

Camp!

I led the rest of the climb, bootied my own gear (humming the Final Fantasy battle victory music as I did so), down-climbed back down the chosspile, watched a lizard of a climber leading an impressive-looking .11something nearby, traversed around the arete, and ran the hell out of the last 150 feet of 5.5 dike-hiking. I think I set 3 or 4 pieces and slung a horn though. I barely had enough rope to build an anchor in a safe spot at the top.

Kenneth busting a move

After topping out we went back to camp, packed up, ate avocado, brie and tomato on flat bread, moved crap to the car, and hiked up to the Main Wall to look at stuff. James and Sarah tried an 5.11a sport route on Tombstone Ledge and lobbed off a couple times before calling it done. Before that they'd talked me into leading a 5.10a sport route called Arctic Breeze. I flashed it and Chris, Sarah and I ran laps on it afterward. After the long hike down, we bade farewell to Chris and headed to Z Pies before the long drive home. YUM!**

Lovers's Leap by Joss

Holiday Recap Pt. I

Action Report - Success on Cathedral ...err Arlington Peak
Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara, CA
December 28, 2008

Michael, Amber, and myself atop Arlington Peak

After spending most of the holiday week either with family or prepping Amber's car to take over the role of Adventuremobile from the Golf *tear*, we needed some release. We had planned to go to Mt. Pinos for some winter action, but that plan fell through due to exhaustion. Sunday was our last day in the Santa Barbara area, and we needed some release before heading back to work.

Hang glider soaring over the Santa Ynez

We met up with Michael, and decided to tackle the Cathedral Peak trail, one of the most beautiful 'hikes' in Santa Barbara, and possibly the toughest. I say 'hikes' because there is a lot of scrambling and bouldering involved, and during an earlier attempt this year we turned back due to time. While the route is occasionally class 1, much of the time is spent on class 2-3 terrain; a maze of boulders and manzanita brush.

The "trail" is the ridge leading to the summit

The Cathedral Peak trail is one of the only trails in the Santa Barbara front country that feels like a real mountain experience. It's rarely exposed in any dangerous way, but once you climb up on the "Dragon's Back" the terrain drops off to the left and right. Essentially you pick your way right up the east ridge of the mountain. It's about 3000 ft. of elevation gain in 2 miles, most of that the latter half of the hike.

Arlington Peak is on the left and the "Dragon's Back" route is the rocky ridge leading up to it from right to left

Amber had a hard time getting warmed up. I think we were a bit drained and also had perhaps too-heavy a breakfast. We estimated the hike would take about 4 hours, but it ended up taking closer to 6. Mike was a powerhouse the whole time, he never has to slow down (except to wait for us). If you're looking for a hiking partner who can keep a blustery pace, get in contact with this guy.

View down to the trailhead (yes, there is a reason it looks straight down!)

As we got closer to the top, Amber got her energy back and was really trucking along. Soon we were on top of Arlington Peak, and although I have been to many vistas in the Santa Ynez, this one is worth the trouble. On top of that the storms earlier in the week and winter air made for one of the clearest days I have seen in Santa Barbara. We could see practically all of the Channel Islands, the Santa Monica Mountains, and the Santa Barbara and Ventura coasts. We also had a good vantage point to see the fire scars from both the Tea Fire and an earlier fire in Goelta.

View to the Channel Islands


Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands


View through the gap between Santa Cruz and Santa Rosa Islands


Land scarred by the Tea Fire

Though the sandstone tooth of Cathedral Peak was just across the way from here, the hike to Arlington is the bulk of the trail and very strenuous. We decided to call it a day there, have a snack, then head downhill to feast on Mexican food. Needless to say, all the scrambling and high-stepping (plus a few holiday pounds) left us all sore for days. Amber and I recovered just in time for the next holiday adventure...

Photo Album:

Cathedral Peak (Santa Barbara)

Consumnes Topropes with the D.O.A.

Action Report - Climbing at Consumnes River Gorge
Placerville, California
November 8, 2008

Amber starting Popcorn (5.6/5.7)

On Saturday, November 8th, we headed up to the Consumes River Gorge near Placerville, for a day of toprope fun. There was a threat of rain in the air, so we worked to get as much in by just setting topropes and working around the main area. We met up with some of the D.O.A. as well as some of the usual suspects such as squishy and a_reqieum.

Consumnes is a popular winter crag as it seems to be too hot in the summer, but is low enough to stay climbable most of the winter. Many other parties were on the adjacent routes and it was a day of share and share alike! Amber climbed a nice 5.7 crack and another route called "Popcorn". She performed really well, even though she had a bit of a sniffle.

The short, fun hand crack of pleasure!

Kenneth and I worked up this 5.8 hand crack he eyed on the Great Flake, and we climbed it handily once we figured out the bouldery start. Several others climbed it later. After that I worked on two of the harder routes I've tried. I was able to climb them both, but had to hangdog before finishing.

Test Piece (5.8) is a fairly straightforward lieback, but it takes a lot of energy. Dinkum (5.9) was my favorite. It has a substantial finger-crack section that is strenuous but fun. The feet give out in the middle, so you have to be fully prepared to crack-climb. The trouble I had with both climbs came in sections where there was a large chunky hole in the climb that required a shift in technique. I'll be more preared for that in the future. Maybe one day I can climb it blindfolded like Nat.

D.O.A. Porn Stars on a trad climbing adventure

After the climbs we headed to D.O.A. Headquarters for pizza, wine, and a racous screening of Team America: World Police. We were just in time too. No sooner did we load up the cars than it started to pour! A highly successful day of climbing, too bad I was sore for 4 days! Check out the photo gallery for a lot more action!

Photo Gallery:

Consumnes River Gorge

Knapsack II: Knapsack on Lead

Like this post? Then check out our new YouTube channel: Ramblin' Bears!

Action Report - Lover's Leap, Knapsack on HogsbackTwin Bridges, California
October 19, 2008

Amber on knapsack

We finally headed up north to climb Knapsack again! I promised myself that I would never climb it again, but of course I became a better climber, so off we went! I had a lot of fun on this climb, but Eric was a little stressed because he had to lead the climb. This was Eric's first big lead, and he did a great job. I think the only drawback was that Sean (Squishy) had to pee the whole time, and Eric slipped a little once, nearly falling. This climb is easy, but it's high off the ground so leading it can be stressful.

Eric belaying at his best

I found that my climbing ability had improved greatly, and I didn't almost cry, like the first time. Knapsack is a great place to learn multi-pitch climbing, and I highly recommend this climb to any new climber. After the climb we enjoyed some lunch and waited for Kenneth and Topher to come back from climbing Bear's Reach. I can't wait to try some other climbs on hogsback, or somewhere else at Lover's Leap.

Sean (Squishy) climbing knapsack

Eric's Thoughts:
Knapsack is pretty easy climb, but leading is really tough, especially when you're new to it. I had to balance making safe and effective placements with making sure I didn't "sew it up". Otherwise you could run out of gear. There were a couple moments where I was more stressed than usual, but all in all it was a fun climb and it was nice to be in charge. Seeing how much easier it had become for Amber since our first time, and doing most of the "work" between the two of us really made my day.

Related Story:

• Desolation Exploration - Knapsack Crack

Workin' it at Cragmont

Action Report - Climbing at Cragmont
Cragmont Rock, Berkeley, CA
September 13th, 2008



After sleeping in a little on Saturday morning, Eric and I decided to go climbing in Berkeley. We went to our usual spot, Cragmont Rock. I had been climbing the undercling of a route on this rock in my head for days, and I just wanted to push through and top out this time. I had not been able to finish the climb the last few times we had been to Cragmont, because I lacked crack climbing experience, and I was also anxious about falling on rock. I finally took my first fall on rock that day, and after, I was able to push through and finish the climb! It's amazing how the confidence can grow after the worse case scenario happens. We had a lot of fun, and I can't wait to try some more underclings real soon.
Met some cool people from the east coast also, hopefully we will be able to climb with them again soon!

Spicer Terraces Day Trip

Action Report - Climbing at Spicer Terraces
Bear Valley, Alpine County, CA
September 9, 2008


Saturday morning, Squishy, Amber and I headed up the Ebbet's Pass Scenic Byway to one of our new favorite spots, Spicer Terraces, for a little crack climbing fun. Amber and I were especially excited since we had been sick the last week and done little to no climbing since our trip. Squishy also hadn't been out much lately besides his scrambling trip on Middle Palisade (the trip report even made the Summitpost front page!).

New Spicer Meadow Reservoir

You have to expect Hwy. 4 to be a 'leisurely' drive. There may not be as much traffic as some of the other Trans-Sierra highways, but it's windy and often slow. Regardless its within the reasonable distance for a day trip from Sac. or the Bay Area and we arrived at the parking lot around 11 am.

Squishy liked the reservoir, but was not very impressed with the "wilderness" quality of the reservoir's dam. Fortunately for us the dam itself makes up the bulk of the approach and is a super-highway to some super climbing, which otherwise would be a far more harrowing approach to cross the deep, now flooded valley.

Squishy and Amber leading the way across the dam

There's no guidebook here, which is half the fun, but Amber and I had been before so we roped up two of the easer routes. The first was a fun, wandering 5.7 with fingers and hands and an awkward move or two. The second was a 5.8/5.9 that starts with good hands and then turns into a combination of awkward friction stemming and shallow fingers at the top.

Two routes roped and ready to climb

Everyone gave a shot to the 5.7 first, although most opted to skip the boulder crack start at the bottom. Squishy wandered left of the crux the first time and did an amusing 5.8 'beached whale' variation. Amber quickly found her way up and then I decided to wrestle with the funky boulder at the bottom. This boulder has a big crack in it to climb but no hand-holds for the finish. The trick for me was to go hands -> fist -> and then an arm bar. The arm bar made it possible to get far enough up to mantle over the lip and I then dubbed the boulder 'the man crack' since no one else wanted to try it.

Squishy and I sharing beta

After the first round I tried to get everyone on the 5.8/5.9 route, since I remembered getting halfway up before and it being very challenging but still rewarding. This time I got further through the crux, but not into the clear. When the climb spreads out into the stemming and friction footholds, it really wears my toes out. Maybe I need to focus on pushing with the ball of the foot more directly but either way my toes just pump out. Regardless I was able to exploit some shallow finger locks I hadn't gotten into before which were barely anything but it felt really awesome to hang on them. If I can just get the next foot positions dialed I'll be able to grab the big bucket and finish the route.

YouTube: High - Low


A man who doesn't believe in sunglasses (maybe his handle should be Squinty instead)

Amber was willing to give the route a shot, since she's climbed the bottom before, but we were trying to talk Squishy into it, but he just didn't want to give it a go. I'm not sure why its a struggle, but it's really fun, technical climbing. We're at almost the same level and he really has more experience on real rock so he could have given it a good go. Instead we conceded to work on a mock lead of the 5.7 crack and before Amber got a chance to climb the 5.8 he pulled the rope down to use for leading.

Regardless, mock leading on the 5.7 was fun. The crux is a little dicey for a real lead, but either Squishy or I would be comfortable doing it upon returning. The first half is really thin and requires smart placements to ensure your gear will both hold and not take all the good hand and foot holds. After that it's just easy, awesome placements as long as you avoid the dishearteningly hollow flake.

YouTube: High - Low

Amber got her first chance to clean gear following Squishy's lead. I'd done this before on Knapsack, but Amber hadn't tried it yet. She was a little anxious at first but at least she was on top-rope and could leave anything that was too much trouble. In reality she didn't have to leave anything, once she found the rhythm she was ok with stopping to dig the gear out and trucked right up, cleaning all of the placements with no problem! She actually seemed to really enjoy it and it gives you a good idea of how to manage everything when you follow a big route or start leading and have to do things on the rock besides just climb.

Amber digging gear out near the crux (5.7)

After Amber cleaned the pitch, I got my first chance to do a realistic mock lead. I used Squishy's rack since mine is not complete yet (feel free to send me $$ to buy cams). I placed a couple small cams in the crux which I was comfortable with and left myself just enough room to have hand and foot holds left then powered up over the lip. After sinking another piece in quickly, I took a minute then headed up the easy 2nd half of the climb, placing a few more nuts and cams along the way. I was very happy with all of my placements and Squishy mostly agreed upon cleaning them. It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to trying some easy leads on the sharp end sometime soon.

After a good afternoon of hanging out on the terrace, we headed back across the damn to find the lunch we forgot in the car (doh!). There was a lot of daylight left so we stopped at Hells Kitchen Scenic Overlook for some beer and wine and some easy boulder problems. When we had thoroughly worn ourselves out we started down the highway and out of the Sierra. We topped things off with a stop at the Snowshoe Brewing Company in Arnold for some grub. Thought it was a bit pricey at first glance, but the portions more than made up for the price so it's worth the stop and the beer is great! Can't wait to head up that way again!

Bouldering time!

Photo Gallery:

Spicer Terraces

Bay Area Climbing Weekend

Action Report - Climbing at Castle Rock State Park
Los Gatos, CA
August 9, 2008

We met up with some friends of ours who recently got married, and got to climb with them for the first time. I remember watching them climb last November at Pinnacles National Monument, and thinking they might be a bit looney, but your perspective shifts quite quickly once you start climbing. We climbed three interesting routes, several of which must have been sandbagged, but were fun nonetheless. The sandstone quality at Castle Rock was much higher than at Stoney Point, and the shade made it a heck of a lot cooler. The funnest route of the day was a 5.8 dihedral on the backside of Castle Rock proper, which starts with huge pockets and goes up to a mean undercling/hidden blind foothold/mantle type thing at the crux. Onfortunately we had other obligations to attend to so we couldn't stay all day and had to bug out around 3.

East Bay Climbing
August 10, 2008

Berkeley / Oakland, CA

We decided to get a little more outdoor practice in at the local hotspot, Cragmont Park, where we did our outdoor climbing lesson. We worked a while on getting through the hand-jam to undercling transition in the 5.7 route, then started getting hungry. Feeling a little too psyched from working on outdoor stuff all weekend, we ran a few errands, got lunch, and headed to our climbing gym to round out our workout and wear ourselves out.

SoCal Climbing: Stoney Point

Action Report - Climbing at Stoney Point
Los Angeles (Chatsworth), CA
August 3, 2008

[[ fyi... action reports are brief versions of trip reports or other updates from Amber and I when we don't have a good reason to do a full write up or don't have pictures (like when we're the only climbers), etc... ]]

We made a trip down to the LA area for Amber's little nephew's second birthday party and decided it would be fun to do some rock climbing on the way out of town. Turns out one of the popular LA crags is smack dab inbetween her brother's house and her parent's house!

We picked up Chris Owen's guide to Stoney Point (allegedly the most scenic place in Los Angeles) and hit the crag Sunday morning. We set up an anchor and climbed an easy chimney route on the back wall, then played on one of the boulders. Climbing on the sandstone in the heat was a bit of a pain, but it was still a fun day. We stopped on the way out of town to stuff ourselves on chicken nachos and fish tacos, then hightailed it back to the bay area.