Do you know how we get from the paved road down to the really big monster boulder at the base of the talus slope at our favorite eastside bouldering site?
It's a steep very rough talus field slope with ankle breaker sized rough blocks of basalt rock, somewhat difficult to negotiate on foot loaded down with an awkward hefty crashpad or daypack. And of course, the descent lacks a people path. So...instead of bearing the entire load on our backs....
We walk a few yards along the paved road near the guard rail away from the parking area pullout, then where the really skinny narrow deer path descends down slope, we take each of our crashpads off from our backs, and send each crashpad spinning end-over-end downhill at the speed of airborne flight down that long steep basalt talus field.
First one is a full blazing color red (that's my pad), then next there is a full blazing vibrant green pad (that's my partners pad), then there's the full blazing majestic deep dark blue pad (my other climbing partners pad) -- all crashpads, one right after the other, each being chased by the next color behind it, all rushing madly headlong down that long very rough blocky talus basaltic boulder field to the very bottom of the slope....
Where each crashpad comes to a rolling halt, falls over onto its side in stillness, and silently lays there in the open grassy flats just a few yards from the mega big boulder...our favorite bouldering stone at that site.
BUT...we only do this sporting thing in the winter months, for right about now (in spring season) that other radiant green leafy stuff is popping out just about now, and ya don't wanna git none of that itchy** oily stuff clinging to your crashpad, or on your hands.
** poison oak.
