Crashpad Toss

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.

Problems galore

It has been stated before — that over the vast span of mankind's civilizing efforts — human beings have encountered more than enough time consuming "problems" in this wild and crazy world without the need to be adding even more troubling "problems" to the already lengthy list of existing troubles. So...do bouldering "problems" fit within the same category?

Could be if not for the trees

 A friend once said....

"...this part of Western Oregon could be one of the best bouldering places in the region, but you just can't see much further than about 20-30' from any given back-country road to get a glimpse past all the thick green forest and foliage to spot all the potential boulders hidden right there in the forest barely out of sight."

Friends Who Clean Boulders

What's clean and freshly done today in this wet moist rainy western Oregon zone will -- in just a few years ahead (1-10 years) -- often will become a renewed moss covered heap of stone virtually appearing as if it were never touched by human hand before.

So if you know various local bouldering teams that go outdoors frequently to their favorite bouldering haven to unearth various new bouldering problems -- we recommend that you set yourself into a pattern of follow that team.

As they unearth a series of boulders, whether a few stones, or a dozen stones at an entire boulder zone, make plans to visit those same bouldering zones in the next few short years just after they had progressed through that zone, because those freshly unearthed stones will still be quite clean (i.e. moss free) for only a short time thereafter.

Now is the time to retag some of those cool ascents without all the extra effort to re-clean de-moss those stone many years later.

Luckily not all boulders re-grow a moss carpet at the same rate. A lot depends on the stone characteristic nuances (surficial features) like grittiness, smoothness, and its compositional makeup (basalt, andesite, dacite, etc). Moss tends to cast new spore seeds in tiny niches of the rock surface, the the seeds sprout (after it becomes moist) in the tiny rock vesicles, usually from a high spot, then progressively down the boulder over a period of years (moss hangs ya know!).

Six legs

 After departing in the early morning from my colony in search of munchie forest snacks, somehow I managed to end up in a strange strange world that is flat, smooth, black and hot. It's an odd world. Where's the apple tree snacks, or the cherry tree snacks, I said to myself. I need to find some munchies here somewhere for my colony friends.

Somewhere on the far distant horizon in the flashing speed of a bolt of lightning — a hand rises up and rapidly arrives overhead covering miles of sky above me.

Smack! Ouch, my arm, ouch, ouch, ouch. I dance and jiggle rapidly in a circle, then jiggle and run to the left.

Again, on the far distant horizon in a flashing speed of a bolt of lightning — a hand rises up and rapidly approaches, arriving overhead covering miles of sky above me.

Smack! And then my world goes totally dark.

By now you probably figured it out . . . that we're talking about a big black ant crawling across the dash of our vehicle. An ant that managed to cling to our daypack or crashpad, then end up in our vehicle for a ride . . . then sometime during the long homeward bound drive it crawls up onto the dark dashboard of the vehicle.

All of this and more after a fine quality summers day of bouldering with friends at (black ant haven) Boulder Mtn Boulders southeast of Govie Camp, Orrrrregon.

 Two friends were out bouldering at Beacon Rock Boulders. One friend commented to the other friend about the Minus Man problem's grade (V8):

"You know . . . if this problem were located at Squamish it would be a V9."

Yet, his friend replied,

"For as long as people have bouldered here at Beacon Rock, the Minus Man problem has been considered benchmark V8 for this region."

** It's all based on your skill set capabilities which, per person, does vary notably [i.e. think forearm crimp strength, kneebars, toe hooks, core strength, stemming leg strength, body size, etc]. Perhaps it's a combination of these . . . and something about that last part of the sentence ". . . for this region."

Is Convenience Driven Your Bouldering Motto

Stuck in a rut, still pounding the same ol' treadmill?
Grouping it out to the Empire Boulders again (even after goin' there 3-6 times this year already).
If its startin' to sound like a sheer dependence on convenience....let's hope not.
We can understand some of the "empire" hooked thing....its got superb bouldering.
There's a better way....just expand your options horizon a bit.

From the I-205 / I-84 freeway junction in Portland the drive time to various select bouldering sites:

• Empire Boulders = 50-minute drive
• Lost Lake Boulders = 2 hours drive
• Larch Mtn Boulders = 40-minute drive (wow that's close!)
• Annex Boulders = 40-minute drive (wow also close!)
• Cascade Boulders = yep same as the Annex....
• Bridge of the Gods Boulders = 40-minute drive
• High Rocks Boulders = 90-minute drive

And the list goes on......