someone’s gonna get shot today…

The hicks were in full force last Saturday at the Owl Tor in Santa Maria.  Trucks, ATVs, rifles, shotguns, Coleman tents, Coleman stoves, Coleman lounge chairs with beer holders, beer, and of course a whole lot of attitude.  Walking to the Tor Elijah, Elhanan and I talked about our chances of catching a stray bullet.  Hicks have been known to mistake climbers for squirrels, or worse, possums.  As if this anxiety wasn’t enough, Elijah’s spotting of a large coiled rattlesnake along the trail marked the opening of Highway to Death (5.2 X) season.  Elhanan seemed interested in nabbing the first ascent, but neither Elijah or I were willing to give him a belay so he opted to work on his snake charming techniques instead.

 

For the rest of us, it was sort of a mixed bag.  Chris Bersbach made an appearance hoping to meet up with Andy (who bailed last minute due to banking issues…?) and had a hell of a first day at the Tor, topping Power of Eating (5.11d) with only a few falls.  Elijah made some progress in his training to redpoint a record breaking 9 routes in one day at the Tor, spending most of his time dialing in The Natural (5.12c).  My flailing on the bottom of Auto Magic (5.12a) didn’t prevent a redpoint on my first go of the day.  This success motivated my first lap on Chips Ahoy (5.12d), an Owl Tor classic.  Completion of all the moves granted access to a nice photo perch, where I preceded to get some good shots of Elijah on Chips.  Oh, and Elijah and I drank a bottle of Kefir each.  Mmm.   Full album on Picassa below.
Owl Tor 8/9/08
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You’re currently reading “someone’s gonna get shot today…,” an entry on operation crankola

Published:
August 13, 2008 / 12:33 pm
Category:
rock climbing, sport routes, Uncategorized
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