Bouldering and Boating

It is finally cooling off a bit here, so that means bouldering season is beginning... or at least that time of the year when you fall off your old warm-ups and re-realize that bouldering is hard and your fingertips are soft. In any case I have been out a few evenings and mornings and it is starting to get good.

Julie tops out the Green Boulder

Andrea climbs the Hero Roof

Andrea on the Tut Boulder

bonus for evening bouldering = sunset

Julie got a new boat, so we went down the Owens River from Pleasant Valley CG. Unfortunately the water was running pretty fast and the willows had grown a bunch since the last time I went down so the current really wanted to take you into the willows. I was able to mostly avoid this with more experience with swiftwater and avoiding willow entrapment. Julie wasn't prepared for this and got swept into the overhanging branches a number of times. After a few swims we swapped boats which helped, but not enough. Despite traveling down river for a while Julie had a pretty short walk back to the put in because of all of the meanders. I continued on to the take out with my pack raft. I saw a Great Blue Heron, lots of ducks, a coot, a kingfisher, some fish, and lots of yellowish warblers and swifts.

Julie paddles

Julie paddles her boat "Supernova"

Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the heinous willow tunnels - I was too busy trying to not get trapped myself.

another Buttermilks sunset pic