Climbing trips are good for the soul...

Some weeks ago (yes, we are still catching up on this blog)...we went on a climbing trip to Skaha.  Skaha is a canadian rock climbing destination which has an abundance of really nice hiking and climbing.  We have been there many times...enjoy the pics:    

Elizabeth is getting old enough now to "get into it" a bit.  She hasn't "climbed" yet but she likes wearing a helmet like mommy and daddy and exploring around the base of the crag

She plays with dirt, eats rocks, puts squeezes bugs, trips over her own feet and face plants...and a variety of other 18 month old things.  We love watching her explore and discover the world around her.... 

Partners in the vertical terrain

This past trip, we went with a bunch of couples...a few of whom, had kids.  It was really fun to be in such a diverse group parents and climbers 

Skaha is a beautiful place...

back at camp, there was plenty of time for shenanigans 

Elizabeth even perfected the butt sit slackline technique.  Nice...

adventures are best when they are shared with the people you love

24 hours to make an adventure happen...

We had a 24 hour window.  24 hours...to make something happen.  And we did.  It was pouring rain on the west coast...50mm expected...and we were itching to climb rocks.  So a good friend of mine, also a pastor, grabbed some gear and we piled into our 4x4 to head five hours east into the desert.  There, it must be dry...we thought.  

It wasn't dry.  It poured and kept pouring.

We arrived in the desert, late.  Not wanting to pay for camping....we found a pullout and pitched our tent on the side of the road.  The ground was covered in garbage...whatever.  Our rain soaked campsite couldn't possibly spoil our fun.  2 climbers, 2 pastors, 2 fathers of girls....2 friends.  

We woke up in the middle of the night to pouring rain and strong wind.  Climbing...out of the question. 

We woke up in the morning, early, and decided to see if anything was dry.  And you know what...it was (kinda)!  So we climbed for the next 5 hours.  It was COLD and windy but it was wonderful and dry.  What a great trip!

Here are some pics for your enjoyment....    

For all you Skaha climbers...the new parking lot is really nice.  It hosts what seemed like 100 spots and has a few brand new trails and bathrooms

Trying to find something dry...

He did

and I did too!

lunch was simple...and soooo goooooood!

nothing like climbing with a great friend on a day when not to many climbers are waking up and going for it!

After about 5 hours of climbing...the sky grew dark and it began to rain...

but dude....I had a smile on my face!  Time to get goin!

so we hit the road...thanks or driving, J!

We got back in home in time for a relaxing evening with our hearts ready for pastoral duties the next morning

Upcoming trips

We LOVE being together on adventures. It's a family gig...and we intend to keep the tradition alive by going on a variety of climbing road trips leading up to the summer climbing season in Squamish. The following places are places we have been returning to for the past 4 years, every year. So...here's where we are goin:

March - Skaha
Skaha is all about sport climbing. There is trad...and good trad but its short (1-3 pitches max). And frankly...the sport climbing is AMAZING. Tons of it...hard, easy, and everything in between. We go here in March cause its still cold, less crowds, and it gets us in shape for the coming months.


April - Red Rock
Red Rocks is all about trad. Desert sandstone, 1500 foot routes, intimidating chimneys, routefinding, face climbing, interesting pro...this is a trad climbers dream local. If you want pure adventure and never see a soul...do some out-of-the-way routes, here!


May - Smith Rock
By this time...it's usually too hot...but who cares...we find shaded routes and have a good time. This is mecca for hard sport climbing and LOTS of amazing trad as well. This place is WORTH VISITING again and again.


June-August - Squamish
Actually, we'll have been climbing in Squamish since the rain stops-ish (usually as early as april)...but we are in full force in June through August for sure. Squamish has everything (bouldering, sport (technically north of squamish), and trad). But, they don't call it "Yosemite North" for nothing. Granite, long routes, highly asthetic, with TONS of mega classics....this is a trad climbers dream.


August - Yosemite
What can I say about Yosemite that hasn't already been said. It's Yosemite. We have backpacked through Yosemite and climbed there once...but have never done anything real serious there....hopefully this year....that will change.


Now you are undoubtedly wondering "Now, you guys have done all these road trips without a baby...do you really think you are going to be able to do this with Elizabeth?"

Our answer: Nope. That's why we are going to leave her behind.

Hah. Just kidding.

The real answer: We are going to invite Elizabeth into these adventures. It may mean less climbing, or no climbing, but we'll try. And, success for us, is being together. Now, practically, for some of these trips, we have friends and relatives hooking up with us in these places. These are people who love us and also understand how being a parent does (and should) change things...so some days, we may not climb, or I may be on daddy duty while Heidi climbs with a friend and vise versa, or some days we might not even make it to the crag!. We shall see!

The adventure continues...