It was dark out but the moon was glinting off the hood. A fully loaded truck rolled easily down the 395. The chatter of my conversation was not enough to keep the attention of my co-pilot. Some how he muttered answers to my questions and then fell back asleep. I kept on rambling.
The graveyard shift, driving late at night, is something I do enjoy. It strikes me as the best way to get the most of out life. Why stop when darkness takes over? Some things may be harder to accomplish, but I could deal with the lost of sleep. I was very excited to be in Bishop.
It wasn’t some pressing sort of desire or specific motivating climb. I was just psyched to be on the road, to be going climbing, to be able to hang out and have fun. Bishop is like a good book or favorite chair. It makes me feel comfortable and soothes the soul. I treasure the smells and day old donuts of Shatt’s Bakkery and the yummy chai at the Loony Bean. I quickly fall into the Bishop routine.
Recent snow on the east side presented us with a pretty white cap on Mount Tom and the surrounding giants. The weather was good for most of Thanksgiving week, with only a few drops of rain. We sampled all of the main areas and even spent time rope climbing in the Owens River Gorge.
Bouldering is a great way to socialize and I often run into friends while in Bishop. It was great to catch up with people from LA and San Diego and to check out new climbs that I had not been on. Overall a great trip with many fun people and another Turkey Day out in the wild.
Enjoy the photos!
Luke
Casey on Action Figure
Luke's Heart Grows Wings over the Desert Sky
Casey looks for the magic pocket on Lawnmower Man
Gotta go big for the Lawnmower Man
More sports action on Lawnmower Man
Casey tickles the final pocket on Lawnmower Man
Ben climbs towards Mt. Tom at the Buttermilks
Casey flashes the exquisite Green Wall
Lizzy enjoys some thin holds near Prozak Nation
Luke gets reacquainted with Molly
Ben samples a quality table-lands arete
Luke is psyched for fire-roasted Thanksgiving chicken
[...] fact, it was around Thanksgiving 2011, when I was in Bishop with Luke – he climbed, and I studied for my upcoming Quals exam in the Looney Bean every day. Evenings around the [...]