My second yosemite trip for the season, this time it was out to meet up with Alex, and old UQRC friend, for a weekend of climbing and socialising. Very last minute comms got me out to yosemite in the end, I had nearly given up and headed to soldiers caving with Mick. But midnight had me snapping pics of Schultz' ridge with mist at the bottom and a moon over it before setting up the tent besides Alex's macpac. Nice landmark, the two macpacs beside each other.

Alex and I head off to do nutcracker. Excellent climb. Alex teaches me that we should paper-scissors-rock for the first lead, with the winner leading. Positive thinking he says. Sounds good to me. Sounds even better when I lose and he gets the 5.9 start. He leads very nicely for someone who's not been leading on gear for months. (He has been bouldering V3's though, so there's nothing really to be worried about)

A full rope length's later, and I come up to the tree and head on up to the top of the big ledge. A short awkward move, but nothing as demanding as Alex's first pitch. After a lengthy wait for the party above to lead out of the way, Alex heads off. This pitch looks a bit ugly, running with water, but he leads it with aplomb, something I don't think I would have had the nerve to do. He probably thought I was doing it to him deliberately. :) I'm real glad I wasn't leading that wet horror. You can tell that the route would be stellar without the water though, as it's still lovely climbing even when wet. I get the next pitch and feel real good on it, leading nicely up to what at first glance seemed to be a great ledge. But wasn't. Alex comes up and is looking downright miserable. His new "casual" shoes are killing his feet, and he doesn't feel at all like doing the next pitch. I've not really prepared for this, and am tied into the anchor, but after a short rest, and some water Alex is as good as new, and leads off up the mantel without out even a grunt. We reach the top and after a quick piccy on alex's camera from the highest point, we head down to go and chill out in the meadow for a bit.

One lovely day leads to another. After a pleasant evening chatting to Alex, Jessis and Yarrow about anything and everything, sunday arrives, with Link the ranger, the AAC's coffee, and a social ambience. I'm loving camp four, so much fun, so friendly. All these serious climbers. With some encouragement from Yarrow, we head over to church bowl. I want to try Church bowl tree, (10a) It's a full grade harder than anything I've tried on gear before, and I've only done a couple of 9s, but it is short, and looks very attainable. The rock feels stellar, and very secure, but as always I'm afraid of the ground. I manage to get the first piece, but after several umms and ahhs, can't dig up the nerve to pull up to the first real stance and get the second piece in.

Alex has no such troubles :) And quickly leads on up to the crux, where after a couple of short falls, the chains are reached. Well done alex! Kicking it UQRC style. On top rope I blitz it of course, except for the epic of retrieving the #3 rock that alex fell on repeatedly. Yarrow and Jessis both have a go, with Jessis getting up it too. Only yesterday she climbed her first 9. She's really been bitten by this climbing gag it seems.

From here it is up to Reed's Pinnacle to meet up with Link and his telescope and look at the peregrines on the rostrum. Which fairly quickly turns into identifying the brand of shoes that climbers on Reeds are wearing. The things you can do with a telescope.

Climbing time again, and the bunch of us, now including Link and the dude from Ladera (Sorry! I forgot your name!) Decide to go and climb at the Mojo Tooth for the afternoon. Alex, Jessis and I are quite content with this plan. We'll get to sit in the shade, watch good climbers, and get to toprope nice climbs. Sounds good to me!

Link demonstrates what a good job he has by leaving us with the radio, and heading up Eulogy (10a) Which like everything it seems, is running with water. Nice lead, and a very nice top rope. Overhanging wet crack to a roof, to what climbs like Blueies Sandstone above the break. Felt very nice to top rope it clean.

Yarrow and Alex lead Grape Nuts (9) to the left, which looks like the most oldschool 9 around. Overhanging fist crack to start. sif. Lovely afternoon. Back to camp to drop everyone off and pick up my food, and then home again home again.

Somehow I managed to not get a single photo of Alex in the entire weekend. Or of me. I thought I had, but if I did, I don't know where the roll of film is. I hate it when things like this happen, I always end up with not quite the pictures I wanted to remember from the weekend. :( Sorry Alex!

yos-alex01.jpg Yarrow on Church Bowl Tree	yos-alex02.jpg Jessis on Church Bowl Tree	yos-alex03.jpg Ranger Link on Eulogy
yos-alex04.jpg And again	yos-alex05.jpg Higher up	yos-alex06.jpg Yarrow contemplating the start of Grape Nuts