Ascents by Nick Boldt

#5. Had a long rest as someone else was leading this, and was taking some time to finish the upper bits. I also gassed out part way up, partly due to the bloody hole in my right index finger pad. Did eventually finish the route, but getting the chains on TR was a bit of a struggle as I likely needed more slack to make the move, and communication with the ground via my broken Spanglish wasn't great.

#2 in a row. Easy peasy, might have gotten a suggestion from the guides on the ground, so will log as a flash instead of onsight.

#1. Nice warmup and intro to Cachi rock. My guide told me it was too easy for me.

#3 in a row. Hangdogged twice, was definitely pumped out after this one. Went for a rest by the river pool and soaked my feet and arms to bring down the swelling. Beautiful spot to camp or just swim.

#4, after resting. No problem getting through the 5.7 start, then needed 3 or 4 attempts to figure out the 5.10a crux at the top. Would do this one again.

successful TR, still got stuck in the middle section

attempted lead, couldn't figure out the middle section so Mark led the rest so I could TR it.

first climb of the day.

lead and clean on rappel. fun.

once I committed to the initial push to the first clip, the rest of the route was a lot of fun

Shaz's first ever outdoor lead! Woo!

Easy peasy.

First climb of the day. Thought I was on a 14 or 15. It. Was. Not.

Some hidden jugs off to the right proved to be salvation.

Shaz got up half way before tapping out - andrightly so since it was NOT the 5.7 we were looking for.

Awesome crack climb. Swung off once just before the overhang crux, rested a couple times. Amazed that General was able to trad lead this route - it felt more like a 5.10+ than a 5.8, even as a mere TR.

First half feels more like a sustained 5.8. Then it opens up to a 5.6 finish. You can climb over the tree without actually touching it, for added finesse. Ron put a ton of pro in the first section and then almost nothing in the second section. Made cleaning the route interesting as there was gear where I wanted to finger jam.

One of the only routes on this wall that was dry enough to climb on a warm sunny day in March, despite all the snow.

Same as it ever was - a nice intro route for warming up.

Consensus is this route feels more like a 5.8 than 5.7, as there are some balancy moves, particularly to get from the last draw to the anchors. Great fun, though.

Surprisingly puzzling for a 5.5, but taking a direct line and not thinking too hard saved the day.

Beware the groove in the ledge when coming back down. Got my rope stuck in there and made for a rather unnerving few minutes until we were able to dislodge it.

#3/4. Cooldown after the 5.9. Easy as, with Danielle's rope already on the anchor.

#1/4. Sean led, with some trepidation because it was his first lead of the season and there's a missing bolt hanger for the 3rd bolt. WHY? Anyway, not a bad route once you figure out the bottom half.

#4/4 for the day. Took small cams and nuts. Placed a red cam, then a nut, which blew when I asked Sean to take on it, breaking the rock. Climbed to the next ledge and placed another cam, then a nut, then finally a cam near the top. Honestly, this could be climbed as a free solo - it's a super easy climb (except that it's dirty AF and therefore not super safe).

Sean's first rap of the season, my first time leading trad in over a year (and having to set up a top belay off a tree, too). Definitely shook out some cobwebs.

#2/4. Great route, rested several times at each bolt.

So. Many. Takes.

Clip a bolt, say a prayer, grab the rope, hold your breath, yell "take!", rest. Repeat until anchors.

A super fun lead, as always.

Just did the 5.6 part - next time we'll do the 5.11a top section too!

#4 Omg so much fun. Heel hook FTW. I think I rested at some point.

Sean led, I seconded. Bit more work than I would have expected for a 5.8, but still fun

#5 I have mixed feelings about this route. The traverse is cool, but more than I expected for the end of the day... But it's cool to find a route with this sort of moves. But I'm annoyed I couldn't do it on the first try.

#2. So. Many. Jugs. And then it thins at the top into a big burly mess. Skipped the last bolt and just pushed through to the anchors.

amaze. had to hang a bit before making the last push to the top, but worth it. traversed to the top of the 5.10b next door to lower on TR.

Sean found a better beta for the top section, so I repeated on TR to check it out.

rested a couple times. challenging feet, but good times.

#3. TR'd clean except for the last move - slipped off, then reset and figured it out. Cleanest attempt so far?

sean led, then I sported and cleaned. good warmup route - stick clip not really needed.

#1. I used to think this was sketchy but it felt great today.

Sean led, clean on rappel a bit of a boondoggle, so I TR'd the first three clips just to clean it.

Sean led the block start (easier variation). I then sported the direct ground start (harder variation) with his clips. awesome sauce.

fun times on TR. Probably a lot of route options on this one, as Sean and I took different paths up.

Sean led, I seconded/cleaned. Not much of a challenge (or a climb) but a handy way to get a TR on Hammy Hamster