Well I've been living here in Yosemite now for a couple of months and finally we have had some great weather. Not that the snow and rain wasn't interesting -- just hard to live/work in. But here are some pictures from the past 3 weeks. They are quite amazing in many ways. And the trees near the end -- the ones that are all bare -- they're quite lush right now.

Enjoy!
http://squeeek.com/brent/images/albums/2006-05-18_Yosemite/

Every day as I walk to work I pass by a meadow. It's a beautiful meadow with lots of tall grass and, in the spring, tons of amazing flowers. On the left is the Church Bowl picnicking and climbing area, and on the right is this meadow. The Ahwahnee Meadow. Today, walking past this meadow, I saw my first butterfly of the season, announcing that spring is officially here. It was fluttering around the meadow and just having a gay ol'time.

But this is not an entry about the flowers (which don't exist yet). Nor is it about the life of the butterfly. And it sure isn't about watching the grass grow. It is about the trees that stand in the middle.

My eyes fall on the tree every time I walk past. In the early morning they stand out in stark contrast to the evergreens that surround them at the edges of the meadow. In the afternoon, as the sun begins to go down, the golden glow of the oncoming sunset highlights them making them pop to the eye.

It's easy for people to overlook their beauty. Especially in the winter when there are no leaves on the trees. And if you glance just a micron up your eyes are trapped by the impressive view of Half Dome. And in the spring when the dogwoods are blooming -- taking attention away from just another green bunch of trees. In the summer, with all the enormous cliff faces around, the crowds stand around watching the climbers at the church bowl. In the fall? That is when these trees will catch peoples eyes. The leaves turning to all their golden colors and falling to the meadow floor below to add to the inches of mulch at their base.

Every day I watch these trees. And I find myself drawn to them. Their beauty calls me. Their loneliness sings to me. The durability impresses me. I pondered this day in and day out as I would traipse past them. Why do these trees affect me so? Why have I, on an impulse, run over to give them random hugs?

As I walked home a couple days ago, with the golden glow of the setting sun sparkling off the white bark, I saw the evergreens surrounding. Some inching close -- reaching with their tall branches as if to say hello to a friend. And yet these trees stood all alone. Not letting the other trees too close -- and yet reaching to them with their winterly stark branches.

During this particular walk I realized that at some deep part of my subconscious, I related to these trees. Letting friends get close but keeping them at a full branch length away. Standing strong through the hardships of winter... waiting for the spring when I will begin to draw some attraction from others... knowing that in the summer I will be overlooked as more exciting things come around... and finally having a tragic fall -- a glorious fall.

These trees are me and I am these trees.
We will stand strong.
Right now we stand alone.
But ever so slowly, we will invite our good friends and family closer.

The air is crisp outside. My breath hangs in the air like the tuley fog I drove through earlier today. Slowly disapating until I exhail once again. Even without the moon out I can almost feel the presence of the surrounding granite threatening to press down and obliterate us in the grandure of 3000ft walls.

As I glance up I notice how brilliant the stars are. No moon, no city air, no coastal fog. Just the crisp cold air of a winter night in the sierras.

The ground seems to dissapear beneath my feet as I take a deep breath and slowly puff out little smoke rings. My step lightens and it's as if a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I listen as the coyotes call to each other across this narrow valley -- as it echoes off the cliffs and snow. An owl hoots something about not polluting -- or was that just my imagination? A loud crunching sound follows each footstep as the icy layers I'm walking over settle under my weight. My tent is set up in it's usual location ... with snow underneath for a warm and relaxing sleeping experience.

There is something relaxing, something magical about being back in Yosemite.

Got the film developed today and am posting the "best of" from the 3 rolls. There are some amazing shots (I think!). Enjoy!

http://squeeek.com/brent/images/albums/2006-01-15_Joshua_Tree_Film/

I hit the jug and breathed a sigh of relief. Only it wasn't over. I felt that I could hang all day on the bucket handhold. Only the mental crux was sitting there staring me in the face. It wasn't going to go anywhere. It wasn't going to suddenly transform into something that was any less scary.

We had worked the aptly named problem, Slash Face several days before. Just Kevin and I. After throwing ourselves at some other bouldering routes, Kevin floated the problem -- working his way through the Joshua Tree V3 crux down low and then keeping his composure as his feet approached the hight that angels flutter at in renaissance paintings. It's only a V3 I told myself as I worked the crux. Only I had eaten away at the skin on my hands earlier in the day while working a V6. The six was easier. My feet never much higher then ten feet. Still a safe fall onto the crash pads below. But the crux -- the big throw to the top of the V6 eluded me. I'd slap and slide. Slap and slide. Sliding down until I had bright red spots on my fingertips warning that I was running out of skin. The Joshua Tree granite working like 80 grit sandpaper tearing into my skin more and more. So on it was to Slash Face.

This face -- with it's horizontal slashes working their way down toward the ground was an unimpressive boulder when we first spotted it down the wash. "That's a V3R?" I asked while laughing. We kept moving toward the boulder and it slowly grew. It reminded me of those bathtub toys parents would buy for their kids. You know -- the ones that came in the shape of a giant pill and when you added water would slowly dissolve and you'd suddenly be presented with a sponge in the shape of a animal or some extinct reptile. The boulder did the same but minus the water. You'd look up from trekking down the dry wash and suddenly be presented with a boulder that was twice the size it was a few moments ago. Continue on and it would keep growing. As we left the wash the ground rose slightly before suddenly dropping just before reaching the boulder, adding to it's tremendous size.

So I whined like a baby and said that my tips were hurting and that I didn't think I could do the crux. I worked it a couple of times before simply giving up -- meanwhile Kevin was doing laps on the route. Making it look easy! Pausing at the crux to tick better footholds should I make it that high. I had it in my head that this was another impossible Joshua Tree V3 and was ready to get back to camp.

We went back out a couple days later with three goals in mind. To show our friends Slash Face, for Kevin to get up on Equinox, and for me to finish the V6 I had lost so much skin on. First on the list was Slash Face. We were out with video cameras and were all ready to film our friends having their wits scared out of 'em from the top of the boulder. Little did I realize that I'd be the only one at the top whimpering.

Kevin hopped on the route and floated his way up to the top. Then Rob and Sarah got on and worked the crux out down low. I needed Rob's beta as he is my height and the high foot Kevin and Sarah were using put my knee up my nose. Not the most comfortable position -- nor the most straight forward position for a power move off a small crimpy handhold. Rob's beta was simple. Leave your feet down low on the good holds and then just stand up. Lock off the crimp and use that +2 inch ape index to reach through to the next good hold. Not a problem I thought! Kevin had taken over as filmographer from the top of the boulder so I had gone down to help spot Rob on his walk up and top out of the problem. Both he and Kevin have great heads for highball boulder problems. A description I had read of the route said, if it had been found by anyone else then the first assenctionist, the route would have had bolts on it and we'd be doing it as a rope climb.

Sarah and Gabe stepped back to let me have a go on it. Kevin's beta about using the bad crimp's little crystal granite tooth on my pinky was running through my head as I brushed my climbing shoes off on my pant legs. I totally didn't expect to make it up to the crux -- much less past it. I wasn't warmed up and had been watching people take falls all over it. A few deep breaths later, a technique I learned in the gym to clear my head, and I was up on the route. The ground quickly fell away beneath my feet as I worked higher up the boulder problem when the inevitable happened. The crux. It was right up ahead of me. I crushed the left hand crimp, digging my pinky into the crystal tooth that was threatening to tear away the skin. I shuffled my feet up in the most ungraceful way imaginable and stood up over them. Reaching high above my head I reached into the mailbox slot that was the next hold. My hands started to sweat and I suddenly realized I had no idea what to do past this point. Rob was leaning over the top and he began shouting out tips. "Match hands and get your foot in that little edge... now reach up your left hand to the hold that is ticked... Great! Now match it up and reach right hand up. Don't worry the holds just get better!" The last was in response to my whimper about the sloper hold I had suddenly grabbed.

As soon as I had completed the crux my head was screaming, "We made it! You don't have to go ANY higher! Just drop to the ground! It's still not that far away!" Only my gut was insisting on finishing up the route. So up and up I went. My hands threatening to slip off the rock at any moment and send me plummeting down on to the crash pad now 20ft below me. One last quick dip into the chalk bag and I grabbed the last jug. I hung there just breathing. Looking down. Looking up. Chalking. Trying to get my frantic puffs of air back into some semblance of regular breathing. All I had to do was top this boulder problem out.

"I don't like high balls," I mutter louder then I had intended. Everyone gives a nervous chuckle. Rob is leaning over the top ready to grab me if I make the wrong move. I make a small mistake. I leave my feet too low and start to turn the huge jug into a mantle. It threatens to dump me back down the 23ft I had ascended. I slap around looking for any type of edge on the smooth rounded top of the boulder. I'm committed to topping out now. Half my body leaning over the top and my feet still dangling dangerously below the edge.

I remember considering asking to be just pulled to the top. That is just about the only thing I remember thinking -- my mind completely blank as I do my best to not think about the fall back to terra firma. I can't think about moving up because I'm concentrating so hard on not thinking about falling.

But just as I'm ready to give up, Kevin shouts out, "Match your left hand with your foot!" So I attempt that. It involves some more ungraceful shuffling of the feet and then suddenly I can lean over -- my waist finally reaching the top of the route. It gives me that little bit more to get my right foot unweighted and over the edge. I stand up and breathe a sigh of relief. The top never felt that good. The top never felt so solid. The top supported me as I sat down and realized I had just pushed myself so hard mentally that I was exhausted.

I was at the top.

Here are some more pictures -- this time from Gabe's camera. We got some great pictures from camp -- from climbing -- and of us filming and the places we've had to scramble up to for amazing (hopefully) shots!

Check 'em out!
http://squeeek.com/brent/images/albums/2006-01-08_Joshua_Tree

So I'm spending a couple weeks in Joshua Tree National Park. We're working on the idea of a climbing film and Kevin Jorgeson jumped at the opportunity to get his climb on in this amazing location. We've been here since the 29th and I've been snapping away pictures with my camera as well as shooting some amazing climbing footage.

The pictures can be found here:
http://squeeek.com/brent/images/albums/2006-01-05_Joshua_Tree/

Check 'em out!! It's been amazing here and I'm looking forward to spending another 10 or so days here!!!