CLIMBING THE WALLS

From the Ocean

By KAVU

May 2^nd, 2016

During 33 days at sea on the infamous sail boat, “Wizard‘s Eye“, I spent many hours dreaming of the beautiful mountains and the shear walls in Montana. After returning home I needed to go climbing and my friend, Justin Woods was up for it!

One step at a time

After being at sea for so long, I’d forgotten how crippling a 100 pound load can feel on a long(ish) hike and weakened sea legs ;-)

Onward

Luckily, all can be fixed with laughter and being psyched on the process.

at the base

Our goal was to find an old route that hadn’t seen a 2nd ascent in 24 years. Seemed like a good way to spend a couple of KAVU days and we were prepared to sleep on the wall. This life is AMAZING!

upward

Getting started and off the ground, we were still curious about where the route would take us. So far, the weather was perfect…..Klear Above, Visibility Unlimited

2nd pitch, nice and wide.

buzznard

First few pitches went fast and felt good. It’s all about momentum and having fun while making progress.

time to haul the gear

The pig we love to hate;-)

We set up the portaledge and then got to work on one more pitch before the evening fell. Alto Cumulus started to fill the sky and we sensed a change in the air.

Where am I? This can’t be it?

After one more push, it was time to settle in for the sunset. We realized that we had failed to find the old route and instead, ended up on new ground. We were psyched for the coming morning to continue exploring!

Write your story here. (Optional)

spring time in Montana

Instead, we woke up to a much different scene the next morning. Snow and sub freezing temps kept us honest.

up or down

With more free climbing to do and snow falling, the question of “up or down” was what’s for breakfast.

the fine art of bailing

Sometimes, paying dues is necessary and coming back, mandatory. Either way, we got the experience in the mountains we were after and the last two days were as KAVU as they get! Lovin it!