Outsourced Administrative & Secretarial Services

Mark (unofficial Mt. Diablo Climbing Guide) at the foot of Jam Crack, Yosemite.  The photo is of his back because he was terrorizing everyone with his dialysis access tubes in his chest.  I’m happy to report boy and new kidney are recovering happily — a huge relief for me because I didn’t want to see the tubes pulled out of his juggular during a climb…

Scott (the other unofficial Mt. Diablo Climbing Guide) doing his amazing acrobatics on a very hard, overhangy climb in The Pit at The Grotto (near Sonora).  Man, that guy never gives up!

Left to right:  Yvonne, her fiance Humberto and me at the foot of “The Bubble” on Mt. St. Helena, CA.  We took a wrong turn on the long hike up, but the view was amazing!

Hey Everybody!

The purpose of this blog is to be a place where we can chat about my favorite “non-mom”, “anti-stress” activity — CLIMBING!  Please feel free to comment, say hello, post photos, plan trips, or whatever.

I’ll start:

This picture here is still my favorite climbing photo (of me, anyway).  It was my first outdoor trip with Rob and his wife Rebecca.  They introduced me to climbing through a single’s activity the first time I visited my church.  (Thanks Rob and Rebecca — I’ll miss you guys!)

This one is on Amazing Face (5.9), Mt Diablo in the rain.  Those of you who climb there will be relieved to know that because it was the first rain of the season, it had just started so we didn’t break any holds on the sandstone!

If you haven’t climbed there and you live locally, I highly recommend that climb, along with the more difficult others next to it:  Bolt Route (5.10b — missing some holds), and Dire Blow (5.11b — hard beginning).  Amazing Face is the longer of the three (90 feet).  It is very easy to set up top ropes, thanks to the secret Bolt Elf.  Make sure you say hi to Mark and Scott, the designated volunteer Boy Scout Rocks guides (unofficially, of course)

If you’ve never climbed, it’s fun to just go there and watch.  The place is peaceful and the climbers are a down to earth, diverse and friendly bunch (with a few grumpy exceptions).  Just park across the street from Rock City.  Walk down the trail next to the sign with the map.  Go to the right, through the big boulders with the “No Dogs” sign and keep going until you see a little trail on your right going up a hill and leading to a big rock wall with some little caves in it.

Be safe and have fun!

Susan