A Weekend in Bishop

On Thursday, I hopped in the car and made the ever familiar drive over to Bishop. The main purpose of the trip was to donate some time and sweat to the Buttermilks, an area in which I have spent my fair share of time over the years. This Adopt-A-Crag event was put on by the Access Fund, Friends of the Inyo, and the Eastern Climbers Coalition. I would say that about 40 people came out and spent a good part of the day working on the trails around the Buttermilks. The goal was to preserve large "islands" of plants by eliminating unnecessary trail branches, reinforcing main trials, thereby minimizing future impact. 

The Crew

My job was to collect rocks from around the road, load them into this tank of a wheel barrow, and carefully drive it up the trail to wherever they were needed. After many trips up and down the hill, we were able to largely line the main trials with rocks, thus eliminating any confusion as to where you should be walking. As if its that hard to begin with! But, due to the sheer volume of excited climbers in the Buttermilks, everywhere you look there is a footprint. So, hopefully this effort will pay off. 

Yes. I know. Nice hat. 

Before and after the trail day, we got some climbing in. This is my FAVORITE climb at the Buttermilks: the Southeast Arete of the Grandma Peabody. I do it every time I'm in Bishop.

Walking down from the Happy Boulders on Sunday, we were greeted by this:
Sarah was walking in front of me and startled it. By the time it curled up and started rattling, my feet were inches away from it! Upon hearing the rattle, I did the snake dance, back peddling onto the boulders that line the trail, trundling a few as I struggled for balance, and eventually fell down the hill on my ass. Luckily, I didn't get bit, and neither did anyone else. I did however tweak my ankle, AGAIN. I'm beginning to realize how vulnerable my ankles are, the impact they have withstood thus far in my climbing, and wonder how long they will hold up!

We had a great crew from Santa Rosa, Norway (Ivan) and Canada (John). Here we all are at the end of the trip. Good times.

L-R: Sarah, Me, Ivan, Dave, Christina, Sarah, Jerry, John