Mammoth

The only thing I really knew about Mammoth before arriving, was that it’s a big mountain.  Understatement.  It’s HUGE.  We were expecting to see signs that would direct us to the mountain, where we assumed it would be obvious where the ticket office was, we would pick up our pass, and be on our way to the lift.  There was no such sign because Mammoth Mountain is so big that there are multiple bases all around town that get you to the mountain.  We were confused when we drove up the road and saw several places to park and buy tickets and several different places to get on lifts, but eventually we wound up at what I think is considered the main lodge, and got our passes.  If I’m being honest, I was really sad that we didn’t get to take a picture for our pass!  We were actually really lucky to discover what would become our favorite section of the mountain within our first few minutes of being there.  Lots of nice groomers, no people.  I have to hand it to the mountain ops crew at Mammoth, the grooming and conditions were amazing despite them not getting snow in… a while.  We explored all over the mountain, enjoyed taking the gondola all the way to the top, were really confused and then excited when we could see Yosemite from the summit, and ended the day feeling tired and excited for our second day on the mountain.  

Of course, we can’t ski two days in a row because we have to take a dog day before and after each ski day.  The dogs are kind enough to oblige us while we ski by spending the day sleeping in the van, so in return, we take them hiking or snowshoeing and wear them out.  We walked around a trail in town that would have been an awesome xc ski if there had been snow, and then headed up 395 a few miles and hiked another scenic and snowy trail.  Then we decided to head back to the mountain and sleep there due to the fact that the van has been having a lot of trouble starting up on cold mornings and we didn’t want to miss out on skiing because we spent an hour trying to get the van going.     

We fell asleep to the soothing sound of snowcats moving up and down the mountain, turning the terrain into a continuous sheet of perfect corduroy for the morning’s skiers to enjoy.  Despite sleeping two hundred yards from the lift, we still did not manage to make first chair.  We realize of course, that doing so is a source of pride on a powder day, and not so much a necessity when the mountain hasn’t seen snow in a month, but we figure some where down the line on this trip we will encounter a powder day and there is no time like the present to practice waking up before 9:30.  Regardless, we were on the mountain in time to carve our own signature s’s into the firm grooves running down the mountain.  Our skis made a satisfying bbrrrmp bbrrrmp noise as they turned over the corduroy.  We explored even further on our second day, but kept making our way back to our favorite spot- Chair 12.  By the end of the day some rocks started exposing themselves and I managed to take a huge gouge out of one of my skis, so we spent our last few runs in the kid’s beginner park sliding over box rails and flying over whoop-de-doos.  Truly fun.  Soon enough we were back in the van and our skiing in the Sierras was behind us.  

It would seem wrong to be in Mammoth and not go to Bishop, so we made our way down 395, listening raptly to the Serial podcast (Download it!  It’s so good for long drives.  And short drives.  And any time really).  We spent a day climbing in Bishop, took a much needed shower, and then headed down to Lone Pine for a bit of sport climbing at Alabama Hills.  Hoping to avoid any crazy MLK Jr. weekend crowds, we then headed off the beaten path a bit in Death Valley National Park (first time visiting for both of us, and we were able to find a few places where the dogs could go- bonus), and today we were in Vegas for a few errands, including a much needed new stove.  Our two burner has a faulty part which causes it to leak, so obviously for safety reasons we haven’t been using it.  We’ve just been using the JetBoil, and with extreme talent I have been able to catch on fire (sorry puffy) and severely burn two of my fingers in two of the last three times using it.  So I’m pretty excited for a new stove.  Til next time! 

Bishop

In January, the time had finally come for Chelsea and I to quit our respective jobs and set out for a few months of climbing and adventure.  Sticking to my usual strategy of procrastination, I chose to wait until a week before departure to really crack down on getting the van completed.  As the days until our departure ticked away, I checked things off of my to do list and the van began to look less like an unwelcoming metal box and more like a cozy home.  I was still completing little projects up until the moment we left, but the van was deemed worthy for our 10 day trail trip.  We planned to head to Bishop, readjust to road life, and see what things in the van needed tweaking.  Then we would head back to the Bay Area/Auburn so Chelsea could attend a bridal shower and so I could take a trip to New York with my boyfriend, Arsalan and then celebrate my birthday with family.  Any additional work would be done on the van and then we would hit the road again for a couple months in the sandstone paradises of Red Rocks, Moe's Valley, Joe's Valley, and possibly Indian Creek.  

We made a quick stop at my brother, Mike's, house in San Luis Obispo where we installed our solar panels and interior lighting.  We chose to mount two Goal Zero Boulder 30 solar panels to the roof and hook them up to a Goal Zero Yeti 400 generator.  The panels collect energy from the sun and charge the generator, which can then be used to power and charge computers, phones, lights and cameras.  The installation went smoothly and the following day we arrived in Bishop.  

Two of our friends, Danny and Giuliana had moved to Bishop for the winter season and we met up with them in the Happies.  It was great to get our skin warmed up on the rock and we saw some exciting flashes of Rene, V5, and Highbrow, V7 by Danny.  We were treated to a delicious dinner cooked by Jules and then it was time to spend the night in the van.  The four of us (me, Chelsea, Titan and Star) got situated and had a nice cozy night.  

The next week and a half was filled with lots of climbing.  We went to the Gorge, the Pollengrains, the Buttermilks, Pocketopia, and the Sads.  The temperatures were unusually high, which made our motivation to try hard a little lacking.  We did enjoy soaking up the sun, lazy as it made us.  Our rest days were filled with exploratory hikes that led us to great views and interesting rock formations.  It felt good to try a bunch of new climbs, and to visit a few old projects.  I was really psyched to send Perfectly Chicken, a V5 that had shut me down on a previous trip.  Chelsea sent Green Wall Essential, a nemesis climb that she had fallen from years previous and hurt her ankle.  It was great for her to conquer the climb this time.  During a holiday weekend, we ventured north to check out a new-to-us area, Pocketopia, and had a great time pulling on sharp pockets and avoiding the crowds.  We also experienced our coldest night there, during which all the water in the van froze.   

All in all, the van performed great.  We made a list of little things that needed to be done, and supplies that could be useful to have.  Towards the end of the trip we met Kevin, a fellow Sprinter-dweller who was also headed to Red Rocks in February.  We made plans to meet up in Nevada, checked out each other's vans, and lamented the task of driving the washboard roads to the Buttermilks and the Tablelands, an experience akin to being inside a box with all your belongings and having that box be bounced down a flight of stairs.  

Bishop is a fabulous place, filled with world class climbing.  It had been a few seasons since we had been there last, due to living out of state, and it was wonderful to be back.  We left with raw skin, lots of new projects, and a sense of excitement for the next leg of our trip.  

Adventure on. LP