Iron Sharpens Iron

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" 

Proverbs 27:17

Casey Niggemyer belays Joel Unema on Iron Sharpens Iron 5.13-
Photo Blake McCord

The Edge.  Climbers depend on 'the edge'.  Like the crisp rubber edge on a fresh pair of shoes, tight as skin, and just out of the box, the mental edge is essential to climbing success.  It overwhelms any other factor in determining my personal climbing success.  I may be exhausted, sleep-deprived, out of shape, 20 pitches in, but if I feel on my game, I can float technical sequences and fight through the burliest efforts.  When we feel light, strong, and skilled, our edge is sharp and nothing can stop us. 

That edge climbers rely on can dull with time; too much time off, insufficient rest, and overwhelming fear can chip away at the sharp edge, dulling and slowing progress.  For those familiar with the Bible, Proverbs 27:17 may be a familiar reference, and for those unacquainted with it, these words likely have a recognizable ring.  

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another" 

Casey Niggemyer finding the jams at Volunteer Canyon.
photo Blake McCord

This lesson holds true in many aspects of life.  As social beings, people need interaction and accountability with others to maintain a healthy and effective life.  As climbers, we need others to support, encourage, and push us in order to grow and stay sharp.  

I've written about the climbs that challenge, the areas that inspire, and the experiences that test, but more important to me than any of these are the friends who keep my edge sharp.  Over the past few weeks, I began revisiting an area that has seen limited development, but beneath the loose blocks and lichen, holds considerable potential.  JJ Schlick turned me on to a line at Volunteer Canyon, a thin gorgeous face split by twin thin seams.  He mentioned that it looked hard and may be a good project for me.  A tip from a friend, a gift from a fellow developer, iron drags across iron, and my interest and edge are piqued.  

Carrie Albrecht questions her choice
of climbing partners and their
choices in fashion.
Putting up with that 'stache?  5.13+

My initial encounter with the climb was with one of my most consistent, encouraging, and fun climbing partners, Carrie Albrecht!  She belayed me on my initial efforts and reinforced in my mind the quality and worthiness of the pitch.  A familiar friend and cherished companion scrapes a few more burrs off the steel, leaving it cleaner and sharper than before.

Casey Niggemyer at Volunteer Canyon.
photo Blake McCord

More attempts on the project, days of bolt-clipping and swimming at the Winslow Wall, and exploration of new lines in the canyon made up the next phase, time spent with Blake McCord and Casey Niggemyer.  Blake shot excellent photos in challenging light, Casey belayed me with more patience than I deserved, and we all stoked the fires of psyche as we gazed through binoculars, rapped down steep faces, and talked about the lines of the future. John Gould and I sampled summer-season hard sport climbs, both well-traveled classics and forgotten gems.  Days spent enjoying the company and energy of these and other good climbing partners have kept me strong and psyched.  The knife was sharp, the edge was straight and almost ready.

Mat Greco, doing what he does best
on a project on NorAZ Limestone
Photo Blake McCord

When Mat Greco offered to come out to Volunteer and belay me on the project, it was on.  Summer heat was in full effect and the forecast was for near-record highs, so we planned a dawn-patrol mission.  We rallied early and reached the cliff with the thermometer  hovering around sending.  After a quick warmup and re-acquaintance with the rock, my fingers dug into the crimps, the pinky-locks bit into my skin and nails, the Mad Rock Science Friction rubber conformed and held the micro-texture of the basalt, the well-honed edge sliced through my clutter and doubt, and I made the first ascent of Iron Sharpens Iron 5.13-.

Joel Unema on the FA of
 Iron Sharpens Iron 5.13-
Photo Blake McCord

The process of finding and cleaning the line was made easy by the work of JJ Schlick and Wade Forrest, and unlocking the sequences of opposing crimps, locks, and smears went quickly.  It is a beautiful pitch; short, technical, powerful, but well within my abilities.  The experience of putting up Iron Sharpens Iron was more about feeling the support and recognizing my need for encouraging and willing partners than sending a hard rock climb.  The insecure and technical nature of the climbing and the short length of the crux makes a grade hard to assign, so take the rating as my initial estimate.  Repeat ascents and time will tell and form a consensus.

My edge is sharp after this experience, de-burred, straightened, and honed by friends, now ready to carve deeper towards harder climbs and to the core of growth and learning.  

Joel Unema sticks it on
 Iron Sharpens Iron 5.13-
Photo Blake McCord

Thanks to Blake McCord for the photos!  Thanks to JJ and Wade for all of their work at Volunteer.  Check out http://mountainproject.com/v/iron-sharpens-iron/108217029 for the lowdown on the route (It needs a repeat!).  I'm hoping to learn from the support of my community and do what I can to sharpen the edges of my friends and partners!

Strong Medicine and Tasty New Photos

JJ Schick catching the sports action of Joel Unema on the second ascent of
Pressure Drop 5.12+
Photo Wade Forrest

Squeezing the prow on
Donald Duckin' It 5.12d
Photo Blake McCord

I've written previously about how much I love the Oak Creek Waterfall and how influential it has been in my climbing.  The past year has been one of great change, both for me and for the Waterfall.  There has been a wave of new development, opening many new hard lines, a fresh crew of young climbers has sprouted up and begun sampling the fruits of the Waterfall, and the imposing reputation of the crag has begun to change.  I had a chance to shoot a few of the new routes with Blake McCord a couple weeks ago and couldn't help but share some of the new photos plus a few others I stole from MountainProject.

 Around a year ago, I had my first taste of establishing new routes there, beginning with Alex Kirkpatrick, establishing the mental testpiece Walking Far From Home 5.12-.  A few months later Dave Bloom and John Crawley began a new wave of development and I jumped on board!  Just this season, Dave and John established and impressive list of FA's up there, several of which I have had the pleasure of climbing for the second ascent.

Staring down the crux on the second ascent of
 Donald Duckin' It 5.12d
Photo Blake McCord

Comin' in Hot 5.12a
I'm on my Bike 5.11

Wasp Whisperer 5.11

Wolverine 5.13-

Terminal Mocha 5.11

What Are You On? 5.12b

Inz and Outz 5.12c
In A Blunt 5.12-
Donald Duckin' It 5.12d
A White Bread World 5.11

My good friends and some of Arizona's most prolific route developers JJ Schlick and Wade Forrest put up a handful of exceptional routes as well!

No Utopia 5.11+
Aquarius Rising 5.11
Darkest Hour 5.11

Joel Unema pulling the roof on the FA of Follow your Doubt 5.12
Photo Blake McCord

I also had a chance to put up a few of my own routes with John, Dave, JJ, and Wade and made the FA of the following:

Slaughterfall  5.12
Suzie and Ishmael do the Nasty 5.12+

Broken Chain 5.12

Follow your Doubt 5.12

In the past year the crag has grown and matured, and a new crop of enthusiastic young climbers are cutting their teeth on the classic testpieces of the Waterfall.  It has been inspiring to watch Mike Broad, Casey, Kevin, and Robbie pushing themselves and showing the Waterfall some love.  The Waterfall is a great area to hone gear climbing skills and sharpen a climber's mental edge.  It was pivotal in my development as a climber, and it is great to see others attending school in the basalt classroom.

Jonathon Mosher arranging gear before pulling the roof on
No Feelings 5.10+
Photo Heather Mosher

Matt Swartz considering his options on
Walking Far From Home 5.12-
Photo Joel Unema

The number of 5.10 and 5.11 climbers venturing up to the waterfall has swelled in the past few years, and it is great to see newer climbers making the hike up to sample some of the finest intermediate level gear climbs around.  A few years ago, it seemed that the Waterfall had a reputation as a hardman crag, fraught with peril from rockfall and home to difficult and scary climbing.  With the passage of a few years, more and more climbers have been giving it a chance and braving the approach and rockfall.  Many who have taken a chance and tasted the strong medicine of the soaring basalt pillars are hooked and have acquired the taste for single-pitch adventure cragging!  

I have tasted the medicine, swallowed the pill, and become dependent   The strength of my dosage has increased, the frequency of use has become obsessive at times, and even after repeating all the established lines, I crave more.  The cracks will get thinner, the gear will get smaller, and the climbing will get much much harder, but I'll be scrambling up there, braving the poison ivy, swarms of bees, rattlesnakes, raging storms, and falling rocks to get my fix.

   Huge thanks to Blake McCord for shooting the great new photos of the new routes.  Check his work out at http://www.blakemccordphoto.com/ or on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/blakemccordphoto?fref=ts

A Dream Deferred... No Longer

What happens to a dirtbag dream deferred?

 Does it dry up, like a discarded orange peel in the sun, baking in the trampled desert crust?

Photo Carrie Albrecht

Does it fester like a granite-grain gobie and then run?

Does it stink like rotten resoled shoe leather?

Or crust and sugar over

Like a punctured GU packet, squished in the bottom of a pack?

Maybe it just sags

Like a harness laden with too many wide cams.

Or does it explode?

-My apologies to Langston Hughes

Photo Blake McCord

The ideals of the imaginative modern climber are perhaps separated by a few degrees from those of most of our society.  A few themes are common to the dreams of both; we all want freedom, adventure, and happiness.  However, the physical manifestation of the dirtbag dream looks, tastes, and smells a bit different than the picture of the typical American Dream.  The freedom we seek might be found 1,500 feet up a granite wall with two Clif Bars and half a liter of water left and 1,500 feet to go.  Our desire for adventure makes the comforts of a bed, a shower, and NetFlix pale in comparison to a Thermarest, baby wipes, and a sunset over a different horizon every night.  The dirtbag dream is our version of the American dream, heated cherry red, hammered straight, and tempered by the fires within that drive us to climb. 

Vision Quest; often used by climbers to describe a climb demanding exceptional commitment physically, mentally, and sometimes even spiritually.  This use of the term is certainly valid, but may perhaps brush over some the original meaning and chief implications of a true vision quest.  In my mind, this important ritual has several names, the vision quest, the coming-of-age, and the rite of passage.  I am no expert in the coming-of-age rituals of any society, but it seems that the basic framework of a vision quest, rite of passage, or coming-of-age is made up of three key elements.  First, the ritual centers on self-reliance, which may be forced through a solitary journey or other means.  Second, the individual must be challenged or tested in some way.  Finally, the ritual provides something important for the formation of a healthy whole person. 

Photo Carrie Albrecht

The dirtbag rite of passage is often accomplished through an extended road trip.  Life on the road forces the first important element of self-reliance, which can be accomplished through the solo quest or the dual endeavor of road trip with a partner.  A rite of passages’ second element, the challenges and testing experiences, of a life travelling and climbing are many, both on climbing days and life-maintenance days.  While a few dedicated ‘lifers’ manage to live the dirtbag dream well into retirement age, many climbers find themselves pulled back and transition to a more conventional life.  Whether their road trip lasted six months or ten years, the climbers I know who have chased this dream regard it as an integral, invaluable, and life-changing experience that fulfills the third element of the rite-of passage ritual. 

Embarking on a rite of passage road trip is not for everyone, and I don’t mean to depreciate those whose lives are incompatible with life on the road or choose not to pursue it, rather I simply seek to provide the backdrop and reasoning behind my personal journey,a journey which is about to begin. 

I have a great job in a near-perfect town, amazing friends, and am surrounded by excellent climbing, but something has been tugging at me, nagging me to step out of my comfortable path.  I feel that I have never truly pursued something whole-heartedly, and for most of my life I have not had a singular passion worthy of a focused dedication.  Climbing has changed that for me. 

The path ahead of me is dark and uncertain, and that’s exactly the point.  I don’t know where it will lead or how it will work out, but I need to jostle the wagon wheel of my life out of its entrenched groove before the rut becomes too deep to escape.  I have been provided with a great opportunity, financially, relationally, and personally, I am ready to embark.

My plan has a lot of flexibility embedded but there are a few essential ingredients.

1. No fixed address: I’m out of my apartment and into the Toyota Sienna. Selling all possessions that don’t fit in the van (with a few exceptions thanks to my sister’s spacious home) has been tough, but freeing.

2. No full-time employment. I am planning to leave my job with the USGS so I can travel without the weekend warrior constraints.

3. Climb and learn. I want to see what I am capable of as a climber and as a person. Testing myself physically and mentally are top priorities.


My dream? I’m not certain what it actually is, and I think is a large part of the motivation for pursuing the extended road-trip of passage. I owe much to the encouragement of my friends, specifically Eric, Michelle, Darren, Angela, and Carrie. Without their prodding I’d probably be pursuing a permanent position in my current job rather than setting out to find what I really want. My dream is uncertain, but if deferred, I’m afraid it, or I, might explode.

There are a lot of ideas fermenting and brewing in my mind on goals, side projects, and van life. Stay tuned for upcoming posts on my van and the plan.