Mammoth 2022
Mammoth Trip, 2022
June 30
Clark Canyon Rock Climb
Stella and Frank have been rock climbing at a gym - with some breaks to heal injuries - since October, so we had about six months of climbing in our fingertips, have progressed to climbing 5.10Cs and 5.10Ds, and were eager to take it outdoors. Bill has also been participating off and on, and has been climbing 5.9 routes.
Stella had long had an interest in climbing, particularly mountaineering, and got us started on climbing. At first I saw it as an entry to the world of mountaineering. Bill has sometimes been leading us into situations beyond our comfort zone and tantalizing (or taunting) us with videos of people doing scary things on mountains. We figured it would be useful to gain some climbing skills, and to at least be able to assess the risk involved in specific situations, particularly so that we'd have the authority to say no.
As it turns out, our view has shifted to recognize climbing as a beautiful athletic endeavor in its own right; a ballet on rock, a primordial human activity.
We contacted Ground Up Climbing, hired a guide, and took it outdoors!
