Seeking Vengance in Molino Canyon

As documented in the inaugural post here, Clayton was visciously and savagely attacked by a bee on Tuesday. To add insult to injury, the attack occured seconds after completing a strenuous boulder problem. Justice had to be sought.

During the Team Tuesday initiation ceremony we lay our hands upon a copy of "Mountaineering : Freedom of the Hills" and make an oath to protect and defend our fellow team members. We vow to keep each other safe from rockfalls, ground falls, wild animals (BEES!), roving bands of ninja climbers and the chupacabra. Climbing is inherently dangerous, but even more so because of all these lurking dangers. With this in mind I planned a trip back to Molino Canyon, to avenge my puffy-lipped friend.

This mission was going to be too dangerous to risk taking another member of Team Tuesday, so instead I brought my wife along. She is small and an easy target, so should the bees attack, they would swarm her first, leaving me free to mount a counter-attack. Thanks, sweetheart! 

Kerry about to enter the canyon:

Descending into the canyon, we found the area serene and peaceful. Hummingbirds were flitting around, water beetles were swimming in mucky pools of ephemeral water, and frogs were seeking shade on all our handholds:

There were no bees in sight, so I asked Kerry to start climbing a little bit in the hopes of luring them out. 

Our thoughts slowly shifted from revenge to enjoying a beautiful day outside. This little bouldering area is in a shaded narrow canyon, with jumbled boulders all along the creekbed. These boulders have probably all tumbled down from much higher on the mountain, and in the course of their travels have been eroded and sculpted by rushing water, giving them many unique grooves, overhangs and other climbable features. One of the challenges of climbing here is the smoothness of these water polished stones, seemingly covered in a coat of slick gloss. Friction is your friend as a climber, and these rocks provide none of it. While it can be frustrating to climb on this style of rock, it can also make you a better climber. It forces you to focus on climbing very smoothly and slowly, and requires precise footwork - not just in placing your foot in just the right spot, but also in maintaining that exact foot placement as your body weight and center of gravity shift. I tend to climb quickly and dynamically, and being forced to climb in this more methodical style is good training.

Here are a few more problems from the area.

Walking out of the canyon, we realized we hadn't found the justice we entered the canyon seeking. We'll be back - both to finish some problems and to kill some bees. Next time I'm going to bring an extra pad to help with some of the landings, and for better bee bait....I'm thinking my kids might do the trick.