The Range of Light

It's easy to see how the Sierra earned this characterization. The Sierra are to the west of the town of Bishop and offer a beautiful backdrop. The mountains actually seem to change throughout the day as the light on them changes, and it is fun to watch. The Southeast is beautiful, to be sure. But we just don't have the mountains and open sky like they do out here.

Even Brandy has to stop sometimes and appreciate their beauty!

They also provide a beautiful and inspiring setting for bouldering. Even if the climbing's not going so well, you can always sit back and enjoy the views! I've spent several days over the past week at the Buttermilks, which are big granite boulders at the foot of the mountains a few miles west of Bishop. The granite can feel polished and slick but at the same time it bites into your skin and leaves you with sore fingertips much sooner than would seem likely.

Many of the boulders are tall! Much bigger than they look in this picture. Fortunately, at such a popular area, it's easy to find people to climb with. Or, when I'm climbing alone, there's always the Ironman Traverse, a classic v4 that is low to the ground and with a flat, sandy landing.

Every move traversing the rail of this boulder feels completely doable, and at the same time, linking all the moves seems incredibly difficult. A beautiful line in a beautiful setting and a good combination of power and endurance to try to complete before I leave Bishop!


The Buttermilks are great, but they have can also take a toll on the fingertips, the muscles and the mind. Brandy and I were both ready for a rest day today.

Overall, we are settling into a routine here, and I'm enjoying the lifestyle. The first few days out here on my own felt lonely, and I almost felt that I'd made a mistake coming out here on my own. But I'm learning to appreciate the simplicity of the day--getting up in the morning when the sun hits the tent and wakes me up (or, more accurately, wakes Brandy up who then wakes me up), firing up the stove and making the morning cup of coffee, eating my banana and bagel, packing up the gear for the day of climbing and then enjoying the climbing itself. The evenings are a little trickier because it gets dark and cold early and this makes me want to crawl into my tent at a very early hour. I try to make it until 8 and then stay up until 9. I am catching up on a lot of reading, podcasts, and sleep!

On Saturday it will be time for a change of pace. I will head to Vegas to meet my good buddy, Derek, for a week of climbing at Red Rocks, which is just outside the city. I have never been and am looking forward to checking out another new area. Stay tuned!