Life in Yosemite

Friendly neighborhood bear

18 June 2003 by Theresa

View larger image This morning, Tom and I were treated to the sight of this beautiful bear in our backyard. I've seen this bear before in our neighborhood – it crossed the street as I was driving down into the Valley to go climbing – it looks really sleek and healthy. I was gratified this … Read more

Paleography Course

14 June 2003 by Theresa

I just got back from my Genevan paleography course at the Meeter Center. I can't say that I was looking forward to leaving Yosemite to teach it, but once I got there, the folks at the Meeter Center and the students were so much fun to be around, I ended up having a great time that was well worth the trip for me.

Absolutely Free

4 June 2003 by Theresa

36K version

There are some people in the world who can pursue something with an intense focus and determination that is amazing to watch. One guy that I met last month confessed that climbing was his whole life. He does other things only so far as they permit him to go on climbing, and thinking about climbing. I'm not like that. Maybe my brain just gets restless, or I haven't found that one passionate thing that I can devote myself to utterly. At any rate, when Tom left for Michigan, I thought that it would be nice to take a break from climbing for a while and do some reading, some drawing and other non-climbing activities that having been itching in the back of my mind for some time. Oddly, that is not at all how it worked out.

Farewells and Celebrations

30 October 201529 May 2003 by Theresa

The end of the month is a little sad because many of the great people that we shared the house with are leaving. On the other hand, I guess it’s a good excuse to throw some parties.

Stoner’s and Bircheff-Williams

26 May 2003 by Theresa

We met up with Jens at Middle Cathedral to climb the first few pitches of Stoner's, then perhaps some other stuff. The idea was to do a minimum of walking since Theresa's ankle has been bothering her. After Stoner's I got back on Bircheff-Williams, which I hadn't tried since the first time, about three? years ago.

Fresno Dome

25 May 2003 by Theresa

The weekend was a Memorial Day party courtesy Chris and Pat, including a cookout at their house and climbing and Fresno Dome.

Projects – Red Zinger, Cookie Monster, Lurking Fear

24 May 2003 by Theresa

We went back to the Cookie on Friday (May 23) for our respective projects and then we spent the next day watching Yuji on his project. It was pretty instructive all around.

Butts Kicked on Mindahoonee Wall

21 May 2003 by Theresa

Mindahoonee Wall from Yosemite Falls trail

53K version with route

Theresa and I had had a running joke for several days with our roomate Nick. We said we were headed up to do Mindahoonee Wall, a two-star 5.11a up near the top of Yosemite Falls. He said it was going to take us six hours to get there, we would never find the route, it would be choss and we should just go do a known, quality route. “Where's the adventure in that?” we asked. So joking that we would be back in three days, we set off yesterday in search of adventure and boy did we find it.

Theresa’s first 10d onsight – Moratorium

19 May 2003 by Theresa

I had a lot of beta from my housemate, Bob, but I was still nervous about embarking on such a difficult lead without having had the opportunity to explore it before-hand. Moratorium is only 4 pitches, but at 10d, 10d, 11b, 5.9, the terrain is quite intimidating. I led the second 10d, a pitch with … Read more

South Face of Washington Column

15 May 2003 by Theresa

43K version It rained on Wednesday, forcing hordes of climbers to abandon their climbing attempts and seek shelter from the weather. What that meant for us, is an opportunity to get a jump start on a popular 'big wall' route in the Valley. Normally the South Face is teeming with wall climbers, planning to spend … Read more