So Bishop is totally sick and I can't wait to go back...next fall maybe?
Bishop has well over 2,000 boulder problems spread out among at least 5 areas. Heath, Ananda, and I visited the Buttermilks, the Happy's, and the Sad's. We climbed nothing but classic problems.
Heath climbed almost non-stop when he saw weird granite sweetness and funky volcanic tuff. He had a Birthing Experience on the Womb Boulder. He ticked Solarium, Ketron Classic, and Kling and Smirk. Not to mention his flashes of the Green Wall Essential and King Tut.
Ananda's best sends were probably Green Wall Essential and King Tut; as well sending her first serious highball Chemical Romance (flash by the way). I haven't seen her get spooked before, and it was hilarious!
Speaking of highballs. You better bring a pair if you wanna get anything done in Bishop. Check out the classic V1 highball (no heart flutters in the guide either!). This is supposedly required reading for any Buttermilk visitor...
I chased every high star 5/6/7 that I could. My best were Hulk, High Plains Drifter, Seven Spanish Angels, and Suspended in Silence. I also got Serengeti and Molly. Never found Antihero, though. Oh, and I almost sent Pow Pow. Next time.
To check out more photos, try my facebook slide.
The most memorable moments from this trip, in no particular order, are:
1. Realizing how high the highballs are and getting scared on the drive up to them.
2. Locking off on two points 30 feet off the deck on Heavenly Path, and reaching for a thank god crimp.
3. Seeing Ananda get spooked on Chemical Romance, but keeping her headspace and sending anyway.
4. Finding 8 burly dudes in the only hot spring we knew about, then finding the Sheperd's Tea pot empty!
5. A full moon so bright you could read by it.
6. Wearing shorts all day.
7. Drinking at least 15 gallons of water.
8. Fitting 3 people and 3 pads in my car to get to the boulders.
9. Downclimbing every fucking boulder.
10. Flashing 3 classic V4's.
And now, it's time to learn from our trip. Here are my tips for other Bishop visitors:
1. The Sads has parking at the top; you do not need to hike a half mile up rattlesnake gully. Just don't park like a jerk...head in parking, not parallel, don't crush the brush.
2. To get to the Mammoth Hot Springs, drive north from Bishop until you're about 5 minutes south of Mammoth, turn right (east) at the Green Church, and turn left (northeast-ish) on a 4-lane dirt highway (might be called Whitmore Tubs; it's appx 1/4 mile from the Green Church). Drive from spring to spring until you find one that's unoccupied. The springs are down short dirt roads that look like campsites. First is The Bathtub (lukewarm), next is Sheperd's Tea (hot), and then the Crab Cooker (scalding). There are tons more and you can buy a map, but just drive around, it's easier.
3. There is a mill on the south side of Highway 395 as you're coming into town from the Pit. You can buy firewood for cheaper than Von's I'll bet. Or try and pull it from some cattle yards on the sly (out of town on the East side).
4. You can escape wind and heat in the caves at the Sads.
