In April, three friends and I packed into a small truck and drove the eight hours down to Smith Rock in Oregon to escape the rain of BC. We spent four days climbing there. I cannot remember all that we climbed, but on our second day there, we climbed Monkey Face, which is a giant tower of rock. We climbed the easiest route up, which begins with a pitch of 5.6 gear, then a pitch of aid climbing (there were about 25 closely-spaced bolts up a sheer wall that we clipped quickdraws into and pulled on since we did not own ascenders and other aid gear), and then the route finishes with a super-airy bolted 5.7 pitch that involves stepping out of a cave to face a 200 foot drop to the ground.

When I returned to Smith Rock in May, we again climbed Monkey Face, and this time I led the second two pitches, since the first time I had led only the first pitch. The weather was a bit warmer for us on the May climb (in April it had snowed while we were climbing!) but we got stuck behind a slow group of 6 that took a couple of hours to aid up the second pitch. But we spent the time exchanging climbing stories, so it wasn't so bad.
Below are some photos from the climb.

Other climbs we did on the Monkey Face trips.

Zion (5.10b, 4p) is THE trad multipitch route at Smith. So, naturally, when I met up with my friend John for a day at Smith (I was driving home from Red Rocks), this route was top on my list. To be honest, after climbing it, I feel this route is over-hyped, but then again Smith is known more for its sport climbing than its cracks. It was fun though. (Thanks John for climbing it for a 6th time!). The next day we climbed at Trout Creek.

One day at Smith after a couple of days at Trout Creek.

I had just wrapped up the move from Colorado to Washington. With everything tucked away in a storage unit, it was time to hit the road for a climbing trip. The original plan was Squamish, but a soggy forecast sent us south instead to Smith Rock, where we based ourselves for about a week and a half and climbed six of these days.

Day one (Sunday) was bustling with Portland climbers. We started on some open lines at The Dihedrals, but the 87° heat quickly chased us into the shade of the Northeast Face. There, we strung the rope and toprope soloed two long 165-foot pitches in the 5.10b–5.11c range—a solid warm-up day.

Day two (Monday) brought cooler temps - overcast skies and no sun. So we took the opportunity to climb at the often scorching Morning Glory Wall. We got on six routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.11d, finishing with 5 Gallon Buckets—arguably Smith’s most popular 5.8—which I led in a downpour. Another solid day of mileage.

Day three (Tuesday) I led six enjoyable routes, opening with the trad classics Moonshine Dihedral (5.9) and Karate Crack (5.10a)—both of which had felt much harder the last time I climbed them—before moving on to sport lines at The Dihedrals and Llama Wall in the 5.10b–5.11a range. Another strong and satisfying day.

On Wednesday, we took a rest day. After three days of climbing, we needed it, and I also had a midday interview and the forecast didn't look great. I went on a loop hike around Smith Rock (Misery Ridge to River Trail, ~4.6 miles, 1000 ft gain/loss) before my interview and rains.

On Thursday, our fourth day on the rock, we returned to Morning Glory Wall and each got in about six pitches. My highlight was leading Nine Gallon Buckets (5.10c), while Nate celebrated a milestone—redpointing his first Smith 12a, Cool Ranch Flavor with Cool Ranch Flavor Finish (12a), on his second try. I followed with a fun toprope lap.

Nate flew back to Boulder on Friday and Saturday for a scheduled commitment, giving me the chance to scramble up Broken Top on Friday and spend the weekend climbing basalt splitters at Trout Creek.

By Monday, we were back at Smith Rock. I’d tweaked my arm again after pulling too hard on Thursday (I'd first injured it sport climbing in Red Rocks in April and the injury had plagued and frustrated me ever since), so I was on belay duty while Nate worked on Crossfire (12b). It was a beautiful day to bask in the sun, and as I watched, I found myself reflecting on the string of minor injuries that seem to come with sport climbing—the strength and precision it builds are valuable, but I can’t help wondering if it’s worth it when I end up sidelined. I don’t handle downtime well, and at the core, what I truly love—and what my body is built and trained for—are long endurance adventure climbs.

On Tuesday I went on a hike to the summit of South Sister and enjoyed exploring the summit crater.

On Wednesday—our final day at Smith Rock and my fifth day of climbing there (Nate’s sixth)—I went for a run before heading to a morning physio appointment in Redmond for my arm. Eric at Therapeutic Associates was great; he suspected tendonitis at the bicep tendon attachment near the elbow and prescribed some eccentric loading exercises. He also checked out my shoulder, which I’d tweaked sport climbing, and sent me off with some homemade chocolate chip cookies and protein bars after I mentioned I was living out of my car while climbing. I returned to Smith Rock afterward, and we spent the rest of the day cragging. I tried to stick to moderates to protect my arm but got tempted into toproping a 12a (Heinous Cling) Nate was working on—probably a mistake—though I was able to lead Karate Crack (10a) afterward without issue, so no major harm done.

Next up: Yosemite Valley.