City of Rocks and surrounding areas
The climbing:
After leaving American Fork, I decided to give my poor elbow a good rest before meeting up with my Friend Andy at The City of Rocks. Just north of Salt Lake City is the town of Logan, where my aunt Marilyn and her husband Keith live. It is also at the terminal end of Logan Cayon, another limestone and quarzite climbing area known for good rock and nice scenery. Although I spent much of the week watching movies and icing my aching elbow, I had a great time getting to know these mellow, musical relatives I hadn't seen in so long. In the 60's my aunt was the leader of an all-girl band called 'The Ladybirds', and Keith is currently playing keyboard for a local group, the 'Sun House Healers'. Another band is in the works, with Keith on Keys, Marilyn on guitar and their daughter on vocals.
I left Logan in a windstorm, headed for the City of Rocks. As it seems to do every time I near the 'City, the wind brought with it clouds, and my nemisis, rain. It was kind enough to let up during the day and allow us to get in a few routes. Andy had brought a friend, so I spent most of the day free-soloing easy routes. This was the best thing for my elbow, anyway. Other than getting lost near the top of a 5.8, 'Bat Wings', I had a great time soloing seven classics, including 'Wheat thin' and 'Rye Crisp', which I'd soloed on the previous trip.
I wanted to do a bit more climbing in the area, but with the weather not improving, I followed Andy home to Pocatello, Id. for a visit and a chance to check out nearby Massacre Rocks. I've known Andy, along with his wife Danielle, for many years. Living in Eugene, we used to climb at Smith Rock together, as well as the gym. He is a Physical Tharapist, and helped me with my climbing technique as well as my posture, since it seems that my injuries have all stemmed from poor biomechanics. To this day, I'm working on fixing lifelong problems with the way I move, hoping to be healthier and a better climber in the future.
Our day at Massacre was nice, although a bit warm, and I climbed pretty well, even though I was being yelled at by Andy for every biomechanically incorrect move I made. After being depressed, feeling like there was no hope for my climbing future, I felt that all I needed to do was re-learn how to move, and I would be fine. I am finding that it's not that simple or easy.
Continue to Baker City, Or.
Return to the 2000 trip main page
After leaving American Fork, I decided to give my poor elbow a good rest before meeting up with my Friend Andy at The City of Rocks. Just north of Salt Lake City is the town of Logan, where my aunt Marilyn and her husband Keith live. It is also at the terminal end of Logan Cayon, another limestone and quarzite climbing area known for good rock and nice scenery. Although I spent much of the week watching movies and icing my aching elbow, I had a great time getting to know these mellow, musical relatives I hadn't seen in so long. In the 60's my aunt was the leader of an all-girl band called 'The Ladybirds', and Keith is currently playing keyboard for a local group, the 'Sun House Healers'. Another band is in the works, with Keith on Keys, Marilyn on guitar and their daughter on vocals.
I left Logan in a windstorm, headed for the City of Rocks. As it seems to do every time I near the 'City, the wind brought with it clouds, and my nemisis, rain. It was kind enough to let up during the day and allow us to get in a few routes. Andy had brought a friend, so I spent most of the day free-soloing easy routes. This was the best thing for my elbow, anyway. Other than getting lost near the top of a 5.8, 'Bat Wings', I had a great time soloing seven classics, including 'Wheat thin' and 'Rye Crisp', which I'd soloed on the previous trip.
I wanted to do a bit more climbing in the area, but with the weather not improving, I followed Andy home to Pocatello, Id. for a visit and a chance to check out nearby Massacre Rocks. I've known Andy, along with his wife Danielle, for many years. Living in Eugene, we used to climb at Smith Rock together, as well as the gym. He is a Physical Tharapist, and helped me with my climbing technique as well as my posture, since it seems that my injuries have all stemmed from poor biomechanics. To this day, I'm working on fixing lifelong problems with the way I move, hoping to be healthier and a better climber in the future.
Our day at Massacre was nice, although a bit warm, and I climbed pretty well, even though I was being yelled at by Andy for every biomechanically incorrect move I made. After being depressed, feeling like there was no hope for my climbing future, I felt that all I needed to do was re-learn how to move, and I would be fine. I am finding that it's not that simple or easy.