Sometimes you just know.

Banjo Surprise

The banjo is wonderful, especially when it's a surprise. I mostly avoided artists who consistently use the Banjo, but rather tried to find songs where the artist snuck it in.

Well, here it is, the long awaited Banjo Surprise Playlist:

1. Dave Mathews - Don't Drink the Water - I didn't know this song had banjo in it, or never realized it consciously until I had a dream about it one night sleeping on the ground in the Arizona desert. It's subtle

2. Travis - Sing

3. Merusault - The Furnace - This song is loud and annoying. Download at your own risk. Electronica Banjo should not be taken lightly.

4. The Samples - Water Under the Bridge - A song about Sean's mother passing. Sad, but pretty and truthful.

5. The Who - Squeeze Box - So sexual.

6. No Pasaran - Landing Light - This is the song that inspired the playlist. Something about the banjo in this song really got me hooked and I started looking for other songs that unexpectedly have some 5 string. Thanks to the CPG for this one.

7. Ryan Adams - Come Pick me Up - Warning! Explicit lyrics. Also a very good song.

8. Grizzly Bear - Easier - G.B. has such an interesting sound. I heard this song on the local independent radio station and was rather proud of myself for hearing the background banjo as we were speeding down the highway.

9. Blitzen Trapper - Texaco - Certainly not my favorite song by B&T, but qualifies for the banjo mix, so here it is.

10. Led Zeppelin - Gallow's Pole - Like the Who's Squeeze Box, you'll have to wait a bit for the Banjo to kick in, but such a good song, it's worth the wait.

11. Great Lake Swimmers - Your Rocky Spine - Almost didn't make the list because the banjo is so common in their songs, but since no one know's the Great Lake Swimmers, I figured it was still a surprise.

It felt like summer today

And it was.

I went climbing,

went for a hike,

feel much better.

Nobody's bloggin'

Good. I hope that means you're all busy and having fun. Can't wait to hear the reports though.

A million tiny things

I read a book several years ago called "A Million Little Pieces" by James Frey. Despite the controversy surrounding the truthfulness of the events described in the book, it is an interesting and powerful story. It's a story about refusing to be a victim, accepting responsibility and the ability to control your own fate.

I too am a firm believer that only I am in control of my destiny, but I was thinking about all the million tiny things that have led me to certain places in my life.

200 million years ago, sand dunes covered what is now Eastern Utah. Compaction, lithification, erosion, weather and a lot of time created what is known as the Wingate formation. It's a layer of sandstone that splits vertically and erodes slowly. The cracks that form stay uniform in width and have very little flare. In one area of Eastern Utah, wind and water broke through most of the Wingate, as well as the Kayenta and Navajo layers above. In this one tiny area only a small tower was left as the cracks formed and the blocks fell away into the talus left below. The earth shifted, and the lightning bolt cracks on its east face were formed. The cracks shot all the way through and light can be seen from the other side, but the towers stood. What is left is called the North Sixshooter Peak.

Just a few years after the dunes were turning to stone, my mother and father met in Rexburg, Idaho, and another few years after that, I was born into this fine world.

I grew up in Idaho. I lived in Guatemala for a couple years. I went to church, played baseball, had birthday parties, got in trouble, went hiking and camping. I learned so much in school at home, from friends and enemies. I met incredible people and developed a love for nature and being outside. Dad took me rappelling and caving. We climbed peaks in the Tetons. Family vacations more often consisted of educational road trips rather than Disney Land and Lagoon, though we did those too.
In 2005 I was mountain biking one night in Little Cottonwood Canyon. When I finnished riding the trail that night, I met some friends who were "bouldering" on the Secret Garden boulders near the mouth of the canyon. I joined them for a couple hours and quickly fell in love with climbing on the boulders. It was fun, and it made me strong. Bouldering became my activity of choice over the next few months. I changed jobs, and then quit working altogether. Summers and I travelled for nine weeks in Central America immediately prior to my move to Texas for a new job.

Texas doesn't have good granite boulders like Utah, so If I wanted to climb, I was going to have to learn to clip bolts on limestone. I did, and I loved it even more than bouldering. Texas climbing got me strong, and when I came back to Utah in 2007 I finally realized how much potential Utah has for climbers. Well, I started to realize.

The next year, I started climbing with Alex Meyer. Alex has certainly been my greatest climbing mentor. Aside from showing me the potential for incredible climbing in and around Salt Lake, he showed me trad climbing, got me started buying important gear, and taught me technique. More importantly, he pushed me to climb things that were beyond my current abilities. Alex didn't get me into climbing, but he pulled me into the deep end and continues to push me to swim.

I lived in the wilderness of Arizona for several months, helping young people learn. I moved back to Utah, and I've been lucky enough to live and climb with the Gregories. I've become debt free and able to control almost all limits that would keep me from doing what I choose. Devin almost died, but he's mostly recovered. It's so good to have him back. I love having my friend back.

So here it is, 2009. I started climbing with Adam Wilkins earlier this year in the gym, but we didn't do much until this spring rolled around. Something clicked about the things that Adam and I could climb when we pushed each other. Adam is incredibly strong mentally and is able to focus and pull through the most intense climbing situations. We climbed almost every weekend doing some incredibly epic things that would cause most people to load their pants. Our crack climbing skills increased, and we became mentally stronger.

With a goal to climb 30 routes in three days, Adam and I went back to Indian Creek this weekend. We didn't make our goal. The second day's climbing took too long, and we were only able to complete 4 pitches each as the sun was getting low Saturday afternoon. So we made the decision to climb the North Sixshooter Peak, the one described in the 3rd paragraph of this blog.

Fingers lock deep in the crack that widens to maddening thumbstacks. (1)
Only commitment to move on insecure and pumpy locks will get you up.
Relief as the void grows large enough to be filled perfectly by hands.
Bigger and bigger, fists then chickenwing grunting through off width. (2)
Strain for a crimp on the face, pull your body in to find rest.
Belay at the top on tattered webbing and knotted cord. (3)

Skirt accross a sloping ramp and place a stopper. (4)
Reaching high, tips and then perfect fingers with flailing feet.
A rest in a pod and then back to locking knuckles.
Hands are wonderful though the roof is stressful, but only for a moment. (5)
Traverse left again or you'll end up in a liquid sky.
Here the hands are too small for average humans.
But to layback up the diagonal roof is devine. (6)
Pull into the pod. Place blue and gold, pull up the line. (7)

Hands to another roof, the crack is too small for hands.
Expose yourself to the sun, the desert air, the empty space. (8)
Pull onto the face of the climb.
The jams are perfect, but the exposure is airy.
Double cracks provide options. (9)
Fingers and hands and fun scrambling.
Rearrange gear on the sides and enter entirely into the chimney. (10)
Grunt, moving painful inches at a time.
Shoulders and knees leave their skin behind
Cams get stuck between body and rock, pinching, stabbing.
Finally, wider then sunlight and scrambling to the top. (11)

Relax, you're on top, 450 feet off the ground, a thousand feed above the valley. All these things came together to this one final moment. And yet, it's just another tiny piece in the big picture. It's just another tiny piece that leads to another unforgetable moment.

Further Updates and bonus

Castleton Tower

The VSS is cruising along nicely. I wanted to blog about something else this time, but I don't know if I've found all the words I need to get that one out. So the summer will be updated.




Texas was fun and I got to do some climbing on things that I hadn't been able to do in years past. Climbing was good, but it was really good to see Jason and Brooke-old Texas friends-and hear about what's going on in their lives. They are excellent people. I also got to see the most beautiful girl in Oklahoma. ;)





It was good to be back to the Utah desert the next week, and we had an excellent surprise. Most fitting for the VSS, Summers decided to come with us. We got him on some climbs, and he took some pictures for us. Truth be told, the company this summer has been as good or better than the activities. I feel like I'm constantly learning from people and planet. We climbed with Alex and Ceci, and Adam got to do a first ascent on a burley offwidth crack.













Adam and I stayed for a Monday encore and climbed the north face of Castleton Tower. It's a scary 5.11 and Adam faced it with incredible calm and determination. I was definitely not feeling "it" and I just couldn't get into the climbing until it got a little bit scary. Once I realized that I needed to focus, it got much better for me. By the time we reached the top, I felt like I had really found myself again and learned so much. When I figure out how to explain this in real engrish words, I will.
Adam and I went back for another taste of the desert last week, though in retrospect, we probably should have tried to make it down to Nevada with Adam and Ceci. We did climb the three penguins in Arches National Park. It was a fun lead, but the rock is blood thirstier than Count Dracula and all his whorey she-vampires. I left blood and skin all over that thing and I was glad to have a #5 Camalot. It's for big, scary cracks.

VSS updates

So,

I hope that all of my friends and enemies (there are none) and those who have no bias toward me at all have read the last blog regarding the Vastly Superior Summer. (herein known as the "VSS")

The VSS really got it's start in February. Can you believe that? I kicked it off solo-style by going on a road trip to Red Rocks near Vegas and Nascar in California around Feb. 20th. Since then, every weekend has been an adventure. Yup, it's an adventure.

Weekend of Feb 28th - Hitch hiked back to Vegas. Climbed some more at Red Rocks. Went to Nascar in Vegas.

Weekend of March 7th - Saint George trip with Dirty Adam, Little Devin, and a bunch of other little folkers. Super fun climbing trip.

Weekend of March 14th - San Rafael Climbing Trip w/ D. Adam. Climbed some crazy muddy/sandy cracks. Climbed "Lite not Solid" a spooky 5.10d that ran longer than the 70 meter rope I lugged up it. Adam climbed "Rabid Muslim" an even spookier 5.11 that he ran out way way too far. Definitely want to bring more red camalots on that one. I taught Adam how to build fire with sticks on this trip, and he's been doing it ever since.

Weekend of March 21 - My first trip to Indian Creek ever. If you've never been there, even if you don't climb, you should. It's beautiful. There are walls and walls of beautiful Windgate sandstone with perfect vertical cracks that were obviously cut by aliens ... with lasers. I really fell in love with this place. Marianna was the first noob to join us on a VSS weekend. It was awesome to introduce someone to climbing with a desert tower (Owl Rock) and then Indian Creek. So amazing.

Weekend of March 28th - Adam and I couldn't get enough of the Creek, so we headed back down in his beat up 4-runner. We climbed 7 pitches of hard sandstone cracks on Saturday, and it really worked us. Adam led the Coyne Crack, and we each got a shot at Super Crack (AKA Luxury Liner). Feel like being inspired?

I was scared this weekend. Mother Nature seemed to be conspiring against the VSS. I was able to go snowboarding on Wednesday, but the VSS thirsts for epic adventure on the weekends. Saturday was creeping by with the laptop on the lap. It seemed that nothing could save the VSS. It snowed and snowed. Feet up in the mountains. It was raining in the desert. Then came our saving grace. Adam texted me, "Do you want to go aid climb a roof in LCC?" "Are you serious?" I responded. "Alright then, let's do it."

The snow was deep as we made our way up to the base of the cliffs where the LDS Church recently quarried stone for the Conference Center. Fitting that it was conference weekend. We were having a little spiritual time of our own. In some spots there were holes between the boulders and we would sink in waist deep. I started up the cliff just to see how difficult it would be. The roof pitch was high above us, and it would take a lot of careful climbing over wet and icy granite (I know, it's monzonite) to get there.

I was well into the "no-fall" zone when i decided that I better get out my harness. Seemed it wouldn't be so easy to get up there after all. Carefully balancing on a tiny one-foot perch, I got into my harness and threw the rope to where Adam could belay me. Cleaning off four to six inches of snow from every hold left my hands stinging. Sometimes, I couldn't even tell if I was gripping the rock. We were aid climbing though, so really nothing is off limits. When the holds ran out, I slung a lone brush oak sticking out of the wall. Mantling on a tiny bush with frozen hands and no gear didn't discourage me. In fact, it did quite the opposite. The VSS sprang back to life. We were doing something epic.

The holds ran out again and all I had in front of me was one muddy seam. I got out my rarely used hook. It was a poor placement but all I could get. One tiny iron hook, cocked slightly sideways in a muddy little crack. I pulled on it, and it held me. Two more moves and i was into some thin weeds that miraculously held my weight as I tugged on them. A small lunge got me to some sturdier little oaks and I slung one and got ready to belay Adam.

We left the climb well after the stars were out. Rappelling by headlamp, we left my rope hanging from the tree. The morning would bring more adventure.

Sunday morning I knew what was coming ... or did I? We made our way back to the cliff face. Our rope was still there. There wasn't a single new track in the deep snow. Sunday was different though. It was sunny, so sunny I thought I'd be snow-blind in an hour. The ice was trying to melt off the exposed faces of the cliff. As we geared up to ascend the rope, we got a taste of what we were in for. Chunks of ice were falling off all around us. Most were easy to dodge. Most were pretty soft and harmless.

At the top of the rope, we set up for Adam to lead the first pitch of the day. He took his time getting around a small cave. We kept watching the ice shelf that was so precariously perched above. Then it came. I burried my face in my hands and let my helmet and back take the brunt of it. It was like getting doused in Gatorade in the first quarter. Brrrr....

Adam missed most of it and climbed through the pitch. Two and one-half pitches later, we were above the roof that we had originally set out to climb. we rappelled in and then climbed out, then rappelled back down again.

I'm exhausted. I'm so glad that the VSS is alive and well for me. Remember that the VSS is a group thing, but it's also personal. It will be for you what you make of it. It will be the group activities that you join.

I'm off to Texas to spread some VSS love down there this week. Someone do something incredible and make sure to take some pictures.

9.5 out of 10, a.k.a. The Vastly-Superior Summer

Damn!

I just got home from a little St. Patty's party watching my friend Matt Lewis rock out with his band. When they started into a cover of Neil Young's "Down by the River" I smiled so big I almost turned my face inside out. Life is really amazing and I plan to keep it going. I told Krissy that it's about a 9.5 out of ten, but I don't know what could even be missing. Maybe some hot, girly lovin'. Who knows?

The real point of this blog is to get the word out about this summer. This summer has the potential to top the summer of 2005, the summer of 1998, the summer of '99. The year of 2009 is poised to be one of the funnest in known history. Why?, you ask. Because I have decided to grab this summer by the hoohahs and make it that way. I'm going to tell you what makes summers amazing. Then I'm going to tell you what I/we are doing this summer. Last, I'm going to name some names, and leave other invitations open as to who will be participating in this, potentially the greatest summer of them all.

In order to understand what makes a good summer, it's important to review some of the years gone by and what made them so good, also, the things that just make for good activities-the stuff good summers are made of.

1998 was the year that I and the guys graduated from high school. I spent May traveling in southern Mexico and was greeted upon my return with my first taste of what post-high school Rexburg had to offer. Girls were abundant, the weather was so warm and friendly, and the days were spent doing the things that I loved. I did work that summer, but that was easy enough, and I didn't let it get in the way. I hiked in the Tetons, and tasted the thin air of the tall mountains. We took the four-wheelers out to the sand dunes so many times. It seems like we went nearly every Monday to steal the girls away from their little FHE groups. That summer faded into fall, Ricks College Expedition, and new friendships.

1999 was similar to '98. Fourwheelers, barbeques with sausage and Mt. Dew. Lots of new friends. There was camping and hiking and caving. The spillway, the sand dunes, Green Canyon. I ate at Craigo's Pizza every night without fail. Small pizza bomb, pepperoni and mushrooms: $2.36. What a deal! Rambo was a classic game that showed it's head quite a bit around this time.

One of the things that made these summers so great was the people behind the activities. There were always people at Craigo's to hang out with. There was always a crew doing something. The whole crew was never there, but the gang was big enough that we were guaranteed enough people to pull off some type of shenanegins. (had to use that word since it's St. Patty's) The Red Dragons, the EBR, the Prep Girls, the Grey Ghosts-who were really just Dragons that didn't want to go through the initiatory beating in the back of craigos. Most of all, the 186.9-my gang! There were all the girls in Natalie's apartment, Kim's apartment, and all the people that they knew. It was crazy!

2005 was a year that certainly changed my life. I started mountain biking, canyoneering, and climbing all that year. Only twice, between Memorial Day and November that year, did I fail to climb a mountain, decend a slot canyon, or go through a cave at least once a week. The Gregories were certainly the wind in those sails. I have Sam and Devan to thank for sure. Never, ever did I have to worry about what I was doing on a Friday night; I was going canyoneering. Saturday night I was too tired to do anything after the day's activities, so my weekends were filled.

So my point - This summer is poised at the tipping point of being the most amazing summer yet. Gas is cheap enough for now that it won't limit our opportunities to see the best of what the west has to offer.

Here's what we're going to do. Some things have approximate dates, some are wide open.

Indian Creek - Climbing - This coming weekend. Get your harnesses and get ready for some hard climbing. If you can't do that, come camp out/hang out or get ready for next week

Zion NP - Canyoneering - Memorial Day weekend, or sometime close. Anyone and everyone should be down for this. Pine Creek, Keyhole, Behunin. We could throw in some climbing for the more hard core.

Devil's Tower, WY - Climbing and Camping

City of Rocks, ID - Climbing and Camping
.
Destination unknown - Anasazi style/primitive camping trip - This will take some planning ... or not.

Lake Powell trip - Devan's got a boat. If we get this crew big enough, we'll get a houseboat for showering and cooking, but camping on the beaches is supreme.

Darby Canyon Ice Caves - Sometime after June - Caving fun fun fun!

Grand Teton - Last half of August - Get tough folks. This is not for the faint of heart. Dad, I would like nothing more than to stand with you on top of this mountain. Let's do it this year.

I'm open to so many more suggestions, but that's a start.

Finally, the people who need to be included. You're all invited. I'm mostly just using this as a guilt trip to make certain people show up. Also, it shows that the group will be big enough to pull this off.

Devan and Ginny, Sam and Massiel. Of course the Gregories will be there. We're going to be building Devan's new house this summer too, so that should provide some fun.

Summers, get your ass out of the house, and quit making up lies. We need you.

Little Devin and Dirty Adam, the climbing kids.

Alex, the climbing king.

My family. Dad and Mom, come to Zion this year. You'll love it. Brian, unemployment, or lack of work just means more time to play. Stacy and Julia and Jeff, you too. Karie, you want to learn to climb. This summer is going to be the one to do it.

Will, you get a line all to yourself. :)

Marianna, the Logan crew, Josiah Griffin, Joe Griffin, Jake Moss. I'll have friends coming in from out of town constantly. Tyson Crosbie, you don't have that long of a drive to meet us in southern you-ta ha ha. Little Adam, Toni and Misti. Tanner. Lizzy D. Dodge and Krissy. Beatbox Kyle. Cynthia A. So many more. Just come along and ride with us ... fantastic-slide slide slippity slide.

Too lazy to blog, too busy to blog.

Hey, I've been doing stuff. I even started a little blog, but gave it up. Derrick asked what was going on in my life ... well, here's the email:

Price,

Hope all is well. Did I loan you "Orbiting the Giant Hairball"? If you haven't cracked it yet, shame on you. It's such a fun read about living in a bureaucratic world.

Are you still going to take a road trip? When? Where abouts? -DR

Re:

Damn straight I read it. It encompasses all the bitterness I feel toward the corporate lifestyle and the bullshit that Americans attach to success and money. I need to get it back to you. Also the green book that I read about half of. (<--ended that sentence with a preposition. Shame on me.)

Road trip is being spaced out over time. I'm finding it difficult to abandon certain projects and responsibilities that I have around here. I'm not even getting around to see the close friends and family that I should.

I went to Nascar in California, climbed in Red Rocks, NV, then hitchhiked home. The next week I hitched back to Vegas, went to nascar and climbed again, and then drove my own car home ... with a hitch hiker in tow. This last weekend (friday to monday) I spent climbing with friends in Saint George. It was excellent. There are some pics on my facebook. Click and see!

This weekend the plan was to go to Devils Tower in Wyoming, but the weather doesn't seem to be cooperating. Perhaps a dose of Sesame Street would help that. They seemed to be able to get any two groups or individuals to cooperate. My guess is that I'll just end up in Indian Creek or maybe in the San Rafael Swell. Either way, something exciting.

Since this is the most typing I've done in quite some time, I think I'm going to post this as a blog, but the email is just for you Derrick. You're the man.

Price