A New Beginning

Three years after my first trip to New Zealand, and my admittedly inadequate attempt at blogging my adventures while there, I'm back at it for round two! Round two of both traveling as well as attempting to write about those travels. I've learned a few things about both endeavors in the years between and sincerely hope I apply those lessons this time around!

Today seems an appropriate juncture to begin the writing process - at this point I'm fully committed to two amazing trips that should provide plenty of fun, excitement, adventure, sordid stories...oh wait, we're supposed to be learning from the first trip...nix the sordid stories, or was that increase them?! First, I will be joining some friends from my adoptive state of Pennsylvania on what promises to be an epic climbing trip to Bishop, California. Second, I'll be headed back to New Zealand with a couple old pals/climbing partners/work mates of mine from Tampa for a grand climbing tour of the South Island, my original traveling partner (and dear friend's) wedding, followed by a whirlwind tour of Australia's east coast! First stop though, Bishop....

Bishop is an area with over 2000 boulder problems on two different rock types, a virtual cornucopia of climbing. The Happys, Sads and Catacombs are part of the Bishop Tuff, a rhyolitic pyroclastic flow that formed during the cataclysmic volcanic eruption of the Long Valley Caldera 750,000 y.a. The bouldering here is characterized by an abundance of finger pockets and crimpy faces as well as gymnastic, juggy overhangs and low traverses with mostly flat landings. The Buttermilks, on the other hand, are massive glacial erratic boulders made of rough quartz monzonite, an intrusive igneous rock. These are notoriously rough on the fingers and TALL…one site describes climbing on them thus “…on many routes you’ll soon find your feet well above a height you’d want to bail at. Don’t leave any foam at home." Anyone who’s bouldered with me knows which type of climbing I prefer! I suppose it is good conditioning for my second trip to New Zealand and the high rocks of Castle Hill! Wow...I'm actually talking about volcanology and glacial erratics - knew I got those degrees for a reason!! (For any geology geeks our there besides me who are actually interested in the regions fascinating geology check out the USGS site: http://volcanoes.usgs.gov/lvo/about/history.php).