This weekend my buddy Brad Miller and I headed down to Enchanted Rock for a little bouldering expedition. The last time I was down at E-Rock was during the Granite Gripper last October, so I was excited about getting back down there and seeing how I had improved. Of course the conditions were hot, the rock was sharp, and the climbing amazing.
We began the day at the Dairy Farm and Frog Pond boulders, located low and right of the main dome. We warmed up on a couple of beginner problems including Milk Mustache(V1), Cow Tipping(V0), and Longhorn Flake(V1). Both Brad and myself worked through these quickly and moved on to harder stuff. I set my sights on Frogatron Direct, a V5 that I worked for close to an hour but couldn't put together the final moves for an ascent. It is definitely one of my favorite problems in the park despite the fact that I didn't get the ascent. Brad worked Milk Jugs (V1), to the right of Frogatron Direct, and is pictured below during his proud ascent. After a snack break we moved around to the backside of these boulders where I tried the sit start of the Prow, a V8, where I quickly found after not being able to make the first move, that I am by no means V8 status yet. Brad worked and sent Ice Cream Corner, a V0+, to the right of The Prow.
After our time at Dairy Farm and Frog Pond we moved on to the Romb Social Boulders, where I spent a good hour and a half working Rombatron, a V4. I had attempted this problem during the Gripper last year and gotten extremely frustrated when I couldn't even make the beginning moves. This trip however would be a different story. After an hour of work I kept getting to the last move but couldn't commit to the final throw for the top. Below is a picture of me extremely frustrated after not being able to get the final move. I finally got tired of taking 12 foot falls and just went for the final throw. I stuck it initially, then began to slip off. I quickly readjusted and got to the hueco for the top out. It was definitely one of the best feelings I've experienced in my climbing career.
Burnt out at the Romb Social Boulders, we made a final move over to Zanzibar, a highly acclaimed V2 located in the Kingdom of Zilch section at the front of the Little Dome. Brad and I both worked the problem and after multiple tries I finally grabbed the ascent, although my top out over the mantle was extremely sloppy looking. Next time I'll have to clean it up.
Overall, the trip was a major success. It was characterized by great climbing, some proud ascents, and a full on shred. I'm definitely looking forward to getting back there soon.
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