Pollen Grains Overview
Day 1
We took it pretty easy in the Pollen Grains area in order to give our puerile skin adequate time to adjust to the sharpness of the quartz monzonite. We warmed up on The Original Route V0, not only for our muscle's sake, but to get our head into the highball mental game. Then we headed over to the classic highball Jedi Mind Tricks V4, a must do for any climber; again, more mental preparation. The remainder of the day consisted of the group trying Suspended in Silence V5, Drone Militia V6, and The Beekeeper's Apprentice V5/ The Beekeeper V6. Suspended in Silence is a problem featured in King Lines where Chris Sharma does a double-hand dyno. I was fortunate enough to stick the hold with one hand and then hold the swing to pull off the flash..... super psyched.
Day 2
We tried some problems on the Green Wall, located in the Buttermilks main, and I was happy to flash the notoriously difficult Green Wall Essential V2 thanks to my reach. Most of our group was hoping to get on High Plains Drifter V7, possibly one of the most famous boulder problems graded V7 in the world. Surprise! Another four star line in my opinion..... Bishop owns.
High Plains Drifter V7I kept falling on the "drifter move" after a decent flash go and then joined by a bunch of annoying Californians. I totally lost my mojo and sat on my crash pad for an hour soaking up the sun. Jonathan P. Williams observed I was going for the wrong part of the last "bad" hold. Two days later when we came back to the Buttermilks I knew exactly how I wanted to sequence High Plains Drifter and sent first go of the day.
On top of the Drifter Boulder
Day 3
A break from the Buttermilks at the Sad Boulders. I had not heard of any of the problems in the Sads except for Anti-Hero so I was not quite sure what I wanted to try. Damon and Jon were syked on Pow Pow V8. I immediately dismissed this problem because it didn't look close to my preferred style of climbing (Yes, I am slowly becoming a rock snob). I tried campusing the crux move for fun and surprisingly stuck the hold. Five tries and ten minutes later I found myself topping the boulder. A very pleasant surprise indeed.
Pow Pow V8
Day 4
And back to the glorious Buttermilks. This was an amazing day for me!
- Howard Carter Sit V6 Second Go
- Flyboy Stand V6 Second Go
- High Plains Drifter V7 First go of the day
- Flyboy Sit V8 Second Go
Flyboy Sit V8
Day 5
In the Happy Boulders, known for The Hulk V6, Morning Dove White V7, Red Rum V6, Acid Wash V10, Atari V6, and the list goes on, I was very pleased to make quick work of Morning Dove White. Following the send, I proceeded to waste a lot of time on Toxic Avenger V9. At the end of the day, I unexpectedly flashed Action Figure V6 and did not have nearly enough power to give Cholos V9 any serious attempts.
Atari V6
Day 6
The final day of bouldering. Checkerboard V8 was the main goal of the day. I came close to sending Checkerboard multiple times, but did quite have enough gusto to send it. My skin was in decent shape, however, I had no energy (a slight problem when bouldering). After Damon sent Soul Slinger V9 (I envy his strength), I took a nap in the middle of the day to recuperate. As the Sun started to set, I worked on projecting Stained Glass V10 with Dr. Jon. I didn't think I would be able to do any of the moves, but I felt stronger on the dime-thin edges than previously imagined. After a session of four goes, I called it a day. Stained Glass has me motivated to become a better climber. Even though I didn't end the trip with any noteworthy ascents, renewed motivation will have to suffice.
Here is a time capsule video I put together of the trip:
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