Rios Libres - A Campaign to End Damning on the Baker River in Chile

Hi folks,

Having lived and knowing the political situation regarding these dams in Chile, I feel this is an excellent project to share with you: http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/rios-libres

They're raising cash to help spread the word about the damaging effects dams would have on the rivers in this region of Chile. Please stop by and donate today!

Greg

Funny Deleted Scene from Reel Rock

Saw this recently and thought I'd share. Great short video of a raccoon climbing with sound effects to boot!

BTW - I actually made it climbing recently, and I'm awaiting the pics to arrive via e-mail before I do the trip report. Thanks for your patience.

Until then...

Kudos to a new blog

I haven't posted in a while, and for that my apologies. I've been too busy with various art projects, but I will be climbing soon, I promise. I know where, just need to get there first.

However, I have to plug this dude(tte)'s blog. Not sure who (s)he is, but this is some funny stuff. Real tongue-in-cheek. Have a look and kudos to the author: Witness the Blogness.

BTW - if anyone is looking for some good gifts, I'm doing oil-pastel-on-glass commissions here at Etsy. Thanks for stopping by!

A Visit From Afar

A socked-in day at Anhangava
Photo by Nivea Bona

I've now been in Brasil for a little less than two years, and during that time, no one had come to visit until "KITT" decided to drop south of the border for his first trip to South America. This was after an extensive interrogation conversation to convince him to do so when we met earlier in Spain. While in Spain, he was interested, but wasn't sure he could swing the hefty airline price. A swift smack in the shins with a baseball bat few weeks later, after having reviewed prices for what seemed like every day, he bought his tickets for a ten-day trip around Easter weekend, and while we didn't have a lot of time to climb, it was on the agenda. Our plan was to hit Anhangava (a reasonable mountain outside of Curitiba with high-quality cliffs at the top)and then Mariscal (a fantastic climbing location for the views alone). I was really looking forward to both days, and secretly hoped we could sneak in a few more if the world suddenly changed direction.

A Comical View of Sewing it Up

A Dream Realized (if only for two days)

Ardales from above

We came in on the flat road until it hit the hill that went up into the village that sat there, below the ruined castle and the small church at the top and the tiny chapel above that up on the hill just beyond the row of windmills turning along the ridge that ran toward El Chorro. It had been a dream of mine to climb in El Chorro since I saw photos of the narrow gorge-turned-reservoir ten years ago. Then, with the El Camino del Rey, that famous, derelict walk affixed to the edge of the cliff and built for the king's workers to access the gorge during construction of the dam, still in use, I gazed at the photos of the towering, steep walls and wondered if there was any climbing there. The El Camino del Rey is a walk, now forbidden due a the number of deaths the past few years as a result of the decrepit state of the walkway, but the rock around it, and the exposure of the towers rising above the small town cuddled just above the river, was what opened my eyes. Not only did I find that there was climbing there, but I discovered that it was one of the top climbing destinations in all of Europe.

It's Official: Spain is a Go!

El Chorro
(via www.escaladamutante.com)

I've been waiting for "KITT" to buy his ticket before posting this, but it's official now: he'll be in Andalusia, Spain over the New Year with me and "Lady" to head out climbing. I'll be in the area for about 3.5 weeks visiting "Lady" during that time, too. We may hit a few different areas in Andalusia, but we're really gearing up for El Chorro.

More photos: