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Here are some climbing pics from my visit to Boise, Idaho.
I went out to see my sister, Dana, who is in nursing school. She and her boyfriend, Ken, took me to see a great John Prine concert and other events around town. Since Dana had to go to school, she lent me her car. I was amazed how quickly I got to know some of Boise. Everyone was friendly and the weather was remarkably mild considering that I could see snow on all the mountains nearby. Dana took me up to Table Rock - a short walk from her place - where there turned out to be some good bouldering.
At some point, I went to the local YMCA (don't think I'd ever been in one) and it was great. I immediately met an awesome climbing chick named Tracy Wilson who hooked me up with shoes, harness, etc. I hadn't expected to turn this into a climbing trip, but it became one.
After hearing about the Black Cliffs about 5 minutes out of town, I had my sister
drop me off. I saw climbers up above the road and new I would be able to
hitch a ride home later. I wish I could remember people's names - or where
I wrote them down, but, hey, I'm terrible with names. Anyway, I caught many
belays and a lot of pictures. One couple even lent me a shoe because I'd
grabbed two left feet from the Y. Thanks Scott & Mary DeWalt.
The cold wasn't even an issue because the cliffs were black and catching full-on sun. Because there were so many chimneys and natural wind-block areas, it was rather nice out - even coming from much warmer Austin, TX.
I wasn't used to the rock type (Basalt?) and I wasn't very bold about testing
it, but I had a blast. My favorite climb was Bologna Pony (11a) which I
did several times.
I wanted to do so much more by the time I left. Tracy promised me a trip up to City of Rocks next time I make it out there - a promise I intend to hold her to. I also didn't see enough of my sister, her boyfriend, and her roomate. So kayaking, snowskiing, horseback riding, etc. are all on the menu for next time as well.
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