Photos by cchildre

I loved Mexico. My favorite destinaton for sport climbing madness.

Drew working on his Enchanted Tower project Goliath. First day, lighting was poor but I did get this nice snap where he missed his sequence and took a short fall. Photo: Craig Childre

Too bad my focus was a little off. Chad getting "the most pumped ever at the Wichitas" working on Aerial. Seen here clipping the 3rd bolt on what many call "best sport route in the state". A great weekend with scorching heat had us hiding in the shade. A nice lead for Chad.

From above, these hold look marvelous, such a fun like with great movement. Aerial Anticipation, incredible route, an inspiring lead for Chad.

From above, these hold look marvelous, such a fun like with great movement. Aerial Anticipation, incredible route, an inspiring lead for Chad. Working some of the final moves out, the arm pump became the limiting issue.

Trace follows me up Ker Plunk. Fabulous route and great view. Shade was the name of the game this day.

Megan follows me up the aesthetic route Large Corner Girdle. Was my first lead of the route and quite enjoyable. We timed it almost perfectly, able to stay in the shade for most of the route, till the League of Doom rap station.

Borrowing everyones quickdraws he knew. Then pre setting every route that his collection could occupy. Kevin is seen here setting up for the improbable Tower Run! While setting he On Sited every route but three. A few days of hard earned rest. He returned and redpointed every line on the tower in a single day. Simply Insane!

The last weekend of Spring Break took us to Datil onto the Tower. Drew working on one of his latest projects before the summer sweeps him away to Utah. Great line, and I suspect he will get this send at the end of the summer.

I cannot overstate how lucky I was! I show up to J-Tree without a climbing partner, expecting to climb in a team of three, only to find Deb. She and I clicked together on the first route, and climbed together for the rest of the week. Her smile was infectious, and I fed off her energy, propelling me to complete routes I feared too difficult. I could not do anything but smile looking down and seeing her giving me a flawless belay. Here she follows me up Taurus during our most productive day of climbing. I will never forget that time out in the desert.

We ran the TR at Dreamboat Annie a few times. I topped out in boots on the marginal arm/body offwidth, and scooted back to the car for the camera to shoot this sunset. What a fantastic weekend we had, great weather on Saturday climbing at Leaning Tower, cold Sunday, so we hiked into Panther Canyon and looked for the Icebox till it warmed up for a trip to Scott to climb. Then on to Meers for their famous burgers...tasty!

A little run out start on really easy climbing turned to this angled crack. Rope drag was....a drag, but the climb was very good as Lisa and I followed to clean and collect all that booty! We scored two pieces an awkardly easy to pull nut, and a frustrating #1 new style Rock Empire (being my first booty ever). I love me some booty!

Using the crimps looses a grade, but that just gives him a good reason to go back and stick the lunge. Nice hard climbing by Matt here.

Scott got the OS for the only problem on this boulder with 3 star status. It was a great line that was not too long and had some very nice movements. This move was one of his favorites for the day. Crimpy!

Tim Barnett put up this line and a few of us jumped on a TR to try it. Then he got back on the sharp end and sent it before pulling gear and moving elsewhere.

No not this one. But that was the joke of the day after Topher won the battle of wills during Scott's ascent of 'Wounded Knee'. This day yeilded only a few photo's and no one made any real progress on GD. Till drew rampaged on it.

Drew Cummings sweeping up on this weird route / traverse. It wasn't a bad line, just not what one would expect at ET. I did not particularly like it but others enjoyed it. Different Strokes.

Scott warms up on a 10c? Crazy? No, that is what happens when you listen to Toph's warm up suggestions. He just doesn't understand the word moderate! Slopey down low, juggy up high, it was a nice line.

Toph cranked on this cool 10d. Great line shot by our good friend Drew Cummings "He's a Diesel"

May 21, 2005. Here I am working on my first onsight of a trad 5.8. My spotter / belayer Topher looks on skeptically as I cautiously place my first piece of pro. What followed was a gruntfest till I turned the lip and fired in another piece. Next stop the chains.

My cousin Jason after he tops out Spaced. I lead the 1st and 3rd pitches and Topher got the 2nd. I think the short runout I did turing the first lip was more a head game than actually being dangerous. I am just not sure I could swim loaded down with all that gear. This was my fourth and fifth trad leads and my first onsite of a 5.8. The dried lichen on the wall did not inspire confidence. Space Balls looks awesome, we are going back for that one.

Toph mantles up through the tough and awkard no hands move on the Golden Stairs. Warming up here????? he go to the runout section and lowered off as we moved over to Sleeping Beauty Wall, but not before Alf jumped on lead in his Reeboks! Meeting Alf was a real treat.

Scott was unleashed on his latest project 'Ghost Dancers' at 12a. For this trip it was working out beta and getting familiar with the route. The sick overhang for the first 4 bolts is burly, right up Scott's alley. Here he hits the scary long reaching left and then bumped it up 8 inches for the clipping hold. Pulling hard!

The first time I ever saw Drew climb was upon this very route 1 year and 1 month ago. At the time he was still working on the beta. Last weekend he was at it again and pulling hard. This shot is from his first attempt of the day when he failed to stick the upper crux move. His second attempt he got his first send, blowing it all out leaving nothing in the tank. Onlookers were thoroughly impressed by the feat. More pictures from the weekend: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=dpp37uj.o8zm8fz&x=0&y=8vxpmf

This is my fathers set of pitons that snagged during a raid of his gear stash. I am going to work them into an art piece soon. Even got the hammer to boot.