Bishop Bouldering

The Buttermilks main boulder field by night

Last weekend was memorial day weekend so after talking with my buddy Mike, from Vermont, aslo living in the area, we decided to travel a few hours south into warmer desert temperatures so that we might escape this oddly cold/ snowy weather that has plagued us these past weeks. Apart from the enticing change in climate, Bishop California is known for it's amazing bouldering fields. For those of you that may not know, bouldering is a style of rock climbing that involves very little gear and minimal risk as long as you stay within your own limits. Basically free climbing around on large rocks, not to gain altitude, but to test your balance and strength. This was my initial understanding of the activity but I later realized it is more involved than I had imagined.

The two of us drove four hours south to the town of bishop, which rests in a large valley between the eastern front of the Sierras and the western edge of the White Mountains. It's an odd feeling when you drive into town as the lanscape changes from low sagebrush plains into fully leafed deciduous trees. After a short stop at the local, delicious Eric Shatz's bakery for lunch we headed to the climbing store to rent a crash pad. Since climbing shoes are made to fit a size smaller than your shoe and are quite uncomfortable, the crash pad comes in handy when dropping off the rocks from considerable heights. While at the shop and asking about camping in the area we came to find out that a wild fire swept through one of the climbing areas a day before and may not be open to camping. Apparently some climbers were out camping by the rocks and neglected to smother their fire coals completely. The fire didn't start until one in the afternoon that next day when the strong winds unearthed the still red coals, ignited them, and sent them tumbling into the sage brush. Fires can be a gamble in such a dry environment.

On our way up to the Buttermilks boulder field we drove through the blackened fire area, which was fully under control thanks to the dozens of wildland fire fighters by the time we got there. We found the main boulder field, climbed some rocks and set camp without a fire that night.

Mike

And I

We continued to climb on rocks and exhaust our bodies for the next three days. On the third day I came to the understanding that bouldering is just as much a mental test as it is physical. On day three I hit a barrier where I would climb this one particular line and get to a point where I know, physically, I can reach the next hold but it was as if my mind was giving up before my body, saying "nope, that's not gonna happen". It was quite frustrating after trying to top out onto that boulder over a dozen times. I quickly began to see how much the mind plays a role in ones ability to complete a smooth effortless ascent.