4/25/09 - Side trip to Joshua Tree - Our first time back!
We got up early and drove to Joshua Tree in California. There were many interesting sites on the way to J-Tree. I saw my first “shoe-tree”. Very odd indeed. In the middle of nowhere, are trees that appear to be growing many shoes. This tree was a slightly different species as I noticed more than shoes growing from it. Ew!
J-Tree is the climbing location where we met a year and a half before and it was our first time back. The purpose of the side trip was to go to Roy’s benefit. As mentioned a few posts before, Roy has some yet-undiagnosed condition making him unable to use his hands or arms. Though he has insurance, he’s racked up considerable medical expenses (in the six digits). And because of his condition, he’s been unable to work for two years. A lack of income and a medical condition is a bad combination for one’s pocket book. So, a bunch of climbers from all over (including out of the United States) came together for Roy’s benefit in Joshua Tree this weekend.
Our original plan was to sleep in the back of the truck, but given the relentless wind, we opted to head to a hotel in J-Tree. We knew we’d finally get a good night of sleep. We both needed it.
In the parking lot, we ran into two friends in town for the benefit! They were also checking in and heading out to get some climbing in for the day. I really looked forward to seeing friends and meeting many people we’ve only known online before this event.
After settling in, we decided to head into the park. We weren’t optimistic that we could climb – the strong winds and cold had followed us to J-Tree. To our surprise, it wasn’t that bad in the park.
Dave and I met in Joshua Tree about a year and a half before. Today was our first time back. We went over and did Pinched Rib first. This was our first official climb. And it was where I took the first picture I have of Dave.
After Pinched Rib, we headed to Wataknobi Wall. It was on top of this climb that we got a fun photo of us together when we met. We tried to recreate this same photo on top of this climb.
Our third climb was Sidewinder. Dave led it perfectly. I yanked on gear in exactly the same spot as last year (slab – bleck).
And for our fourth climb, we headed over to the Hobbit Roof. I took some photos and a short movie of Dave soloing this route.
We headed back to the truck, grabbed a beer and went over to Mike’s Book. It was at the base of this climb that we met. We shared a celebratory beer, took photos and enjoyed the moment. Life is good.
Next stop was over to Todd Gordon’s home for Tarbuster’s (Roy) benefit. As suspected, it was a complete blast. Got to see many friends and got to really meet many others. Some people I’d not seen in years and had looked forward to seeing. One individual (Clark) Dave had not seen in over a decade!
The benefit included an auction which was quite fun. We bid on and won several items – some for ourselves and some for a friend who sent some money for us to use on his behalf (Thanks Prod!).
After the auction, there was a slide show. There were so many folks there that I never saw a slide. Dave on the other hand happened to be in the room when it got jam packed so he saw it all – said it was amazing. These slides will be published soon in a Stone Masters book. I’ll be looking to get a copy of it.
After some really fun socializing, a great slide show and excellent sushi, we headed back to the hotel. We looked forward to a quiet night and some good sleep. We weren’t disappointed.
We got up early and drove to Joshua Tree in California. There were many interesting sites on the way to J-Tree. I saw my first “shoe-tree”. Very odd indeed. In the middle of nowhere, are trees that appear to be growing many shoes. This tree was a slightly different species as I noticed more than shoes growing from it. Ew!
J-Tree is the climbing location where we met a year and a half before and it was our first time back. The purpose of the side trip was to go to Roy’s benefit. As mentioned a few posts before, Roy has some yet-undiagnosed condition making him unable to use his hands or arms. Though he has insurance, he’s racked up considerable medical expenses (in the six digits). And because of his condition, he’s been unable to work for two years. A lack of income and a medical condition is a bad combination for one’s pocket book. So, a bunch of climbers from all over (including out of the United States) came together for Roy’s benefit in Joshua Tree this weekend.
Our original plan was to sleep in the back of the truck, but given the relentless wind, we opted to head to a hotel in J-Tree. We knew we’d finally get a good night of sleep. We both needed it. 
In the parking lot, we ran into two friends in town for the benefit! They were also checking in and heading out to get some climbing in for the day. I really looked forward to seeing friends and meeting many people we’ve only known online before this event.
After settling in, we decided to head into the park. We weren’t optimistic that we could climb – the strong winds and cold had followed us to J-Tree. To our surprise, it wasn’t that bad in the park. 
Dave and I met in Joshua Tree about a year and a half before. Today was our first time back. We went over and did Pinched Rib first. This was our first official climb. And it was where I took the first picture I have of Dave. 
After Pinched Rib, we headed to Wataknobi Wall. It was on top of this climb that we got a fun photo of us together when we met. We tried to recreate this same photo on top of this climb. 
Our third climb was Sidewinder. Dave led it perfectly. I yanked on gear in exactly the same spot as last year (slab – bleck). 
And for our fourth climb, we headed over to the Hobbit Roof. I took some photos and a short movie of Dave soloing this route.
We headed back to the truck, grabbed a beer and went over to Mike’s Book. It was at the base of this climb that we met. We shared a celebratory beer, took photos and enjoyed the moment. Life is good. 
Next stop was over to Todd Gordon’s home for Tarbuster’s (Roy) benefit. As suspected, it was a complete blast. Got to see many friends and got to really meet many others. Some people I’d not seen in years and had looked forward to seeing. One individual (Clark) Dave had not seen in over a decade! 
The benefit included an auction which was quite fun. We bid on and won several items – some for ourselves and some for a friend who sent some money for us to use on his behalf (Thanks Prod!). 
After the auction, there was a slide show. There were so many folks there that I never saw a slide. Dave on the other hand happened to be in the room when it got jam packed so he saw it all – said it was amazing. These slides will be published soon in a Stone Masters book. I’ll be looking to get a copy of it. 
After some really fun socializing, a great slide show and excellent sushi, we headed back to the hotel. We looked forward to a quiet night and some good sleep. We weren’t disappointed.
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