Goodbye 2008

Things have changed drastically since my trip to Indian Creek.  Only a short month ago I was unemployed, broke and free of responsibility.  Now I'm working back on the mountain and I've been hired as the sports reporter for the Salida newspaper, The Mountain Mail.  The position requires a great deal more writing than I've ever done before, but I think I'm picking up the style OK and I'm enjoying the challenge.  I also get a good deal of photography published throughout the week.  I just need to focus on some freelancing with what free time I've got left.  

It feels good to be back in a house in Salida, especially after living without a roof for so many months.  The mountain has been receiving a good amount of snow and I've been trying to get into the back country as much as I dare.  I picked up some good equipment this season and my folks signed me up for an Avalanche I certification this February.  My skiing is improving greatly now that I've got my season pass.

I'm sad to say that Maggie left me.  I've been a bit broken up over the situation, but it's hard to be down when I live in such a beautiful place and have a rewarding job.  I'll end this post and this year with a short Sunbeam, for those of you that read the Sun.

"The heart of another is a dark forest, always, no matter how close it has been to one’s own."

Willa Cather

Thanks

Thanks to everyone who came out to the desert this November. I sorted through my pictures and came up with a good selection from the last two weeks. This is just a fraction of the photography that I took out there so if you want a raw CD with all of the photos or prints of something specific please send me a request and a donation to cover the cost. Sorry if I didn't get "the shot" of your lead or whip, I was busy belaying or trying to put up as much as I could. Thanks to Wilderman, Erin, Phil, Jordan, Sam, Talyn, Levi, Dean, Allen and Erik.

For CD's or prints please send a donation and mailing address to:
Kevin Hoffman
522 Chipeta Trail
Salida, CO 81201

Or my E-mail is rckymtntravler@yahoo.com

Indian Creek I

Top to bottom; Slice and Dice 5.12, Way Nutter 5.9ow (above and below), Close Confinement ?, The Serrator 5.11, Blue Sun 5.10

Indian Creek II

Top to bottom; The Serrator 5.11, Allan and Erik stretching, Moon over Supercrack, Pomegranate

Long Canyon

Although Jordan and I couldn't get all the way back to the Maverick due to a large wash out in the road, we side tripped up to the Shipwreck Wall. A long hike led us up to several laser cracks that I in general wasn't up to leading. Fortunately Jordan took the sharp end of the rope.

Ancient Art

One of the true desert classics is the Ancient Art formation located in the Fisher Towers. It consists of four pitches taking the climber up the back side of a knife blade formation that culminates in the corkscrew finish. A pitch of mantel moves up to the top of the tower.

Fall Climbing

With river season wrapped up and ski season just out of reach there's only one thing to do. Go Climbing! The last week of Gauley season was spent in the New River Gorge getting back into shape. After spending about on day at each of the areas in the gorge it was easy to see a lifetime of climbs had been neglected over the previous month. The endless wall had to be one of the best features, with a hike in that requires descending a series of caves and latters leading to miles of perfect sandstone features stretching in both directions.

It had been almost two months since our departure and Phil's suggestion that we stop by Devils Tower on the way back was almost forgotten. I didn't think the plan would ever go through, but after some 26 hours of straight driving from east Ohio we arrived. Devil's tower has to be one of the most bizarre rock formations that I've seen. a perfect cylinder of igneous rock laden with cracks and chimneys. After climbing until dark we were back on the road to Bozeman.

With one person sleeping in back and switching shifts with tanks of gas I'm surprised we did so well. All the same when we hit Bozeman at 3:30am, roughly two and a half days since we started, it was time to crash. The next day consisted of an easy push to Missoula with a quick trip up the Dragon's Back just outside Butte. It feels good to be back in Montana!