Nightglow Window

Touch And Go

John Stannard was always a better climber than me. This must have been a drag for him, but he never complained.

He would glide up things while I grunted below. It got annoying, watching him unlock the riddle of a sequence of holds, of a particular foot placement or dynamic move. I remember badgering him to try a really stiff 5.10 called Right V Crack in Indian Cove in Joshua Tree. Taunting him that he hadn't pushed himself all weekend.

He probably gave it a go just to shut me up.

He got up about ten feet off the deck, on lead, and then blew. He didn't have any gear in and fell out of position, landing square on his back in a huge puff of dust like a Hollywood stuntman. Except this was solid earth he landed on, not some crash bag. I thought he was a goner and felt horrible. But he popped up like it was nothing, unhurt. Even in defeat he seemed to glide.

(Although I think it was his idea to steal the firewood from the Braille Institute folks camping next to us during my bachelor party -- a despicable but painfully funny memory.)

I wish he lived closer. He moved to the Bay Area about eight years ago and our interaction has dwindled to almost nothing. Witty, intelligent, and a certified curmudgeon, he is always fun to talk to.

Anyway, I found this photo of me on Touch And Go, a stiff 5.9 at Echo Cove in Josh. I was at my limit on this climb, especially through the vertical hand jamming section near the top. I can still remember John urging me on, yelling down beta from the top of the rock.


Touch And Go


Beautiful J Tree