LA JUNTA: VALLE DE COCHAMÓ
DAY 3: Pared Seca & New Route
Before you read this post you should meet the wonderful family that we’ve been staying with at the Refugio Cochamó: Daniel, Silvina, and Zenon Seeliger! We had nothing but great times with these very friendly, hardworking folks and I really hope to get back to them and the valley for more excitement and adventure! Just hearing about their stories and the way they’re living their lives in three countries every year is inspiring and encouraging! So thanks!
Friday, Nov. 14th, 2008. It’s Day 138 on The Big Trip.
Again we set out. This time we know what trails to follow! Follow the horse chunks! Not really. The trail to Pared Seca, literally “Dry Wall” passes some pretty waterfalls on a rickety bridge and finally plops you down by this shaded, bolted wall that is – believe it or not – dry. It’s also very cold right now. We use the matches we borrowed from the Seeligers to light a fire. The fire is a nice smoky blue and a welcome warmth to our cooled bodies.
Enough firesitting, the fire’s no baby! Let’s get climbing! We hop on a really nice overhanging 10b flake-filled route that I have to dispatch with speed before 1) I get too pumped to finish it and/or 2) my fingers get too numb to bend (over the holds) to my will!
After we both manage this route, I try a 12a in hopes of toproping a 12 c/d or 13a or something with an awesome dyno! To my somewhat expected dismay I can’t finish it and have to down-climb the half I climbed to rescue Daniel’s quickdraws!
Happy with our newfound tiredness for the day – a sign of accomplishment in the valley, we head back to the refugio to check and see whether or not Daniel and Silvina made it out climbing with all of the work on their hands. We find Silvina hard at work beyond the greenhouse they’re building. Of course, Zenon’s there, too! Silvina tells us that Daniel has headed out to clean a new route that he’s been looking at on La Luna. That’s all I need to hear! I pack up the bag again and head out running down the trail to La Luna. I find Daniel happily hucking chunks of dirt and branches off of La Luna, about 26 meters off the ground.
I’m very interested in making new routes and hope to be able to do so in Cochamó, so I observe him carefully and ask any questions that come to my mind! Soon I get to belay Daniel as he climbs and cleans, even hauling a massive rock off of the halfway point of the route! Yikes! Then he bolts the anchors so that we can toprope it. It’s dirty, but it’s undoubtedly grande! 10b he thinks. Mostly trad with a sporty few last meters where he’ll bolt. It’s clear that Daniel has made routes – lots of routes – before this. The route flows and is definitely clean enough to start climbing even after this relatively short hard workout/cleaning session that he’s done! I would definitely enjoy doing this!
After we each have our run at it, he puts four bolts before the anchors. And tells me I can get the first ascent in the morning if I like. If I like?! Is he serious?! I assume that he’ll come with me since it’s his route, really! You’ll have to stay tuned to see!
[If you have any tips for jobs in the Bariloche, Argentina area or jobs that can be done via computer from there, please do share!] - Your landescaper, n8
Cochamó Valle Day 3
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2 comments:
your pictures are really well composed! creating new routes sounds cool - I didn't realize everything that goes into that. ummm jobs ... well, I can't pay ya but do you have any advice for creating 'save-the'date- jpg. notices (via email) or wedding website (there are actually templates online that we might use)?! heehee!
glad to see you climbing again!
love ya
1) thanks! Daniel actually took the picture of Silvina and Zenon waking up!
2) yeah; putting up routes is the background back-breaking work that makes the wacky lovelife of climbing possible! it was cool to see it happen and learn that this was something i'd definitely want to do!
3) to be perfect, i must be honest. so here it goes: i'm not the wisest on the subject of save the date e-mail notices, but it seems like you'd choose either that or a website. they seem like two different classes of "invites" or "communications". you might prefer a website, in which case you could do something simple and sleek with only one page, thus not requiring much space. you could either get a free page or buy a domain or subdomain for cheap in order to get the website name your triathlon hearts desired! once you get more info. on what you want, i can probably help you more in my 3x(infinity) wisdom! even though you have (infinity)^2 wisdom, it's not about this kind of stuff, i believe... love ya too! glad to think i'll see you (and climbing?!) in less than a month!
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