Adventures by Alan and MelanieĀ
Our first stop on the climbing road-trip adventure was Calanques National Park on the Mediterranean coast of France. We started off strong with a pleasant hike into a small calanque which had a crag right on the beach. Our climbs were short but offered beautiful views of the turquoise water surrounded by limestone cliffs.
After a few final days in Buenos Aires, we said goodbye to Argentina and flew back to the States. April was a wonderful month full of reunions, and a great reminder that we have the best friends.
After a breathtaking flight from Bariloche, we reached the northern terminus of our Argentine adventure. After a quick resupply in Mendoza, we set off to meet our Workaway hosts in the Valley of Uco (El Valle del Uco).
Frey was one of the first destinations we had decided on for our trip to Argentina. The mountain destination came highly recommended from a climbing friend, and is easily accessible from the town of Bariloche. After a 3 hour hike from the Cerro Catedral ski resort, we arrived to Refugio Frey. Within the hour, before even setting up our tent, we were off to climb āEl Diedro de Jimā (Jimās dihedral). Our introductory climb in the area was a perfect dihedral followed by a perfect crack in the granite face of āAguja Frey,ā the nearest spire to the hut. A perfect start to the weekā¦
We first heard about Piedra Parada from the Petzl Roctrip, but didnāt think weād make it there on this adventure. After talking with a lot of Argentinian climbers and seeing their faces light up when they told us about Piedra Parada, we knew we had to go. They were right. When we got off the bus, we stood in awe of the huge lonely rock in the middle of the desert. āPiedra Paradaā ā or āstanding stoneā ā looks like a forgotten piece in a cosmic game.
We arrived in the evening to the hippie paradise of El Bolson. First impressions: thereās an artisan market with tons of handcrafted goods, slack lines are set up in the square with a high line across the little pond in the center, people are lounging in the lawn in the shade of the trees. Someone is spinning fire within a drum circle. Half shaved heads, dreadlocks, headscarves and lots of crystals, a hippie town indeed!
Two days of near perfect weather welcomed us to the austral paradise of El ChaltƩn. As our bus pulled into the town and we saw Fitz Roy and its neighboring peaks dominating the horizon as the sun set, the energy of the mountains struck us. The beauty of the landscape and excitement about tackling the next climb or trek filled the town, and no matter where we went, we overheard snippets of shared beta, retelling of gorgeous days in the mountains, and in typical Patagonia fashion, rumors of the next weather window.
We returned to the scene of the crime (aka proposal spot!! <3) this year with a group of 10 incredible friends! Our mission: to climb long sport routes on limestone cliffs and eat as many tacos as possible. Aside from the awesome climbing, we enjoyed making new friends at the margarita truck, churros round two, and the local hot springs! On the first two days we ended up warming up on climbs on “Las Agujas” and in “Los Lobos” canyon, and sending Time Wave Zero on our second day.
About six months ago, our friend Ravi invited us to Red Rocks to do some rock climbing. He introduced us to the magical world of traditional climbing and we’ve been hooked ever since! This weekend we went with a SpaceX climbing crew and had a splendid time climbing some moderate multi pitch classics. It was one of those that makes me super grateful for the friends we’ve made in LA and for the awesome sport of rock climbing.
Nobody in their right mind climbs for 24 hours straight. When Melanie told me that she and her best friend Joanna were going to register for 24 Hours of Horseshoe Hell, I thought – have fun! But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered what it would feel like to push at the boundaries of physical activity (and consciousness), soI recruited a buddy and the four of us entered the lottery.