"All men are frauds. The only difference between them is that some admit it. I myself deny it." H.L. Menken

Monday, February 28, 2011

Return to Acton

Kader (pooch) and I returned to Acton to reinvestigate the boulders and better explore the area. This time subzero temps didn't zap the battery on my camera so I actually have some shots. While the Billings area sandstone still blows, does have some cool features and good sized blocs. Also, I have never been more fearful of mistakenly wandering onto a crazed redneck's land in my life. Click on the pics to enlarge.


Iceflow.


Kader.


Scenery.


Use of this jug may kill a baby falcon.


Big boulder.


Big boulder.


Boulder.


Boulder.


Boulder.

Ze Flathead

It's official. Starting April 1st I will be living here....



Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

...Glacier National Park... the biggest little mountains in the world.

President's day weekend combined with a couple of job interview's in Northwest Montana were merely an excuse travel to the Flathead, and GNP. While road closures, snow, and death dealing avalanche chutes prevented us from getting into the best of the park, the wintery isolation and scenery was still awesome. Snowshoeing and small town bars are perhaps my two favorite winter activities, (though as my friend Kevin discovered, locals don't take kindly to pool-sharks) and this weekend was full of both. I did not bring my camera with me the first day, but here are some pics from the North Fork.


Peaks whose name I do not yet know but intend to learn before vanquishing them.


Polebridge: where mountain men and hippies go to crossbreed.


Why I wish I could heli-ski.


Wapiti


Little Switzerland


In conclusion, the North Fork is ugly. Please Don't come here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Acton... the future of Billings bouldering?

My friend Conner Mcgillvray (i.e. Gilves) tipped me off to an awesome recreation area outside Billings that he'd recently checked out. He' not a climber, but told me that Acton Recreation area, twenty minutes North of Billings, might have some potential. So with nothing else to do on an unseasonably warm day, I took the family dog out for a hike. Although I didn't bring my shoes or crashpad, I did spend an extended period of time fondling holds, like a crazy person. While, the quality of the sandstone is hardly world class, it was undeniably better than the majority of the rock around billings. Plus its all on public land... and its featured. While I will withhold real judgement on the area's potential for climbing, I will say that it is probably the coolest public recreation area I've visited in the greater Billings area. Unfortunately, my camera was out of batteries so these pics were snagged off the internet. They don't really show the rock, but they do depict the landscape. I plan to return and oogle the rock properly shortly.








Thursday, February 10, 2011

Job Hunting Rambo Style.

As a seasonal employee, I am required to beg and gravel months in advance in effort to obtain cool positions in great locations. As things currently stand, I am still completely prostrate at the feet of some prospective employers. The strategy this year however, is to send out as many applications as possible under the assumption that a few of them are bound to hit the mark. I call it the machine gun strategy (side note- this is also effective when hitting on girls). No joke, I have slung roughly thirty applications out for the up coming summer season. Prospective positions include fire fighter, trail crew, raft guide, and ranch hand. So long as I don't end up in Billings again or working as a slave like last summer, I am pretty open to anything.
Here are some pics of the cooler locations.


The Swan Valley


The Cabinets


Gardiner


Kooskia


Choteau


Wise River

...and of course...

Glacier

Red Lodge... my winter home



Friday, February 4, 2011

One from the Little Belts


The one pic I snapped before my camera died on a recent snowshoe adventure in the Little Belts, north of White Sulphur Springs.

bleak billings winter weather





Back in Billings for a weekend, I took the family pooch out to diamond X (known by rooks and noobs as Phipps Park) and brought by camera along. On a day depressingly grey even by Eastern Montana standards, I tried to capture it as honestly as possible. Some pics show the broken topography of the Billings Rims, while another was angry photo of the typical Billings urban sprawl.

El Paso or bust











Last November, I flew into denver, and met up with my good buddy john David, and his friend Panama Red. We then flailed throughout the Southwest, stopping in Crested Butte, the San Louis Valley, and Hueco Tanks. Some boys just ca't handle Hueco.

The Family Homestead








I recently traveled to the family ranch with my Dad, on a day off from work, to put a new motor on an auger. Located north of Lavina, MT (population: ghost town) the Ranch is located in some of the most desolate territory in the state. Despite howling winter winds I managed to snap a few photos.