Feb 28 2012

Indian Summer

Climbing, Yosemite
by Beth

It seems that every year Yosemite gets a little gift from the weather gods and is graced with a stint of Indian summer. Usually, it's a time when I feel like being a local is cheating. Spring like conditions provide shorts and t-shirt weather, with hardly a soul in sight. Some years it is more welcome than others, but regardless I can't remember a year when I haven't gone down to the Cookie in January or February and cursed myself for overdressing.   Last year I learned my lesson when I met...

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Feb 22 2012

Injuries

Climbing, Injuries
by Beth

I recently did a photo shoot for Outdoor Research along the Northern California coast. I had the pleasure of spending two days with fellow Outdoor Research ambassadors, Shingo Ohkawa and Graham Zimmerman. I had met Shingo several years back in Patagonia, while on a hiking trip with my dad. Yes, you read it correctly, hiking. I flew all the way down to Patagonia and didn't even take my harness. Luckily, I know myself well enough to recognize that I would have been miserable and terrible at climbing there, so I...

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Feb 18 2012

Vegan Potato Leek Soup

Food
by Beth

This the season for soups! Or at least it should be. California has had one of the driest winters on record, creating an excellent climbing season but a terrible season for the water supply. Normally I welcome the few months of winter when the skies are dark and dreary and I can warm up with a hot bowl of homemade soup. So, this winter I've improvised and had a hot bowl of soup under sunny skies.   My csa box has been full of potatoes, leafy greens, and leeks lately, making potato...

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Feb 08 2012

To the beach

Food
by Beth

I've never been a beach person, not even as a kid. Maybe it's because I grew up near the not so inviting Northern California coast, or maybe I'm just a solid ground kind of girl. Regardless, I've never really enjoyed the ocean or the beach. Which makes the fact that I just returned from my first trip ever to Hawaii a rare occurrence. It also happened to be my first ever vacation as an adult. Every other vacation has either involved family gatherings or climbing, so I'm pretty sure I...

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Jan 04 2012

Chicken Salad (or tofu!)

Food, Travel
by Beth

I've grown to love vegetables. It's been a long, arduous road, but finally I actually crave them. I've come a long way from craving a very diverse diet of different shades of white. My old cravings could have been compared to those never ending track home communities, with differing shades of beige stretching on forever. Mint Milanos, Lays potato chips, and sourdough bread were my go to snack foods. Now, my refrigerator commonly looks like the colorful rainbow leading to the pot of gold.   Unfortunately, I've noticed that when traveling it's...

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Jan 01 2012

Mortar Rock Christmas

Climbing
by Beth

I couldn't wait for Christmas as a kid. I wonder if any kid can actually wait for Christmas? No school, presents, the permission to rip, destroy and mangle wrapping papper, endless playtime, and desserts that go on forever, it seems like heaven to any six year old. Without fail, I would be the kid that slept in front of the fire with cookies and milk inches from my nose hoping to see Santa, only to wake up flummoxed that he had come and gone without notice. I think if I...

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The French Laundry

Climbing, Food, Travel
by Beth

As the season for gluttony is in full swing, we thought we'd add one of the most glutinous experiences to our roster of feasts by eating at the coveted French Laundry. It was Theo's graduation trip, which somehow justified the five hours of gorging ourselves on food almost too fancy to eat. Robin's account sums it up perfectly and is head and shoulders above anything I could ever hope to write. Our courses, however, were different, so between the two blogs, you can see almost thirty different courses (minus three of my dessert dishes due to...

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Nov 14 2011

Kauk Slab

Climbing, Yosemite
by Beth

All in all it's been an amazing fall in Yosemite. Yes, we've had some rain and snow in the valley, but it's nothing like last year around this time when we were graced with several feet of snow before Thanksgiving.   Along with cragging, I've been enjoying wrestling the granite boulders of Yosemite Valley. This past weekend I had planned to meet up with friends at iconic Camp 4. Arriving in the jumble of boulders, I was surprised to find that I had accidentally left my cragging shoes in my pack. Normally not...

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Nov 04 2011

Roasted Red Pepper Soup (vegan!)

Food
by Beth

One of my favorite things about cooking is being with people. I think that's one of my favorite things about climbing too, the community and the stories that come out of climbing adventures. More often than not the memories that stick out in my mind about a climbing day surround the people, not necessarily the climbs that were done. I find that food provides similar experiences and stories shared amongst friends.   This time of year my CSA box is filled with all the yummy ingredients for good soups. Bright red and...

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Oct 29 2011

Climbing Takes Hollywood

Climbing, Travel
by Beth

is past weekend I was scheduled to attend the Access Fund's 20th Anniversary party and subsequent board meeting. It was a pretty big deal for the Access Fund and the climbing community, having played such a huge role in perserving climbing areas and facilitating huge access issues for two decades. I am honored to have served one term on the board and this was to be the kick off of my second term.   However, around Wednesday evening I got a Facebook message from a casting agency in Los Angeles. To be honest, I...

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