City of Rocks with Team Under Cover Brother

We ventured up to the City Of Rocks in Idaho this weekend to escape the heat in the valley.  Everything in Idaho seems a bit more chill, including the weather, so it was a good call.  And being only 2.5 hours from SLC, even the drive to the city seems chill.  It's a fun place.

Upon arrival, we hooked up with a crew that I'm dubbing Team Under Cover Brother.  They're strong, but you'd never know it by the way they act.  It was wild to hang out with these guys for the weekend, as they casually onsighted 5.12 (bolted and gear lines, it didn't seem to matter.) 

I think the coolest part of the weekend was the attitude.  Everyone was just having fun, heckling (my favorite line of the weekend: pull like you want to get to the top!)  being equal parts jerk and cheerleader.  Half of em were running on 2 hours sleep, the other half on beer, and the other half on super strict performance diets.  So it was a diverse crowd, but they were psyched.  

I didn't hear a single complaint, even as people were pulling holds off climbs and chucking them into the bushes, or being cooerced into doing another lap for the camera.

At one point, we found a roof crack that had possibly seen an ascent, though we weren't sure.  It looked impossible - a good hand jam half way up, but then the crack slammed shut for like 4 feet, only to open up to tips.  And it was at least 50 degrees overhanging.  Impossible.  But I watched Pete rack up, get psyched, and all of a sudden he had figured out the move.  It didn't go, yet, but it will.  Crazy how "possible" can be so subjective.  

The pic is Mr. Strappe onsighting just another 5.12 roof crack.