Just sitting here in a traffic jam on the PCH between Malibu and Santa Monica, good time as any to post up a report.

Got a late start this morning, deciding between Angeles Crest or Echo Cliffs, and ended up going with Malibu Creek. Turned out to be a great choice.

Hit a little congestion on the way in:

We skipped past the very busy initial crags after the traverse by the rock pool.

Then we had a nice walk and scramble through a horseshoe-shaped gorge:




We settled on Power Wall, a cliff with a few 5.9s and a few 5.10b climbs. We were on a time budget and spent most of it on a later start and taking the scenic route to get to the cliff. No pics of the climbing, but after years in Yosemite it is wild how overhanging a 5.10b can be. Best thing is the wall was all in the shade for climber and belayer, next to a little pool with the sound of water burbling in. No pics of the climbing itself :(

On the way out, we completed the loop by a spicy scramble out right to get above the dam, and then a few fence bypasses and suddenly we're next to the wonderful Century Lake. I couldn't help myself, even though we were on a time budget to get out and get wifey back to the lab, I still stripped down to my undies and went for a quick swim. There were some kids and families around so I had to be somewhat mindful of appearances. This was especially true on the walk out where a few groups e passed were smirking a bit. Wifey brought to my attention the "left right left right" shifting bulge through my wet boxers as I took each step. It was too refreshing to put my jeans on. But then I became more conscious of the situation with each family we passed, what a spectacle I must have presented to the clean cut families, me in my flip flops and wet boxers and wet shaggy mountain man head with a big backpack. But still, hot dusty jeans after feeling so wonderfully refreshed? Hard to fathom. Luckily, she came up with a good compromise: t-shirt folded in half in front of the rhythmic section, held in place by the waistbelt of my backpack. Perfect. No more rhythm, and still cool.

So that's it folks, a morning out in a scenic little gorge, and some honest to goodness sport climbing.