Trip Report
This is Life Around the World - Ongoing Report

by Prezwoodz
Wednesday April 3, 2019 12:22pm
Its been a while hasn’t it? I am currently working on an ice climbing guide for Alaska and I feel like writing for fun and trip reports is just frivolous fun. So here goes. I hope you buckled up for this one, there are a few pictures involved. I’ll probably do it in pieces or else it would take forever to write and longer to load.

SO KEEP SCROLLING! THERE IS MORE BELOW!

First things. I’ve moved, I’m living in Bangkok, Thailand. Crazy. I did not really expect this change but my girlfriend got a job teaching here and I figured it would be nice to climb year round so here we are. Its been awesome. I also recently came out with another book which I wrote with an amazing friend of mine. All of my books are online at www.climbak.com (yeah, that was shameless self promo action)

Just Us Down Here - Poems

Visit on smugmug.com


I’ve been to a lot of places recently so this next section is going to be a mashup. Good luck!

Did I tell you I went to Jordan? It was a place I had always wanted to visit. Something magical about the red sand that goes on for miles and terrain that looks like the surface of another planet. They filmed the Martian there and who can forget the scene in Indiana Jones the Last Crusade where they are in Petra? I knew when we decided to go that I would be attempting to find that scene. Our first day in Jordan we drove to the Dead Sea.


Visit on smugmug.com


Our first swim we did in the evening. We thought it was allowed but apparently the place we were staying did not allow it. They told me after we got out, which is fine because I got to lay under the stars floating in the sea already.


Visit on smugmug.com


Many don’t know that I can’t float. Treading water, even in the ocean, is a full time job for me. I lay on my back and I sink like a rock. This has been my life since I was a little kid. I was finally able to float! Now I know why people find it so enjoyable. This is Shasta floating. You feel like you’re actually being lifted out of the water.


Visit on smugmug.com


Shasta getting some of that healthy Dead Sea mud.


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We hopped in our car the next day and headed south. Unfortunately there wasn’t much time in Jordan so we had to make the most of it. We stopped at a few wadi’s on our way.


Visit on smugmug.com


This sign was at the Wadi. Apparently they don’t think of these shoes the same way we do.


Visit on smugmug.com


It is sad to see how fast the lake is disappearing, each layer another blip in time like the rings of a tree. Only its like counting backwards but all rings lead to the same finish.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


We drove high in to the mountains to a town that was supposed to be some type of good place for tourists. It had a few places to stay and some hiking trails but it was surprisingly untourist like. We sat on this ledge of houses that had fallen long ago and watched the sun set.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


Amazing construction:


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And then it was time to visit the main historical event. Petra! We were lured in to Little Petra by the signs as many are.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


Its an interesting small canyon but really just a sidetrack from Petra. So we moved on.


Visit on smugmug.com


Oh yes that is more like it. I was surprised that after a short hike through an amazing little paved canyon we rounded the corner to the Treasury, the feature made famous to us secluded Alaskans through the Indiana Jones movies. I was admittedly giddy when we rounded the corner and it was in view.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


I told Shasta, I really need a specific photo and I’m willing to wait for it. People would come out perfectly spaced to make sure you never got the shot, that there was always someone until suddenly there was nobody. I snapped the photo as quickly as I could and the moment was gone. Sometimes you just hope you got it. This time I was quite happy.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


There were plenty of people in Petra but apparently it was low season so it wasn’t too crowded. We decided to hike all the way to Monastery. We put in at least 15 miles this day. What an amazing, large, and inspiring place.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


The best life and travel companion I could ever have hoped for.


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Beautiful walks.


Visit on smugmug.com


It was a long walk but we were happy to get to the end of the trail. The Monastery.


Visit on smugmug.com


One of the most amazing sights was the colors. You wouldn’t really expect it but the rock was so colorful in some areas it looked painted.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


Then we headed out. With one last view of the Treasury.


Visit on smugmug.com


Our next stop was Wadi Rum. We drove south through the mountains and into the desert. Every inch of this place is photographic nirvana. It didn’t matter where I turned the camera it felt like I’d struck gold. Immediately my eyes were drawn to the cliffs. Huge sandstone cliffs.


Visit on smugmug.com


Zoom in even further and you can see the small colorful climbers. These are big walls!


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Can I stay forever?


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


The people rode camels across Mars as though the air was safe to breathe and the storms had passed for the evening.


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Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


A little like being back in Fisher Towers.


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Playing around in slot canyons.


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Visit on smugmug.com


Loving the ride through the sand.


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Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


Oh come on…this place can’t be real…


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


This was our home for the evening and it was cold! The desert has such high extremes for temperatures.


Visit on smugmug.com



Visit on smugmug.com


Ok, now I know you’re thinking “This is a climbing forum dude. Wheres all the climbing?” And you’re right there really isn’t any climbing pictures in this thread yet and here’s the real kicker, I don’t have many. I know, I’ve failed you but hopefully there are enough pictures that are cool to look at in here I can make up for it. Heres a few of climbing that we did manage, even if it wasn’t us.

These walls, Inspiring!


Visit on smugmug.com


This is it, the only photo of Shasta I have climbing in Wadi Rum. We didn’t bring any trad gear and that made it tricky, plus we only had a few hours. But we made it happen!


Visit on smugmug.com


Other climbers getting after it…if you can find them.


Visit on smugmug.com


We did find the guidebook however…


Visit on smugmug.com


And then it was time to head off to our next destination…more posts to come.


Visit on smugmug.com


More pictures of Jordan (including every page in that super secret guidebook) can be found here. Click Me for Pleasure.



  Trip Report Views: 2,806
Prezwoodz 		About the Author
Prezwoodz is a climber of all types from Alaska

Comments
EdwardT

Trad climber
Retired
  Apr 3, 2019 - 12:52pm PT
Awesome journey.

Did you happen to run into Sean Connery or Peter O'Toole?
L

climber
Just livin' the dream
  Apr 3, 2019 - 02:08pm PT
Breathtaking photos & such a remarkable journey!

Thanks for sharing the trip with us. Looking forward to the next installment.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Apr 3, 2019 - 02:29pm PT
Stellar photography and thoughtful prose as always Kelsey,
Thanks
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 3, 2019 - 10:07pm PT
Thank you for the comments! I’ll keep the posts coming.
EdwardT - No such luck! Although seeing Peter O’Toole these days is somewhat tricky.

We spent some time in Cyprus and, full disclosure, we actually went there first before Jordan but I wanted to write that one first. Cyprus was an enjoyable little island surrounded in history and with some pretty fun climbing.


It is always really interesting to me the way that we try to hold on so tightly to the past while blasting through our current lives. Look at the construction between the old and the new. Bricks put into buildings that look like blocks. Not much has changed.



Whats down there?




We drove across the island multiple times. Its a little place but such a fun area to drive with windy roads and at one point we even pulled off into something that looked like an old roman highway.


At the bottom of this hill the road turned into large blocks that took a winding path through old buildings under repair.


We found a great little crag called Dhiarizos - Kourtelorotsos. The best part was that it was a very small canyon like feature with easy routes on one side and harder on the other. It was perfect for Shasta to lead one side while I lead the other.


Shasta excited to lead.


Some other climbers were also in the canyon. I’m pretty sure I was supposed to email him these pictures…I wonder if I ever did that.


We drove across the island to the largest city of Nicosia. I’m not sure what we expected but the city life is not so much for us (ironic I know, I live in Bangkok).


Our next stop took us toward a second climbing area Cape Greco on the east side of the island. Does it feel like we’re flying around this island? I don’t sit still well and in small places I end up making laps.


I’m not the religious type but not a bad place to have a sermon.


I’m more of a cat person.


Beautiful waters! It was surprisingly cold as we were there in the winter and the water was moving pretty good. We didn’t spend much time in it.


The crag.


We played around on the rocks until the sun started to set and I remembered that I wanted to be somewhere for sunset. This is a pretty common thing for Shasta to have to deal with.

“I want to get a sunset picture at this spot! Hop in the car and old on because I’m probably going to be skidding around corners.” We watched the sun set away from my desired destination but it was still beautiful to experience.


We arrived as the sun dipped and I was still motivated to attempt some photos. This is Aphrodite’s Birthplace apparently as she was born from the foam.


There she is.




When the light gets low but the night hasn’t arrived there is a time when it just seems to illuminate perfectly for long exposures. I set my camera on a rock as I had forgotten my tripod and took this shot. Which ended up being my favorite from the evening and I even managed to sell a few copies of it printed on aluminum.


We also found her bath later. We are apparently determined to go to all of her water spots.


More landscape.




I really wanted to play some kind of sport on this field. What a position!


This is one of the more important relics in the country. If you would like to see more Cyprus history than please head on over to the MET in New York or off to London because apparently we don’t trust them with nice things.



It was finally time to head off to the airport. We were driving along and I looked out the window and said, “Shasta, are those flamingos?” She laughed but then realized I was correct.


I have to admit, I did not know flamingo’s existed on that island!


Well thats it for the country of Cyprus. Thank you for reading. The next post will explore the meaning between life and death, explain the cosmos and the birth of the universe, break down the meaning and expression of love…or it will have more of my pictures. It’ll have at least one of those things…
Tom Patterson

Trad climber
Seattle
  Apr 3, 2019 - 10:32pm PT
Fantastic! Great to see you posting stuff again, and, as usual, your photography is amazing!
NutAgain!

Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
  Apr 3, 2019 - 11:28pm PT
Cool stuff!

When you were leaving the Indiana Jones spot, did you say out loud in a British accent, “follow me, I know the way!”? Doing it while sliding sideways off a horse would be even better!

You have a nice eye for scenery, and I’d like to see some Bangkok river traffic through your lens.
jogill

climber
Colorado
  Apr 4, 2019 - 10:55am PT
What a treat! Thank you
shylock

Social climber
mb
  Apr 4, 2019 - 12:01pm PT
thanks kelsey! looking forward to more. and the ak ice book! that's gonna be awesome.
capseeboy

Social climber
wandering star
  Apr 4, 2019 - 06:08pm PT
Man, that is some wild colored rock! It does looked painted. Thank you. Cheers.
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 5, 2019 - 04:35am PT
Tom - Thank you!
NutAgain! - I did not, but if I was on a horse, or camel as it were, than I would have probably had to.
jogill - Honored! Thank you!
shylock - Thanks! I’m stoked about the ice book too and one of these posts is going to include a tester page.
capseeboy - Thanks!

Lets take a bit of a jump off to Laos. This is from a recent trip that I did with a bunch of Alaskans. 6 of us took over Green Climbers for a short time leaving about 15 different kinds of impressions.

One thing I love about Green Climbers is the generally good air and lack of light pollution. I went with Dane outside to shoot night shots and managed this one in front of Camp 2.


I prefer the location of Camp 2 more than Camp 1 so I stay here usually.


Lots of fun climbing to be had. You can see the cleaned streak on the right that goes from the bottom to the top. This is an enjoyable easy multi pitch called Chinese New Year.


Out of all of us I would say Nick was the strongest at overhangs. He just has this ability to hold on forever. I am always amazed.



These routes are steep…really steep. This is Pat on the start of Jungle King (7b).


Keep on going!


Comon, you know I like to take pictures of animals. The Japan post is going to be primarily monkeys…again. But this time its a cute goat. If you don’t like cute baby goats then I think you should probably just start packing your bags because you do not belong on planet earth.


Well I’m not one to leave a multipitch unclimbed so I teamed up with Steve and we went for a fun few hours. Its relatively sharp especially near the top.



The two phases of Steve. Calm…


And gripped…


Likely the best part about the climb is the views.


Camp 2.


Lazy hero pose.


The last time I was at Green Climbers they were closed so we climbed a few days and then did the loop. This time we decided to do it as a 5 man AK crew. I actually really enjoy driving this loop that takes about 2-3 days and winds its way through the Laos countryside.


Lazy days with Dan and Pat.


Nick in deep contemplation.


Ok ladies pack your stuff up and head to AK. There’s some eye candy crushers up there.


We also found something high to jump off of. So of course we did.



What would a motorbike trip be without at least one crash?


More climbing to be had.


This looks like a wonderful place to swim…so peaceful.


Suddenly it looks less peaceful.



I’d like to introduce you to the newest boy band straight out of AK. Name still TBD upon release of first album.



This is a big cave. You may be able to see Nick standing in the center.


Speaking of development. The last time I was here maybe 3 or 4 years ago I had to drive through a cow field with no signs and hope I was headed in the right direction. We showed up to this dry lot with some garbage and a swimming hole. This time there was a brand new fancy sign that said Napavan Swimming Area, a new road, and what is all of this stuff? Is that a restaurant?!


Some pictures you want to explain but find yourself completely unable. This is Penelope.


The highlight of the loop is Konglor Cave. A 7km long boat ride takes you through the cave and out the other side. It takes a day to drive around to the other side.





Coming through the other side.



How you can tell if someone is a good friend.


There will be hardly and pictures of me. So here’s one in case anyone wondered if I could still give a goofy thumbs up and smile awkwardly with food in my mouth.



That was a fun boat ride!


Typical Laos driving conditions.


And necessary protection.


And now comes a little more climbing, some amazing people, and a story of failure in testing. I returned to Green Climbers and went climbing with a few people I had met. This is Sophie climbing in the Canyon.


And Marlies belaying.



Heres Sophie climbing Tetriss.

Just after she finished climbing we switched routes so that I could climb Tetriss. I was climbing with Allard who is significantly lighter than I am so we were using the Ohm. This was actually my first time ever using the device and I was really curious about its ability to catch a fall. Now if you just said, “oh no.” Then you’re right. Heres a few important notes:

1. I weigh 109kg, Allard was around 70kg.
2. Allard and I have never climbed together before this day.
3. We decided to use a belay device instead of grigri.
4. I am a dummy.

We talked about me doing a small test of the Ohm by taking a purposeful fall. I said I would go to about the 6th bolt just to make sure we had enough room in case he got pulled up and it didn’t work. I went up to the 6th bolt and got just above it then looked down and asked if he was ready. He said that he was and so I said “ok here goes.” Next thing I know I am flying at mach speed back toward the ground. It never really went tight at the moment I was supposed to be caught. Strangely I’ve been dropped enough because of my size I wasn’t even surprised it was happening. I catapulted to the ground and then hit something softer than I would have expected, then bounced off a rock.
At this point I am able to stand on the ground, rather surprised I was completely fine and didn’t appear to have suffered and injuries. One look at Allard however showed that was not the case for him. He had found the heaviest climber in the entire valley and dropped me on him. I landed on his neck and back and he was obviously in a state of shock. He came out of it relatively quickly but was definitely going to be sore. We did a quick check and he appeared to have no significant injuries. I went back up and finished the route to clean the gear, this time without testing anything. So here’s a little breakdown.

1. We had read the instructions but didn’t apparently follow one step. He stepped into the wall to take the fall, that made the angle on the device significantly less and may have contributed to the fall.
2. The rope shot out of his hand when I fell. I am heavier than most expect and because the rope shot out quickly the OHM didn’t engage. He was able to catch me before I hit just at the last second. An amazing amount of focus and concentration considering it was right when I landed on him.
3. The Ohm is great, but the best thing to do is act like its not there when getting ready to catch.
4. GriGri’s reaffirm themselves as, in my personal opinion, one of the greatest rock climbing inventions ever and we should have used it.
5. I do not blame Allard one bit for anything that happened and it was amazing he kept me from hitting full speed.
6. Be safe out there.
10b4me

Social climber
Lida Junction
  Apr 5, 2019 - 08:34am PT
Very cool.
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Apr 5, 2019 - 03:18pm PT
Good stuff Kelsey
Keep em comming
Cyprus is now on my list of places to visit

Cheers
yanqui

climber
Balcarce, Argentina
  Apr 5, 2019 - 04:01pm PT
Wow
lars johansen

Trad climber
West Marin, CA
  Apr 5, 2019 - 04:40pm PT
Amazing adventure. You guys are doing what I no longer can. Thanks so much for posting-lars
L

climber
Just livin' the dream
  Apr 6, 2019 - 12:58pm PT
This thread just keeps getting better and better, Kelsey.

Thank you!


PS. LOVE the baby goat!
NutAgain!

Trad climber
https://nutagain.org
  Apr 6, 2019 - 02:19pm PT
Laos looks like a good vacay destination.

For the Ohm debacle: were you using a rope between 8.9mm to 11mm? Maybe you had something smaller?
neebee

Social climber
calif/texas
  Apr 6, 2019 - 10:54pm PT
hey there say, kelsey!!! wow, this is great... thanks for sharing... i will have to see ALL of it, later, this week though...

wow, thanks for sharing...
happy good safe trails!
Marlow

Sport climber
OSLO
  Apr 7, 2019 - 11:26am PT

Awesome TRs...
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 7, 2019 - 07:58pm PT
Ezra - Thank you! Cyprus was great. Its still a somewhat quiet place. I enjoyed it.
Lars - Glad you enjoy it!
L - Thank you for caring about baby goats!
NutAgain! - We had a 9.6 or 9.8 I believe. I think it had more to do with my weight and not being used to it. I don’t trust anything below 9.2 generally heh.
neebee - Glad to hear from you again! Thank you.
Marlow - Thanks!

Since I have been living in Bangkok I’ve taken a few pictures. Not as many as you might think actually but a few! So lets have a little Thai love! (not that kind).

One thing I really love about Thailand is the storms. Anchorage doesn’t really have much lightning. Maybe once a year on average. So when I came to Thailand I got to witness some pretty amazing storms. Last night when riding my motorbike home I watched lightning explode across the sky. One night we sat on a bench near our window and I took this photo while watching the light show.


I also enjoy checking out the markets. This one is called Rod Fai and is actually my favorite of the markets.



Of course it takes a long time sitting in this to get there.


Taking to the streets is always fun when exploring new corners. My friend Geremy came from Alaska and we headed off to Chinatown as he wanted to experience some of the stranger aspects. So he bought one of these to eat. You eat it whole, they tear just the tip of the stinger off and you eat the rest.


Other selections.


If you’ve been to Asia than you know about Tuk Tuks.


Fun restaurants.


We could only take so much of the city though so we decided to head off to Koh Tao. I really like this island even though it has a bad rap and too many tourists. It is climbing on granite in Thailand!



And even though the driving can be tough at times I really like that too. Scooter challenges.


I met with a few other climbers and we headed off to Mek’s Mountain while Geremy was getting his open water diving certification.


Man that granite hurts after all the limestone! It just feels like someone is pressing harder on your fingertips!


Slabs.


Picturesque sights are all over the island with many of my favorites being off the beaten path. Motorbikes are a must here.


After Geremy got his certs we headed to Sail Rock for a dive.



With over 50 dive shops on the island this place can get busy.


Always fun jumping off of high things.


More granite.




Barefoot free solos for the possible FA. Fun stuff.


Exploring high places.


Some people just can’t stand there but have to always do something different. Geez…those people…




I realized I had been a bit starved on wildlife so I found this cool spider.


This is a fun slab, I ended up climbing these routes later and wow, I am out of slab shape!


Love these roads.


Geremy took off and I headed off to Laos where I met up with some great people. They can be seen in the post above. After that I went to Tonsai and got to climb with Sophie and Marlies again, this time with Shasta!


We also ran into another Alaskan. Some of you might recognize this AK crusher, Ben Chriswell.

Ah those walls!


But I’m going to do a little rant here. Apparently a big hotel chain, word was Sheraton, bought the land on the beach and so they moved the entire area of Tonsai back into the woods and built a big wall around it. What the heck? We were also kicked off of the beach on Railay because of a party. I used to love it there but I’m just not sure I need to go back. That being said here are a few climbing pictures of women being strong!

First is Sophie, showing that her hair color can be characterized as cave sand red.

Have you seen such a calm reach across on slopes holds with mediocre feet face?



Someone is stoked to be climbing.


But what is her leg doing up there?



We did a lot of climbing but lately I’ll admit I’ve been leaving the camera on the ground. It takes time to take pictures and I have really been enjoying the climbing aspect and getting stronger. I’ll keep bringing it out though!

This was a big one. The next one probably will be too. Thank you for continuing along this journey so far and hopefully you’ll keep coming along as I add more.


Fritz

Social climber
Choss Creek, ID
  Apr 7, 2019 - 08:25pm PT
Thank you for taking the time to share all those wonderful photos & your fun story.

Wow, oh Wow!

Your life looks like much fun!
mouse from merced

Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
  Apr 7, 2019 - 08:35pm PT
Can't tell you how much I've enjoyed your TR so far.

But I feel like my neck should be stiff and sore from all the looking up!
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  Apr 7, 2019 - 10:13pm PT
Wow, so many beautiful places. Your commentary with the photos and the storytelling is great.
I only had time to skim through right now but I’ll come back and savor it another time...

Scary snake in Laos!

Scary story with the Ohm!
Larry Nelson

Social climber
  Apr 8, 2019 - 07:54am PT
Kelsey,
TFPU your usual great photography. Good luck on all your travels.
nah000

climber
now/here
  Apr 8, 2019 - 05:39pm PT
beautiful stuff... makes me jelly.

thanks!
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 9, 2019 - 08:18am PT
Fritz - Thank you!
mouse from merced - I’ll keep it coming!
phlyp - Thank you, I appreciate your comments on the storytelling.
Larry Nelson - Thanks! Oh and can I use some of your photos in the book if I find a place for it? You gave some great ones for historical value!
nah000 - Thanks!

Well lets see where we should go with todays post? I debated but today we're going to take a jump back to Alaska, the place I will always call home. I got to take quite a few trips back to AK for someone who is living in Thailand and most of it was for ice climbing. Primarily because I am putting together the new and upcoming ice climbing guide with Burrell Nickleson and Chris Lindsey. This will be the first ice climbing guide for AK since 1989. That is a long drought! As promised from before here is a teaser of the new book! This is from the Knik Gorge, which is going to be the primary focus of todays post.


Now I’d like to introduce you to one of my very favorite ice areas in Alaska. But first we have to get there. A drive out to Hunter Creek and my friends cabin gets you most of the way there. Now its time to ditch the car.


Some of the crossings just require you to punch it and don’t look back.


But after about 8 miles of rocky riding you get to the overlook above the Knik Glacier.


This year required some driving around big bergs. Awesome.


The ice is at the base of the mountain and you can see nearly the entire area in this picture. The guidebook will have about 1/4 to 1/2 of the routes available here or about 38.


The goods.


Now if I’m being honest I should tell you that most of what I did this day was take pictures of the cliffs for the book. So if you don’t want to see about 10 photos of just awesome and amazing ice lines with nobody on them then take a quick scroll south.


Emerald City and the surrounding climbs. These climbs are about 400ft tall and you could belay from the back of a snow machine.



Actual definition of a candy store.




3 pitch line called Fourth Stage Tear.


At this point you actually have to walk a little ways. Oh our poor legs!


Sword in the Stone. More to come on this one down below!


Egan and Annika. What you thought I didn’t take pictures of people too?!


The Schoolroom.


Incredible views.


And then we went and actually climbed something! This is one we put an anchor on and ran some laps on.


We headed back to town and it was a full year before I got to get back out there! This year I got another go at it though and this time there were more pictures of climbing. I went with my friend Travis who is picking every line off that hasn’t been climbed and we did a few possible new easy lines.



Alexandra also got a few laps in.



And on my next trip we were on a route search. I had a 20 year old picture that showed some routes we had been unable to find. Which is strange because we knew right where they were supposed to be but it looked a lot different. Turns out those routes don’t form some years at all and a lot of the ice had moved to the left.

First we went to Sword in the Stone which was the biggest I had seen it. The pillar was almost touching down making the boys wonder if it would go as an all ice line. Originally it was bolted as a mixed climb.


Well only one way to find out I suppose!


Turns out the start was still pretty mix.


This pillar wasn’t quite touching.



Dane got bored and went off to Solo something.


Well there is a reason that Sword in the Stone is a WI6 test piece. It is hard! We headed off back to another area to let the pillar touch down. It was actually sent later as an all ice route by Tim Stephens.


Dane soloing again. This time without tools… what is this shenanigans?


Oh ya now we’re talking!


Forrest and Josh headed up a fun WI4 to put up a rope on a few hard mixed lines while we let Dane finally get on the sharp end.


Getting a little ice love.


Heading up Cyber Bully M5.



I would say this is Dane making it look easy but I’ve never really seen him make things look hard.



Another mixed line. This one you actually climb behind and around the pillar.



Well thats it for my Knik Gorge adventures. Seriously, I love this place. My recommendation is that in about 4 months there could be some type of ice climbing guidebook out. I mean, who knows, its possible right? So you should get this book and go climb ice in Alaska. I’m just throwing it out there but thats my suggestion…
Inner City

Trad climber
Portland, OR
  Apr 9, 2019 - 01:29pm PT
Wow, what a pleasure to see your photos and read your stories.
Thanks for this incredible thread with so much adventure and beauty to behold.
You live quite the life. As a father of 3, my time is all clogged up.
Not that I'd be ice-climbing if I had more time...ha!

Thanks again!
Dave R
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 10, 2019 - 06:57pm PT
Thank you Dave R!
Prezwoodz

climber
Anchorage
Author's Reply  Apr 25, 2019 - 05:24pm PT
Wait...did they change the way that images can be linked on the site? Can I not link them this way anymore?
shylock

Social climber
mb
  Apr 25, 2019 - 07:17pm PT
oh no kelsey, this makes me sad...

btw thanks so much for the ice book preview. and still great shots, even if you have to click now.. :(
Tarbuster

climber
right here, right now
  Apr 26, 2019 - 06:27am PT
Hacking your browser to see photographs on Supertopo
MH2

Boulder climber
Andy Cairns
  Apr 28, 2019 - 10:21am PT
I can tell that Kelsey is a good friend. The colors of Petra are just one indication. There are very few climbing photos as good as Pat on the start of Jungle King. Then there are the snake, the scorpions, and a very cool spider. And much more. Getting to see this trip report was worth any condemnation that may result from using a hack.

Many, many thanks.
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