Pat and Josh looking out onto the encroaching city from their bivy below The Rainbow Wall.

We often hear about the latest 5.TEEN or V-TEEN crushed by some 'hard person' from a magical land full of the best rock, the best routes and the best climbers. Flip the page or click next and then you get to read about someone doing it FASTER or in less tries or with only one shoe on. Is this what inspires you to climb? Sure its great to be inspired by amazing achievements, but what's the point? The experience.

Experiences are more valuable than any material possessions. Experiences make us who we are - they form our thinking processes and our vision of the world. Through pursuits such as climbing, we're able to create our own experiences - sure they'll always be affected by outside unforseen influences, but that's the point. So if we can create our own experiences, we can create our own reality.

The following footage was captured deep in the Vegas desert during total immersion on a trip up The Rainbow Wall. We did not have Josh Lowell filming.  We did not do it car to car in a day. The climbing was not rushed. We did not get up before sunrise. We fell numerous times.  We had fun.  We were scared.  We created our reality.

Music: 'Turn Me Loose' by Madcon

Check it out: Bay Area Buildering Guide.

Use your preferred mode of water transport to reach Egmont.

Launching from the fishing pier at Fort Desoto, it takes about 2 hours to reach Egmont by kayak or canoe while dodging the huge freighters and cruise ships that run the channel between the islands.

Hand crack at Egmont.

Topo of bouldering at Egmont. Click for larger version.

]]> http://highexposures.com/blog/2009/09/09/paradise/feed/ 1 http://highexposures.com/blog/2009/09/02/storming-the-fort/ http://highexposures.com/blog/2009/09/02/storming-the-fort/#comments Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:13:28 +0000 chris_brown http://highexposures.com/cbblog/?p=21 Climbing is where you find it.  Some people have marvelous crags a mere stone’s throw from their homes, while others (namely us Floridians) may not be so fortunate.  Those not blessed with the presence of rocks nearby have taken to the streets in search of human creations upon which to feed their hunger. Skyscrapers, freeway overpasses, and municipal buildings all lead second lives as virtual El Caps, Columbia Boulders, and Endless Walls for those with the vision. Here in St. Petersburg, we have Fort Desoto.

Bouldering at Fort Desoto.

Climbing is dangerous!

In 1898 construction began on Fort Desoto.  Made from a shell, stone and concrete mixture, the walls of this fort have weathered many storms almost flawlessly.  Those few flaws that do exist provide a perfect playground for climbers trapped in Florida.  Small crimps and thin cracks have been pieced together by locals to create a handful of surprisingly quality boulder problems.

The Iron Seagull.

The Trash Can Arete.

Fort Desoto has a sibling named Fort Dade, located on Egmont Key.

In July Josh Finkelstein and I departed Colorado’s frontrange with the High Sierra set firmly in our sights.  Ahead of us lay 2 months worth of clean white granite, crystal clear mountain water and more crack than a South Compton ghetto.

3 weeks in Yosemite National Park climbing and guiding a group from Vertical Ventures served as a good warm-up for the back country adventures we had in mind.

Whats better than the perfect pitches of Blues Riff? Blues Riff done in one perfect pitch.

A great view of the OZ/Hobbit Book link-up.

From Yosemite, we headed north past the town of Bridgeport and into The Hoover Wilderness.  Tucked deep within this pristine area of the Sierra lies an objective worthy of any domestic Alpinista’s tick list – The Incredible Hulk.

The Incredible Hulk and stars from camp.

Saluting the Hulk from camp.

The Hulk is absolutely STACKED with prime lines up nearly perfect white granite.  If you go, arm yourself with as many topos as possible.

Overlay of 5 classics on the Hulk. Click the image for large version.

Check out these links to topos for Hulk Routes: Sunspot Dihedral, Airstream, Positive Vibrations, Venturi Effect and Tradewinds.
Just up canyon from the Hulk lies Ice lake.  Bring your tackle for some rest day fun.

Fresh brookies from Ice lake.

Mike Pennings, Jimmy Haden and Josh Finkelstein wait out an afternoon thunderstorm.

Camp below The Hulk at night.

From the Hulk we headed south to The Needles.  This area had lingered in my mind since the first time I saw a picture of it, yet somehow it took 12 years just to make it there.  The wait was well worth it.  The Needles are everything you’ve ever wanted granite trad climbing to be.  Only way better.

The great east face of the Sorcerer.

German team starting up the second pitch of Atlantis.

Darren Snipes dances up Westwind on the Sorcerer.

Josh and Chris on Atlantis from chris brown on Vimeo.