Back home from Chile, and another year older! Lots more to say and many more photos to share, but for now Iāll let this selfie be a placeholder as it pretty much sums up how I feel about the whole experience.
I want to take a moment to share my appreciation for my mother (@wolfpackmomx3 ). She has been my biggest supporter and my closest confidant since I was a child. She is the glue that holds my family together, and the nagging voice that makes sure we never forget anything! š Honestly, us four Maness men would be lost without her. She is truly an incredible woman, and we are beyond fortunate to have her in our lives.
She even flies across the continent to come and see me! š Love you, Momma ššš
East Face of the Monkey Face (P1) - 5.12c ā
Last week I finished up a route that I first attempted back in October ā22. The first pitch of the East Face on the Monkey Face at Smith Rock has consumed more days of my life than any other pitch of climbing in my career. Over the course of three different multi-week sessions, I hiked out to the Monkey no less than two dozen times.
Itās a relatively serious route, so I spent a lot of time toproping it and sussing out the gear. After falling on the fixed pin first placed by Alan Watts back in 1985, I realized it was extremely loose, so I decided to remove it. Restoring the route to its ānaturalā condition made it a much more exciting and appealing objective. You can see my fall on the pin and then my fall on the blind nut that I failed to place correctly. After that gear-ripping fall, I decided to put the route on the back burner until I felt ready to returnā¦
Earlier this month, I reopened the account and started punching the clock. I aided the route to get a rope up, spent several mornings on TRS getting the crux sections dialed, and convinced some very good friends to make the hike out there with me. I managed to send the route on just my third redpoint burn this season, fifth overall. The upper finger crack involves long reaches between thin, shallow pin scars that only accept the smallest bits of my fat pinkies. After slipping out of a couple of these desperate jams on my previous two attempts, I was determined to hang onā¦and finally, with a little bit of pinky meat and a whole lot of belief, I managed to clip the chains and put an end to this saga.
Thanks to everyone for the belays, the stoke, and the footage! @jameswhoclimbsrocks@michaelaalfonso@dylan.with.a.why@kylehigby@ryan.lee.wood@artyparty_av@annahazelnutt
