Toby Stegman

2009-08-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

The City of Rocks

2009-05-13T12:22:00.000-07:00

It's wild to think that The City was a landmark on the California Trail, and at one time may have been quite a busy city. Rumor has it gold is buried under some of the rock outcrops. Today, you need to reserve a campsite on the weekend and if you climb in the inner city you may not see anyone.

The City south of the Slabbage Patch formation.

Aaron enjoying Wheat Thin 5.7, a mega classic on Elephant Rock.

The Slabbage Patch has two cool 10a sport climbs on them, both put up by Canadian road-trippers in the late 80's. The better one, I Can't Believe It, has sweet patina face climbing with a nice roof at the top.

Our warm up on the third day, Tow Away Zone 5.10a. Aaron cruised it after I had my foot slip off and my blue Alien worked mighty fine!

The Animal Cracker formation has a huge flake which runs over half the face. The climb on the edge of it has everything from fingers to off-width.

Start of Animal Cracker 5.10a. Just above the finger crack the flake gets really thin, and sounds a little spooky. Then you get perfect hands to off-width which ends in a roof.

The overlooked Harvest 5.10d.

I was hoping the stance I'm going to would be a bit better, as the stemming section leads to the crux overlap, which is really steep.

Placing way too much gear was a mistake in this section, even though small stoppers and blue and green Aliens don't inspire great confidence. The insecure finger jams and slabby feet soon were too much for me to hold onto. After the fingers section there is a good hand jam before the wall gets back towards vertical and is easier. However, an awkward OW slot with a .75 inch crack in the back leads to the top. After a fall and one hang I got to the top happy to have tried a harder trad line.

On our last day we went to Elephant rock again and climbed Rye Crisp 5.8, overheard at the crag to be, "one of the best 5.8's in the Western Universe.", and Just Say No 5.9, 5 bolts in a 100 feet. Then we finished up a half day at the King on the Throne's, Stan's Roof. A short, but stout 5.10.

Summer is on it's way in the Tetons

2009-05-05T11:27:00.000-07:00

2010 Census

2009-04-28T12:37:00.000-07:00

With no jobs in town all winter, I was looking for anything. When I called the ad in the paper for 2010 Census takers I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The first thing I had to do in the interview, was take a basic skill test. I got one wrong of 30, with questions as easy as finding yourself on a map. A few weeks after the test I got a call about the job and had to turn it down because I was going to be in Connecticut. After being told there were no other training times, I got a second call telling me the opposite, and I took the job.

Having this be my first government job I had no idea how silly the system is. With our week long training we used one whole day to fill out paperwork and get fingerprinted for a background check. After four hours my hand was starting to hurt filling out what seemed to be the same document after another, asking for the same info. I don't think efficiency is a strong point of theirs.

Another four days of training let all of these wonderful items into our lives, and we finally figured out what we would be doing. We were to take a GPS point of everyone's front door, and mark down there physical address as best we could. This would enable them next year to sent the Census to everyone in the mail. The only problem in Teton County is that most folks have PO Boxes. They tell us that they don't need that info, but I know I don't get any mail that is addressed to my physical address.

The HHC, or hand held computer, the first of many acronyms I would learn in training. The training was very basic stuff and easy for me. I even had a chance to show the instructor somethings about using the GPS. I do think if the government is spending so much money on the Census that they should hire an editor for the training manual. I have never seen so many typos and contradictions in a manual like that before. It's kinda unbelievable.

Notice the small gold stripe at the bottom of the HHC. That is for the security access by fingerprint. Don't want people looking at a list of addresses now do we? The best part is the security question after you pass the fingerprint scan......talk about a secure network! I can't wait for the 2020 Census, where rumor is, they have a retina scan in the works.

As a rock climber my hands take a toll. Having just climbed on the notoriously coarse granite at J-Tree, and sharp Dolomite of Sinks Canyon, my fingerprints are going away. Also, the fine grit abuse of the indoor rock gym, really helps wear the tips down. This all leads to me not being able to log into my HHC. It rejects me as invalid user, and after 5 attempts it logs you off for 15 minutes. Then every attempt after it locks up also. This has come to be an issue, because if I reformat my computer it will erase the hours of work. I can't stand that idea, so I been playing with it. After about 30 failed attempts I got in the other day, and managed to get some work done. Now it seems to be hit or miss until I finish this area and can send off the data. But today, with 30 degree temps and rain snow mix it's okay it won't let me it!

Joshua Tree California

2009-04-21T18:08:00.000-07:00

As fall came on last year I started to think of Yosemite. While looking for partners I tried to convince my friend Leif to come along. Yosemite came and went without Leif being able to join me. This spring it looked like the tables had turned on me. Leif was heading to Joshua Tree National Park, and I was starting training to work for the Census. With only days left before spring break in Jackson Hole, where the town disappears and elk run wild, I had to join Leif on his trip to J-Tree. The six days in between training was plenty of time to go to California, especially with an $89 plane ticket. The 16 hour blast down there and the return travel from LA to Jackson was well worth the four days of climbing.

Leif walking up Double Cross 5.7+ on our first day. We had a mellow warm up of about a grade a day. My most desperate lead of the trip was my first trad lead of the season on a stout 5.8 to the left of Double Cross.

After our late night arrival, and brutally windy night at Jumbo Rocks Campground our first night, we found a sweet place at the Ryan Campground for the rest of our stay.

The next day we started off with a Walk on the Wild Side, a 5.7+, two pitch, slab climb. The spaced nature of the bolts, all placed on lead in J-Tree tradition, made for added excitement to the relatively mellow 5.7 grade.

There is something about slab that just doesn't feel solid, maybe it's the feeling you always have of slowly sliding down.

We picked it up a bit in the afternoon and climbed Touch and Go 5.9, and the classic Pope's Crack 5.9 in the Echo wall area. The main West face is one of my favorite looking walls at J-Tree.

In the desert I think everything is out to get you, especially the cactus. Who knows how the bat got into that situation.

The classic, but too short, Room to Schroom. It took us a while to get our bearings and find this climb, but after and hour and half of wondering we did it.

Even further back in the Wonderland of Rocks area, we found the non-obvious entrance to the Big Horn Mating Grotto, home to 4 star, 5.10 crack climbs. Our first route in the Grotto was the Dangling Woo Li Master. The intimidating route was all I hoped it would be, and left me laughing aloud as I made the anchor at the top, not even believing how good it was.

Next, Leif led Caught Inside on a Big Set. Steep crack climbing with cool footwork then a straight in hand crack, pretty ideal.

Three routes were enough for us for the day and on the way out we got a nice sunset.

On our last day we were tired, and decided to take a walk back to the Wonderland to avoid the crowds on a Saturday. We went out to Lenticular Dome and climbed Mental Physics 5.7+.

For our last climb of the trip was the Red Obelisk. We found the tower wandering around and had to climb it. The bottom of the 70 foot tower has a window through the rock you can look to the other side!

One of the cooler formations we saw in the Wonderland was the Freak Brothers Dome. A route called I Can't Believe its a Girdle traverses all three brothers.

Easter Sunday left me with a flight from Los Angeles to Salt Lake, then the drive to Jackson.

Colin and Marcella's Wedding

2009-04-04T08:16:00.000-07:00

I have been back in Connecticut for my brother's wedding this week. Today Colin and Marcella are flying out on their honeymoon in Nashville. They are going to see Del McCoury at the Grand Old Opry, and then head to Graceland. They had a great wedding, and I am very happy Colin found such a great girl. Best of luck to them both.

Dave, Me, Mom, Aunt Debi, Petra & Casey

Colin & Marcella at the rehearsal dinner

CJ, Marcella's son

The Church

Just after getting hitched

Me, Petra, Casey, Dave & Uncle Gerry

Dad, Jim Tobin and his wife. I was given the family name.

Clicking on any photo brings you to my Picasa gallery with more pics.

Spring Break?

2009-04-02T08:32:00.000-07:00

With it snowing 6 feet in the past week and a half, you can't help but think of spring. Sunny and 70 degrees sounds pretty good right now.

Joshua Tree, California has that.

Walk on the Wild Side 5.7+

Northwest Face of Half Dome

2009-03-30T08:50:00.000-07:00

Going to Lander, Wyoming twice has really made me start thinking about rock climbing.

Big wall climbing is one thing you sure are going to remember. Last fall Neil and I climbed the NW Face of Half Dome wall style. It reminds you that going fast and light is right, as hauling takes more time than climbing. And we went to Yosemite to go climbing.

We arrived in Yosemite later than planned, due to tire issues. It was looking like rain. We had planned to climb Serenity Crack as soon as we got there. At the base of the route a party of four was looking ready to climb. Every belay, as far as the eye could see, had people at them. Welcome to Yosemite in fall.

Serenity Crack the day we actually got to climb it. We went in the afternoon and had most of the route to ourselves.

Somehow we found ourselves the next day hiking up to the base of Half Dome planning to climb the first three pitches, sleep at the base, climb to the top of pitch 17 the next day, bivy, and top out the day after.

At the base of the route we got to meet the resident bear.

The first few pitches went pretty quick. I wasn't able to get the first pitch free (5.10c), but we were fixed to the top of pitch three, and back down at sunset. Just in time to watch somebody in a wing suit base jump from the summit. Dusk is their favorite time to jump so the rangers can't catch them.

The Real Deal Neil

Looking West towards El Cap and North Dome

The start of pitch 6, 5.9

Pitch 9

The Robbin's Traverse pitch 10

Pitch 12, great face and crack climbing

The crux 5.9 section of pitch 12. You are standing on the tip of a thin flake and have to step left to the crack. Very exposed.

We had to bivy at the top of pitch 12, after we fixed to the top of pitch 14. We had wanted to make the top of pitch 17, but the chimney pitches in the dark seems worse than the narrow bivy. We rapped with leaving the haul bag and most of our gear at out high point. Only with our sleeping bags, puffy coats, and food we managed a night of light drizzle.

We woke at 5:30am to cloudy skies we had lost the starry sky much earlier in the night. When it got light it kinda looked better to the west, but Tuolumne was getting rain. At that point on a wall that big, up is better than down.

It cleared up to be a fine day. Looking down pitch 16, 5.9.

The Double Crack, pitch 17. A straight in 5.9 hand crack, one of my favorite.

Neil getting to the far side of the Thank God Ledge.

Top out at sunset. A little late, as we planned to do the 8 mile decent trail that day. We ended up hiking well into the dark and just slept out in the woods a few miles from Curry Village.

Mount Watkins. Had an failed attempt on this face later in my trip.

From Shadow Peak to the Dike Snowfield

2009-03-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Skied on Teton Pass today with Cat, Neil, and Neil's friend from Denver Ryan. One of the best days of powder skiing this season. We took two laps on the NE ridge. Thirteen inches on this mornings avy report, but more had fallen since then.

Here is a report from skiing on March 12th.

With a bit of high pressure setting in Christian and I thought it would be a good time to check out the Sliver of Nez Perce. Matt B., Paul, and I skiied the Sliver last year in close to perfect conditions and I was hoping from pretty much the same. Christian and I planned on skinning up Shadow Peak and skiing the NW couloir on our way to the Sliver. Last year we went up Garnet Canyon and the Platform couloir to access the Shadow Peak Cirque. I think I liked skiing over Shadow better than the Garnet way.

An early start gave us a great sunrise on the way up.

From the top of Shadow Peak the NW couloir drops in to the Shadow Peak Cirque. At that point you get a great view of the Sliver.

The Sliver looked like it had taken a toll from the sun the day before, more that we had planned. Someone had already skied the lower half and it looked like conditions were grim. Since we didn't like the idea of survival skiing in the 1,000 foot, 50 degree couloir we began to think of other options.

Our other idea for the day was the Dike Snowfield in between the Grand Teton and Disappointment peak. Since it was still early and we were making good time we decided to ski into Shadow Peak Cirque, down the Platform couloir, and into Garnet Canyon heading for the Dike Snowfield.

The ski in the NW couloir was bit firm, but skiable.

Shadow Peak Cirque with the NW couloir in the background

The Platform Couloir was some of the best snow of the day.

We made it up the north fork of Garnet Canyon and Spalding Falls just as the sun was really beating down and starting to warm the snow surface. Another hour or so and I wouldn't want to be on that slope. We were beginning to see the first of the small pinwheels coming from near the base of the Middle Teton.

We headed for the Tepee Glacier and did a bit of bootpacking where the snow was really firm and wind scoured.

A low helicopter was flying around the Grand, and passed over us a few times. We think they might have been out looking for Bighorn Sheep.

The top of the Dike Snowfield was sastrugi, but soon became a bit better. Overall the skiing was pretty variable.

The ski out was pretty good powder in the sheltered mid-elevations of Glacier Gulch. The lower elevations were getting pretty sun baked, so we decided to pass on the Burnt Wagon Gulch exit and did a long traverse back to Bradley Lake saving some time.

Although we didn't ski the Sliver, we had a great day, covering plenty of ground and skiing about 7,000 feet.

Turkey Chute and the South Fork of Avalanche Canyon

2009-03-25T08:02:00.000-07:00

Christian and his friend Aaron who's on the Targhee patrol came over from Driggs to do a little skiing in the Park this past Tuesday. We had originally planned on skiing up the south fork of Avalanche Canyon into No Woods Basin and out Death Canyon, but the weather was a bit too cloudy. So, we decided to ski the Turkey Chute off 25 Short and head up the south fork to have a look around.

We made good time up 25 Short with a skin track covered with a bit of new snow, and traversed the ridge to the top of the chute. The entrance to Turkey Chute is always a little rocky, and today with the new snow it was a bit more challenging. I first started to downclimb with my skis on my back, but felt really sketchy in the loose dirt and snow. Christian started to put his skis back on and go for the sidestep down, which didn't look too bad. I followed in Christian's path, while Aaron chose to downclimb a bit different path than what I tried, and he seemed to not have any problems.

Once we were in the snow looked pretty good. The high pressure from earlier in the week left us with a melt freeze crust under the 3-4 inches of light density new snow. I did a ski cut at the top and only got minor sluffing, so I continued down to a safe zone at the dogleg. Nice dust on crust skiing.

Aaron making the best of 4 inches!

Christian enjoying the Turkey Chute

From the bottom of the Turkey Chute we headed up the south fork of Avalanche Canyon. Avalanche Canyon is one of my favorite places in the park, especially the north fork in summer. The south fork is pretty mellow for skiing, however, there are many great looking lines that drop into the south fork from Buck, Wister and Point 10,960. The Northeast couloir on Buck looks like a great way to finish skiing from the summit if you've already skied the regular route. Also the Southeast couloir on Wister looks like a fun corn ski.

Skinning up the south fork

The NE couloir on Buck

We made our way up the relatively flat south fork, almost to the divide between Veiled Peak and Mount Wister. The cloudy weather made us feel not so motivated, so we made our way back. The skiing was pretty variable, but nonetheless enjoyable. It was about 3 PM by then and we saw some folks heading up canyon on our way back. They had not skied anything yet, and wanted to see how far they could get before dark. Not really sure what they were thinking, but who's to say what's crazy.

West Face of 25 Short and Snowdevil Ridge