{"id":7144,"date":"2026-05-13T19:51:21","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T19:51:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/?p=7144"},"modified":"2026-05-13T20:07:23","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T20:07:23","slug":"indian-creek-spring-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/2026\/05\/indian-creek-spring-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Indian Creek Spring 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>I\u2019ve struggled to write trip reports lately. I entirely skipped my Creek 2025 fall trip with James, as well as my Xmas trip with Fletch, Craig and Vlad. Most of my climbing trip reports start with a list of all the exciting climbs I did, and there were many on this trip. But the most poignant  memory for me was at around the two week mark. All 7 hometown friends and partners had left. I was trying to decide between staying longer and making new friends, or driving home to my wife Sue. She was getting lonely and bored hanging around home being a grandma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While I was cogitating I listened to this song by Michael Buble:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Michael Buble Home Live Madison Square Garden 2013\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/0fhwd-IErcg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the verses, note &#8211; I&#8217;ve shortened the song, apologies to Mr. Buble:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>Another sunny place<br>I&#8217;m lucky I know<br>But I wanna go home<br>I&#8217;m just too far<br>From where you are.<br>And I know just why you could not<br>Come along with me<br>That this was not your dream<br>But you always believed in me.<br>And I&#8217;m surrounded by<br>A million people, <br>I still feel alone<br>I&#8217;ve had my run<br>Baby, I&#8217;m done<br>I&#8217;m coming back home<\/p><cite>&#8211; Michael Buble<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I was listening to his lovely song about being on tour in wonderful places like Paris and Rome when he sang: &#8220;I&#8217;m just too far, from where you are&#8230;&#8221; And I was thinking: yeah, the Creek is so good. But so is Sue. I was struck by a moment of extreme emotion, a deep sense of visceral loss. Why was I considering a third week away from home when there was no reason for it? I&#8217;d had some great adventures, played live music and made some art. And I&#8217;d proven I could get strong again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the music sphere, me, Dragon, Fletch and Craig were attracting small crowds in the campground each night. One of us would start playing in the dark quiet campground and we&#8217;d see headlamps walking toward us out of the night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Piano Man cover camp fire sing along\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/aU1u2D5WLCo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Out of 30 sites, we were the only musicians. One night a family of 6 people, 4 of them teenagers walked up to huddle around the fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;You guys mind if we join your fire? We heard the music. My son here said, Mom, you gotta&#8217; come hear these guys, they&#8217;re incredible!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The song he&#8217;d heard was us playing was Scarborough Fair. I&#8217;ve had that song memorized on the harmonica  since 1969. But a few months ago I wondered if I could play the harmonica part on a neck brace while playing the guitar. A regular one man band. Hey, maybe I could even sing too? Turns out it&#8217;s a super powerful song whose melody has lasted 350 years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-1365x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-7198\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-1365x1024.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-467x350.jpg 467w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_3228.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Fletch and me &#8211; photo by Craig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d finished by the time they walked up and we&#8217;d moved onto to Fletches Brazilian Swing. When we finished that they peppered us with questions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you guys a band &#8211; <em>Sort of?<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you write that song? &#8211; <em>Yeah, Fletch built it up from various inspirations<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Do you play gigs in town? &#8211; <em>No, we just play at campfires<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You&#8217;re not famous? &#8211; <em>We&#8217;re nobody, just old friends who climb and play music together.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Me: Fletch, do you want to play Piano Man for these people? It&#8217;s a crowd pleaser, and it&#8217;s Saturday night!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fletch: Let&#8217;s do it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We sang the first verse and when I bent my head to the harmonica I heard one of the kids exclaim:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Oh, he&#8217;s got a harmonica too!&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After months of practice I&#8217;ve got that song wired. It&#8217;s another new one I added to my repertoire over the last year of what I like to call my &#8220;blossoming&#8221;. I&#8217;m not sure why, but I took both my painting and my music up to a new level. Seasons of life?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"GriGri Rock Climbing Blues live at Indian Creek\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SxwqYWQuMQw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;d painted three decent landscapes this trip. Because I&#8217;m painting well the passersby stop and take pictures, often asking how long I&#8217;ve been painting. I always have to ask if they mean lifetime or this morning. People love an artist working on location. They act like I&#8217;m a rare magician practicing a long lost dark art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because who doesn&#8217;t just shoot a picture? Stand at an easel outside in the blazing sun, that&#8217;s crazy! <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve digressed again. Moab is wonderful, but being home is pretty cool too. We&#8217;ve got at least 20 friends we see at the ping pong gym up to 4 times a week. I&#8217;ve known some for 10 years. Then there are our kids and their 5 grandkids. I&#8217;ve got a few reliable climbing gym friends plus my unicycle hobby. And my art and my music. Life is full at home, I don&#8217;t need to be a thousand miles away chasing adventure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The fun of climbing vs the ordeal of driving down has me questioning my poor life choices. I can get to Pendleton easily in half a day. I&#8217;ve got my favorite Mt. Emily snowpark camping spot dialed in. It&#8217;s a dirt road off a dirt road off the freeway. While there are fire rings, it&#8217;s dead quiet and no one has ever been there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But I wake up in the morning and it&#8217;s 14 hours of soul crushing driving to the creek. These are chunks of my life I can never get back. It&#8217;s incredibly long hours of butt cramping boredom interspersed with brief seconds of terror in the big cities. Is that 18 wheel monstrosity wandering out of his lane into me? Do I have time to accelerate past him before his next swerve? And how long is this rain going to last&#8230;and this road construction&#8230;.are they ever going to finish this abomination of a freeway?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Highlights from this trip were picking up Craig at the SLC airport. I\u2019d been waiting in the crisp morning air for an hour. The Cell Phone Lot has a live flight arrivals screen in the parking lot.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He texted me when he was standing at the pickup kiosk and gave me a post number. I drove right up. He threw his pack in the back and we bumped fists. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat went so smooth you\u2019d think we knew what we were doing!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;I know. I was worrying about what I&#8217;d do if you didn&#8217;t show up.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We got to the Creek early enough for him to lead Wide Crack Simulator. The next day we both led Twin Cracks cleanly then he put up TIHC. I\u2019d led that cleanly three years&nbsp; earlier 3 weeks into a creek trip with Christine and Julia. While following Craig I hung all over it.&nbsp; But it being day 2 at the Creek I should have known to lower my standards. The Creek makes us humble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Handsome Dave and his Smith Rock crew (Dragon, Chris, etc) spent the morning at Supercrack area until it got too hot. We trooped down to sit in the shade of Dragons Sprinter to eat lunch. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;So Dragon, Dave tells me you play guitar? I&#8217;v been known to play the blues harp.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Oh hell yeah! Let&#8217;s get them out and play right here, it&#8217;ll be several hours before Donnelly gets shady.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, I meet a lot of guitarists in my travels. But it has been 15 years since I met someone as talented as Dragon. So, so many guitarists have never learned blues. They&#8217;ll know classical, pop, rock and country but blues, hell no. Dragon also plays the Mandolin!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Gimme One Reason cover at Indian Creek\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/jUhiUD8tHb8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From the very first 4 seconds of Dragons playing I knew we had a REAL musician in the parking lot. He immediately launched into some very high level blues and I was right there with him on the harp. We rocked that parking lot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fletch showed up on the 26th. Dave and his crew took us up to 4 x 4 wall where  <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainproject.com\/route\/106019649\/marshmallow-safari\">Craig led Marshmallow Safari<\/a>. It is a lovely soft 10 that I need to lead. The bottom looks bad but has great jams and gear. It flares at the top so bring some big stuff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Craig on the 5.11 4x4 route.\" class=\"wp-image-7167\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1098.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Craig on the 5.11 4&#215;4 route.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Next Craig led the 5.11 4&#215;4 route cleanly for an onsight. As usual I had to pull on fours to pass the roof. Here he is cruising through the roof:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Craig on the 5.11 4x4 route.\" class=\"wp-image-7169\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1110.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Craig on the 5.11 4&#215;4 route.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We went looking for Hookers and Blow but Craig didn&#8217;t like the narrow start and chose something further right with a lot of red and tight yellows to start. I bailed on TR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Craig on an 11\" class=\"wp-image-7171\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1170.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Craig on an 11<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>We took the same crew up to Way Rambo. The first river at Meat Basin was entirely dry while the one at the Willows looked like a small ditch. I&#8217;ve seen that thing 50 feet wide and waist deep to the point only two rigs crossed it in a day, one being my Tundra.  At Rambo I hungdog Blue Sun, a route I often get clean. Dave <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainproject.com\/route\/105718768\/fuzz\">put up Fuzz<\/a> to the right of Rochambeau. Other than the first 50 feet of reds I might be able to lead it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Blue Grama is becoming one of my regulars. I led Mexican Unicorn with one hang at the top. Fletch led Pirelli Motors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Julia following Mexican Unicorn all blues\" class=\"wp-image-7175\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1197.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julia following Mexican Unicorn all blues<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Pirelli Motors\" class=\"wp-image-7173\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1187.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pirelli Motors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I think there was more but after a month I can&#8217;t remember.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the day Craig left we climbed at Blue Grama where he onsighted another stiff ten which I filmed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"Blue Grama big hands crack at Indian Creek\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X10TpKLjvoI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That same day Julia showed up for her 5 day visit. Julia and I did our usual rambles through Chocolate Corner, Twin Cracks and 4AM. Fletch put up the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mountainproject.com\/route\/105717337\/drainpipe\">5.11 green crack called Drainpipe<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Drainpipe 5.11 greens\" class=\"wp-image-7188\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_4512.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Drainpipe 5.11 greens at Donelly<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He left that afternoon and Julia was gone a day later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I painted for a couple days at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nps.gov\/places\/grand-view-point.htm\">Grand View above Moab<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I did a painting of the eroded ravines at true Grand View. A lot of hikers liked it. I slept on BLM land by an active oil rig at Gemini Bridges. In the morning I drove up to Orange cliff viewpoint but it\u2019s an afternoon painting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1365\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-1365x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Grand View\" class=\"wp-image-7155\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-1365x1024.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-400x300.jpg 400w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-267x200.jpg 267w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-467x350.jpg 467w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415-533x400.jpg 533w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1415.jpg 1440w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1365px) 100vw, 1365px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Grand View<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>On my way out I stopped at Buck Canyon Overlook and set up my easel. Usually I start with a brown undercoat. But it takes a while and can lead to a brown cast on the finished piece.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I decided the painting would probably suck anyway so why not break some rules? I put out the primary colors and began drawing with local color. I put thin blue lines down for the distant ridges, and orange for the close orange cliffs. I was a little buzzed to find that I liked this new (for me) style of direct drawing painting. Not that it matters, but the tourists noticed too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"576\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-576x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Buck Creek rest day\" class=\"wp-image-7153\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-576x1024.jpg 576w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-169x300.jpg 169w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-150x267.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-112x200.jpg 112w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-197x350.jpg 197w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400-225x400.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/DSC_2400.jpg 607w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Buck Creek rest day<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When I paint or play music, I seem to have an observer in my head. He is part critic, and part fly on the wall. He is me, but separate from me. He often gets in the way of my work, overly critical and not letting me peel away the faff before I get to the good.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When I can get past the awkward phase I hear: oh, okay. I guess you aren&#8217;t sucking too bad today, I&#8217;ll step back and be quiet. But I got my eye on you. Don&#8217;t fuck up!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I was on a point of land a hundred feet from the parking lot and 30 feet off the paved footpath to the fenced off cliff top viewpoint. I wasn\u2019t there intentionally to attract admirers, it was just the best view, and it happened to be 60 feet from the end of the trail in full view of all the hikers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>These tourists who like art are a self selecting group. By that I mean they are already predisposed to look at pretty things. When my painting took off, it was another pretty thing to admire and photograph. And I was the only artist, as usual. I had many people stop to compliment my work. There was a group of thirsty looking older women who clearly liked what they saw. Whether it was me or the painting I wasn\u2019t sure. But they were very entertained and hung around, asking where I was from. I try to be nice. There is no point in being grumpy, no reason to ruin someone&#8217;s day. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Normally I have my earbuds in so I can focus, but the compliments were so refreshing and inspirational it was easy to work and talk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They all thought it was magnificent but I was not liking my color choices in the shadows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOh, that is simply magnificent! How long did that take you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201dAbout 3 hours. I\u2019ve been struggling to get the right color on the distant shadows. It\u2019s all brown out there, but the atmosphere turns the local brown cliff color to something closer to a purple blue. But exactly what shade purple is it? I feel like I\u2019m not quite there. It\u2019s like an impossible puzzle\u2026Anyway, it\u2019s a beautiful day, I feel lucky to be here. \u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1355\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-1355x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Finished Buck Canyon\" class=\"wp-image-7152\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-1355x1024.jpg 1355w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-397x300.jpg 397w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-150x113.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-265x200.jpg 265w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-463x350.jpg 463w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26-529x400.jpg 529w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/buck-canyon-moab-4-26.jpg 1429w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1355px) 100vw, 1355px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">I finished Buck Canyon after I got home<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>One more day of climbing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some hometown friends were in town staying in a condo and doing mostly mountain biking. They used to be avid climbers and agreed to meet me at Supercrack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrew led Coyn crack. It didn&#8217;t fit him at all but the others wanted to TR. He aided up it very quickly and set up slings. Lisa TR\u2019d Coyn crack at the bottom by lay backing the offset edge. It was very powerful climbing of a type that I have aged out of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Lisa 5.11 Coyn Crack\" class=\"wp-image-7183\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1462.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Lisa 5.11 Coyn Crack<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When her 9 year old son went up and did the same thing I said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cLook, he\u2019s doing Lisa\u2019s layback!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kyle, who was belaying his son said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAh, that\u2019s my layback actually\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It doesn\u2019t sound as funny sitting here at home, but in case you don\u2019t get it, both parents were proud of their son\u2019s ability to climb a 5.11, and Kyle was implying his son got the power from his side of the family. Kyle and Lisa are a riot with a wicked sense of humor, super fun people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Andrew B, another friend from my hometown led a route I\u2019d led three days earlier called 4AM crack. He ran out of steam at about the sixty percent point and had to start hang dogging. Everyone hangdogs that route, including me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Lisa and her son were unable to get anywhere on it due to their small hands. Kyle got up it but with a few falls and rests. This surprised me until I realized they are more into mountain biking than climbing on this trip and hadn\u2019t been training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"4am\" class=\"wp-image-7180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_1441.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">4am Kyle and Lisa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To save time I took a top rope and sailed up it smoothly, even finding two rests, one a no hands rest. The climb felt muscular but just right, perfectly matching my power and skill set. The transitions between blue steeples to fist jams and back to tight yellow hand jams was amazing. Anytime I started to run out of juice I positioned my feet and hands more effectively and shook it out.\u00a0At the top where it goes back to medium tight yellows I&#8217;m usually tanked. But with a top rope I had power to spare, that climb just flows!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 40 year olds below were shocked to see a 72 year old geezer floating up a 10c like it was candy popcorn. When I got down Lisa was stunned, saying she couldn\u2019t believe what I\u2019d just done.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cForget what you just saw\u201d I said. \u201cThat climb fits me perfectly, plus I\u2019ve been here 13 days building power. And I just led it 3 days before so I know every move. It\u2019s not so much that I\u2019m a crack wizard it\u2019s that the stars all aligned for one perfect moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"My crew\" class=\"wp-image-7191\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9923.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">My crew<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"768\" height=\"1024\" src=\"http:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-768x1024.jpg\" alt=\"me, photo by Craig\" class=\"wp-image-7190\" srcset=\"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-150x200.jpg 150w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-263x350.jpg 263w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879-300x400.jpg 300w, https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/IMG_9879.jpg 810w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">me and my monocle, photo by Craig<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve been home a month now and the time has been filled with lots of ping pong, climbing gym dates, hanging with family, painting, learning new songs and lots of exercise on my 10 speed and unicycle. Michael Buble is right: home is pretty cool.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I\u2019ve struggled to write trip reports lately. I entirely skipped my Creek 2025 fall trip with James, as well as my Xmas trip with Fletch, Craig and Vlad. Most of my climbing trip reports start with a list of all the exciting climbs I did, and there were many on this trip. But the most [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7144"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7204,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7144\/revisions\/7204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/websterart.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}