Tom and Mitch's Vantasy: Still frigid...

Yesterday we came into town and decided it was not worth driving back to the park to camp due to gas and the cold weather. We spent the evening playing video games in Best Buy after the Starbucks we were hanging out at closed early due to the weather. We finally got a tripod for the camera so we will have some awesome videos and pictures coming as soon as we are able to climb. After feasting on Little Caesers Pizza, we went to Wal-Mart where we spent an hour or two just walking around and then went to bed in the parking lot. Now we are sitting at the Starbucks in Barnes and Nobles as it is the only Starbucks that is not closed due to frozen pipes today! Unfortunately it is also the only Starbucks with no power outlets. As Mike mentioned we made friends with a kid Matt who we have been bummin' it with for the last few days as well. It is funny how every WalMart, Starbucks or Barnes & Nobles we go to, we see a lot of other climbers. They usually will buy one cup of coffee that lasts them all day and hide in any hidden areas of the shop! We are learning a lot of "stealth" tricks.

We avoided the weekend crowd and rested on Saturday and Sunday which proved to be beneficial. Our fingers and muscles were able to heal themselves and Monday was a great day of climbing. I would go as far as to say it was my (Thomas) best day of climbing ever. My goal was to spend a few days projecting an ultra classic Hueco Tanks problem called "Daily Di*# Dose" (DDD) which is a V7 roof problem. It is right next to "Babyface" which Mike is currently projecting. DDD has some tricky beta at the start and is a really unique problem, as are most problems in Hueco. After working out the start I was able to send it and also got some footage on "Babyface" which I will post tonight. From there we headed off to a newer problem called "Bloodline" which involves one of the more strenuous hikes into a chasm on the backside of "North Mountain." This is probably one of the prettiest lines I have ever seen. Since it is so new, the guidebook does not have instructions on how to get there and it is really difficult to find. Mike and I both sent it, and if the proposed V7 grade is true, this is Mikes first V7!! Wooooo Hooooo. We will go back soon to get pictures of our own.

The last stop of the day was "Baby Martini" which is a looooonnnnngggg overhung roof problem in a cave. Every time we try this it is at the end of the day, and we are both hoping to send it next time we go out!

Cheers!