Gotta keep 'em guessing

Howdy guys and gals,

So lots of explaining to do... if you didn't know already I am currently residing in Phoenix, AZ. My time in Crusty Butt, Colorado was cut drastically short. I was enjoying myself greatly in CO but kinda felt a little out of place. I spent one afternoon sending my resume to rope access companies. I didn't think I would get much positive response (let alone so quickly). A few days later I got a phone call from a company in AZ that was hiring rope techs. I jumped at the opportunity. I will get more into the business aspect later... first lemme show ya what kind of adventures I'm getting myself into these days.





So these first few pictures are from a wild day I had by myself in the Superstition mountains. You can see the drastic change in scenery compared to Colorado. It has been in the 60's and 70's since I have arrived. Saguaro's have replaced pine trees and sand has replaced the snow. It has been an interesting last few months to say the least.









Along with the change in scenery has come a change in the environmental hazards. While I was out hiking I came across this big fella. I suppose he posed no real threat to me while I was hiking but it sure did give me a good scare. While I was out hiking in the "Supes" I had greatly underestimated the day I would have and the temperature. I was running low on water and came to a point where I either would have to turn back or continue on and risk dehydration. Luckily for me I found a nice spring to fill up my water at.








This picture is of the rock I climbed. The first picture on this blog was taken at a "window" on the rock. If you look close enough you can see the whole on the upper right part of the rock. Anywho, the summit was amazing. For being only 40 miles out of Phoenix I felt like I was in the middle of nowhere.

So anyways, that was just my first weekend out here. A two hour drive in any direction yields more climbing than I could do in a lifetime... I think I am going to like it here. But enough about playing, let me tell ya about work (which has pretty much become playing in and of itself).






So as I mentioned, I am now working at a rope access technician. I am working for a company called AZ Clearview. We do high rise window washing. This complex to the right is where I will be spending most of my time. As you can see it is a very interesting structure. We pretty much set up anchors on top of the building and then rappel over the edge and wash windows as we descend. There are lots of complications with overhangs and such. I gotta be honest though... washing windows is an art and substantially more challenging than the rope access aspect of it.

We are also doing work down in Tucson. There are a number of buildings we have to clean so I will be making frequent trips down there. This picture is from Tucson. I am hanging about 70 feet off of the ground here, washing windows as I go.

So that should about catch you up for now. Not sure when I will get another one of these up. So I hope you all had a merry Christmas, and will have a wild new year! Until then...

Danjerous

Let it snow let it snow

Here we go...

So this first picture is what I see when I look out of my bedroom window. Jealous? Its about a 5 minute walk to get to the lifts. Something got messed up with our original apartment and so they ended up putting us up in a vacation rental. Damn its hard being me. I am living in this place with 7 roommates which always keeps things interesting too.





Today was the first day of both my new jobs. I am going to be a liftee by day and a dishwasher by night. It might not sound too glamorous to be washing dishes but let me tell ya... this is at a place called Lobar's. It was rated one of the top sushi restaurants in a ski resort town... like I said, it is tough being me.








So since work has only just recently started and I have been out here for a while now, I have been snowboarding like a madman. I have gotten to do a fair amount of snowboarding in my life but nothing like this. I had one really awesome powder day and I know there are more to come and they will only get better.







So this one's gonna have to be short and sweet. I dont have too many other photos to put up right now. Stay tuned though, I may have some more interesting news coming up. Anywho folks, my love goes with you.

Always,

Dan

A time for giving thanks

So I'll just dive right in...

These here are a few photos from my final tour with the Nevada Conservation Corps. This was a tour done in Idaho, near the Sawtooth mountains; truly a beautiful area. The work we did out there was pretty lame but with the scenary and frequent trips to a number of different hot springs, it was quite a smashing tour to sign off on. The NCC has been a blast for the last year but it is time for bigger and better things.

(oOo ominuos ------->)

After the tour finished I had to tie up all the loose ends and say goodbye to my friends. I got to do a bit more climbing around Lake Tahoe and got in one more badass trip to Mecca.

My buddy Greg and I had it in our minds to knock out one more big climb. The climb we picked was the East Buttress of Middle Catherdral (One of the 50 classic climbs of North America). We got into the valley friday evening and were suprised to see almost no one there. We got a site in Camp 4 (a place rich with climbing history) and things seemed to be just falling into place for us. We got up at the buttcrack of dawn to make sure that we were first on the route... of course we got lost on the approach which killed a lot of time but we ended up stumbling upon the route. There was only one party in front of us.

The climb is pretty long (about 1100') and a challenge for my current abilities. It took us all day and right when we topped out it started raining pretty hard (luckily it held off while we were still climbing). The rain passed and we had this spectacular gully all to ourselves (with newly formed waterfalls all over). There were these huge walls surrounding us, literally standing thousands of feet above us. This pic here is me on like the fourth pitch with El Capitan in the background. One day I hope to climb right up the nose of that rock... one day.

So after one spectacular day of climbing I ended my climbing tour in the Sierras but the fun doesnt stop there... the next day my rope access class started. It was so awesome... I have never had so much fun at school. All we did was climb on ropes and learn advanced rock climbing techniques (called Aid climbing). It was a four day crash course and then a final evaluation day. I passed the class and am now a certified rope access technician (people think it is hilarious to call me a certified RAT).

After my class ended I had one more wild night in Reno. The next day I hit the road and boy oh boy, do I love the open road. I headed south from Reno and drove along the Sierras for about 4 hours. Next stop VEGAS!!! I hung out in Vegas for about 4 days, climbing everyday. I did some more amazingly classic climbs with some stellar weather. Then I flew home and here I am for about another week.

I have been pretty spoiled lately with the good weather and the MN cold has cut me to the soul. I suppose I better get familiar with the cold again. So I fly back to Vegas for a few more days of climbing and then to Crested Butte. The more I learn about it the more excited I get.

So there it is guys... the next time I put one of these up I suspect most of the pictures will be much whiter. I hope you are all enjoying your time on this earth as much as I am. Until next time....

Pirate

Do you hear the sweet song she sings? --->

Ain't no thang

Come one, come all,

The time is upon me to update this old thing and I have some very interesting things to tell. Let me fill you in on where I have been since I last wrote. I signed on with the NCC (as staff and not an AmeriCorps member) until the middle of Nov. I have had two 8 day tours so far. One was spraying weeds near Elko, NV and the other was a chainsaw tour near Susanville, CA. This first picture is what I woke up to one morning in Elko. This other picture is what I went to sleep to one night in Elko. It isnt listed as such but I think moments like this ought to be listed in the job benefits for the NCC.

This is just a cool picture I thought (right). I didn't edit the colors or anything, that is literally just how it looked. And this picture (below) is of the Columbia river (I think). This is the river that divides OR and WA. I was blown away by this view. Portland is amazing. If you haven't been there you should make sure to get there.

So there is a brief description of what I have been up to but now let me tell you about the things to come for me. So basically the next couple of months look like this for me... I am doing one more 8 day tour for the NCC in Idaho (which is kinda exciting cause I haven't really been to Idaho). Then I have about a week of rest and relaxation. Then comes the exciting part. I am going to be taking a class for a week to get certified to do something called rope access work. This picture of the wind turbine is the type of work that this certification would allow me to do. With my experience in rock climbing, I already have a pretty good understanding of most of these concepts. But once I get a certification I have the potential to get a job doing something like washing windows on skyscrapers, or maintenance on wind turbines, or bridge/dam inspection. Pretty much anything that requires you to be high off the ground is what I could do. Naturally you could see why this might be a perfect fit for me.

After my class I am going to be heading back down to Vegas for a few days to climb in Red Rock Canyon and see some old friends. Then I will fly home for a few weeks for Thanksgiving. I will fly back to Vegas (to do a bit more climbing) and then comes another adventure. So starting Dec. 11 I will be working at a ski hill called Crested Butte, CO. I am going to be a lift operator, so nothing too technical, but still fun. I have a house lined up to live in with 6 other people (from all around the world). And guess what... Crested Butte is nestled in some of Colorados finest climbing. You know what that means... when the snowboarding season ends, the climbing season begins. Damn, it aint easy living the life I do, but someones gotta do it.

Anywho, that about catches ya up on the goings on in my life. I imagine the next time I post a blog it will be around Thanksgiving when I am back at home and done with my class. I hope life is smiling upon you all as it does on me.

Truly, madly, deeply,

Dan

Count Your Blessings

Hello, hello, hello,

It has been quite a while, so I thought I might keep ya up to date, should you be so interested. I am technically done with my AmeriCorps term for the NCC. I thought my sawyer days were behind me, but it seems I was mistaken. At the point in time it is looking like I will be working and living out here until the middle of November. Here is a picture of my last week of work. It wasnt the greatest tour but it still beats working inside. That lake is called Eagle Lake.






Here is just a neat picture I liked. The trees are watching you.















What a surprise... climbing. This here is a picture of Lovers Leap (one of the coolest places I have ever climbed). This route is called Bears Reach. It took about an hour and a half to climb. It is about 400' tall. If you want to see a wildman climb it in 4 minutes go to youtube and check out "Dan Osman speed climbing". It is pretty impressive, even if you arent a climber.












This was a place I went climbing around Lake Tahoe called Eagle Creek (not to be confused with Eagle lake, where I was working). Just another alpine lake all to myself to play on.












After my last week of work I had a very good friend of mine come out to visit. We ended up taking a climbing trip, which turned out to be the climb of a lifetime. Here again is Lovers Leap. You can see that it is beautiful in its own right, but you cant even imagine how this looks to a climber. I know I have an addiction, but I just cant quit the rock.







After the Leap we headed to Yosemite. We climbed one of the most classic moderate climbs perhaps in the world, if not just North America. The climb is called Cathedral Peak. John Muir climbed in around 1869 and said that it was the first time that he had been to church in California. I know exactly what he meant. We got there early and had the route to ourselves. We had splitter blue skies and beautiful fall weather. It had been snowing and blowing pretty hard the day before, so we got pretty lucky. This picture to the right is not from Yosemite. It is from climbing around San Fransisco. This is on Mt. Tam. It might be hard to see, but there is thick fog rolling into the bay. One of the most beautiful places I have climbed.


Here is another place we climbed around San Fran. This place is called Mickeys Beach. The climbing wasnt much to write home about, but the climbing was literally right over the ocean. It was so amazing, and again we had great weather.

So that is about all for now. I will probably be in Reno until the middle of Nov. and then I am hoping to be working at a ski hill in Colorado. Keep your fingers crossed for me. I hope life is well for you all.












Remember me this way.

Love in abundance,
Dan the man Van Janssen

Where does the time go?

Ello, ello, ello,

Time again for another one of these. Seems like it has been a bit, so let me catch you up. Summer time is drawing to an end, or so it seems. I have one last tour with my crew and then they all go back to school. My time with the NCC is also dwindling. I am in the process of figuring out what to do with myself next and have some promising leads. I'll keep you posted. Anywho, I was recently home for my sisters marriage. You'll have to wait til next time to see photos from it, but it was an awfully good time. It is always so nice to go home and see family.








These first bunch of photos are from my buddy Carl's cabin. It was truly the classic american cabin experience. Shootin' guns, drinkin' beer, and riding. 'Twas my first time on a dirt bike, but I had a blast. Went over the handles bars once, but did it with relative style. This picture here (if you look close) is my buddy and I hanging from our feet on a bridge. It was a liberating feeling





This here is the paw print of a big ol' bear we spooked up while we were riding. We were going up this old logging road and this bear (which must have weighed in at over 500 lbs.) takes off running. I have never seen a bear run before, but it is pretty impressive.








This is a picture of the Sierra Buttes. Some of the most impressive peaks that I have seen in the Sierra's and this was pretty much the view from my buddy's grandparent's cabin. It was the most beautiful, hand built cabin that I have ever seen.









This is an area we were camped at for a week of work. Beautiful as this picture might be, dont be deceived. This area was hell to camp in. There were no trees or shade, relentless sun, and a wide variety of bugs that bit at all times of the day. It made for a long week, but I still wouldn't trade it for an office job.







I finally made another pilgrimage to mecca. I have been to Yosemite a handful of times, but this was my first time climbing there. Oh, goodness gracious. I went with my friends Greg and Angela. We spent three days there and got really lucky with some camping sites. This is a picture of Yosemite falls. It is the fifth largest waterfall in the world (I think). Down in the lower left corner you can see a smaller waterfall that is called lower Yosemite falls.





I did get to do a bit of climbing. Greg and I did this classic easy crack. We didnt do anything too epic, but I shall return to Yosemite many more times in my life. We went out one day with intentions of doing this mega-classic climb but ended up getting lost on the approach. The day wasn't a total loss. We were still in the middle of back country Yosemite with no one else around. Just another alpine lake all to myself.

Well, thats about all for now, folks. Next time I post one of these bad boys up, I will make sure to have some photos of the wedding, and hopefully some good news about my job situation. Til then...

Relentlessly,

Dan

The freedom of the hills

Howdy pals and gals,

Time again for another blog entry. Where to begin... Well I am currently leading a chainsaw crew for the summer. We will be working mostly in eastern NV on an 8 day work schedule. That leaves me with 6 day vacations... how am I ever going to fill up my time?

This first picture here is from a climbing trip I took to south lake Tahoe. This area is called sugarloaf and that is the desolation wilderness behind me. Ironically the desolation wilderness is one of the most used wilderness areas in the united states.






This here picture is from Bishop, CA. These rocks are some of the most famous boulders in american climbing. These are called the buttermilks, and you can see the setting is amazing. My friend brad and I went to bishop for a few days and did as much climbing as we could. We also hit up the most beautiful hot spring that I have ever been to.








In the background of this photo is Mt. Whittney. This is the highest peak in the lower 48. The day we were climbing here was freezing and winds gusting at about 50 mph. I climbed this one route, snapped this photo and we were done climbing. The unpleasant climb was worth this awesome photo. As usual these photos can hardly do it justice... those peaks in the background are over 14000 ft tall. I am hoping to make it back out there in better weather and climb a big route going up Mt. Whittney.








Suprise, suprise, another climbing trip. This time to a place called Echo Lake. This is another alpine lake in the sierras that had just gotten a bunch of snow. My friend and I had other plans for climbing that weekend, but weather lead us to this spot. The climbing wasnt all that great but with the fresh snow was limited access. We hiked in about two miles on this pleasantly warm day and had the entire lake to ourselves. The lake was still frozen and the mountains that surrounded us were covered in snow. We hiked the PCT trail to get to our climb.



This is us coming down from the climb. The climbing may not have been that great but the adventure in itself was amazing. When was the last time you had an alpine lake to yourself? Sorry dont mean to rub it in.... yes I do. I am loving life and not ashamed to it.






I just had a berfday and turned 23, but spent it working sadly. My most recent work trip brought me to a new part of NV and I was so excited to go. We were doing chainsaw work in the Ruby mountains in eastern NV. This is a mountain lion print that i found on the ridge just above our camp... you ever get that feeling that something is watching you?






Here is a picture of what i look at while i work.
We were cutting down small trees to promote the growth of bushes that sustain the huge mule deer population. There are over 25,000 mule deer in this park so they do everything they can to accomodate such an enormous amount.




These are the Ruby mountains. This is the wettest part of NV. This is where the great basin is, and it is so great. I wish that you guys could experiance these places the way that I do.

So that about catches ya up. I am hoping to go to yosemite on the next days off for some climbing. In case you dont know, yosemite is mecca for climbers in the usa. Anywho, until next time gang....











Yo ho, yo hum, my life for me.

The changing of the seasons

Greetings friends,

So much to talk about, so little time. Well first off, I have moved out of Las Vegas (thank god) and am currently residing in Reno. It has been a drastic change, but a good one. This first group of photos is from my last few weeks in Vegas. Surprise, surprise... climbing photos. This first one is from when some old friends of mine came out from the Balck Hills for a week in Red Rock Canyon. It was really a chance encounter. I had no idea they were in the area and luckily we were able to swing a great day of climbing. Sometimes a familiar face is good medicine.


These next two pictures are of an adventure of a lifetime. I knew the climbing would never be quite so opportune as they were in Vegas, so I had to get it while the gettin was good. So Bradley and I had been planning this big climb. It was a 1700' climb. There was a big ledge about halfway up and we intended to sleep on it over night and finish the climb in the morning. It is a very big climb (the biggest one I have done so far) but pretty easy climbing. It is called Solar Slab and is a pretty renown moderate climb worldwide.

This picture here is from where we camped. We climbing about half the route one day and played around on a few smaller climbs. This is me having a celebration smoke with a view I wont ever forget.





When you go out climbing for the day, it is nice because its only for the day. You can get coffee in the morning, have a good day of climbing and get a beer when it is all done. When you are on the rock with someone for an extended time it can be trying. While on a bigger trip like this one, you see people in moments of fear, frustration, and ecstacy. So despite any minor setbacks in our climb, we came and we conquered. This is Brad and I grinning like idiots and saying goodbye to lady Red Rock (for now). The climb we did is in the back round on the big flat looking face to our right.


This was a cool photo I took on my last tour around lake mead. Nothing too exciting about it, I just liked the pattern the sand had made.



Here are a few other things the desert harbors that the average bear might not ever see. This is a blooming beaver tail cactus. While we were working around lake mead, tons and tons of wild flowers were blooming. They may look beautiful, but they have these tiny little hairs that can blow around in the wind and they are mean little bastards.







This hear is a snake of some variety. We were hiking to the work site and I damn near kicked this guy in the head. I walked right over him, but he seemed too sluggish to care. It had some beautiful color on it though.




Well, that sums up the end of my Vegas experiance. Allow me to show the contrast of a new place. I am currently living with 3 roommates, all of which happen to be on my crew. We have a nice little apartment right off of the Trukee river and a cool bike path. It is pretty cold here yet. This is a picture of me drinking a bottle of cheap wine on top of Chikidee ridge. Some friends and I snowshoed up to the top and had lunch. What you may not quite be able to see is Lake Tahoe behind me. It was an amazing view. It was pretty cool too because the chikidee's were so friendly up there that they would eat peanuts right out of your hand. I got a promotion, so when the summer crews come out I will be a crew leader. I am pretty excited about where I am at. There is tons of climbing to be had out here (much of which I am sure will be posted in the future on this blog). So that about does it. I am digging what I do in both work and play. I hope that you too, reader, find joy in this strange journey called life. Until next time...

Peace, love, and understanding,

Saint Daniel William Janssen the First and Last