San Diego and quality Flagstaff time

Well, life is pouring by right now and I'm trying to soak up as much as possible. Since I last wrote I spent a week down in San Diego working, visted my Grandma in Palm Desert, and spent 4 awesome days in Flagstaff.

Imperial Sand Dunes on drive to San Diego

San Diego was great as I was able to work with many people I had not seen in some time. The work itself is as good as it gets. Lots of technical rock work. The first couple days for me were spent playing catch up to see where the project was. I was able to build a 20+ ft single tier retaining wall and repair a drain check.

First few stones of wall in place

Finished wall and tread

While not very difficult work in itself it was highlighted by the presence of 2 rattlesnakes in our worksite within 20 minutes of each other. I remember from last year seeing one small one, but these two were both huge with the largest coming out right in the rocks we were working with. A little unsettling to say the least. The snakes were really not scared of us in the least.

First of the rattlesnakes

Second rattlesnake just coming out of its hole feet from where we were working

Waiting for it to leave so we can get back to work



The middle part of my stint in San Diego was spent working down at our largest site where we will be building a drystone swtichback involving 3-4 large retaining walls.

using the rock saw to cut a platform for the blasting box and moving the quarried stones with a griphoist
The past two weeks have been spent quarrying rock and moving it into position, getting our mason lines set up, installing our anchors for our griphoists and planning for how we will blow up some of the rocks. We should start construction next week and everyone is eager awaiting that. I spent 2 extra days working with my boss after the rest of the crew left to learn how the explosives work. It was an awesome two days working one on one with him and blowing up rocks. To use the explosives you drill a 3 foot deep hole in the stone, fill it with water or gel based off the composition of the rock, put in 1-3 explosive charges which are essentially very large shot gun shells, then attached the blasting box over the hole, cover it with a kevlar mat and pull the cord. It detonates the charges expanding the water and sending shocks throughout the stone and splitting it on fractures and veins in the rock. You are then left with much smaller more manageable pieces of rock that can then be discarded or used for construction.

Drilling a boulder for the explosives

Using the trail dozer to clear the remains of the blown up rock

After the last day of work I drove over to Palm Desert to see my Grandma. Then Friday I made the journey back to Flagstaff. Since getting back to Flagstaff it has been non-stop fun with friends. I can see the end of my time here is coming to a close so I am trying to make the most of it. I have been up by 7am everyday and rarely in bed before 3am and somehow have not been tired.
Some of the highlights have been going to the Environmental Education Center where two of my best friends were putting on a reptile exhibit for kids. They had some very cool reptiles and I was able to help out a bit.

Albino king snake at the reptile exhibit.
We have also been cooking a lot of family dinners including a delicious pasta dish on Saturday.
I was able to go climbing one day with my roommates Tyler and Sabine and one of our interns Josh. We headed down to The Pit which is just south of Flagstaff. It was a beautiful day and hardly anyone out there for a Sunday.

Josh just past the crux on Mr. Slate

Pumped out and barely holding on

Popped off and 20ft whipper

The main project of the day was a classic 60ft line there called Mr. Slate which is a 5.10b. Josh first tried to lead it, but came off about 35ft up after the tough overhanging section. He took a nice 20-25ft whipper on it. He tried again with the same result. Tyler then top roped up to the last clip Josh had put in and led to the top with one fall. I then top roped the route to get the moves down and hope to get out and lead it next time I am in Flag.

Finally will be a house BBQ tonight. We will be building a fire pit in the backyard and will be making white russians and having a bunch of friends over. It will be an amazing time.

My job application with Tahoe is moving jumping the hoops. I made the cert. list, had my phone interview and they will be calling my references this week and they said they will be making offers by the 20th. So I am hoping for the best.

I am heading down to San Diego tomorrow for an undecided amount of time. anywhere from one week to a month. I am going a day earlier than everyone else to plan out the coming weeks and get logistics in place.

Amazing people and places. San Diego on the horizon

Another 8 days in the canyon and it was a great success. We got some nasty weather midweek in the form of a snow storm. We are camped at under 4000ft so one can never be sure if it will snow or rain there. Luckily we got snow. I forgot how amazing the canyon is during a storm cycle. There are the tell tale winds the day before it hits that threaten to blow you and your tent over the edge of the canyon. The morning the storm arrives is an eery calm and an amazing sunrise as the first clouds move into the canyon.

Storm arriving

While often warmer than usual in the morning the temperature tends to fall during the day as the storms moves down the canyon. As the storm hits the clouds first rest on either rim and slowly climb down the canyon walls before hitting you. Before long you are enveloped in clouds and can no longer see down to the river or up to the rim. Snow starts to fall and blankets the canyon.

Storm settling down over camp

Then, there is nothing that compares to a clearing storm. When the sun first reappears the snow quickly melts and the canyon becomes alive with ever changing colors. Everything is more vibrant than before. Redder reds, greener greens, incredible sunsets and the birds always start to sing. Waterfalls emerge as the snow continues to melt and you wish you could see everything at once.
By the next day, it is a cloudless sky and most of the snow has melted from the lower elevations and southern faces.


Perhaps the only thing better than the weather was the people. In contention for one of the best crews I have had in my 14 months with ACE, I had blast with them everyday all day.

Staying warm afterwork by the heater


Full of energy and life they were a delight to be with and I will seriously miss them all and hope to visit them in their home countries in the years to come and reminisce about the stormy 8 days we spent together in the Grand Canyon.

Great people


After work I was wanting to run, but my calf still wouldn't let me. Instead I found a wonderful place with some very nice rocks with which to make some sort sculpture. After 3 days of work I had completed a 3 layer stone arch. I then removed one layer each day after that and now there is a large single arch standing there in the canyon until nature decides to remove it.

All 3 layers intact

Bottom layer gone

A single arch remains, for how long?


I had been debating all week on what to do with my 6 days off. Ski trip to the north rim? Backpacking trip on the south rim? Mountain biking in Sedona? Go to San Diego to volunteer with the project down there? Or just enjoy time with friends in Flag? In the end my decision was made for me when I returned. My boss called me into his office and asked if I would like to go down to San Diego this weekend to take over the project going on down there. While I love the canyon, the chance to lead ACE's biggest rockwork project ever was an opportunity I could not pass up. So I get my rental car tomorrow and drive down there for 4 days of rockwork. I will then be back to Flag for 6 days before returning to San Diego for 3 weeks more. They are behind schedule and have to finish by April so it should be a fun challenge to get back on track.

That's all for now. I have much to do to prepare for the project.