Pocket Wocket

This is a traverse I found and worked when I was in my twenties and a gumby climber.  It took six sessions working it to be able to pull off the drop-in move.  The video was created nine years after the FA and seventeen years ago.  The original FA was in 1997.

I wouldn't have considered myself a boulderer at the time.  But I became obsessed with this elegantly simple line.  Traverse the bullethole pockets on a mostly blank face, slightly overhung with non-existent feet in an arching line to a big move down to a four finger pocket and then a nice jug rail.  I added an extension beyond the original problem which topped out in a nearby rockhouse later.

The movement feels pretty cool.  The setting is nice and quiet.  No one knows about this place.  Watching this old, poor quality video makes me want to slim down like a model and refilm myself climbing it now.

Since I did the FA (and even since I filmed this) the Forest Service has gated the road.  It used to be a really short walk.  It's not a long walk now, but the old gravel road has grown up with weeds and a summer jaunt may be a tick-filled affair and simply not worth it.

The area has a climbing history before my time.  Rumor has it Porter and pals used to go up there and shoot their guns.  As far as I know it's always been known as the Gun Crag.  There's a little bit of roped development there, including a 30 year old sport route that goes at 5.11 and seemed pretty fun as I remember it.  There are two stripped 5.10s Tony and I did.  We called them DayQuil and NyQuil because he was fighting some bug when he bolted them.  They were worthwhile outings.

This is also the location of Dario's first FA.  He may not remember it, but I bolted a pre-Muir Valley 25' route with four bolts and let him get the first lead of it. We called it Ventura Boulevard.  His sister Sarah was with us that day.  Dario was maybe twelve years old.  

Wocket in My Pocket is one of my favorite problems.  I'm certain it was my first V3-V4.  It was way harder than anything else I'd climbed when I sent it.  It has a sublime draw.  Since I came across this video on my computer a few days ago I've thought about it frequently.  Maybe it's time for another visit.