Trip Report
Snakes were falling from the sky: quick trip to Lover's Leap July 1 2011

by Mike Bolte
Monday July 4, 2011 1:49pm
Quick trip to the Leap. Some campsites open at 1pm on Friday when we arrived. A little warm that afternoon. Saturday morning could hear folks heading off with gear clanking at 6am. By 11am it was 90F.
Had fun.

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1st pitch of Bear's Reach
1st pitch of Bear's Reach
Credit: Mike Bolte
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looking up the 3rd pitch Bear's Reach
looking up the 3rd pitch Bear's Reach
Credit: Mike Bolte
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there were three pairs of aces
there were three pairs of aces
Credit: Mike Bolte
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summit shot
summit shot
Credit: Mike Bolte
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have always liked the little LL campground
have always liked the little LL campground
Credit: Mike Bolte
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Don't go left at the 1st bolt of Hogwild. The kid survived anyway.
Don't go left at the 1st bolt of Hogwild. The kid survived anyway.
Credit: Mike Bolte
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This Rosy (EDIT: Rubber) Boa fell out of the sky and missed Jo...
This Rosy (EDIT: Rubber) Boa fell out of the sky and missed John by a foot. It was a little disoriented but seemed OK otherwise. Two rattlesnakes on the trail back to the parking lot.
Credit: Mike Bolte
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Mike Bolte 		About the Author
Mike Bolte is a trad climber from Planet Earth.

Comments
bluering

Trad climber
Santa Clara, CA
  Jul 4, 2011 - 02:26pm PT
Nice report. I love that place.
jewedlaw

Trad climber
San Francisco, CA
  Jul 4, 2011 - 02:59pm PT
I was there Saturday. Was a scorcher! Someone passed out from dehydration/heat exhaustion while belaying up their second to the top of the first pitch! Yikes!
Ezra Ellis

Trad climber
North wet, and Da souf
  Jul 4, 2011 - 09:29pm PT
NIce TFPU, I hate snakes!
-e
Nice views at the summit...:)
Dirka

Trad climber
Hustle City
  Jul 4, 2011 - 11:27pm PT
Bump!
SCseagoat

Trad climber
Santa Cruz
  Jul 4, 2011 - 11:34pm PT
thanks! I love LL but hate the snakes. I came across several baby rattlers a couple years ago on an approach. susan
phylp

Trad climber
Upland, CA
  Jul 4, 2011 - 11:34pm PT
Snakes from the sky! That would completely freak me out.
Willoughby

Social climber
Truckee, CA
  Jul 5, 2011 - 12:37am PT
Nice!

Since this is sorta about snakes, I should point out that the airborne snake in question was a Rubber Boa, not Rosy. Look mighty similar, but Northern Rubber's (Charina bottae) the only one that ranges that far north.
StahlBro

Trad climber
San Diego, CA
  Jul 5, 2011 - 12:52am PT
Nice TR! Rubber boa for sure. TFPU.
Mike Bolte

Trad climber
Planet Earth
Author's Reply  Jul 5, 2011 - 01:16am PT
Right! We had concluded rubber boa, don't know why I wrote rosy.
giegs

climber
Flagstaff, Arizona
  Jul 5, 2011 - 02:28am PT
Rubber Boas are for lovers. Finding those things is always a highlight.
scuffy b

climber
heading slowly NNW
  Jul 5, 2011 - 11:49am PT
Yippeeee!
Blitzo

Social climber
Earth
  Jul 5, 2011 - 12:00pm PT
I love Rubber boas! They're so cool to handle. They never try to bite.
Mike Bolte

Trad climber
Planet Earth
Author's Reply  Jul 5, 2011 - 11:30pm PT
you know blitzo, this one was a little agitated. since they were little, the kids and I would go on minor expeditions looking for snakes and we caught a bunch of them. So, John had no problem with grabbing this one to see if it had been hurt. It didn't bite, but it was pretty squirmy.

It had a little damage, I think it was dropped by a bird.
Zander

climber
  Jul 6, 2011 - 12:18am PT
Nice!
Joe

Social climber
Santa Cruz
  Jul 6, 2011 - 02:12pm PT
nice Mike...biggest rattlers I've ever seen in my life were at the Leap, and lots of them...
Branscomb

Trad climber
Lander, WY
  Jul 7, 2011 - 12:37pm PT
Those Leap rattlers are aggressive too. A long time ago Garrett, Vard, Treadaway and I had one chase us across the old (no fee) camp. Brrr!

A couple of days ago I was bouldering on the Easy Beehive boulder in the Sinks. The descen is down the slabby west side. So I go up one of the climbs and come down, being real cautious walking through the sagebrush cause that place is alive with rattlers and I don't see any. So I do another thing and this time I come down the same way and as I'm walking around below the slab I see some movement up there and about the time I look up, this rattler about 10,000 feet long cuts loose with the buzz and is so preturbed by me, that he knocks himself off the slab and starts rolling down toward me, just buzzing away like crazy. F*#king scared me to death. I did about a 20 foot jump outta there as he pummelled into the brush.

I know they clean up the rodents and all, but I sure wish I never had to deal with them.
Leishman

Sport climber
Spring Creek, NV
  Jul 7, 2011 - 01:10pm PT
That's wild man!!! Awesome story!!! Clinton
Cain J Waters

Mountain climber
Ithaca, NY
  Jul 7, 2011 - 02:06pm PT
Great story, nice write up. Thanks for sharing. -CW
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