Odin's Den

I feel a little like Vasco de Gama after discovering a new cave, dubbed Odin's Den. Just look at those tufas! Judging from the amount of naughty jungle we had to hack through, we are likely the first westerners in the cave...ever. It took me and Jake four days to get to the top of this 200 ft wall, four days weathering Odin's plagues. First he sends choss, the nastiest 5.11 trad climb I have ever done, one of the worst climbing experiences of my life. Then he sends the storm, just as we are about to top out the rain and lightning made us retreat. Finally, he sent the biajo, the local rice wine that has captured my heart and soul at 110 proof. The hangover kept us from the top a number of times.

But then we made it, and what a beautiful cave she is. We spent a day putting in nearly thirty bolts, and with a little help from Colton (with the goatee), we've got about six routes on the wall. None of them have been climbed, it's all so new. Check this out, Colton is the first one ever to climb this.

This cave was used as a hideout from the Japanese during WWII. There is a cool stone wall, you walk through a sweet arch to get into the cave.

So yea, China isn't too bad I guess. Check out my hat, $2 is all I spent. I'll lose it soon, but who cares.