The
5.fun Guide
to
Joshua
Tree
Also known as…
The 50 Year Old
Hip Replacement Recipient’s
Guide to Joshua Tree
By JT Kalnay
www.jtkalnay.com http://jtkalnaynovels.wordpress.com
Chapter 1
Trash Can Rock
This
is
a
super
fun
little
rock
that
serves
as
a
very
gentle
introduction
to
Joshua
Tree.
You
need
some
trad
gear
and
a
80-100’
static
line
anchor
rope.
If
you
have
some
big
cams,
some
big
hexes,
an
anchor
rope,
and
anchor
building
skills,
there
are
at
least
a
dozen
5.fun
routes
on
this
rock.
If
you
come
here
first
you
will
be
ready
for
other
rocks
in
the
park
for
later
in
your
trip.
This
is
also
a
great
rock
to
meet
other
modest
climbers.
As
seen
from
the
south
and
east,
just
after
turning
into
east
parking
lot.
As seen from the west after driving around to the west parking lot.
5.Fun Guide To Joshua Tree
JT Kalnay
Published by jt Kalnay
Copyright 2011, JT Kalnay
This guide includes some fiction which is mostly presented as shameless self-promotion of my novels. While, as in all fiction, the stories in the novels are based on experiences, real or imagined, all names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of my overactive imagination or are used fictitiously. No reference to any
real person is intended or should be inferred.
Discover other titles by jt Kalnay at:
WARNING
Climbing Is An Inherently Dangerous Activity Where You May Be Seriously Injured Or Die. You should not depend on any information in this book for your personal safety. Your personal safety depends solely on your own good judgment, your own good choices, the quality and care of your equipment, and your abilities. There are no warranties, express or implied, that this guide is accurate or that the information in it is reliable. Your use of this guide indicates your assumption of the risks inherent in climbing and is an acknowledgement of your sole responsibility for your climbing safety. This is a guide to an area and to some climbs, it is not an instruction book. The user of this book assumes all risks and responsibilities associated with the practice of the sport and absolves the publisher and author of blame for any accident or injury that may occur through use of the book. Those unfamiliar with the techniques and equipment required to ascend any of the routes described herein are advised to seek professional instruction or to hire a professional guide.
Introduction
I love rock climbing.
I also love Joshua Tree National Park.
Thus, when I am rock climbing in Joshua Tree National Park I am pretty close to Nirvana. I have visited the park a couple of dozen times over the past ten years. Which tells you a lot, because I have to come from Ohio!
This guide provides information that may help you, modest climber, experience some of the same joys, challenges, and peace that are to be found while climbing in the park.
Once upon a time, or maybe “back in the day” as the kids say now, some of the moderate and moderately hard routes were what I did when I came here. Now, after hip replacement and too many good meals, it’s the 5.fun and easy routes that interest me. They
present the challenge now that other routes provided back then.
This 5.fun guide is intended for the climber who maybe can’t walk as far as the other climbers, who maybe can’t climb routes as hard as other climbers, who likes someone else to make breakfast, who will probably pick up a small gift for the grandchildren or the children or nieces and nephews before returning home, and who gets excited on the rock no matter what the ratings say. Thus, this guide only discusses the 5.fun routes. All the routes are visible in the photographs, and many other excellent guides will provide you information about the 5.hard routes that are interwoven with thte
5.fun routes.
This 5.fun guide is organized into chapters that each represent an entire days of climbing for someone like me, a 50 year old (at the time of writing) hip replacement recipient who on his good days climbs 5.7 gym routes that are thirty feet long and on his average day climbs 5.4 routes and has more fun doing so than pretty much anyone else.
Town and Getting There
I like someone else to make breakfast (and supper), so I frequently eat here, at Crossroads Café. It is on the south side of Highway 62 about 100 yards from Park Blvd. Check its website for when it is open.
I usually park in back, so this is what the back looks like.
Here’s a closer look at the front.
Here’s a couple of photos from the inside. (SHAMELESS SELF PROMOTION: I wrote The Keeper sitting at the corner table in here…)
Watch out that this guy doesn’t get you… I’ve never seen one of these in the park. I have, however, seen coyotes, rattlesnakes, lots of bees, and stink bugs. The bees are interested in your water, which can include your sweat. The bees can be aggressive for water.
Don’t bug the stink bugs. In case you don’t know what a stink bug looks like, here’s a picture. Give these guys a wide berth or your vacation day might get ruined.
While you’re still in town, there are other places to eat and to get stuff. Here’s a couple of the other places to eat that are also located on the south side of Route 62 near the intersection with Park Blvd. This place has date shakes.
This place has lots of healthy stuff. My crunchy granola friends eat
here while I slop down cheese and bacon omelets at Crossroads…
You might need some stuff (e.g., gear, clothing), so there are a couple places to get stuff. Once again, please check their websites for their open hours. The first place for stuff is on the south side of Route 62, right beside Crossroads Café. You can rent stuff (e.g., bouldering pads, guide books, camping gear) here. You can also buy t-shirts.
Another place to get gear is on the south west corner of the intersection of Route 62 and Park Blvd. Here’s the sign as seen from Route 62, approaching from the west. You can buy stuff here.
When approaching from the West, you turn right at that stop light and then you are on Park Blvd, and just 5.1 miles from the park entrance.
Here’s another look at the front of the place to get gear. They usually have someone working here who actually knows something about the gear being sold or about the guide book you are considering buying. If you are going to Trash Can Rock you either need four cams sized BD#2 and larger, or you need a 100’anchor rope, or you need some large hexes. Yep, these things cost you some $$$, but they are well worth it. You will discover that there aren’t a lot of top anchors at Joshua Tree. You aren’t at the Red River Gorge, you aren’t at the New River Gorge, you are at a place where you have to know how to build a top rope anchor out of either gear or a really long piece of anchor rope.
Across the street from Nomad Ventures is a cool little store where you can get stickers and other little presents for the kids and grandkids.
Just 50 yards south on Park Avenue are two more good places to visit. The first is the National Park Service Visitor center where you can get maps and information about things like road closings, cliff closings (raptors), tours, and other stuff that is useful to know before you drive ten or more miles into the park…
The Visitor Center as seen from the parking lot of the gear store.
The front door of the National Park Visitor Center, check their website for open hours. (See what I mean about road closure information…)
The second is the coffee shop located right beside it. There’s nothing like to-go espresso to calm the nerves before climbing… The front door of the Park Rock Café (free Wi-fi while sipping your espresso).
Okay, you’ve had breakfast and got coffee and checked the National Park Visitor Center and are ready to head up to the park for a full day of climbing at Trash Can Rock.
From the Visitor Center, which is 100 yards from the intersection of Route 62 and Park Blvd, it is exactly 5.0 miles to the Park Entrance. You head south on Park Avenue. You will be going uphill, up a gently twisting road that gains 1,000 feet of altitude on its way to the park entrance. You might feel your ears pop. The speed limit switches randomly between 55 mph, 45 mph, 35 mph, and 25 mph. I’ve never figured it out, but I’ve never seen a radar gun here either…
After
4.9
miles
you
will
see
this
sign.
The
Park
Entrance
In another 100 yards you will see the park entrance.
Yes you have to pay to get into a National Park. If you didn’t stop at the Visitor Center to get a map, you can get one here at the kiosk. Also, just to the right of the entrance kiosk there are bathrooms and water and information in case you forgot to get water in town. You are going into the high Mojave Desert, please consider bringing at least a gallon of water per person per day. It’s the desert, ‘nuff said.
The Bathrooms
The Water
The Water (you can buy a lot with coins).
Or you can drink a little from the fountain…
Okay, you’ve had breakfast, got your map, gone to the bathroom (again), and got your water.
It’s time to head up to Quail Springs and Trash Can Rock. Reset your trip odometer and get ready to go 5.9 miles from the Park Entrance.
After 5.8 miles you will see this sign on the right side of the road.
A little closer…
Turn Right! And you have arrived. You can either park on the road (east) side of the rock, where there are a half a dozen parking spots, or you can drive around to the west side where there are a couple of dozen parking spots, and a bathroom, and picnic tables, and recycling containers, and a nice view of the desert.
Here’s the rock viewed from the south east side as you enter.
I usually don't park on the east side. I usually drive around to the west side where the bathrooms are (and where I can use the blue tag in my windshield...). Here's the rock as viewed from the west side.
Leave No Trace
Lots of people visit this rock, and lots of people can equal lots of impact. You can minimize your impact by using the bathrooms, trash containers, and recycling containers provided at Trash Can Rock. Other parts of the Park are much more primitive, where you will pack in and pack out everything. At Trash Can Rock, there are facilities and containers so that you don’t have to pack things out. I highly recommend using these facilities to minimize your impact. To reinforce the Leave No Trace ethic, I am including the following three photos…
Here’s the bathroom on the West side of the rock.
Here’s
the
trash
containers
on the
west
side
of the
rock.
Here’s the recycling containers on the west side of the rock.
The bathroom and recycling containers are very useful landmarks for finding the third class ascent that provides top access so you can set top ropes. As you are standing right where this picture was taken, the bathrooms are at your ten o’clock, the recycling containers are at your twelve o’clock, trash can rock is at your two o’clock, and the ascent is on the left most side of the rock, which is seen directly behind the recycling containers. The third class ascent starts at the low spot directly behind the rightmost green and white recycling symbol.
The
leftmost
arrow
in
this
photo
points
to
the
start
of
the
ascent.
The
ascent
goes
from
left
to
right
up
the
boulders
as
indicated.
The
arrows
are
photo-shopped
in.
You
won’t
find
them
when
you
are
actually
at
Trash
Can
Rock.
Here
are
some
photos
taken
while making
the
3rd
class
ascent.
This is
located
on the
north
side
of the
rock.
Sticky Rubber is useful here, and really on the entire ascent. Consider putting on your rock climbing shoes before trying the 3rd class ascent.
Sticky Rubber is useful here, and really on the entire ascent. Consider putting on your rock climbing shoes before trying the 3rd class ascent.
There
is
one
tricky
and
dangerous
spot
on
the
3rd
class
ascent.
It’s
a
step
across
a
20’
chasm.
It’s
not a
big
step,
but
it
is
a
step.
Markus
is
just
getting
ready
to
step
across.
He is looking down into the pit. Stop and take a deep breath before stepping across the pit.
Look
for
this
horizontal
dike
on
the
way
up
to
make
sure
you
are
on route.
Look for these features to be sure you are on route.
You can also start the third class ascent on a more direct path. Here is the “direct start” looking back to the parking lot. Some grandparents use this “climb” to introduce their grandchildren to the park.
You
reach
this
point
after
about
three
minutes
on
the
first
path.
Both
paths reach
this
point, where
there
is a
big
step
across
a
pit…
This is looking back to the bathroom just before the step across. You started out down on the flat where the arrow is located.
You have to step across this big pit. Look where to put your feet and hands. You can see the stance in this photo.
This is the big pit. It’s 20’ down. Be
careful!
This
is
me stepping
across
the big
pit.
It’s
an
easy
move,
but
you
have
to
calm
your
breathing
first
and
place
that
left
foot carefully.
If
you
are
unsure,
have
someone
short
rope
or
even
belay
you
across.
It is a 20’ drop if you blow the move! Notice that I have my sticky
rubber shoes on…
This first chapter is set at Trash Can Rock in Quail Springs. The approach is about 15 yards long, there is a bathroom, and there are picnic tables. There are three sides you can climb on and one you can scramble on so no matter what the weather or time of day you can find either sun or shade and maybe even get out of the wind. The picnic tables are useful both for sitting at, for eating at, and for practicing setting the anchor on top of Trash Can Rock.
There are no fixed anchors on top of Trash Can Rock. So, you are going to have to know how to build an anchor. There are different ways to build anchors on top of Trash Can Rock. The easiest anchors require a 100’ long static anchor rope that you can wrap around 100 ton boulders on the top. Think of the boulder as being a really really big tree. If you know how to build an anchor using a tree, then you know how to build an anchor using a 100 ton boulder. By wrapping the different boulders on top, and by thoughtful placement of a directional cam, several different routes can be climbed from the different boulder anchors.
The next easiest anchors require four cams (BD#1, BD#2, BD#3, BD#) two 48” slings, and a 50’ anchor rope (the 100’ anchor rope can be used here). Two of the cams are placed in a crack that is “on the floor” while you are standing on top. If you aren’t familiar with placing cams into the earth below your feet, this is something you will want to practice before climbing at Trash Can Rock. You can simulate a ground crack by putting a couple of 2x4s on your floor. Stand on the 2x4s and put your cams in between them. The other two cams for the anchor are placed in a horizontal crack. However, this horizontal crack is under a boulder, so you have to get on your hands and knees to place them. The tops of formations at Joshua Tree do not provide eye high placements like on your favorite crag.
Here is a photo of the horizontal crack. The horizontal crack is under the 100
ton
boulder
that
you
can
wrap
with
your
100’
anchor
rope!
You can wrap this boulder
You can sit here
Cams go here
Cams go here
If
you
have
wrapped
this
boulder,
and/or
built
the
anchor
underneath
it,
then
you
will
have a
rope
dropped
like
this.
You wrapped this boulder
You can also wrap this boulder
You can also wrap this boulder
Master point goes here
The master point is partway down the crack that is "on the floor'' on top of Trash Can Rock. If you didn't go up the ascent, then you might have lead this crack, in which case you would be building a gear anchor right here. You need BIG cams or a BIG (e.g., yellow) tri-cam.
The picnic tables at Trash Can Rock are a real good place to practice building your anchor before you go up on top. See the cracks on top? You stand on the picnic table, place the cams under your feet, and build your anchor. Please consider practicing this before going up top… If you are going to lead, please consider building a gear anchor (or two) at the bottoms of the cracks before leading up and trying to figure out how to build a gear anchor at the top of the crack, on lead….
A
picnic
table
has
“cracks”
in
between
the
boards
so
you
can
practice
placing
your
cams
and
building
your
top
rope
anchor
using
those
cracks.
If
you
stand
on
top
of
the
picnic
table,
it
is
exactly
like
what
you
will
be
doing
on
top.
Also,
the
picnic
table
can
simulate
a
100 ton boulder so you can practice building your 100’ anchor rope anchor by rapping it around the picnic table. If you’d like, you can also practice tying knots and setting up anchors and setting up rappels using the picnic table legs as two trees. These picnic tables weigh a LOT and I’ve practiced on them more than once. In fact, I spend some time building anchors at the Trash Can Rock picnic tables on my first day each year at Joshua Tree.
Okay, so you’ve practiced your knots, made sure you have everything you need to build your anchor, practiced building your anchor, and are ready to access the top and build that top rope anchor.
There are at least two ways to access the top of Trash Can Rock. You can either lead a 5.1 that takes lots of gear, (especially large hexes) or you can scramble up third class terrain that includes a couple of easy but potentially puckering bouldering moves, one of which crosses a pit. This guide describes both ways to access the top.
Since there are no fixed anchors, that means there is no way to rappel off Trash Can Rock without leaving some stuff behind. Even if you want to leave some stuff behind, it can still be a little tricky to rap off Trash Can Rock for us mere mortals. Thus, the descent down the third class ascent, including reversing the couple of boulder moves, is one way to get down. Also, down-leading the 5.1 route that you lead to gain access is another way to get down.
As in all rock climbing, part of the experience includes your decisions in gaining access to the top and then figuring out how to get down. If you are unsure whether you can safely gain top access or whether you can safely retreat from the top, then hiring a professional guide or going out with a harder climbing and more experienced mentor is likely appropriate.
Trash Can Rock Routes
These photos start at the left side as viewed from the west side and then proceed counter clockwise around the rock. If it looks like a route, and if it looks like I’m pointing at it, and it’s a green dotted line, then it’s a 5.fun route.
If it looks like a route and I am making a “don’t climb here” face
or gesture, and if it’s a red dotted line, then it’s a 5.hard route…
The green dotted lines are 5.fun routes.
The yellow dotted lines are 5.moderate routes. The red dotted lines are 5.are-you-crazy routes.
Unnamed Unnamed Karpkwitz
Karpkwitz
B3
Unnamed B3
You can lead B3 or get top access from the 3rd class ascent. Then you can build a gear anchor to top rope B3, unnamed, and Karpkwitz. These can all be done with a cam as a directional on the top of B3 if you sling the main boulder on the top directly up from Profundity.
B3 Profundity B2
Profundity. This is a really fun slab route that will test whether you trust your feet. You can do it from the same top rope as B3 (to its left) or B2 (to its right). Sling the main boulder on top (where I was sitting earlier) and then use a cam as a directional.
Profundity B2 Tiptoe
B2 is a great gear lead and can be top roped from the same anchor as Profundity and TipToe. Tiptoe is easier than Profundity, and
gives you a great feel for what the harder Profundity will be like. To climb Tiptoe, remember to keep your butt OUT and back and over your feet. You really have to trust your feet and remember that this
is a slab climb, not a face climb. There are no holds to pull down on. There are only smears and places to put your palms down. You can get “Josh palm” on this route.
Wrap this rock
Tiptoe B1
B1 is the 5.funnest route (easiest) on the west side and is suitable for leading to gain top access. You need lots of big cams (e.g., BD2, BD3) and also a couple of big hexes. You use big gear (e.g., 3” to
5”) for this big crack at the bottom and then medium gear (e.g., 1” to
3”) for the top. Also, three medium sized nuts are useful for this lead. After you crack and face climb to just above the plates, the angle eases off and it turns into a slab climb that you protect by putting cams down at your feet. Here’s a link to a 2:45 video on You Tube of the author leading this route. (he placed the gear on an earlier ascent).
http://www.youtube.com/user/JTKALNAY#p/a/u/1/UKIZCIE8Qr8
Wrap this rock
B1 Walkway Baby
Point
Five
Walkway and Baby Point Five can both be climbed from the same top rope. If you have slung the main boulder at the top, you can put a directional directly over Baby Point Five. Or, you can
build a separate gear anchor under the rock just to the right of the top of Baby Point Five, or you can sling the boulder just to the right of Baby Point Five.
Walkway Baby
Point
Five Tulip
Bimbo Eschar History
Cranny
Eschar is a good trad lead for gaining access to set the top rope for Bimbo, Tulip, and Baby Point Five. You need some small nuts (.5”) for the crack at the bottom, and then medium cams (e.g., BD.75, BD1) for the middle, and then a big cam and an anchor rope for the top anchor. History is a crazy hard face climb. Cranny is a fun route that goes up double cracks. On top rope it is green, it is well into yellow if you try to lead it.
Two
unnamed
routes.
Neither
of
these
routes
sees
a
lot
of
traffic.
But
if
you
are
at
Trash
Can
Rock
and
the
other
routes
are
full,
the
Unnamed
on
the
left
can
be
done
and
then
you
can
build
a
top
anchor
for
the Unnamed
on
the
right.
The
unnamed
on
the
right
is
a very
challenging
slab
and
face
climb.
It
might
actually
be
red,
not
yellow,
and
there
is one
move
on
the
Unnamed
on
the
left
that
might
make
it
actually
yellow
instead
of
green.
The
anchors
for
these
two
routes
can
be
more
challenging
to
build
on
top.
You
really
need
your
100’
anchor
rope.
Three
unnamed
routes.
These
two
green
routes
are
also
rarely
climbed,
which
is
a
shame.
They
are
two
of
my
favorite
routes
to
do on
top
rope.
The
anchor
is
very
easy
to
build
because
you
only
have
to
wrap
the
boulder at
the
top
with
your
100’
anchor
rope.
You
can
scramble
all
the
way
over
here
from
the
third
class
ascent.
Or,
you
can
lead
the
Unnamed
on
the
right
to
build
the
gear
anchor
or boulder wrap
anchor
for
Unnamed
on the
right.
The
unnamed
in the
middle
will
challenge
the
hardest
hard
man…
This
is
the
last
“route”
on
the
west
side.
It
is
probably
3rd
or
4th
class
terrain,
and
is about
20’
high.
It
is an
excellent
place
to
practice
trad
leading.
See
if
you
can
get
ten
pieces
in
and
then
build
a
three
piece
anchor.
Then
bring
up
your
“second”
and
show
them
what
you
did.
This
is
a
great
first
“climb”
in the
morning
and
a
great
first
“climb”
at
Joshua
Tree.
The
kids
don’t
have
to
know
that
it’s
fourth
class
terrain….
Back
when
I
was
climbing
harder
I
walked
past
this
route
a
dozen
times.
Now
I
visit
my
new
friend
on
every
trip.
Remember,
this
is the
5.fun
guide,
and
this
route
is
a
lot
of
fun
for
the
occasional
trad
leader
and
for
his
kids
or
grandkids.
Also,
this
is
a
good
route
for
introducing
the
physically
challenged
to
climbing
because
you
can
“butt-scoot”
up if
you
can
do pullups.
Helping a recovering veteran who is missing part of a leg or part of an arm climb this route is a very worthwhile way to spend an hour!
Unnamed Filch Unnamed
Filch is on the south side of the rock. It has some off-width properties. See how it is wider than my fist? If you’ve ever heard the term “heinous off width” and wondered what people meant, you can experience it here! You too can have a story about scumming up a heinous off-wdith.
BIG cams (e.g., BD4, BD5), BIG hexes, and the yellow tri-cam are useful for leading this crack. If you have a Big Bro, you can use it here.
A
more
distant
view
of the
big
Filch
crack
as
seen
from
the
south.
When
you
get
to
the
“fork
in
the
crack”,
it’s
easier
to
go
left,
and
harder
to
go
right.
Going
right
gives
you
top
access
to
set
anchors
for
the
routes
on the
east
(road)
side
of
the
rock.
Wrap This Boulder
Cams Go Here
Wallaby Crack
This is the first 5.fun route on the east side. Most people will argue that this is a 5.moderate or 5.hard. I was able to do it, so it gets a 5.fun, but only because I was on top rope. I wouldn’t even consider leading this crack on trad unless I was solid at 5.10. This is a yellow or red lead. You can build a gear anchor in the crack or use your 100’ anchor rope to wrap the boulder in the left.
Hermaneutic
This
route
is
hard.
Those
little
Russian
men
are
EXPERT
climbers
who
were
leading
this
on
gear.
(Actually
they’re
not
so
little,
they
are
“regular”
sized
climbers.
I
just
happen
to
be
GINORMOUS
(nearly
7’
tall
in
some
photos)
If
someone
has
a
top
rope
on
this
and
you
want
to
get
your
5.fun
butt
spanked,
then
by
all
means
go
ahead.
But
this
is NOT
a
5.fun
route.
Sawdust Cracks
Flutter By (5.12b)
Butterfly
Crack
This
is
also
not
a
5.fun
route.
Not
even
fun
on
top
rope.
5.10
climbers
fall
off
this
and
curse
the
grade
in
the
guide
book.
5.fun
climbers
ruin
their
vacation
by
trying
this
route.
The
sawdust
cracks
are
also
for
hard
men,
not
for
5.fun
climbers.
If
there
are
people
climbing
these,
you
can
watch
them,
ooh
and
ahh
at
suitable
times,
and
then
ask
them
to
retrieve
your
gear
from
the
top
so
you
don’t
have
to…
This is as far as you can go on east side. We have walked all the way around. So let’s go back to the west side where the routes are easier and in the afternoon sun. I like the afternoon sun because I am usually here in October and April, both of which make me happy for afternoon sun.
The West Side. Lots of fun.
Not
too
tall,
easy
to
gain
top
access,
easy
to
lead,
afternoon
sun
(actually late morning to sunset sun).
There are bolts in the blank spot behind him, in between the cracks. The bolts are used by 5.hard climbers who want to lead the slab. Those people are just plain CRAZY!!!
There
are
six
5.fun
routes
in
this
picture.
He
is
directly
above
the
5.funnest, which is the easiest trad lead that takes you all the way to the top of the rock. There are easier trad leads to the right of this route, but they don't go all the way to the top of the rock. If you
can build a anchor at his feet.
He
used
his
100’
anchor
rope
to
wrap
the
middle
boulder
touching
his
left
hip.
Now he is rapping down so you get a feel for the scale of the route. The rapping is all down a slab, so you don’t ever actually hang all your weight on the rope. This is important for hip-replacement recipients like me.
So, I hope you enjoyed your day at Trash Can Rock. Here’s another shameless
self-promotion…
If you’re sitting around wondering what to read while having lunch or waiting for your climbing partners, please consider The Keeper, which is set partly in Joshua Tree National Park, or Mina’s Eyes, which involves a lot of climbing. The Pattern also includes climbing in Yosemite, Colorado, and on the gritstone in England.
If you would like, get in touch with me and I will send you a promo code for the free version of The Keeper.
Good luck, and I hope you enjoyed your day at Trash Can Rock. I will be preparing other chapters to cover other 5.fun crags including Hall of Horrors, Short Wall, Echo Cove, Echo Rock, Sargent Rock, Right On, Thin Wall, and others.
Rock on. JT Kalnay
Here’s a link to a 34 second video about The Keeper.
The video is shot in Joshua Tree National Park.
http://www.youtube.com/user/JTKALNAY#p/u/4/wo_ztpe1DG0
Read What Smashwords Readers Are Saying About JT’s Climbing Book:
The Keeper
Review
by:
fred
on
Oct.
01,
2011
:
The author came to our reading group and did a reading and gave us codes so we went ahead and read his book. We were shocked that an unknown author like this could put out such a spell-binding tale. We are going to read another one of his books soon, and we hope we like it as much. He won't be unknown for long!
Review
by:
sw1
on
Sep.
18,
2011
:
I had to read this book twice to figure out all the time travel. It was really fun to try to figure out who was who and when was when. I think you'll like this book too!
Review
by:
doodaa
on
Sep.
13,
2011
:
Amazing read! I really enjoyed the book. Looking forward to reading more from this writer.
(reviewed the day of purchase)
Review
by:
Lyle
on
Sep.
10,
2011
:
This is a great story. All of J.T.'s books are worth the read!
Please enjoy this sample of The Keeper
Joshua Tree National Park
October 1999
“This is it?” TK asks. “Yes,” Amy answers.
The man approaches the boulder, examines it, walks around it, touches it. He traverses left to right, examines some more, then traverses back.
“It starts here?” he asks.
“There,” she answers, pointing to a flake and a crystal.
He approaches, touches, steps back.
“Can I see?” he says.
She approaches the rock. She bows to it, touches it, and steps on. Left, up, right, over, she moves.
He notices that her eyes are closed.
She pauses, reaches, reaches, and peels off the rock, landing on the soft desert sand.
“I’d say you have that sequence wired,” TK says.
“Yes. But that’s all the further I can get. I can’t get past there.” “Again?” he asks.
“Sure,” she says.
This time she does not bow, she simply steps on and moves. She falls at exactly the same place, her feet coming to rest in the same dust spots on the desert floor.
“Any ideas?” she says.
He pauses, thinks. Closes his eyes and visualizes her moving on the rock.
“Yes.”
“Well?” she demands.
“You may not like it, but I’ll tell you anyway. And it’s something you already know. You know this rock too well. You know this particular failure too well. You have embraced this failure, focused on the failure, and cannot see past the failure. The failure is your fixation. Yesterday’s problem was harder. You should be able
to do this. You know that.”
“I know I should be able to do it,” she says. “That’s no help. What do I do?”
He thinks. Looks up, sees a red-tailed hawk slowly turning in the thermals coming off the desert floor.
“You have to make it new.”
“New? How? That’s impossible. This rock is billions of years old…” He scans the rock, scans the desert, hears the Hawk kee-kee above. “Try it topless,” he says.
Her brown eyes widen, take him in.
“Trying to help me or trying to help you?” she says.
“You,” he answers. “I’ll go over there, where you can see I can’t see.”
He starts to walk away.
“No,” she says. “Stay.” She strips off her top, and then her shorts, and then her panties. She approaches him, touches her necklace to his in a ritual-like motion,
and then approaches the rock. He can’t help but notice the tone of her skin, the tightness of her muscles, the beauty and perfection of youth all tied together in the boldness. Her upturned breasts. He looks back up, to the hunter circling above.
She touches the rock, steps on, floats to the falling point, looks over her shoulder, and easily moves on, topping out a moment later.
She beams down at him from above. Naked. Unabashed. Glowing in the success.
He stares. Hard. Smiles. Collects her clothes and piles them at the base of the
boulder.
“My project is over there,” he says. He points to a distant formation.
Meet me there. He sets off at a trot.
“Any ideas?” he asks.
“If you weren’t married I’d tell you to try it naked,” she says. “With me…”
He tries not to, but laughs. A little sound at first, but one that grows into a sound that echoes back and forth across the canyon.
“But it might help if I get naked,” she says. “It’s already worked once today. There’s nobody else out here, and I kind of like the feel of the desert on my skin.” She undresses and then once again touches her medallion to his.
“Now try,” she says. “While I suspect you’re thinking more about me than the
rock.”
He touches his project.
It feels different beneath his fingers, beneath the thin sticky rubber of his shoes. He knows it will go. Knows. Dissolves into this moment, this spot. Becomes the motion.
It goes. He returns to the girl, touches his medallion to hers, mirrors her stylized ritual.
“Thanks,” he says.
She steps into his arms, kisses his chest, his neck, his mouth.
He lifts her, carries her to the base of the rock, deposits her gently on the sand.
Here’s a 49 second video about Mina’s Eyes.
It starts on Gunsmoke in Joshua Tree National Park.
http://www.youtube.com/user/JTKA`LNAY#p/u/3/-43YzRfFccA
Read What Others Are Saying About JT’s Climbing Romance: Mina’s Eyes
Amazon Reader: An ingenious plot holds the twofold heights of romance and personal ascendancy against jagged hazards. Mina, a ballerina who can no longer perform is a prodigious rock climber. Like Kane, an older doctor/writer she comes to know in Sardinia, she is bereaved yet ready to try a new relationship. The flow of it with ties of rope, sympathy, and attraction, are told in prose that alternates between their breathtaking climbs and their measured emotions near the sea. In this, the dialogue hints of more than the publicized death of Mina's spouse and children, especially as Mina is so concerned to believe that Kane is a good man.
With the appearance of Mina's old friend and consort Fabrizzio, the relationship turns with the tension of Mina's past. Kane is a clever man, able to gently and humorously retaliate at Mina's public self and her front with reporters. His patience and his writer's belief in observation gradually bring him into confrontation with other truths about Mina and with the danger that she courts.
Mina's Eyes unravels with the tension, footing, and peremptory triumph of rock climbing while the falls of these capable characters come with shock. It's a thrilling, contemplative, and satisfying read.
Amazon Reader:
A compelling tale of love found and love lost. Dr. Kane and the one-time prima ballerina Martina -- Mina -- share a common passion for rock climbing and they also share dark and tragic past lives. The month they spend together on the magical island of Sardinia seemed to be just the balm they needed to soothe prior heartaches and quiet those memories even too painful to give voice to. Their budding romance is further complicated by a sinister figure from Mina's past who is hell bent on keeping his Svengali-like hold on her. In this well-written story fraught with both physical dangers and mental anguishes destined to destroy these star-crossed lovers, you have to ask yourself: can they overcome their personal demons and find even the smallest sanctuary hidden among the rocky shoals of this island paradise? Do yourself a favor, read Mina's Eyes and find out.
Amazon Reader:
So many modern romances have become a comedy of errors. Some small hiccup in communication snowballs and it takes 200 pages for the quirky well- meaning couple to get their acts together. But this is not one of those novels. Kane and Martina (Mina) have lived the complicated lives of reality. They have seen loved ones pass, fought for their careers, and come to terms with their choices. In this touching story, Kane and Martina must each push through the worst in their lives and themselves for the chance to be together. It is a stirring complicated romance that reminds us that just because life is rarely simple does not mean it can't be beautiful.
Amazon Reader:
This novel combines beautiful scenery with well-developed characters in an easy to read love story. Follow the story of Dr. Kane, the gentle, patient, handsome doctor who is in Italy on a humanitarian visit with a children's clinic, as he meets and falls in love with the beautiful but troubled former ballerina turned world class rock climber, Mina. Exquisitely written with a flair for detail and description of
the scenic Mediterranean coast, you will be surprised as the story unfolds in several unexpected turn of events. The read is perfect to relax with on a sunny beach and as a means to escape to Italy! I liked it and think you will too.
Please Enjoy This Sample of Mina’s Eyes
Dorgali
Martina looked back over her shoulder to savor the valley, the clay tiled roofs in the Sardinian town, and the mountains beyond. Its beauty washed over her, and for one moment she was at peace. Tranquility. Where had it gone? Had it
vanished forever on that windswept beach? Or did it simply lay dormant, waiting, for a time like this, for a place like this, and for a man she could love. If she could ever love again.
Martina turned back to the rock, chalked her strong hands, and started up. Her blue gray Nordic eyes explored, discovered, then caressed pockets, edges, and other imperfections in the near perfect limestone. Her hands and feet glided ever upwards in a vertical dance, reminiscent of her days on the stage, filled with grace and power. Sometimes the movements took her back to when her long lost daughters had danced alongside her in their gossamer gowns as Tchaikovsky
soared and filled the theater and set souls free. But today the rhythm took her
elsewhere, nowhere near those memories, but rather up and up, over the roofs, over the valley, over the limestone cliff to the heights above.
Kane watched her as she ascended. His back against an ancient pine that had been twisted by the wind, his pack lay at his feet. He'd seen her here before, a few days ago, and had returned each day hoping to see her again, thinking this time the spell would be broken, his words would be freed, and he could speak again. Kane climbed too. But not like Martina. He understood her mastery, knew on some level that only a few could do what she did, and maybe none better. That first day, after she'd gone, he'd tried the routes she'd climbed. Impossible to him. Couldn’t make the first moves. And she’d climbed them alone, no partner, no rope, no bonds.
At his hotel he'd Googled her, because he thought he'd recognized her. Not as a climber, but as a dancer. A dancer he thought he'd met, or at least seen before. He was almost certain he'd found her, learned who she was. Her face was unique.
High Russian cheekbones draped with deep Argentinean skin. But it was those
graceful ballet like steps that gave the most important clue, even though her right leg moved differently than her left. Article after article on page after page detailed her long career, her ascension to the Bolshoi, her mastery of the art, her romances with Baryshnikov, and others. Her crippling injury and forced retirement. And then the story ended almost completely just three years earlier. More searching, hours unending, and Kane finally found an article, an obituary, in a Buenos Aries newspaper, and then Kane understood why the pages ended, why she had withdrawn from the spotlight, from the worldwide forum that she had ruled, both on and off the stage.
“La Regina” the articles had called her. But no more. In his emergency room, “the emerge”, his refuge, he'd witnessed firsthand the carnage wrought on those left behind, and he had used it remorselessly in his writing, without conscience. The second story, or was it the first, or tenth? They had made him rich, and for a
while, not so much famous as notorious. But no more. There had been no words in many years.
He watched her finish the climb, then he stood and walked towards her at a pace he hoped would put him at the base of the cliff at the precise moment that she would arrive back in the horizontal domain. His heart beat faster, his mouth went dry, and he realized he had no idea what to say, or how to say it. He was, quite simply, at a loss for words. He recognized that this was both an ironic and, lately, chronic state.
At the base of the cliff, Martina sat in the early morning sun. Her long blonde hair whisped over her bronzed shoulder by the gentle Mediterranean breeze. She drank and smiled, half closed her eyes. In repose, the little damages melted away, and she was at peace, at rest.
"Bon giorno," Kane said.
She lifted her chin, opened only one eye, and answered softly, "Bon giorno". Kane pointed at the cliff while he pantomimed climbing.
"This piece is very hard, mas difficile."
"Si," she replied. Her chin dropped, her eye closed in partial dismissal. "Can I ask you something? To show me something?" Kane asked.
Her chin lifted again, her eye opened again, registering partial, but only partial interest. Kane dropped his pack, removed a rope, and pointed at the climb.
"Can you show me how you did, how you did..." his voice drifted off, perplexed, stymied by the words he did not know. So he turned a hip, extended a leg, placed his hand just so, and rocked his weight towards his hand.
She watched his dance. Drank. Thought. She looked at his deep tan, his
thinning hair, his wiry frame and tight forearms. She considered his face, thought she saw something genuine, and no awe. No fawning, no grasping, no desperation for a smile or word, for a moment of her time. Just an older man, looking at a woman, a climber asking another climber for advice on how to move. She drank again.
"Si," she said, surprising herself.
"Grazi", Kane said after the lesson.
He extended his hand to shake hers. She took it. Their calloused fingers and calloused hands clasped firmly, solidly. For a moment their eyes met while their hands remained clasped. And then, surprising herself again, she stepped towards him and kissed the air beside both his cheeks.
"Prego", she answered.
Kane began coiling the rope. Martina also began packing.
"You go?" she asked. She pointed down the trail, down the valley, towards the orange tiled roofs and narrow alleys in the town.
"Si," Kane answered, "to Cala Gognone, not Dorgali." "Me too," Martina said. "I walk."
"I hitched a ride", Kane said.
"You walk with me?" Martina asked. "Sure", Kane managed.
"I think you are a good man," Martina said, "and it is too far for a good man to go alone. You come?"
Kane thought about all the days and miles and hallways he'd walked alone these last lonely years of self-imposed exile. The gaping emptiness that was his constant companion threatened for a moment to consume him, to draw him in and sink him in the morass of self-doubt and self-loathing that had been his companion these last years. Then it released him ever so slightly. He breathed deeply, more deeply than he had since, well, since before. It was like that. There was before, and there was now.
"Si," he answered.
"Thank you for the walk," Kane said. "Prego," Martina answered.
They stood just outside her hotel, an ancient seaside home run by two
Sardinian brothers, both of whom glared proprietarily out the open front door. The late morning sun dazzled off the bay by the beach. He fumbled for something to say. In their hour long walk from the cliff to the town neither had spoken. For Martina it had been one of the most pleasant hours in recent memory. Spent with a man, a good-looking older man, a man who climbed, though not so well, who could ask for her help, and who could walk through the most beautiful, most amazing countryside without intruding on her thoughts as she let it all just become part of her. For Kane it had been both heaven and hell. Ecstasy and torture. To walk alongside such a beautiful, talented, and masterful woman and to be unable
to think of a single word to say.
"Where you stay?" Martina asked, realizing Kane would not speak.
"At the Hotel Cala Luna," Kane said. "They have an excellent chef. Would, would you like to have lunch with me after you get cleaned up?"
"You think I need cleaned up?" Martina asked. "No, not really, you look great."
Her laugh interrupted his fumbling stammer. "I sorry, I tease you, I sorry," she said.
"So. Lunch?" he asked again.
"No," Martina answered. "No lunch. For the walk, grazi."
"My pleasure," Kane said. “Prego”. He hitched up his pack, smiled a sad and happy smile at her and set off up the hill to his hotel. Proud that after all this time he had fulfilled a promise and finally asked a woman out to lunch, yet very sad that she had said no, and in remembering the promise.
"Kane," she called up the hill.
He turned. She walked up the street towards him. "You climb tomorrow? With me?" she asked. "Si," he said.
“You hold the rope?” “Si.”
"Buono. You meet me here at seven, in the morning, okay?" "Si," he said again.
"Arriva derci," she said, and for the second time that day she kissed the air beside his cheeks, gently placing her hand on his shoulder as she raised up on tip toes for one last kiss in the air.
Her touch, on his skin. Kane felt the touch, and felt words somewhere inside, near the source, a place that he had not visited in all these years.
Read What Others Are Saying About JT’s TechnoThriller “The Pattern”
This story made me think about our trust and dependence that we so easily give up to the programmers of our daily life. Bravo Mister Kalnay for writing a thought provoking and entertaining look at the way our airliners operate today. The story was fast moving and gripping. I found myself laughing out loud from the witty banter between the characters.
Mister Kalnay gives us a look into the world of computer programming that touches so much our daily life that is enlightening and scary at the same time. He breathes life into the nameless people we rely on to protect us from all that could go wrong with the system. Could not put this one down...but I advise reading this one before you head to the airport anytime soon.
Yeah, it's gripping! Grips you and if, like me, you have to fly right afterwards, you'll be gripping the armrests the whole flight! Nice mix of interesting relationships, tech-savvy software lore, and mystery. Couldn't put it down!
The first of JT Kalnay's works I've read, this early effort compares nicely with Ryan's "Adolescence of P-1" or Grisham's "The Firm" but wisely navigates around Powers' "Galatea 2.2" territory. You get a good sense this writer has "been there" but there is more to "The Pattern" than just an insider's view of an industry and culture that is pretty much a black box to those that haven't. This one gets a 4 out
of 5 simply for not quite cracking the level of the big boys: Clancy, Ludlum, Cussler et al. Will be interested to see how this author develops in this genre.
I was surprised to enjoy this book so much as it comes from a not so well known author. Fantastic fiction.
I was thinking about the HAL 9000 malfunction in 2001 A Space Odyssey while reading The Pattern. Decades ago, I wondered if people would risk their lives on software. Now we have fly-by-wire controls in our airplanes and we depend on software in our hospital equipment as well as our cars. Software glitches can now kill. It's a really scary thought and I really enjoyed the thrilling journey the author takes us on in this techno-thriller treat. In the best spirit of science fiction it gives us pause to consider the dependency we freely give to our technology. In addition, as this story unfolds our humanity is laid bare in the face of technological realities that are seldom realized by most of us.
Please Enjoy This Sample From The Pattern
June 19, 1994
Chantilly Virginia
Assembled From News Wire Reports
A chartered executive Lear Jet inbound from Mexico City crashed today in heavy fog during final approach to Dulles National Airport in Washington D.C. Ten passengers and two crew members were killed instantly. There were no Americans on the flight and there were no survivors. Although the airplane had the latest electronics, it had aborted one landing due to the fog and was in the process of lining up for a second attempt when the accident occurred. The black box flight recorder has been recovered from the wreckage and the bodies have been
identified. The last transmission from the cockpit was, "There seems to be something wrong with the electronics. Going around." The plane disappeared from radar less than ten seconds later.
June 20, 1994
San Francisco, California
Thin clouds drifted high above the city by the Bay. Craig and Stacey sat behind the APSoft building on the large cedar deck. A gentle breeze caressed Stacey's long, summer golden hair. Craig was having a very hard time concentrating on the report in his hands.
"Do you want to hear something weird?" Stacey asked. "I don't know. Do I?" Craig answered.
"Yes. You do," Stacey said. "Okay. Let's have it," Craig said.
"We're three for three this year," Stacey said. "I don't get it," Craig said.
"On airplane crashes. We're three for three." "I still don't get it," Craig said.
"Listen. First you know that guy in Turkey where the Blackhawks got shot
down. Second, we both know Rakesh who's been in Hong Kong where the plane that crashed in Nagoya originated. Third, my friend in Mexico works for that company that chartered that plane that crashed in Virginia the other day. We're three for three."
"Better call the National Enquirer," Craig said. "Jerk," Stacey said.
"We know somebody at almost every airline or aircraft manufacturer in the world Stacey. It'd be a miracle if we didn't know someone somehow related to every crash," Craig said.
"You're still a jerk," Stacey said.
"Yeah I know. It's part of my charm," he replied. Stacey made a face at him and rolled her eyes.
"Please," she said.
"But you know what? You've piqued my curiosity. I'm going to do some research and see how many wrecks there have been in the last year. It does seem like there's been an unusual amount doesn't it?" Craig asked.
"Nice try," Stacey said.
"No. I'm totally serious. Now that you've pointed it out, I really am curious." "Um huh," she said dismissively.
"Ready to throw it some more," Stacey asked, dangling Craig's birthday
Frisbee on the end of a long slender finger.
"Not right now," Craig said. I better get started on that research.
JT
Kalnay
is
an
attorney
and
an
author.
He
has
been
an
athlete,
a
soldier,
a
professor,
a
programmer,
an
Ironman,
and
mountain
climber.
JT
now
divides
his
time
between
being
an
attorney,
being
an
author,
and
helping
his
wife
chase
after
seven
nieces
and
nephews.
JT was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Growing up literally steps from the Bay of Quinte, water, ice, fishing, swimming, boating, and drowning were very early influences and appear frequently in his work.
Educated at the Royal Military College, the University of Ottawa, the University of Dayton, the University of Cincinnati, Long Island University, and Case Western Reserve University, JT has spent countless hours studying a wide range of subjects including math, English, computer science, physics, and law. Many of his stories are set on college campuses.
JT is a certified rock climbing guide and can often be found atop crags in West
Virginia, California, Mexico, and Italy. Rock climbing appears frequently in his writing.
JT has witnessed firsthand many traumatic events including the World Trade Center Bombing, the Long Island Railroad Shooting, a bear attack, a plane crash, and numerous fatalities, in the mountains and elsewhere.
Disasters, loss, and confronting personal fear are common themes in his writing.
While “boy meets girl” appears to be JT’s dominant genre, readers will
experience a variety of styles and themes in his simple yet complex writing.
Connect with jt online at: www.jtkalnay.com http://jtkalnaynovels.wordpress.com
Please
Consider
Reading
JT
Kalnay’s
Novels
Available
on
Amazon,
Barnes
&
Nobles,
iTunes,
and
Smashwords.
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