We camped at Phantom Spires for 2 nights - it was cold! There was a lunar eclipse on Friday night, but the moon was a bit too low and ended up not visible from our campsite :( Even though it is relatively open... but the mountains blocked the moon - much to my dismay with a 5:30am alarm! Oh well, sleeping in made up for it. After a big egg scramble breakfast we eventually climbed Stepping Stone, and Lean and Mean, and toproped a few other climbs before calling it a day. Fear of Flying had parties on it all day!

On Sunday we climbed at Sugarloaf, and Karen joined us there for the day - we did the usual classics starting with the Tree Route, and later a photoshoot on the Fracture - my favorite climb there (I took a video last year... this time, knowing what to expect better, I didn't have to put as much gear :))

	Stepping Stone: an amazing 5.11a pitch at Sugarloaf	The first 30 feet are a nice warm-up	And the business begins soon after this

	The stemming crux	Could not resist this "hands off" rest before the crux undercling traverse	Starting the pumpy and continuous undercling

	Done!	Melissa starting	The stem crux - smearing feet and pushing with your palms mostly

		Toproping the 10d crack/face below the anchor	From here, you traverse/undercling the roof and go through it (hard)

	Starting up Lean and Mean, tricky 5.9

	Beautiful spot!	Lots of climbers there	Linking Lean and Mean into the 5.10a face above (pretty wild/exposed moves around the arete)

	Melissa on Lean and Mean	On the 5.10a face above	Wee

	A long way up!	TR'ing Leaner and Meaner, 5.11b

	Practicing jugging a fixed rope in the evening light	4:38 - sun is setting quickly - it's December after all! Note the climbers finishing Fear of Flying...	Sunset!

	Tree route - a tough 5.10b (the start is brutal)	Karen starting up the Tree Route	That's where it gets brutally hard

	Trying to look like a dork

	And now the crux is over	This shows how steep the start is! The tree makes it doable :)	Struggling

	Demonstrating proper form	The top holds another few 5.10 moves	My turn

		Finally off the tree!

		Pulling the powerful top moves	Starting up a pretty cool 5.9 that I had never done before!

	Now onto the face climbing. Crazy roof above makes for a cool position!		Clinging onto the face...

			The amazing Fracture! One of the best finger cracks ever :)

	Gearing up - it's cold! Which helps with the friction :)

		Shaking out before the crux	The “rest” before the crux

	The crux move	And now it's basically over!	Melissa nearing the crux

	At the crux	I'm about to play photographer :)	Karen starting the Fracture

		Pretty much home free!	The insane looking Grand Illusion above (5.13c)