Grotto with Polly, Dan and Ashley- Feb 5 2006. As usual, our frantic social calendar dictated a night of heavy partying on Saturday night, so Polly and I were happy to get a call from Jefe (our driver) at 6.30am saying that he "had made some regrettable decisions" the previous evening and wouldn't be joining us. Meaning we could go back to sleep for a few more hours, meaning we got the crack of 9.30am departure from Palo Alto. Destination was the Grotto, a winter-time haven for those interested in climbing but too weak to sport-climb. Arrived at the Grotto at noon, meeting Dan and Ashley there - they had been up since 5.30am, eating bread and doing pushups, and as we got there Dan was finishing his 14th burn on Rawhide.

Dan leading Rawhide

Polly and I did some 5.9 sport climb (felt like 5.11) as a warm-up, and then Polly made quick work of Go with the Flow, and I led Rawhide and Polly followed in good style. We lapped that 4 or 5 times and then I went up to take pictures of Dan leading the funky AC Devil Dog. Dan styled it, as did Ashley, and Polly and I got to paw our way up it on TR. By then it was dark and we got to drive home and listen to the Superbowl.