California Redux: A photo essay

Returns are always interesting... 

I have not "lived" in California for some time, so diving in again these last two weeks has been engaging. Good people, sweet locations, some very cool shared explorations of deserts, oceans, cliff faces, backountry trails... 

Lots to be thankful for in this wild life.

Spanish Quixotry: A photo essay

There are certain things about a place that make it unique. Some places seem to have just a bit more of that magic...

The Alicante region of Spain is one for me. A combination of accessible history, grand architecture with plenty of Arabesque flourishes, craggy landscapes, slices of Old World culture - all in constant collision... Early March blooms of almond trees in 24 degree celsius heat, chicken blood sausage tapas and vino tinto rioja, ruinas across ancient terraced olive groves...

I never really got what the word quixotry meant until I landed here... That glimmering sheen of god rays strafing the Bernia Ridge, a late night drunken wander during Carnival through the tiny streets of Sella,  howling levantes swirling though the trees keeping me awake - there is a wild and surreal sort of luster that makes many moments here feel impossibly possible...

I will miss it.

all images ©Bennett Barthelemy

Latest Feature: Backcountry bouldering

Niko sending at So High...

My latest feature came out in Ojai Quarterly yesterday. I really like getting to still publish in a print magazine with glossy pages, no electron fade... Getting rarer and rarer these days. I am waiting not so patiently for a small resurgence of quality, image driven publications in printed form before the presses and ink manufacturers all go under too...

This was a fun project to work on with a very strong and dedicated climber in Southern California that has a strong penchant for wild and remote and highball first ascents. I have followed him out on a few occasions and often just getting there feels akin to climbing a runout trad route on tiny gear and loose rock... One approach I managed to pull a 100 pound sandstone flake onto my head and nearly sever my man parts and femoral artery on a backcountry mission trying to keep up...

Smashed fingers, crunched ankles all seem fairly standard fare for Niko and he still keeps climbing hard and putting up FA's despite his somewhat common and normally sidelining injuries... I am looking forward to getting back and having another adventure as it seems Niko has struck a bit of bouldering gold again with another remote find hidden in the folds and chaparral...

Niko's new guidebook should be wrapped up before too long sharing lots of exciting boulder problems in So Cali...

images and writing ©Bennett Barthelemy