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The Buttermilks are are a popular bouldering area in the foothills east of Bishop. To my uninitiated eye the activity and culture that surround it are spell-binding to observe. Groups of boulderers wander through this labyrinth of giant rocks with mattresses on their backs. It is a sport that demands much strategizing and discussion and it must have a special appeal for the intellectually inclined athlete. At the base of one boulder was a family with three young children. They took turns climbing. When they were not climbing, they sat down under the rock, reading a book. A bouldering route is called a “problem”.