Something Interesting/The Dangler

IT"S been a few days since I have updated, and there is lots to say! So I guess on Friday, Ian and I went out and did some climbing at the trapps. We didn't have too much of a plan. There was a 9- that he was looking at, and he wanted to get on MF too. I suggested maybe the Oscar and Charley link-up too, which looked damn good.

We went to the cliff, and it was pretty crowded with people...tourists and climbers alike. We decided to get on a climb called Something Interesting, which is a 5.7+. Good climbing with two cruxes. I didn't have too much trouble with either crux, although the first one took me a minute or two to look at and figure out. I set up an atypical anchor, because there was a guy already up there, belaying someone on Three Pines. I used two nuts, slung a pinch, and placed two cams. Probably a little overkill, but better be safe than sorry I guess. I asked Ian how my gear was, and he said it was OK, but it could have been much better. I really need to work on getting great gear in, and not half-assing it just because the climbing is easier than my level. Ian led the second pitch, which has some fun moves right off the deck, and then it's like 5.4-5.5 climbing after that.

When Ian got up to the belay ledge after the first pitch he pointed off to the side and said, in passing, "Oh, that's the Dangler over there. It used to be a 5.9, and I have heard it rated as low as 5.8. I think Dick Williams calls it a 10a. I've bee wanting to do that for a while." The Dangler is, as the name might suggest, a climb that is strictly a hand traverse out on this huge roof with nothing beneath you. Great gear, but scary none the less. After we rappelled off the second pitch of Something Interesting, I said to Ian, in passing, that we should do the Dangler. And he said ok. Such a rad climb. He had to hang once, but other than that he pulled the pitch no problem. I followed him and got all the way out, and tried to pull the crux and I think I got suckered too far right. Got the crux the second time I tried it. Really really fun, and we had an audience too.

After that, Ian and I were feeling pretty good about ourselves, and decided to hop on a 5.9 called Land's End. It had a G rating in the book, and the moves didn't look too bad from the ground. Ian started to lead it, and we soon discovered that the beginning is run out by like 20 feet, and then there is another huge runnout section that climbs up these hollow flakes. Super sketchy climb that deserves probably at least an R rating. We bailed after the first pitch and said let's get the hell outta here.

We wanted to end the day on something really really good, so we went over to Oscar and Charley and we did that. Awesome 5.7 climbing on both pitches I led the first pitch, and did a pretty good job sewing up the gear. I placed a tri-cam, but it turns out they can be put in upside down! Oooops! Other than that, bomber gear, and bomber anchor.