Feels Like Summer

Last night there was some crrrraaaaaaaaaaaaazy heat lightening going on and some crazy winds too. But this morning, much like yesterday morning seems to be a typical Hudson Valley summer day -- hot and sticky.

Yesterday Mark and I got out on a few routes in the afternoon. Mark just moved here from the ADKs, so he has been getting to do all the classics for the first time -- something I'm a little jealous about.

We started out on MF (5.9), which Mark totally cruised. What a classic pitch of Gunks 5.9. The improbability of the line, the holds, the gear. Everything just comes together perfectly to give you an awesome, awesome rock climb.

After that, I got on Laughing Man (5.11b), which is a pretty silly climb. It's just to the right of Welcome to the Gunks. You start up an unprotected slab, put some gear in, work out a huge roof on a jug flake, put some more gear in, heel hook, mantel, crimp on a mono-quarter-pad-crystal-nubbin, rock over your foot which is now a toe, and stand up. I got it second try. I'm glad to have done it once I suppose. It'll be fun to put unsuspecting people on it: "The gear is great! You should give it a try!"

We ended the day with Ant's Line (5.9)/Ent's Line (5.11b). Again, two climbs that Mark hadn't done yet. What a pleasure it is to watch someone climb a classic. Ant's line was my first 5.9 lead, which you can read about here. Haha, the good old days.

The heat is on.

Full Afternoon

A break in the rain. Wow. Finally. Unbelievable. Jaw dropping. Awe struck. Flabbergasted. Dumbfounded. Thunderstruck....

Wait, cancel that last one.

So, yesterday I got out in the afternoon with Mark, Mark, and Mark's friend Rand. Like us, most other climbers in the area were taking advantage of the parting skies, and so we headed down to the Slime Wall to start so we could avoid some of the crowds.

With the bugs eating away at us, we started with Falled on Account of Strain, which I led in one pitch...That thing has got to be one of the best 5.10s in the Trapps. So Much fun. Mark and Mark climbed it afterward.

After Rand met up with us, we headed over to the Winter/Spring area. Those climbs were a juuuuust a bit wet in the crack still, so Mark led the first pitch of Boldville (5.8) while Mark led the first pitch of Oblique Tweak (5.8). After the Marks finished their leads, we had both the Winter and the Spring set up on top-rope.

With the top-rope all set up, I got on The Summer (5.11d X), which I had been on once three years ago. At that time, I only made it up like 20 feet off the ground. But yesterday, I cruised it. Fun face climbing for sure!

And for a little contrast to the fun face, the Winter (5.10d) is a crazy corner crack with all sorts of advanced tomfoolery required. Same with the Spring (5.9++), crackey, facey, balancy, fun-ny.

For the last climb of the day, Mark and I did the Sting (5.11d). I don't know how many times I've done this climb now, but it never stops being awesome. I've got it pretty wired at this point, down to which side of the harness the gear should be on for easiest placement. It was Mark's first time on it, and he did really well too. Just a few tries for the first move, and then one hang at the next two cruxes.

All in all, seven pitches of spectacular Gunks climbing. Can't complain too much there.

An Adirondack Foray

The weather looked really good last week, so Margaret and I decided to zip up to the Adirondacks and do some climbing. We got some breakfast in the morning on Sunday with our friend Tim and then headed up.

We arrived late afternoon and went straight to Beaver Brook to get a few pitches in before dark. I couldn't believe how cold it was up there still, and actually there was snow on the ground in places! After getting totally spanked on the Beaver Brook Project, we drove into Placid and got dinner at the Mirror Lake Inn (my old place of employment). It was fun to be back at the ol' stomping grounds for sure. Even got a yummy martini courtesy of Sarah. We drove back into Wilmington and crashed in Colin's driveway.

Next morning, after playing with Henry and Cecey for a little while we headed out to Potter Mountain to meet up with Jim and Alex and Phoebe. Per usual Spring-time-Potter, the top of most pitches were wet. But there was still plenty of climbing to be had. We got like seven pitches of climbing in, included a new pitch that Jim just put up called Jug Or Not. It's a fun pitch that starts on a big jug. Then you go up to the really nasty, tiny gaston crimp, stand up on a nubbin, and cross to a decent hold. That probably goes at close to 5.11c. From there there is some 5.10+ climbing and then it eases back to 5.9/5.10a. Much goodness indeed.

What was not "goodness" were the black flies. They were atrocious. So bad, in fact the we decided to head out to Snowy Mountain Boulders the next day. I've always wanted to head up there because the rock seemed so cool. Turns out, it is. The geology of the rocks here, according to Adirondack Rock creates these awesome "solution pockets" which are created "when mineral clusters dissolved faster than the surrounding rock." The effect is these honeycombed, sandstone like features. Very much fun. Did a couple of super classic problems, including Coitus (V6) which is one of the best anywhere, and the Cure (V8), which is my first V8. Woot Woot. Overall, Snowy is a cool places to visit. There aren't tons and tons of problems, but the ones that are there are really quite fun indeed.

From there, we drove back to Albany with Rich and Nyssa, got some dinner, and then headed home. Another fun time in the ADKs.

An after-work-quickie.

After work yesterday, I raced up to the cliff to try to get some bouldering in before the rain. As luck would have it, it didn't even dribble any raindrops, and the rock was bone dry, despite the gruesome looking forecast. (Today we aren't so lucky.)

I went to the Warwarsing Boulder at the bottom of the stairmaster to start and did the V5 there called Skipski which I had tried a couple of weeks ago. Very cool problem for sure. So good, I did it twice.

After that I drove up to the West Trapps parking lot and tried Happy Monday (V4) and Pubes (V7), both of which I think are pretty hard. I had no luck there and abandoned ship fairly quickly.

I went up to the Behemoth Boulder where there were a couple of people trying A New Pair of Glasses (V7). I had done that boulder problem once before and it has always kind of been my nemesis. I climbed it fairly easy yesterday -- nemesis no mo'. Did a couple of laps on Lorax (V4) after that.

A fairly good after work session, I would think.

A quickie.

The slacking blogger does not reap fruitful rewards. I owe some serious updates. In the meantime, here is an iPhone video of me climbing Infinite Space (5.12a) in the Near Trapps. Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous, I'll get the Lowell brothers to make sweet 3D movies of me. For now, this is what we got:



(Thanks Sarah)

Tripple Right 2x

Even though it was supposed to rain yesterday I got to go out to Tripple Right twice yesterday. Rich and Nyssa are finally back in New York, after being gone since January. We did a bunch of fun boulder problems including one that I hadn't done called Bowling Pin (V4). It's like a 15 foot slab problem that starts with a crystal and side-pull crimp. Then you stand up on some small stuff with super high feet and reach up for another side-pull crimp. High feet again and a super high reach gets you to the lip. Much fun.

Rich and Nyssa are now headed up to Albany where they will be spending the summer. Kasia called a bit later and wanted to do an evening session and with rain threatning we zipped over to Tripple Right again. Did only a few problems before it started raining, but it was good to get out again.