Last week, tired and fed up with the crap weather in Kentucky, Jess and I decided to high tale it to Manassas, VA, where her sister, brother in law, nephew and neice live. We spent some time with the fam, learning that though Mason (5) and Ella (4) are the coolest and cutest nephew and neice you could ask for, we are NOT ready for children quite yet... Maybe when I am 30 and have more energy, errr...
On Monday, we headed into Washington D.C., and took a walk along the mall. I had never been to D.C. before and seeing the Capitol Building, White House, Washington Monument, etc, was pretty cool. The Lincoln Memorial in particular, was powerful enough to make even a political cynic like me feel patriotic.
Yesterday, Jess and I took a LONG drive from Manassas, and ended up outside of New Paltz, NY at the Mohonk Preserve, known by climbers as the "Gunks." People have been climbing on these quartzite cliffs since 1935, and is regarded as one of the birthplaces of American climbing. Honestly, I thought that the place would be more hype than quality, but after a day of climbing, I can attest to the quality of the place. Most of the climbs are pretty chill, but are still vertical and have pretty good protection. It is really cool to climb at a crag that is ALL trad, but still mostly face climbing. The downside to the place is that the camping is lame and it costs 15 bucks a day to climb per person... Looks like we will climb here one more day, then move on.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Storm
Last night, a storm that has been making its way across the country hit just as Jess and I were settling down to enjoy a movie in our walled canopy. The wind and rain got so loud that we couldn't hear the movie, so we decided to lower the canopy in hopes of reducing the effects of the wind. To our dismay and utter surprise, seconds after we had lowered the walls, a massive gust of wind hit the canopy, snapping the guy lines and throwing off our roof, exposing almost everything we own to the tempest! Jess and I grabbed everything we could (especially our two computers, which of course were in the canopy instead of the truck, where they usually live, and ran for the car. By the time we had made two trips, we were both drenched and miserable, and our newish home was destroyed... After lengthy discussions about what to do, we headed for our tent, which was still fairly dry, and tried to get some sleep.
This morning, when we woke up, we were happy to find that the canopy was somewhat salvagable, and we have spent most of the day cleaning up the mess, reinforcing the canopy, and starting over. The weather forecast is pretty bad for tonight and tomorrow, so we may head into Lexington for a night in a real bed...
On the lighter side of things, Saturday was a great day for climbing! Jess and I sampled three new crags, two of which were EXCELLENT! Near the end of the day, I got on the BEST .12a I have ever been on, and one of the best routes overall. The route's name is Dogleg, and it is at the Bob Marley crag, home to some beautiful and difficult lines in the Pendergrass-Murray Reserve. The route is comprised of a series of GIGANTIC moves to large, incut holds, with a thinner crux in the middle. Each time you set up for a throw, you pray that the next hold is big, then, after some hestiation, you go for it with all you have, and are rewarded with a GREAT hold! You then clip a bolt, bring your feet up and do it all again, at least 4 times... AMAZING!
This morning, when we woke up, we were happy to find that the canopy was somewhat salvagable, and we have spent most of the day cleaning up the mess, reinforcing the canopy, and starting over. The weather forecast is pretty bad for tonight and tomorrow, so we may head into Lexington for a night in a real bed...
On the lighter side of things, Saturday was a great day for climbing! Jess and I sampled three new crags, two of which were EXCELLENT! Near the end of the day, I got on the BEST .12a I have ever been on, and one of the best routes overall. The route's name is Dogleg, and it is at the Bob Marley crag, home to some beautiful and difficult lines in the Pendergrass-Murray Reserve. The route is comprised of a series of GIGANTIC moves to large, incut holds, with a thinner crux in the middle. Each time you set up for a throw, you pray that the next hold is big, then, after some hestiation, you go for it with all you have, and are rewarded with a GREAT hold! You then clip a bolt, bring your feet up and do it all again, at least 4 times... AMAZING!
Friday, April 3, 2009
After a few beautiful days in the Gorge, rain has brought us back to Third Street Stuff and Coffee in Lexington…
The past week has been fairly eventful! Last Saturday, Jess and I decided to escape the rain by heading to my grandma’s house in the small village of Clarington, Ohio. When I was younger, we used to go to grandma’s house just about every summer, but I hadn’t been there for over seven years! It was really good to see grandma, and visit her small house at the top of the hill. We also got to see my aunt, uncle and cousins, which was also great.
Early this week, on Monday, I took a second go at Triple Sec and made great progress. If I can stay injury and tweak-free, I think it might go in one or two more days of effort! The climb is BEAUTIFUL, with long reaches to fairly good pockets and ledges on bright orange sandstone… and it goes for about 85 feet.
On Tuesday, taking advantage of the good weather, we decided to head to Mariba fork, which is a remote area of the Gorge, to do some easy trad climbing and get some good peaceful nature time in. The guidebook describes the area as “magical” and it isn’t exaggerating. To reach the climbing, you first hike through a field and then through some quiet woods to the edge of a tall cliff. After following the cliff line for a few minutes, you reach a narrow, moss filled corridor through which you gain access to the valley floor. As you travel down the corridor, you enter a completely different world that seems straight out of a fantasy novel or an elven realm in LOTR. (Yes, I am showing my nerdy roots here…lol) There are very large trees on the edge of the cliff whose roots travel along the face of the cliff and reach down to the floor… We were definitely on the lookout for ROUS’s (rodents of unusual size) as we reached the valley floor. Once at the bottom of the valley, we headed up the hill to a 5.4 crack, which was relaxed and quite deserving of its four stars, then we went in search of a 5.7 crack which was supposed to be nearby.
Wednesday was the first beautiful rest day we have had, so instead of heading into town, we lazed around camp, soaking in the sun. Wednesday night, we spent some time talking with Kyle and Leslie, two hard-climbing Canadians who are at the Red for the season. Jess is looking for a project, and the Canucks suggested heading out to Funk Rock City, a crag in the distant reaches of the gorge. Thursday we headed out in that direction, but we were also headed for an epic.
We left camp the earliest we had thus far, around 9:30am, and reached the vicinity of the crag just after 10:00. Due to some confusing and incorrect directions, we spent over an hour in search of the trailhead, including a 20 minute jaunt down the wrong “trail.” When we finally found the correct trail, we were quite untrusting of the guidebook’s description of the approach, which was vague to begin with. This mistrust caused us to cross a river too early, and head up to a cliff, through underbrush and rhododendrons, with all our gear, for over an hour, only to have reached a chossy cliff that was obviously NOT correct. We traversed the cliff following a faint trail, hoping to stumble around a corner and find the crag. After a good bit of time, we gave up and headed back down to the icy river. In the process of doing so, I took a tumble and lost most of our water.
Tapping into a stubborn resolve that Jess and I both have in excess, we continued to search for Funk Rock City, and eventually prevailed, only to find ourselves severely dehydrated and exhausted. To further complicate the matter, water was plentiful on the routes we planned on warming up on… ironic.
After taking a quick stock of the conditions of the cliff, we headed back to the car. At 5:00 pm, after buying more water and getting some food, we got on some climbs approximately 10 minutes from camp… After a few routes, including a 5.12a red-point, we headed home. Needless to say, I am glad today is rainy!!!
The past week has been fairly eventful! Last Saturday, Jess and I decided to escape the rain by heading to my grandma’s house in the small village of Clarington, Ohio. When I was younger, we used to go to grandma’s house just about every summer, but I hadn’t been there for over seven years! It was really good to see grandma, and visit her small house at the top of the hill. We also got to see my aunt, uncle and cousins, which was also great.
Early this week, on Monday, I took a second go at Triple Sec and made great progress. If I can stay injury and tweak-free, I think it might go in one or two more days of effort! The climb is BEAUTIFUL, with long reaches to fairly good pockets and ledges on bright orange sandstone… and it goes for about 85 feet.
On Tuesday, taking advantage of the good weather, we decided to head to Mariba fork, which is a remote area of the Gorge, to do some easy trad climbing and get some good peaceful nature time in. The guidebook describes the area as “magical” and it isn’t exaggerating. To reach the climbing, you first hike through a field and then through some quiet woods to the edge of a tall cliff. After following the cliff line for a few minutes, you reach a narrow, moss filled corridor through which you gain access to the valley floor. As you travel down the corridor, you enter a completely different world that seems straight out of a fantasy novel or an elven realm in LOTR. (Yes, I am showing my nerdy roots here…lol) There are very large trees on the edge of the cliff whose roots travel along the face of the cliff and reach down to the floor… We were definitely on the lookout for ROUS’s (rodents of unusual size) as we reached the valley floor. Once at the bottom of the valley, we headed up the hill to a 5.4 crack, which was relaxed and quite deserving of its four stars, then we went in search of a 5.7 crack which was supposed to be nearby.
The guidebook directions stated that we should go past a very large amphitheater to find the 70 foot crack, so I started walking along the cliff line, passing a couple of fairly large overhangs, but the crack was nowhere to be found. I was about to give up the search when I rounded a corner and found the amphitheater, which was, no joke, a football field long and about 80 feet tall, with a waterfall that dropped over 130 feet to the valley below. To say the least it was spectacular! In many other parts of the country/world, this would be a focal point for hikers, but here it is just a small part of a wilderness area! It was very similar to Petit Jean State Park, in Arkansas, but with a much wider overhang, and a smaller waterfall. Seeing this alone was worth the 35 minute drive and tramp through the ice-storm damaged forest! Unfortunately, the crack was beautiful but wet, so we settled for soaking in the scenery instead.
Wednesday was the first beautiful rest day we have had, so instead of heading into town, we lazed around camp, soaking in the sun. Wednesday night, we spent some time talking with Kyle and Leslie, two hard-climbing Canadians who are at the Red for the season. Jess is looking for a project, and the Canucks suggested heading out to Funk Rock City, a crag in the distant reaches of the gorge. Thursday we headed out in that direction, but we were also headed for an epic.
We left camp the earliest we had thus far, around 9:30am, and reached the vicinity of the crag just after 10:00. Due to some confusing and incorrect directions, we spent over an hour in search of the trailhead, including a 20 minute jaunt down the wrong “trail.” When we finally found the correct trail, we were quite untrusting of the guidebook’s description of the approach, which was vague to begin with. This mistrust caused us to cross a river too early, and head up to a cliff, through underbrush and rhododendrons, with all our gear, for over an hour, only to have reached a chossy cliff that was obviously NOT correct. We traversed the cliff following a faint trail, hoping to stumble around a corner and find the crag. After a good bit of time, we gave up and headed back down to the icy river. In the process of doing so, I took a tumble and lost most of our water.
Tapping into a stubborn resolve that Jess and I both have in excess, we continued to search for Funk Rock City, and eventually prevailed, only to find ourselves severely dehydrated and exhausted. To further complicate the matter, water was plentiful on the routes we planned on warming up on… ironic.
After taking a quick stock of the conditions of the cliff, we headed back to the car. At 5:00 pm, after buying more water and getting some food, we got on some climbs approximately 10 minutes from camp… After a few routes, including a 5.12a red-point, we headed home. Needless to say, I am glad today is rainy!!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
It's been a busy last few days! Jess and I have climbed a lot this past week as the weather has been gorgeous! The Red River Gorge is an amazing climbing destination. We have climbed at a different, high-quality crag every day, and we still haven't even been to the most popular walls yet!
The past two days are good example of what climbing is like here. Yesterday we went to the Left Flank, which is one of the more popular walls. It is still spring break season, so there are a lot of people here. The Left Flank was pretty busy, so after one climb we decided to pack it in and drive a few minutes up the road. What we found was amazing! Beautiful, pocketed stone, the most overhung 5.12 I have ever seen (it was SICK), and, best of all, no people!!! Today, being a little tired from the overhangs, we decided to find some climbing that was a little more vertical. We headed to the Muir Valley at around 10 am, and were the second car to show up. We hiked down to the Tectonic Wall and hit up a couple of pumpy moderates to warm up, and then headed across the valley to one of the many high-class areas in the region, The Sanctuary.
I had planned on getting on an easier 5.12 there, but after looking at it, I decided against, and decided to throw myself on a 5.13a/.12d?, called Triple Sec, which follows a beautiful orange wall for 95 feet, and also already had draws hanging, so I could bail if need be. With Jess' patient belaying, I slowly figured out the moves and, resting at many of the bolts, finally made it to the top! I definitely will spend some more time on this five-star route over the next couple of weeks and try to climb it clean! After her epic belaying, Jess deserved some sweet climbing, so we headed over to the Indy Wall, which is just around the corner from the Sanctuary. Jess got on Makin' Bacon, and red-pointed it on her second try of the day!
On a different note, Jess and I have gone completely red-neck, and now have a Coleman Kitchen, and walls for our canopy. Life is COMFY! The next couple of days look as though they will be a little wet, so hopefully we will stay dry under the Kyle castle of nylon.
The past two days are good example of what climbing is like here. Yesterday we went to the Left Flank, which is one of the more popular walls. It is still spring break season, so there are a lot of people here. The Left Flank was pretty busy, so after one climb we decided to pack it in and drive a few minutes up the road. What we found was amazing! Beautiful, pocketed stone, the most overhung 5.12 I have ever seen (it was SICK), and, best of all, no people!!! Today, being a little tired from the overhangs, we decided to find some climbing that was a little more vertical. We headed to the Muir Valley at around 10 am, and were the second car to show up. We hiked down to the Tectonic Wall and hit up a couple of pumpy moderates to warm up, and then headed across the valley to one of the many high-class areas in the region, The Sanctuary.
I had planned on getting on an easier 5.12 there, but after looking at it, I decided against, and decided to throw myself on a 5.13a/.12d?, called Triple Sec, which follows a beautiful orange wall for 95 feet, and also already had draws hanging, so I could bail if need be. With Jess' patient belaying, I slowly figured out the moves and, resting at many of the bolts, finally made it to the top! I definitely will spend some more time on this five-star route over the next couple of weeks and try to climb it clean! After her epic belaying, Jess deserved some sweet climbing, so we headed over to the Indy Wall, which is just around the corner from the Sanctuary. Jess got on Makin' Bacon, and red-pointed it on her second try of the day!
On a different note, Jess and I have gone completely red-neck, and now have a Coleman Kitchen, and walls for our canopy. Life is COMFY! The next couple of days look as though they will be a little wet, so hopefully we will stay dry under the Kyle castle of nylon.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Rest Day #1
Today was our first real rest day (we actually have something to rest from!), and we decided to check out a local sight, Natural Bridge State Park. As you may have guessed, the main sight is a rather impressive natural stone bridge. Apparently, this area has been a park for around a hundred years, first as a stop on the railroad that ran through this region. All things told, it is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.
The hard to photograph bridge.
Jess checking out a cave on the descent trail.
Also, being a rest day, I finally took some pictures of camp!
Jess hard at working making a biscuit breakfast!
The hard to photograph bridge.Jess checking out a cave on the descent trail.
Also, being a rest day, I finally took some pictures of camp!
Jess hard at working making a biscuit breakfast!
The coleman oven... that's right, we are old, married... and prepared to eat great food!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
We had more rain yesterday, but managed to get a couple not-so wet climbs in. Today, however, is beautiful! We decided to hit up the Playground wall, in the Pendergrass-Murray reserve, which is about ten minutes from where we are camping. The Playground wall has routes from 5.9-5.12a and was a good introduction to the climbing here. My “warm-up” was an uber-pumpy .10b that left my forearms screaming! After that I tried a .12a that wasn’t quite as pumpy and on my second try, got it down to one fall… maybe next time! The day went downhill for me after that as I got back on the .10b, “ Jungle Gym,” to put up a top rope. I had to take at least twice! Oh well, I suppose after a couple of weeks endurance will return…
Yesterday, we also continued to set up camp, feeling very domestic in our pop-up canopy and string lights! Pictures will soon follow!
Yesterday, we also continued to set up camp, feeling very domestic in our pop-up canopy and string lights! Pictures will soon follow!
Sunday, March 15, 2009
We made it!!!
After a month and a half of dealing with re-entry hassles (and some quality family time), we have made it to the Red River Gorge! Our first day has been pretty rainy, but I guess that is a blessing in disguise as it has allowed us to get all of our stuff organized before we start climbing.
Jess and I will keep this Blog up-to-date over the next couple of months and will be our way of telling all of you what we are up to!
Jess and I will keep this Blog up-to-date over the next couple of months and will be our way of telling all of you what we are up to!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)