Jake...are you planning to hike the entire AT? It's on my bucket list...

Did you have fun?

Beautiful weather at the gunks this weekend.

I enjoyed 6 hours of climbing on Saturday, followed by a bike ride from our house in Gardiner to New Paltz for dinner, followed by the obligatory bike ride home (gently cradling my Moxie cupcake the whole way home). I enjoyed splitting said cupcake with my honey by the fire. (Yes, there is a burn ban, but, according to the rangers we are allowed to have a small backyard "cooking" fire. A heated up Moxie cupcake was the order of the day.)

Climbed on Sunday with Maryana, a remarkable climber from NYC. Alas, as I was scrambling to CCK I somehow dislodged a rock, it landed on my hand and crushed my thumb. Within 10 minutes my thumb was twice the size of my normal thumb. I left Maryana with some very nice guys who decided to adopt her. Mitch met me at the bridge to take me home. My thumb is not broken, just smashed and sore and very blue.

Regrattably the weekend was marred by a tragic death on Sunday. As Mitch was waiting for me on the bridge, he was talking to the rangers about the accident in the Black Fly area. Ranger Frank was still puzzled over the sling configuration and the matter of failure. No one really knows what happened and we understand that the young woman died enroute to St. Francis. (According to Frank, they elected not to chopper her out; he said "that's really good or really really bad".) It is indeed a very sad outcome for all involved.

I will not be gunking for two weeks (hope my thumb is healed by then).

By the way...Mitch is out for the season. He needs another wrist surgery (the metal plate in his wrist is busted into three pieces). So, if anyone is looking for a partner please let me know. I have middle of the week flexibility and will be up most weekends (climbing every Friday or Monday from May on).

Happy Climbing and stay safe out there. Check your knots, check your anchors.

how were the crowds? Seemed like all of Canada was at the Gunks last weekend!

Not to worry, we went all the way to Slime and enjoyed some great climbing far far away from the noise. Wegetables has to be one of the funnest 10's in the park. If it were closer to the Uberfall, it would be a classic.

For Gunkers...try P1 of Cold Turkeys (to the right of Arrow), very fun, sometimes exposed 5.8 with G pro. I rarely see anyone on the climb...it's better than it looks.

how were the crowds? Seemed like all of Canada was at the Gunks last weekend!

Wet, drippy, slimy rock

I have been at the gunks since Wednesday and all I have climbed is wet, drippy, slimy rock. It's been terrible. It's so humid the rock is just sweating. Touch the rock and your hand is soaked. Managed to climb, but, barely. Arrow wall was dry today as were a few climbs in the Alley Oop area. Uberfall was a mess.

I am hoping that tomorrow and MOnday are better.

sounds like interesting times in Brazil.

Today was a rest day. We went to seven stores looking for a new hammock. Finally found one at Adams Fairacre Farms (produce store, with lawn and garden section)...who knew?

I took a nice nap in the shade, with guidebook in hand.

Tomorrow I climb.

Last weekend was the May long weekend for us people up here in Canada, and I had planned to spend it with my girlfriend, hopefully climbing. She's not as good as I am (and I'm not all that strong), but is very enthusiastic about climbing. The previous weekend we did a local 3-pitch trad climb as warm-up, and make sure she was ok with the general procedures.

Saturday we climbed the Standard Route (II, 5.5, 5.2R) up White Horse Ledge, Direct Finish (5.7) variation. That's about 1100' (335m) of almost completely friction slab climbing. I lead everything, but wasn't particularly bothered by the run-out bits, and the Standard Route is such because it has some of the better protection options for routes up the ledge. (And, I've been up a few similar style climbs in the Adirondacks, too.) It is a lovely cliff, and a lovely route. Also, the approach is simple and the down-hike is on well marked comfortable trail. Still, it was a long day for us, and my calves were feeling a bit worn by the end of it.

Sunday we drove over the Kancamangus highway (which is a nice drive) to Rumney and spent a shortish day (due to the heat and tiredness) climbing there. Where the granite slabs of White Horse Ledge felt familiar to me, the schist of Rumney was completely new. I spent far too much time (and energy) trying to figure out how this rock worked, but still enjoyed it. We climbed a few climbs at the Parking Lot wall.

Monday we packed up and drove back over to Rumney, climbed a few more routes, this time on the Meadows wall, then headed home. We hit an unfortunate 2 hour wait at the border, but otherwise the drive went fine.

And, though warm, the weather was clear and dry the whole weekend, which was nice. I was, also, surprised that there were no bugs around the whole weekend. I'd have expected both mosquitos and black flies by this time in May.

Was that you i talked to at Parking lot wall sunday night? you did Egg Mcmeadows the .9/10a then went to do the 10b down the hill? if so.. Cool!

Rumney does take a bit of getting used to. you do develop a sense of it and things seem right though.

the breeze at Rumney tends to help with the bugs. i made out without many bites this weekend but the girls in my group got a lot so it depends.

Nope, wouldn't have been me. I didn't climb anything harder than 5.8+. I can understand that I'd get a feel for it, I just don't know if I'll spend enough time there to do so -- would be nice if it did happen, though.

I think it may be a good (for humans) season for the bugs this year -- I was out last Saturday (27th) locally, and despite not bothering with any bug spray, I didn't notice any bugs. That's unheard of in the Ottawa (Ontario) area at this time of year.

Monday= Redemption

On Monday I hit the cliff late (it rained on Sunday night...hard). The crag was eerily quiet, the stairmaster lot was empty.

On the prior Wednesday I was seconding Shockley's and I actually fell off the first roof. It was a bit damp and somehow I just popped off, no idea how/why, all of a sudden I was swinging in space. Jammed a cam and swung back into the wall to start all over. Embarrassed, I vowed to come back and lead the damn thing.

Fast forward to Monday...I went back and lead it. It was the first time I had lead Shockley's (not sure why, just never got to leading it I guess. Or, maybe I was a wuss because I remembered my early days at the Gunks when Shockley's was really really hard for me.) Anyway, I was a bit nervous when I started for the roof, afterall, I had just fallen as a second. Well, what do you know...the roof was easy peasy. In fact, I even managed to hang out and place an alien right at the lip. (The whole time, I was telling my belayer "I hope I am not freaking you out here, I am totally fine, I feel strong, I do 32 pullups with my personal trainer...blah blah blah...as I am fiddlling for gear, laid out almost horizontally under the roof [I am very short]). Alas, gear at the lip was not required. I shook out, pulled the roof and fired up to roof 2. Now that roof is a little rude shot in the face. Fortunately I had a #2 to slot and up and over I went. All good. Redemption at the Gunks.

Now...who wants to do it naked with me?

Now...who wants to do it naked with me?

We used my birthday as an excuse to attempt 31 pitches in a day at Seneca. I completed a write-up here:

http://bailureblog.blogspot.com/2012/05/31.html

heh - glad the steaks and wine came out at least!

happy birthday!