And Then The Sun Came Out!

Wow, I'm behind on posting! I've been busy since the weather stopped sucking.

So, Thursday, the weather was supposed to be good, but it was a little wet in the morning. Eventually, things started to dry out, but we kept getting passing showers, and Massey didn't feel like walking to the cliff just to get rained on. I got tired of sitting around, and decided to look at doing an easy solo. I hiked out with a rope for rappelling, my harness, and a rack of nuts in case it started raining and I needed to bail, and sized up Old Man's Route (5.3). Most of the route is very easy and you are climbing from one big to another, which gives a pleasant illusion of safety. About the only times I was uncomfortable were when I was climbing a couple of chimneys dragging my pack (with the rope, water, etc.) below me, and then, at a steep inside corner at the top. The corner is only about 20 feet tall above a large ledge, and has huge holds, but it's a little intimidating! I found it exhilirating to reach the summit alone, via a technical (albeit easy) route. It felt very good.

Me at the top with the north summit in the background.

The summit register box.

Looking up the crux corner (taken on rappel).

Thursday night, I hung out with Mike, Justin, and Sarah at Seneca Mountain Guides (across the street from the Gendarme), and Mike invited me to climb with them Friday. We went to a crag south of Seneca Rocks, above the town of Riverton, where Mike wanted to put up a new route. We hiked up and checked out a few existing lines. Sarah led a 5.10b/c sport route which Justin had recently put up, and then Mike top-roped the climb he wanted to put up (a thin seam to the left of Justin's route), and installed a bolted anchor for it. I got to do the 2nd top-rope ascent of the route, and the first ascent of the direct start, which was kind of cool. It was pretty fun climbing. Mike ended up installing 3 bolts to protect the direct start and a section of the seam that was not protectable on gear, and making the first lead ascent later in the day. I think the concensus rating was 5.10a. I also top-roped Justin's route, and a cool 5.9 dihedral called Cornerstone.

Friday night, I hung out at Seneca Rocks Mountain Guides again, ate some awesome pasta and salad that Mike made, and met a fellow named Dan Mitchell, who I ended up climbing with on Saturday. I think Dan was the perfect partner for me to hook up with. I was looking to do a couple of the moderate classics in the area, Ecstasy (5.7) and Triple S (5.8). Dan had done Ecstasy once and had never been on Triple S. We got both routes in and had a great day. Triple S was a good challenge for Dan, and a lot of fun for me.

Dan coming up the last pitch of Ecstasy.

Looking down the beautiful corner of Triple S.


Dan at the top of Triple S.

Sunday proved to be a bit of an adventure. I initially planned to climb with a guy named Adam who I met at the Mountain Guides. Then, a guy named Daniel showed up looking for a partner, and I told him he could climb with us as a threesome. It was bound to happen eventually: I ended up climbing with someone I didn't really like. The three of us hiked up to the south end and we decided to climb The Burn (5.8) to get to the West Face (you can hike up a set of switchbacks and stairs, but there are also a number of technical routes you can climb to get to the same point). Daniel took the first lead, and then Adam went to follow, and struggled pulling a bulge below the crux. He took a couple of top-rope falls and ended up twisting his ankle, and calling it a day. I felt really bad for him. If I hadn't invited Daniel along, we probably would have done something easier and he wouldn't have gotten hurt. Still, there was nothing I could do, so I went ahead clibed with Daniel. It's not that Daniel is a bad guy. He's just irritating. He kept spraying about the 5.12 he had done the first ascent of, and such, then crying and whining on 5.9. Oh well. I was climbing, so I could put up with him.

So, I finished the first pitch of The Burn (I fell at the crux which I blame entirely on the pack I was carrying since we were using this as an approach to do other West Face routes and weren't immediately coming back to the base), and went to lead the second pitch, which, according to the guidebook, is seldom done. So, I started up the crack above the belay ledge. I got a good piece in low, then climbed to an awkward stance and threw in another piece...which was clearly not secure. I tried to look around for another placement, but was pumping out on bad holds and decided to pull a couple moves up to a better stance, then get a better placement. So, I good a high foot, stood up above the questionable piece...and fell. Visions of the piece popping and me decking flitted through my head, but, miraculously, the piece held. I climbed back up to the piece and saw just what a miracle it was. The cam (#1 Camalot) had pulled out of the crack, but caught, statically, in a constriction, completely tipped out. That's what held my fall. Yikes. I got a better piece below that one, cleaned the bad one, considered bailing, then found a good hold and cruised the rest of the pitch.

So, we finally made it to the West Face. Daniel wanted to try Crack of Dawn (5.10a) on the Face of a Thousand Pitons. It looked like fun, and I was happy to get to top-rope it, so we went for it. To get top CoD, you climb a 5.9 called Marshal's Madness, through an optional belay 40' up, then step right to a small roof with a perfect hand crack above it. Daniel, despite the whining, did fine through the roof (he did stop at the belay...he was sewing it up and wanted his gear back), then the crack gets thin (the crux) and he took a hang. After working through the crux, he decided he didn't have the gear to finish the pitch, so he set a belay and brought me up and I led the rest of the pitch.

Despite the less than ideal climbing partner, the brush with potential ledge fall, and losing a partner to injury to start the day, I had a fun day of climbing. As the say, a bad day climbing beats a good day at the office. :-)

Route List for May 7-10:

• Old Man's Route (5.3 trad) (on-sight solo)
• Unknown 5.10b/c (TR)
• Unknown 5.10a mixed (TR clean)
• Cornerstone (5.9 trad) (TR)
• Ecstasy (3 pitches, ~200', 5.7 trad) (onsight)
• Triple S (5.8 trad) (onsight)
• The Burn (2 pitches, 5.8 trad) (TR first pitch, led second pitch)
• Crack of Dawn (2 pitches, ~160', 5.10a trad) (TR clean)