TT Rock Climbing Club

“http://trailchic.smugmug.com/Rock%20Climbing

Great weekend and lots of fun thanks to 2 great teachers.”

“Cool deal Jimmy. So we'll be reading about him in Climbing sometime soon? Sounds like he's off and running!

That pic of GM that Pennsy posted looks like deck shot waiting to happen! YIKES!”

“I'm going to have to go[.i](to CO) [i]and see what all that rock is like.

GreenMonkee

when you wanna come out? We've got a few weeks left of really nice weather, then it starts getting iffy, but we were talking this weekend that we'd likely get to climb fairly consistently on into Nov - the rock might be cold though.... then, the ice season gets going good too. All the folks at the crag on Sunday were talking about ice... you get a couple of cool fall-like mornings and everybody starts getting excited about snow and ice. :)”

“i was telling someone yesterday... if you watch kids the progression is something like this:

1. learn to roll over
2. learn to crawl
3. learn to walk
4. learn to run (comes quickly after walking)
5. learn to climb (comes quickly after walking)
6. never stop running/climbing

...all in the first few years of life!

then they get the life sucked out of them by adults yelling "stop running!" and "don't climb on that!" and it takes us 20 years to learn to do the last two things again.
last edited: 9/11/07 6:29:30 AM”

“Roam Around
9:04:49 AM
9/11/07

I can deal with cold rock. We'll probably be climbing into Nov/Dec over here. I might be able to get out there next month.
If your still climbing outside, I'll book a flight and it's on :)

Oh, that pic looks skeery, huh? I swung off a huge roof near the bottom of a rap, into the wall and way out onto the tree. It was pretty funny. I hugged the tree for some pics before swinging around like an idiot.”

“he he Jimmy, so true!

This is why I encourage Grace to run, climb and do whatever she wants. I will always be there to catch her.”

“GM you gots mail”

“Back at ya”

“Sweet pics Gem! You got some great shots of Phone Booth and Obnoxious Partner. I'm glad you enjoyed climbing in my hood. :o)

That pic of GM that Pennsy posted looks like deck shot waiting to happen! YIKES!”

LOL. That's why I asked if anyone wanted to take a stab at that pic cuz it looks bad, but it was just GM having fun playing Tarzan.

Jimmy, that'a awesome about your boy. Another Sharma in the making.”

“Hey look, I'm posting !! I'm posting !!
See Pennsy, I told you I could do it. Nice Pics. Hey Gem, sorry I missed ya In PA. Have fun in the Gunks you bastards!
I'll be at work as usual, mabey see you guys saturday if I'm lucky and gt out early enough.”

“TROLL!!!”

“i used my rei 20 pct off coupon to get one of those newfangled link cams from omega pacific... a red one. i want two red ones and one yellow one but they are 95/99 bucks each.”

“You'll love placing that thing. I want at least one on my rack - it makes a great piece to save for use at the anchor, the range is so broad, your almost assured of having something that'll work no matter what pieces you left behind on the way up.”

“I just had to share this picture:
”

“So is the tongue sticking out some type of advancedclimbing technique?”

“lmao! i didn't notice the tongue!”

“ha! me either, like the socks though :)”

“dude, the left foot ain't no nothing... where is your base of support? haha!”

“whelp tonight was a 'break through' night at the gym. i lead up (placing draws) under an arch, turned around, and came down the other side. i fell once, a real whipper, but that pissed me off so on the second shot i went clear over. my triceps are really barking!”

“Very nice JS!”

“...in pain today.”

“...bagged three BD Camalots (#s 1, 2 and 4) as well as 6 Metolius TCUs (full set, #s 00, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) for $325 shipped... with OP and BD oval biners on each. Average price of $36.11/cam with biner. What a deal!”

“Very cool JS! On the lead climb AND the gear deal.

NOW.... about that pic. Gem - I'll get you for that. ;o)
1st, the "sock" isn't a sock. Sheesh. It's climbing tape holding a band aid to my ankle.
2nd, the tongue could be my attempt for the very first tongue jam, or it could be me giving the rock the rasberry because it peeled me off into space about 3 seconds later.
3rd, the left foot on nothing? Heck, I was just practicing the 3 points of contact rule. 4 points would be cheating ya know. ;o)”

“GreenMonkee and I had a fanstastic 3 days of climbing in the Gunks. The weather was great every day, and because it was during the week and not as crouded, we got to pick whatever we wanted to climb. We did 8 different routes, most of them 3 star Gunks Classics. I lead 2 5.3's, and Antonio (GreenMonkee) lead the rest, including 3 spectacular 5.6's. The 6's at the Gunks are amazing and I did all I could do just to follow GM.

I didn't take a lot of pics but Here they are

Below are the routes that we did and I included links for each route that include descriptions and pics from Rockclimbing.com and Mountain Project.

Day 1
Maria 5.6+
A 3 pitch classic that included an airy traverse, a steep corner climb and a crux ceiling near the top where the "+" came in. GM did a super lead even if we took the wrong traverse. ;o)
Betty 5.3
This was a sentimental climb because when GM, Crazypace and I took a Gunks course a few months ago, this was the route where we placed our first protection, a top rope mock lead climb. I had a lot of fun leading this and did both pitches, where we only did the one pitch when we took the course.
Dennis 5.5
Nice way to end the day. Time was getting a little short, so Antonio picked this fun 2 pitch route to close it out.

Day 2
Shockley's Ceiling 5.6
WOW! Check out the pics on this baby. 2 wild exposed roofs (for me anyway) and I finally did a proper heel hook without leaving skin behind. Yay. Antonio was fantastic leading and equally fantastic keeping me calm and encouraging me on the 1st ceiling.
Horseman 5.5
Shockleys took a lot of time (4 pitched and 4 rappels to get down), so we decided to do Horseman in one pitch. But it is supposed to be one of the best Gunk's single pitch climbs and I believe it. Quite steep for a 5.5, especially at the bottom with a thin vertical crack. I took my 1st Gunks fall about 20' high and Antonio did a nice catch. Thank goodness I was not leading because the 1st protection was above where I fell. That would have smarted.

Day 3
Three Pines 5.3
A Gunks classic and pretty wild for a 3. Route finding was challenging with all the zig zags and traversing, plus there are four 5.4 to 5.6 variations to consider. I was surprisingly nervous for leading an easy climb but it was fun and exciting, especially after finishing up the 3rd pitch on the 5.6 variation (unintentionally of course).
Madame G 5.6
Antonio really really loved this climb and I had a blast following him. I'll let him describe it because I know he really dug it.
Squiggles 5.4
We grabbed this single pitch on our way out because daylight was running out. Fun little single pitch with a slippery and interesting start for a 4. Of course Antonio started edging over to the right towards Squiggles Direct (5.10), and I begged him to get back on route cuz I wasn't following that. ;o)”

“thanks for the write-up! so cool and looks like a lot of fun! :)”

“Sweet climbing!

My weekend didn't work out like I'd hoped. I did get in a good day at the gym on Saturday. I have a 'project' there now - the new 5.10 they put up a few weeks ago. Missed it by one move of 'tricky' footwork.”

“Bummer, sorry your plans didn't come through, Roam. There's always next time.

Project, huh? I got one of those. It's called Phone Booth and has repelled me on four serious attempts. It's a pumpfest but I finally worked out the holds on one possible line and got to the "phone booth" stance on the forth go. Too bad I ran out of steam. The last bit is tough too.
There's a .10c/d line on it that I'm looking forward to after sending the .10a.

It's cool to be challenged.
I'm actually going to start working out.”

“1st, the "sock" isn't a sock. Sheesh. It's climbing tape holding a band aid to my ankle.

suuuuuuuuure, climbing tape, yeah, that's it.....

;)”

“Those three days at the Gunks with Pennsy were incredible.

Madame Grunnebaum's Wulst is my favorite route, to date. I enjoyed it more than High E. It was the only climb we waited for and had a party of three in line after us. The rock in the area is usually shades of gray but this butress is yellow. The first pitch up the face and the second over to and up a big corner were much fun. The really good stuff starts on the steep to overhanging, juggy yellow face. I set up a semi-hanging gear belay halfway up the face. I could see the excitement in Pennsy's eyes as he got closer to the station.

I should have continued another 25'. There was a nice little ledge above but I didn't see it from below. The last pitch looked intimidating and another climber had told us that it was easy to drift over to a much harder route so Pennsy, mother hen that he is, questioned our line. It was overhanging and exposed but it was jug city, very enjoyable climbing and good gear. The last major obstacle is a nice bulge with a vertical crack before you top out.

We had communication issues when I got on top due to wind, distance and lots of rock in the way. I yelled at the top of my lungs many times and didn't get anywhere so I tightened up his belay and waited for him to break down the anchor and climb. It took a while but several minutes later I felt movement. He left my big nut in the horizontal. The party coming after us also tried to free it with no luck. I figure, a nut is a small price to pay for such a tremendous experience.
The rap was very cool too, with lots of air.

They refer to this climb as the "other" best 5.6 at the Gunks.
I say it's #1.”

“Gem and I went to Crowder's Mountain in NC this weekend for a little top roping. We worked on her belaying, placing protection and general climbing theory.

The approach with a heavy pack made my heart want to explode.

She busted out a bonehead double knee mantle and now has bruises to show for it. Probably picked it up from Pennsy ;p Let's keep our knees off the rock, shall we?

Gem did well, chimneying and face climbing, resting at good stances and getting up with no falls. I think the route was a .4.
She also did a good job belaying and lowering me.

It was a great time.
Nice views, good rock and the cliff to ourselves.


Some pics
http://trailchic.smugmug.com/gallery/3528451#199450937

Couldn't help going for a dangle on a that big horn :)”

“I posted this on my trip thread but thought I would repeat it here. Summary: RED RIVER GORGE ROCKS for climbing!

great weekend!

we wound up spending the entire day at left flank! tons of illegal campers and the sign was torn down (if you know what i mean). people suck. anyway, we got in at like 2am and the crew crashed in the car and i wandered back into the pitch black forest and camped at "my" legal camp site way back in the sticks. it was a cool clear and fantastic night! i just dropped my groundsheet on the ground, laid down, and tossed my quilt over the top. pure!

i climbed:

tr "mr bungle" 5.8+ (clean)
tr "fast food christians" 5.10a (clean)
tr "to defy the laws of tradition" 5.10a (hung twice, took 30' whipper from top!)
lead "brother stair 5.9" (hung on a draw once)

did a lot of belaying of course

my big whipper was a classic. the prior climber that lead didn't make it to the top so the TR wasn't set. so i climbed to the last set draw, hung once to get my arms back, then pushed for the top. i got up to make the clip but couldn't find a good spot that was balanced, so I dropped down (gently), rested and tried again. this time i found a bomber hold with the anchor off to my right an arms length away. my feet were on the edges of little pockets. anyway, i leaned over and pulled up a lot of slack to make the clip into the chain but fumbled to get my finger on the 'biner. i tried again, pulling out a little MORE slack. i had the rope in place, ready to pinch the rope into the gate when my hand (on the bomber anchor) just let go... it didn't hurt, it just said "ok, no more!" i tossed out the rope so i wouldn't get bound up in it and kicked off the wall. my buds told me it was a beautiful fall... perfect... at least 30 feet... i landed back on the wall and only swung a little but totally under control. i hung there and we all laughed our asses off then i started the climb again but my concentration was lost and my arms pumped. i highly recommend this climb to anyone going to left flank... it's really an outstanding line. it's simply a beautiful vertical surface pocked with two-finger holds and little relief for the feet. you have to boggie or you'll get pumped like i did... try to think a little less and climb on your instincts. the top is a slight overhang, this is where i fell, and the last clip was for me less than fun. in hindsight i should have made this one... next time!

i was really bummed that i hung on the draw on "brother stair" (5.9). it was near the end of the day and i was pretty tired. when i got back down to the bottom i realized that my barrier here was totally mental and i could have pushed through and made it. this was a real let down but there is always next time. this is a fun but easy climb.

i was stoked to climb the 5.10a clean. the last time i was there two months ago i struggled on this climb and didn't make it past the first move. this time the climbing was almost effortless and i sailed to the top. that climb has has a tough start, however, and it just gets easier and easier as you go up so it's not what i would consider a sustained 5.10a but still it's a clear and noticable improvement over two months ago. all that time in the gym paid off!

someone was taking photos so i'll post some pics.
last edited: 9/24/07 10:22:44 AM”

“Awesome stuff - both you guys.

I was car campin this weekend - no climbing for me.

Hopeing the weather changes - its raining today, I've got a partner lined up for Eldo after work this week if the weather clears for us!”

“Nice, JS. Climbing hard, huh? Glad you had fun.
Can't wait to check that place out. Seneca too.


Can't rain all the time, Roam. Hope you get some sun.


There's a climbing film festival in New Paltz the first weekend of Oct at the preserve's visitor center. A local flick on pulling the big Gunks roofs, the feature film with Sharma and more. C'mon Pennsy :)”

“forearms are still sore. it was a great day, the best day (seriously... like in the scope of everything) in the last year or perhaps two... perhaps grand canyon aside.”

“That Rocks!”

“let me know when you plan a trip to the red and if you are interested i'll try and make time and climb with you.”

“You got it, Jimmy. Thanks for the offer.

Meeting Pennsy at Stover this afternoon to work on Obnoxious Partner and Phone Booth.”

“I got up to Stover early on Tues, set a rope on Obnoxious Partner and waited for the Pennsinator to arrive. We got right to it when he showed up trying three times before he got tired. I offered to give it a go so he could rest and showed him a hand jam he hadn't found. He made a lot of progress and even worked out the tricky moves at the start of the line.

As for Phone Booth? Well, that was a short project. Sent it on the first go. I was a little nervous remembering how difficult it felt last time. After calming myself down, I started up and didn't stop till I got to the alcove, breathing heavy, sweat dripping off my face. That stance isn't very comfortable, by the way. I took a minute to catch my breath and started up to the anchor with a grin the whole way. Hoots of joy followed as Pennsy lowered me to the deck.
Big day for me, my first real 10.

Heading back to the Gunks. Might try a 7.
Less work, more climbing!”

“NICE!!!”

“Outstanding! That is a good feeling.”

“hard workout last night. i actually had to put some tape on my fingers near the end of the evening. started with some bouldering problems that were fairly simple but dynamic and did 4 sets of 4. then the usual 20 mins of climbing. then, feeling bold from my trip to RRG, i hit a 5.11 line that basically beat the snot out of me. i got about 1/2 of it clean by the end of the day. between the laps and the 5.11 i spent a lot of time recovering belaying an army of kids of all ages.

on the bouldering i did an extension on two fingers and made a grab that put too much weight on my fingers. i am always wary on two-finger holds and prefer three if i can get it. i pulled something and i can feel the swelling and minor pain today. it will be slow to heal but it's a minor injury. it didn't stop me from climbing, although i probably should have stopped. i won't be able to get back to the gym to climb until next tuesday so i have a good window to nurse it and see how well it progresses.

so it's running for the next four days. i am going to the lake for the weekend so i may go out for a paddle, but it's just me and the kids and i only have one kayak. i am wary about leaving them alone that long. so it may be a quick 10k and then a trip to the apple farm and farmers market followed up by a taxing series of long naps. :)”

“hand really hurts when i type.... ungh. a weekend of ice and ibuprofin.”

“just got my 2nd edition rrg rock climbs book. i am so impressed by this book. ray ellington has done such a great job. the first edition was great. the 2nd edition looks very similar but i am sure there are many updates. i have hardly cracked it open.

haha, climber porn... text porn anyway.”

“

Yours truly climbing "To Deny the Laws of Tradition" - 5.10a
Left Flank Wall - Red River Gorge

Highly recommended...”

“...more pics my friends GF shot at RRG the weekend before the last.







"Fast Food Christians" - 5.10a, Red River Gorge, KY

this was a fun climb but really only the start is a 5.10a in my mind... and that might be generous if you have long arms and a fair amount of arm strength. it turns into a slab climb, tough at first but the higher you get the easier the climb becomes. near the top i would rate this more a 5.8. It's a fun climb, however, and that first sequence of moves + perhaps the first 1/3 of the climb is worth giving this a shot.”

“Nice - i've been wondering what RRG looks like in general.”

“

"Fast Food Christians" - 5.10a, Red River Gorge, KY

Here you can see the start. This is my friend Dan climbing and my other friend Bill belaying. This is the route I posted pics of above but didn't have a shot of the bottom of the route. Now you can see the start of the climb is much more difficult. Once you are over that rough horizontal band (where my earlier pics take off) the hard part is over and the climb just gets easier and easier.”

“Climbed my first 5.11 today clean! It was a 5.11b in the gym. The last few moves were tough because I was tired but it's amazing what you can squeeze out when you think you are on empty. So much was balance and good footwork. It took me three weeks to work out the moves so clearly this is a minor accomplishment, but it's still a sign of progress.”

“I was reading my new RRG Climbing Guide (Ray Ellington) last night and noticed I got the route name wrong. So much for working from my old and crunchy memory. It's not "To Deny the Laws of Tradition"... it's "To Defy the Laws of Tradition". It is rated a 5.10a so I got that right. It's only one letter and both names pretty much mean the same thing but one must observe the proprieties, mustn't one?”