Red River Gorge Suicide Run II (ROCK CLI MBING)

“We talked about setting up a climbing trip during my last run in the Red. I won't be able to go until after I get back from Colorado and this date works for me. I know Crash wants to go... won't know if this will work for him until he gets back from Alaska. Anyone else?

This will be F-U-N fun! The climbs will be easy (kids at rock-walls in gyms could climb them). It will be top-rope climbing for the newbies.

I'll need to make sure I can get someone that is confident belaying a climber on lead (and that I am confident in). I can easily trad lead the grades of climbs I am thinking of but I would feel better if 4assmonkey or someone else that has experience belaying a leader had the other end of the rope in their hand.

The camping on Courthouse Rock is sort of a "bonus points" thing... the hike out there from Auxier Ridge trailhead is a bit of a lug if you aren't out there already. It can take a LOT of time to climb it (safely) and haul packs to the top. Last time we did this we climbed it by headlamp and set up camp in the dark. We might not have time... but like I said... bonus points perhaps.

I have yet to choose a crag. There are a lot of good ones in the Red that would fit our needs, and they seldom get visitors. We won't have to compete for climbs like we might if we went to the sport areas.
last edited: 7/10/08 8:28:56 PM”

“ok for climbing newbies...correct?”

“you got it!”

“by the way... regarding climbing gear. i have several harnesses... a "one size fits all" like in the gyms plus about 3-4 others of vsrious sizes. so don't feel obliged to purchase a harness if you don't want one. shoes, on the other hand, i have only one extra pair in size 11.5. frankly, a 5.2-5.5 is something you probably could climb in gym shoes but if you can get a pair of climbing shoes it will be a LOT more fun. there are a few brands that sell entry-model shoes that aren't that expensive, especially if you look for closeout deals. they go on sale ALL the time.

i have all the gear we would need (ropes, webbing, trad pro, etc, etc).”

“Oh sheet... better put me down as a maybe.

any suggestions for shoes if I start looking for some Yogi? I'm thinking cheap to start with. MAYBE a harness too, but I'll go better quality there for sure.”

“i like the stuff 5.10 makes for starter shoes... i see the coyote a lot:

http://www.rei.com/product/716244

they fit true-to-size so just get the same size as your regular shoe. it won't be comfy bit the leather upper will strech a bit after like 10 pitches and a bit of sweating. people say they wear out fast on the soles but it's the same sole/rubber as their other shoes. the rubber is really sticky and the edge well.

these go on sale all the time.

-now- if you aren't into starter gear and want to dive in my personal favorite is the la sportiva mythos... but $130 per... however they can be resoled (mine has been once already) and they are just plain wonderful shoes.

http://www.rei.com/product/475014

there are many, many choices. also, shoes go on ebay all the time but watch the sizing as you can't send stuff on ebay back. :) also, people make amazingly stupid bids on ebay and i am constantly shocked that people will pay more for something used than it can be had for new.”

“as for harness, don't hesitate to invest in shoes if it means you have to borrow a harness.”

“Are you bringing your boys? I want to go but I'll have to check and make sure the dates work.
last edited: 7/15/08 7:19:49 PM”

“Possible I might. They would enjoy this. My oldest son (14) has problems with his knee... The dude is growing too fast! So he might not be up to the approach. My 8 year old on the other hand... He would have a blast! I would try to con my daughter into going but it would be a hard sell. She would have fun once we got there... :)”

“I checked on shoes...they are not cheap. I will try ebay. If you decide to bring your 8 year old, let me know. My 8 year old would love to come...she's a girl, but she thinks she's a boy. How old is your daughter?”

“Maybe for me...

Grace would love to do this as well, however 3 is a bit young. A park in the area has a good climbing wall that she can scale in 5 seconds.”

“My son is 8, daughter is 12, and older son is 14.


I have kid shoes that might fit your daughter. What si2 street shoes?”

“She wears an 8. I have placed a bid on a pair from ebay...keeping my fingers crossed! This is going to be a great trip. I would love to camp on top of Courthouse rock.”

“Did you know that the October Fest at the Red is October, 10th, 11th, and 12th.”

“...first if all it's the Rocktoberfest so get it right!

http://rrgcc.org/events/8th-annual-rocktoberfest-in-the-rrg/

secod of all it's in october and this trip is in SEPTEMBER. so i am not sure where you were going with this. :)”

“How big is it on top of Courthouse Rock? How many tents can fit? My tent is free standing but I guess I won't be able to stake it down.”

“quite a few tents would work. i have always slept out in the open up there. one end of the rock has dirt on it (not sure if it would accept a stake). there are a few small trees to tie off to. the other end is exposed rock... flat but free-standing tents only. there is basically no loose wood up there so no fires. not a good place for a fire anyway.”

“several of my friends from the climbing gym might come on this trip. they have pretty much no trad experience but are excellent sport climbers.

also, re courthouse rock. getting a group of people up there safely is time consuming and so saturday will be a long day. last time i was there with 4assmonkey we climbed the chimney to the top in the dark wearing headlamps. it was "special". i don't think i would want to do that again anytime soon.”

“I'm still in. As of today, my 15 year old daugther wants to come and my 8 year old as well. Any other kids joining?”

“prolly my 8 year old as well. i will have to work on the rest of the clan.”

“I am in! yo bear!”

“They have climbing shoes on Sierra Trading Post.com from $30 - $100.

Should you buy the same size as your regular shoes?

I have a cash back bonus and hope to find an online retailer that I can use it on for climbing shoes. What are some other good online places to try?”

“I highly recommend zappos for all of your shoe purchases.”

“Normally a climbing shoe is a very snug fit, so it would be about a 1/2 size smaller, maybe than your street shoes. If this is your first pair, you should go to a climbing shop and try on several pairs. There are many different fits to each different brand of shoes, and even the same brand of different styles.”

“Yeah, you pretty much HAVE to try them on. for sizing, think of them as really snug leather socks. They shouldn't hurt when you stand up in them, but they're not going to be terribly comfortable either. Unlined ones will tend to stretch a bit to fit your foot. Typically they are worn sans socks.

You don't want a really aggressive downturn in the toe end, nor do you want a very 'pointy' toe - not in a beginner shoe.

A good way to get a cheaper deal is to go to a rock gym and see about buying a pair from their rental program. I got my fast growing daughter two pair that way. You pay less than half price full retail (around 20 or 25) that way.”

“Yogisan, this trip still a go. Will you be bringing your children? Uclimb is also an attraction that weekend. FYI yo bear!”

“as far as i am concerned it's still a go. i'll prolly bring the entire family in tow but i am not sure all my kids will want to climb. they are welcome to if they wish. i am going to select a crag that should be pretty easy to reach... some of the approaches in the red are pretty cool but are really steep, slippery climbs... once you are at the cliff face it's easy going but UNTIL you get there it can be rough, slippery hiking. anyway, i will try to find a good candidate and i'll choose one that is out of the way. honestly in all the time i have been trad climbing in the red i have only once run into another group of climbers and that was at funkrock city (very popular crag). sport climbing is a different story... the sport crags are frequently very, very busy.

hopefully we'll have some good camping on the ridge... lots of fun. the car is close to the camp site... under 1/4 mile so bring water and fun food to cook on the fire. i'll bring a grill and bag of charcoal. those that went on the last trip to the red i did (the marathon hike i copied from crash) know the routine... :)”

“i have found most climbing shoes fit "true to size". i prefer a leather upper to synthetic. a leather upper will strech out and conform to your feet. i know a lot of people that buy their climbing shoes a full size or more smaller than their regular shoe size. the shoes are painful and frankly i don't see they climb any better than i do other than i am never in a hurry to get down to take my shoes off. also, esp for leather shoes, i think that if they don't fit well they strech too much and it ruins the shoes (they pull themselves apart).

i prefer a lace-up shoe to one with velcro closures. i think i get a better fit and the shoe doesn't slip. most of the people i know that buy velcro closure shoes do so because... they buy the shoes so painfully small that they want a fastening system that they can get off and on quickly.

i tend to spend a lot of time in my climbing shoes, sometimes all day. honestly, they are the lest comfortable shoes that i have ever worn for an extended period of time. that said, they are not painful. it feels good to take them off at the end of a day of climbing, but i don't spend all day fiddling with my shoes or avoiding climbing moves because they will hurt my feet in shoes that are too tight.

so i tell people to generally order "true to size" and stay away from so called "performance/sport" shoes (you'll know them when you see them) for their first pair.

most people i know don't wear socks in their climbing shoes. i don't. that said, if you do plan to wear socks i would recommend polypro liner socks (like you would use for hiking) and avoid the thicker socks you would wear with sneakers. they are thin and don't intrude on the feel of the rock under your feet.

if you get a pair of shoes that you like and want to them to last longer bring a pair of sandals/crocs/whatever to the crag. when you are not climbing take off your climbing shoes and slip into these. walking around the crag puts a lot of wear and tear on the soft climbing rubber. i used to have a HUGE pair of crocs i would slip OVER my climbing shoes. it looked st00pid but it works.
last edited: 8/21/08 8:06:11 AM”

“ok, boo boo! LOL”

“whosa bringin' the pick-a-nick basket?”

“Sounds like you're not planning to camp on top of Courthouse Rock anymore.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. Yeah we can still do that if y'all want. Not a big deal. It is a lot of work but would be fun. Sorry. I forgot.”

“I always carry goodies! Yo bear!”

“It's fine with me if we don't stay on top of the rock.”

“Yogi man, you really gotta change the title of this thread bro.... it's gotta be bad kharma or sumthin.....”

“Lol!

Yeah. My climbing friends and I call the weekend run th the Red the "suicide run". We all have to leave after work on Friday, roll in past midnight, camp, and get up early on Saturday morn to climb. We climb ourself out all day on Saturday and then try to climb on Sunday. Seems like a good idea but we are generally pretty whipped at this point and leave mid day so we are not too late getting home.

We have recently started going to Devils Lake in Baraboo, Wisconsin. Half the drive. The climbing is good (not as good but good) and we still have a lot of fun.”

“Is there any chance someone can lend me a harness, or rig one I can use. . . . and I'll have to buy shoes too, no? All I've got a at the moment are my b.packing boots and tennnis shoes.”

“we will have extra harnesses. we will have a few pairs of shoes but no promises they will fit you. we will be on pretty easy rock so if you don't have shoes there is a good chance you can still climb the routes.”

“I've got a pair of size 10 5.10 lace ups that I can send on a loaner basis if anyone might need them. I'd need 'em back, but they'd be free to use for the weekend.”

“don't loan your shoes, or your rope.”

“someone didn't learn about sharing in kindergarten”

“I did in k.garten. But it did not serve me well.

I shared the swing set with a little cooty who falsely told the black teacher that I called her a n***3r.

I'm still scared.

But maybe I can use the shoes anyway.”

“funny story....

when i was a little tyke growing up in pontiac michigan i was bussed to school... desegregation and all. terrible time. anyway, this kid used to beat me up just as i got off the bus from school.

well my mom got sick of this and yes... she met me at the bus one day... of course i was mortified. she told the kid, "if you beat up my son again i am going to beat you up!"

the next day my mom met the bus again. the kid got off of the bus, walked up to my mom, and said, "i told my momma what you said and SHE said that if you beat me up she is going to sue you for all you are worth."

my mom said, "oh... well then i had better beat you up really good so as to get my moneys worth."

...the kid never bothered me again.”

“LOL

good'un.

so, if you wanna borrow the shoes, shoot me an email with an address for which to mail them to.

:)”

“so who is looking good at making it to the climbing weekend? i got a call from captain jack and it sounds like he is a for sure.

i took a new job a week ago. i have to be in toronto all next week including friday. so i will have to fly back from toronto and then drive to the red... awful! i am committed to the trip, however, and while i won't be at the camp friday night i will be there early saturday morning, prolly just before sunup.

i am looking at getting a direct flight to lexington or cincinatti or even indy and seeing if i can bum a ride. so don't count me out of friday night camp.

hope the weather holds out!”

“If you fly into Lexington I will pick you up. Are your friends still coming down from Chicago?”

“yep. at least three d00ds from the gym where i climb... bill, dan, and vince. they know how to get to the camp site for friday night. they will prolly roll in well before me. they MIGHT sleep in their cars in the parking lot if they get in really late. most of them work on friday and can't leave the area until they get off work.

i am looking into a way to get back to chicago early.

my wife and kids are leaving when the kids get out of school, but kat doesn't like to drive late plus won't want to set up camp in the dark. so she has asked that i get her a hotel room outside of lexington. she will roll in saturday morning. she prolly won't go climbing with us but i will scoop up my kids that want to go to the crag (prolly just james) and send the rest of hiking on auxier ridge or greys arch -> rough trail or something like that.

i wish i could find a way out of work on friday. i just started this new job and it's a big training event that i have to take seriously.”

“Wow! We get to meet yogi's wife! Does this mean we have to mind our manners?”

“no more than usual!”

“Honorable trip leader -

Have you picked out a crag yet? Any changes in trip details we need to know about. Sorry I'm so antsy. I haven't been out in a while.”