Archive for the ‘Gunks’ Category

So sweet

That first pitch of Erect Direction is probably one of the nicest pitches in the Gunks.  It’s a shorter, less strenuous, less sustained version of Double Crack and, except for the shorter part, I think I appreciate that about it.  Erect Direction P1 offers stress-free fun.
This is the time of the year when the Gunks [...]

September 20, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Cathy visits the Gunks

I asked Cathy what her favorite route was and she picked rapping Madame G’s in the freak hail storm.  Yeah, it was memorable.  We were finishing Madame G’s as the thunder got serious.  We knew we needed to get down fast or get soaked, but I’d assured Cathy that people didn’t die from lightning strikes [...]

September 14, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  One Comment

John’s first day at the Gunks

John’s taken the belay class at the gym and climbed there twice so it was time to let him have a taste of real rock.  The way he took to the crack at the gym–executing a backstep foot jam move I’ve never actually seen before–suggested he’d be a natural, and his total lack of regard [...]

September 4, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Climbing with the Colorado folks

High E, 5.6 (Dawn & Steven)
Bonnie’s Roof, 5.8 (P1: Tom, P2: Shelly)
Pink Laurel, 5.9 (Dawn)
Classic, 5.7 (Tom)
Jackie, 5.5 (Steven)

August 12, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Thursday with Todd

Birdie Party, 5.8 (P1 & 2: Dawn)
Interstice, 5.10 (TR)
MF Direct, 5.10 (Todd)
Mother’s Day Party, 5.10 (TR)

July 15, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Coasting

I took advantage of being with someone who is easy to please yesterday by doing a little coasting – no hard, scary lead for me.  Mike got his in to start the day and then I put up a couple of familiar 9s he wanted to do.  Having no agenda makes me relaxed and unattached [...]

May 11, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

A quiet wait in the woods

I’d always heard the Gunks are deserted on a weekday, but I guess I’ve been so much a part of the crowd-that-wasn’t-there that I’ve never seen it for myself.  Mark, Mike and I had the Seasons area–normally a circus of dogs, babies and spectators–to ourselves all day.  It wasn’t a productive day, an efficient day, [...]

May 6, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Fear doesn’t equal danger; Danger doesn’t equal fear

Far from onsighting new routes with a strange partner, today I’m trying to lead my nemesis Cris Cross Direct with my two oldest partners.  Steven and Todd and I have a lot of history and so do Cris Cross Direct and I.  Let me start by saying that I know of no route called Cris [...]

May 4, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments

Sometimes the universe has other plans

Sometimes the universe has other plans and usually it’s best to go along with them.  I asked a friend to climb Friday.  It was supposed to be a beautiful day and I wasn’t working.  He said yes and then mentioned another friend who had asked the same thing.  So now there were three of us [...]

May 3, 2010   Posted in: Gunks, Millbrook  No Comments

Ankles Away

Sunday I was in pre-trip mode, meaning I didn’t want to get hurt. Although in this case the trip was actually a race.  I told Todd the goal for the day was not to get hurt and he pointed out that that should be the goal for every day, so I revised it a little [...]

April 13, 2010   Posted in: Gunks  No Comments