Everyone thought we were crazy but I kept insisting that some of my best days at the Gunks started with a 40% chance of showers. I continued insisting that on the drive up despite the wet ground and, let’s admit it, rain. I said, wait until we’re over the bridge. Sometimes the weather is different over the bridge.

Turns out, the weather was different over the bridge. Although the rock was wet up to the tree line when we got to the cliff, it wasn’t raining, it wasn’t running, it wasn’t even seeping. It was just damp. So we started on Sixish which was only damp for the first easy 15 feet and by the time we’d done two pitches of that and finished on the Maria roof, everything was dry and it was a beautiful day.

I was trying to find Middle Earth. I figured we could go up to the ledge and do the third pitches, which I haven’t done since the day I dive-bombed back down to the ledge on Bomb’s Away Dream Baby, bringing an abrupt end to all conversation and actually turning one guy off from climbing permanently. (Sorry, guy. I was fine, really.)

So Jim and I were walking down the carriage road and I was doing my best guide spiel: there’s City Streets and Country Roads, there’s Balrog and Dry Heaves, OK let’s go up here. When we got to the cliff I scouted around a little and realized I was most definitely at Madame G’s, which meant all those things I’d pointed out were still to come and we were a long tromp from Middle Earth. But we did happen to be standing right in front of Le Teton, which I’d always wanted to do. And Norther Pillar, which you have to take to get to it, was free. Serendipity.

I really shouldn’t have fallen off Le Teton. I was through the technical section and had clipped the pin, making the transition to the pumpy section. I had my hand on a sloper and my foot on a smear and one of them slipped. I caught my leg at the bottom of the fall. Because the belay is off to the right, it’s kind of unavoidable. At least, I can’t figure out how to avoid it except to relocate the belay which I might try to do next time I’m up there. But I really shouldn’t have fallen off there anyway. Hanging from the rope I looked up and saw half a dozen jugs. I was using the worst hold within arm’s reach: the tunnel vision of being pumped combined with the safety of having just clipped a pin; I touched a hold and tried to use it.

The rest of Le Teton went well. It’s a great route if you didn’t have to climb 100 feet of 5.2 to get to it, but I’ll have to go back. Then we found Finger Locks free and I couldn’t see walking past that, since it’s so rarely free. Then we continued towards our supposed objective of Middle Earth but we didn’t get far. We arrived at City Streets – the real City Streets and not the imaginary one I’d seen from the carriage road – and I thought: you know, why not.

I’d done the move once. I’d tried the move a hundred times but the last time I’d tried it, however many years ago that was now, I’d done it. So I figured I was golden. I marched myself up there, got the pin clipped, grabbed the pointy-painful jug, pushed myself as far left as I could go, found a slopey thing, bumped to a better thing, skated my feet . . . this is all according to plan so far . . . and fell off.

I must have stepped through the sling to the pin when I skated my feet because it was an awkward fall of the type where you have to unwrap yourself from the various things your various body parts are caught in before you can fully hang from the rope. You mean you’ve never taken that fall? Me either, but I’d caught one before.

After untangling myself from the ropes and slings, I went up and did it all again, except that I more carefully stepped around everything with my left foot so only my right leg got caught a little on the second fall. On the third attempt, I realized that as far left as I was getting it still wasn’t far enough. I stabbed even further, found the jug, and pulled up and over. It was excellent.

I think my work with slopers in the gym may be convincing me I can hang onto things I can’t. Although it’s good that I have more open-hand strength, when leading I should perhaps look around and see if there’s a non-sloper option before I commit.

Sixish, 5.4 (P1: Dawn, P2: Jim)
Maria, 5.6 (P3: Dawn)
Northern Pillar, 5.2 (P1 & 2: Jim)
Le Teton, 5.9+ (Dawn)
Finger Locks or Cedar Box, 5.6 (Jim)
City Streets, 5.10 (Dawn)