On a dreary Saturday Todd and I head out to find the bouldering mecca so frequently touted on Gunks.com: Ice Pond (ice, ice baby). We go “just to look” but bring our shoes and a chalk bag. We don’t bring a crashpad because we don’t own one. This turns out to be unfortunate when Todd jumps off an attempted “send” and thwacks his heel on a rock.

All in all, we don’t make it to the top of a single chalked problem through a combination of fear and lack of skill. I can’t help but wonder why we’re willing to climb the first 20 feet of a route before getting protection but unwilling to top out on a 15 foot high boulder. Well, I said it already. A combination of fear and lack of skill.

I’ve decided on a new bouldering rating scale.

D0 = Dawn can do it
D1 = Dawn can’t do it

I put up several D0 first ascents. If you’re interested, just look for the chalk on the easy side of boulders under 6 feet in height.