Dawn's Climbing Blog

On Saturday I had a prety bad day climbing. First I tried to lead Ken’s Crack and hung. I pitched a bit of a fit about it too. Turned out some guy was standing behind me, which I never would have pitched a fit if I’d known that. Now he wants to give me beta. Todd sent him away somewhat harshly, I guess. I don’t know. I didn’t really hear the exchange as I was busy fuming. I finished leading it and Todd went and apologized to the guy and let him have a ride. He was pretty bad as it turned out, so it was kind of funny.

Then I tried Trapped Like a Rat again and freaked out on that one too. I ended up downclimbing with tension when I couldn’t get a second piece in to start. I was crying and it was so slimy I didn’t think I could do it, or make myself do it, I don’t know which. So I told myself I was quitting climbing and then I said that I could quit climbing if I went ahead and led the thing, so I did. I think that’s about all that got me up it. The top didn’t feel so bad this time at least.

I’d have spent the rest of the day in a pissy mood except we ran into crazy Mike who was impressed I led it without falling because he thinks it’s really hard. Then he was impressed that I’d followed P38 cleanly (and that Todd had led it cleanly) so he was making me feel good. He wanted to put a rope up on Trashcan Overhang so we went and did that with him. I didn’t get it clean because when I did the first, right heel hook my shoe came most of the way off. Stupid velcro. I really think I might have gotten it otherwise.

I fixed the velcro and did the rest of the moves and it didn’t even feel so bad but when I tried from the ground again I didn’t have the strength to repeat. I think I tried three or four times overall and my knee is showing the damage. Mike and Todd kept yelling for me to jam my knee up higher but I think they’re wrong. It adds to the damage anyway and I don’t think it helps me climb it at all.

Saturday was brutally hot and humid and I wasn’t even wearing shorts and a sports bra. I don’t know why. I didn’t think it was going to be that hot. Some of the rock was wet. We had two people from Todd’s work with us. So, long story short, I bailed on leading Ken’s Crack. It was wet, it would taken too long with them waiting, blah blah blah. I felt bad. But then we went farther down and Drunkard’s was open and dry and they were going up Easy 0 so I said I’d do it.

I walked the start (almost). Didn’t hesitate really, just did it the way I knew it could be done where it’s really not hard at all. And it wasn’t. Got to where the first gear goes and that’s when the panic hit. I was shaking so hard with retroactive fear I could barely stand there. Took a while to calm down and I was shaky and couldn’t find good gear for a while but then I got higher up, the climbing got easier and the gear got better and I relaxed. Had some trouble on the roof when I somehow accidentally clipped a draw from my harness into one of the slings on the gear I’d placed but luckily I had a good knee bar and I was able to put in another piece and fix it.

Then Todd led a couple of things and I whimped out on leading P1 of Birdie Party for the same reason (too slow with them watching). Todd offered me the lead on MF and I said no. Too hard, too humid, too slow. But then I changed my mind and did it. Clean too. I was pretty psyched about that. So it was a good day. We saw a copperhead around MF too. Pretty cool and not really scary looking but now I’ll know what not to get bit by.

We got out Saturday and had a decent day. I started off by feeling sick, maybe because I’d told myself I’d lead Drunkard’s and maybe because I was actually sick a little. Who can say? I led Ken’s Crack and hung on it. Not an auspicious start. Then we walked past Drunkard’s and found it taken so we decided to walk all the way down to Casablanca which is rated 5.8 G and which neither of us had been on. I made the argument that 5.8 G was my range and won the day. But not so fast. After sketching through an amazing amount of unprotected “G” climbing I got up to the loose rock as mentioned in the guidebook and discovered the worst looking shale-like crap I’ve ever seen at the Gunks. I had to figure out how to climb through it while protected by nothing more than gear placed in it, as though that would hold. It was pretty easy climbing but the whole thing was sketchy.

I finally got up to the roof and protected it, although all the gear was in the flake I was going to be pulling on so it was less than completely satisfactory. Then I thought I’d just do the roof which was starting to seem like the easy part but it wasn’t that easy after all. I made a few attempts, heel hooked left, jammed both left and right, stretched, etc. Couldn’t do it. The next hold was a good, long reach and there was absolutely nothing for an intermediate. I finally hung on the gear even though I could downclimb to a spot where I could sit down comfortably. Then before I finally called it quits I went ahead and dropped onto the gear twice. I dropped from below the gear. It wasn’t that brave. But thanks to slack I did end up a few feet lower!

I lowered off and Todd had to finish it. He didn’t have such a hard time but of course he’s taller and dynamic moves are more his style. I got it on the third try on TR. I don’t feel too bad. It was obviously a hard move for me. But I’m kind of bugged by the fact that the final answer was a heel hook right, which I didn’t try on lead. Maybe if I’d tried I would have gotten it or even taken an actual fall. I’ll never know now. It wasn’t that I was avoiding heel hooking right for some reason. I think my problem solving isn’t as creative on lead. I’ve got too much energy wrapped up in worrying.

Then Todd led Ant’s Line and Apoplexy. I was feeling worse at that point. Laurel suddenly opened up and Todd said I should lead it and I was going to pull the sick card but didn’t because I’m not afraid of Laurel anymore, even if I was having a high energy day. I stepped up there, first move no problem, threw in the Alien, and did the second move without hardly pausing. Todd said if it was going to be that easy I shouldn’t even bother and to come back down but I was up there at that point so I finished it. There’s still a section I don’t like but only in the sense that it isn’t 5.4 which is about how hard the rest of it is feeling. Even that second move I’ve really got wired now thanks to soloing it last week.

I only climbed one day. I panicked a bit on Ken’s Crack, did great on City Lights – right up on the first try. I haven’t had that much rope drag for a while though. We’ve been climbing a lot of stuff close to the ground and not so much multi-pitch and running pitches together. Then at the end of the day after I’d taken my harness off Laurel opened up. I didn’t feel like having to do it but also felt like I was dodging. Todd said go boulder it so I was messing around with my approach shoes on (uncommitted). Then he walked over with my rock shoes, so I committed.

I actually did the move twice and downclimbed it twice. It felt pretty reasonably good too. I wasn’t so scared, just a little in the downclimbing. So that counts as good as a lead, right? I think I can take Laurel off the list of climbs I’m scared of. And City Lights too although that one wasn’t really on the list becuase I’d already worked through it. Still on the list would be Ken’s Crack and Trapped Like a Rat but they’re diminishing.

Todd led Drunkard’s, which he calls a 7. I call it an 8 but I’m definitely still scared of that one. Lots of 8s yet to be scared of but if Drunkard’s is only a 7, maybe it’s time to start working on it. It’s close by so I could get to it often and the upper part is a real nice route, that roof especially.

Sunday morning was gloomy as predicted but we did get up and head out. The closer we got to the Gunks, the nicer it got and by the time we were there the sky was pretty blue and it was warm and I was wishing I’d worn the shorts after all.

I’d sworn I was leading Laurel and Ken’s Crack no matter what, that I’m going to keep leading them until they don’t scare me. Thanks to the forecast, the Gunks were pretty empty and we got right on Laurel. Todd wanted to walk down further and do Ken’s Crack first, figuring that it’s free less often, but Ken’s Crack was scarier so I insisted on starting with Laurel.

It went pretty well. I only hesitated briefly before making the move, then I somehow made the move such that I didn’t get all the way to the top of the ledge with my right hand and ended up in this finger long instead where I had to do a lot of jiggling before finally getting that ledge. Then I placed a piece, which I didn’t do last time, because it’s too far to go otherwise. From there, it was smooth sailing.

I grabbed our rope as soon as it was down and ran over to Ken’s Crack and it was indeed free. That went pretty well too. I way over-protected but I didn’t fall, didn’t hang, and didn’t even whine really. In fact, it felt easier than it often does when I’m following it for some reason. I think putting all that gear in forced me to keep finding stances, which there are really a lot of if you look.

Then Todd led Pink Laurel and Classic which evened us up at two apiece. I had also promised myself that I would lead an equal number of pitches to him so I said let’s go over to Eyesore and maybe I’ll do Trapped Like a Rat. I hadn’t promised myself to do anymore than those two hard 7s for the day but I went ahead and picked Trapped Like a Rat over Eyesore. Well, it was hard, harder than either of those other two, but I did make it through. I was pretty close to hanging at the roof when I pumped myself out by trying to clip two pieces that were too close together, making it hard to pull the rope up. I finally got the high piece clipped by z-clipping and then fixing the lower piece. By then I had almost nothing left but thanks to do laps in the gym I was able to finish it.

Then Todd led P38 and fell again (and so did I). I was feeling pretty done but he wanted to keep climbing so we walked back to the Uberfall and Horseman was open and I said I’d lead that but then he said he didn’t feel like climbing anymore so we left afterall, which was fine with me. We’d done 6 pitches, all classics, and I’d led three hard 7s. It was a great outing.

Sunday we got up early and went climbing even though it was very overcast and the forecast was for rain. I had told myself I would lead Laurel and Ken’s Crack and on the way I tried to excuse my way out of it because of the weather but I told myself I was going to lead them, no matter what the conditions, unless it was actually raining. Because they’re 5.7 and they’re short and they protect well and I should be able to lead them in any conditions.

We got there and Laurel was open and I announced I was leading it. It was definitely slimy with the first move wet and the next move damp and slick. I got up there and put the alien in and knew that it was good but I was sketched. Todd wasn’t sure the alien was good and didn’t want me to hang on it and he kept messing around with where the rope should go. I downclimbed. Repeat a couple of times. Finally I insisted on hanging on the alien, which was fine as I knew it was, and I got him to stop screwing around with the rope and surprisingly I did the move. I really didn’t think I was going to. Then I had to climb what felt like way too far before I could get gear. Then I overprotected like mad as the rest of the route was slick and muddy and the humidity felt unbearable all geared up with a helmet on.

Then Todd said he wanted to lead Ken’s Crack and I said no, I was going to do it. I walked down there with the rope but it was taken so we went and did Son of Easy O. I was going to do City Lights after. I really had myself talked into it but it started raining while we were walking of from Son of Easy O. It never did start pouring or anything but the rock got completely wet and it was so fogged in it was hard to believe the rock would ever dry even if it did stop raining, so we left. We looked at Ken’s Crack on the way out but it was still taken.

So I didn’t lead Ken’s Crack but I gave it the old college try. I’ll lead it next week as well as leading Laurel again.

It rained overnight and the ground is still wet. It seems to take a long time to dry around here. Yesterday we climbed as promised. It was a pretty good day. I actually led something a 5.8 or 5.9, depending on which book you believe, pitch with a crack corner crux (first pitch of Hi Coroner!). I ended up hanging on the last move, which I didn’t need to do because I could have stepped down and over and gotten some rest which was all I needed. Also, I had about six pieces in about 3 feet, so I could have just tried the move and gone ahead and fallen if that was what was going to happen. Still, I’m glad I led something and felt pretty good about how I’d done on the hard part until Todd claimed it wasn’t hard at all.

We also did Ye Old Apoplexy and Mother’s Day Party and Low Exposure and Laurel, all of which I fell on except Apoplexy. Yes, even Laurel. Todd had me trying out some new sequence of his which I didn’t like and then I couldn’t see to get my body and feet turned back around the way I like them.

So we really did go climbing. Hard to believe. I can only tell you I was seriously dreading it to the point of almost crying as we arrived at the base of Apolplexy. But after doing the perenial favorite we went off to do Grim-Ace Face which is new and interesting. Todd was a tiny bit slow in places but nothing to complain about considering that the moves really were hard and the gear really was sparse and it was new and interesting. I followed it cleanly but I think I got a bit of tension at the final roof. Todd says he didn’t like his belay and wanted to make sure there wasn’t any slack but it was a tree, so, duh? Did he think I couldn’t do it? He doesn’t usually mind letting me fall off.