Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Gunks Madness

Dave, Taylor, Jaclyn, and I went to the Gunks this weekend. It was...more exciting than usual (although I seem to say that with alarming frequency). On Saturday, I took Jaclyn up Son of Easy O (5.8) first. It's a really great 5.8, with thin crack moves up to a short jug haul through a horizontal roof. Jaclyn was psyched and grinned at me as she came up to the belays. We met up with Dave and Taylor after eating some grapes (the finest summer climbing food ever invented), and did our usual "let's wander down the Trapps, go up a random trail, and thumb through the guidebook" approach. I found something called Beatle Brow Bulge (5.10) to do. It was easy climbing until a horizontal roof, after which I couldn't see very well. I fiddled in three pieces at the roof, chalked an excessive amount to stall, and then punched it through the roof. I made it, and fiddled in a good yellow C3. I couldn't see the exact line, so I shook out on a medium sized hold for a while and thought about things. After a while, it was clear to me it was time to go or fall, so I decided that I had good gear and went for it. I hit a few crimps and then what seemed like a great jug. Too bad the jug was attached to a block, which was attached to...nothing. Suddenly, I was flying backwards as a microwave sized block rained down terror on my belayer, Jaclyn, who fortunately was paying attention and had the presence of mind to dodge it. I felt pretty frazzled after that. I think Dave was telling me about doing some run out 5.5 called Blueberry Ledges, but to be honest, he could have been speaking in Japanese, and I wouldn't have noticed. I reluctantly pulled the roof again, finished the climb, and bid good riddance to the climb.

I felt better about myself on Sunday. We went up an excellent three pitch link-up called Oscar and Charlie (5.7), which takes the best pitches of: Oscar's variation to Strictly From Nowhere's P1, Strictly From Nowhere's P2, and Charlie's P3. I felt psyched again, and I had heard from Neal that MF was "the standard for 5.9" in the Gunks, so I went and checked it out. I looked the climb over in an inspection which was, in retrospect, overly cursory. There were some holds, some cracks, a roof...nothing to it, right? I headed up to the roof, and clipped a sketchy looking vertical angle, and a better looking horizontal angle. Then I got a case of tunnel vision, and instead of going around the roof like a normal person, punched it upwards, which is MF Direct, a 5.10. A 5.10 PG/R, but I didn't know that at the time. All I knew is that my body was horizontal through this roof, and I was making some wild moves on some pins of unknown quality. I cranked through it, and kept climbing up. But I didn't see any gear. Hmm. Oh well, I'm committed now! After a while, I got to a one of those goddamn thin horizontal cracks with all the pebbles in it. It would have taken a #6 or #7 BD nut, but I had already used mine. All I could get in was a bad #4 nut between two tiny pebbles, and a fairly marginal #0 C3. I shook out. I fiddle with gear. I swore. My heart pounded most inconveniently, as I was looking at taking a pretty big whip if I fell here. After a while I managed to fiddle in an even more marginal #00 C3. I wasn't sure if these things were even going to take body weight, but I didn't know what was coming up next. So it was a choice between possibly taking a probably OK but scary 30 foot whip now, or a certainly dangerous 50 or 60 foot whip higher up. Fortunately, all the aid climbing paid off, and I hung there, somewhat stunned, for a while. After that, I recovered enough and climbed to the top pretty easily. I kind of wish I had on-sighted it, but I'm trying not to paint myself into a corner, either. So it was a good time. I think.

This was Taylor's first trad adventure, and I think she was psyched. She said something about trad being cool, but being a sport climber at heart, but that's what I said a while back myself. Of course, you need to have a somewhat defective personality where you only remember the fun parts of climbing (and not the scary run out parts) to like it, but I have faith in her. I think Dave, who hurt his ankle a while back in a very unfortunate aid-climbing related misadventure, got some of his lead head back, which is really good. And Jaclyn led her second trad climb, Three Pines (5.3). That was actually my first. I remember doing it with Kevin and Caroline years ago, and thinking it was the scariest thing ever. And now it's no big deal...something we raced up an hour before dark. Cool. I also ran into "The English Party" of climbers who are attending Nika and Nick's wedding on Friday. On the trail, I asked them whether they were good at croquet. "Are we good at *what*?" They seemed very confused. I mumbled something about lawns, hoops, and balls, and the finally got it, but I think they're convinced I'm some sort of American lunatic. Everything in America, they say, is much bigger: the cliffs, the food, the people...perhaps they think the lunatics are crazier too. However, I'm not as crazy as Nika, who is getting her even crazier brother Zeb to perform the ceremony. I am worried he might bring a banjo instead of a bible. I'd say the move to have Zeb do it is perhaps PG...probably OK but could be interesting! So stay tuned.