A Not-so-Gunks TR (really long)
Adrian MacNair
contemplating writing the trip report. Unfortunately it's not really a Gunks
TR, although I hope it still may be entertaining enough to read. I'd first
like to thank everybody who gave me information on New Hampshire and the
Shawangunks, especially Steven Cherry and Tico.
Friday, August 17
We leave Toronto at 1:30pm. The characters in this story are myself, my
brother Dylan, and my "new"/now-estranged female climbing partner, who's
name I will change so that I do not slander her without defense on the
internet, (let's call her....) "AJ". The first thing I would like to share
with the rest of the group, impart wisdom upon if you will, for those who do
not already know, do not ever go on a road trip with a chronic smoker. It is
an absolute nightmare. Especially when you know that you will be in the car
for at least 30 hours total.
Not to digress too much, we drove east to Montreal, and south into Vermont
and New Hampshire. We arrived in North Conway around 11:30pm but AJ had not
brought either the map or the detailed instructions on how to get to our
destination that I asked her to print out, so we were lost. The reason we
were driving to New Hampshire was that the plan was to climb with
rec.climber Paulina Varchavskaia on Saturday and Sunday and hit the Gunks on
Sunday night/Monday morning. Perhaps an ill-conceived plan in hindsight,
but one nonetheless. After driving around North Conway looking for the cabin
I knew we'd never find, I resigned myself to calling my wife in Toronto to
get detailed instructions from her. We arrived at the cabin around 1:30am
and found Paulina sleeping on the porch of the cabin. She told us where we
could camp and we went to sleep, the plan being to wake at 8am.
Saturday, August 18
I awoke at 7:45am and tried to wake up Dylan and AJ. It was difficult, and I
went over to chat with Paulina. She's a nice woman, Russian with a moderate
accent, a little short, with wild frizzy brown hair, and a cheerful smile at
all times. She tilts her head in these quirky movements while she is
explaining something, always breaking into a grin when she finishes. A
likeable personality right away.
AJ seemed to require coffee and was moving very slowly. Meanwhile Paulina
and her party were already efficiently moving and eating breakfast,
preparing to leave "base camp". When it became clear that we were not
prepared to leave, Paulina left us a map and told us she would meet us at
the base of Thin Air on Cathedral Ledge. I have a feeling that Paulina would
have stayed to make sure we didn't get lost but she was not driving so she
left with her partners. No problem, she generously left us enough
instructions, and we finally packed up and headed for the car.
AJ required two more coffee's in town and a multitude of cigarettes. We
finally arrived at the base of Cathedral Ledge at 10:30am. Hardly an alpine
start. It was a gorgeous Saturday, and there were climbers everywhere. As an
Ontario resident I was not used to waiting in lineups to climb. The
situation amused me, at first.
Cathedral Ledge is almost like a twin granite slab next to Whitehorse Ledge
in North Conway, New Hampshire. The slabs are relatively easy climbing until
you reach the headwall where the climbing difficulty branches off into
various grades. Cathedral Ledge is 450 feet high according to the guidebook,
while Whitehorse is probably around the same height.
The climb "Thin Air" is a popular 5.6 newbie (but not limited to) route
which says is 5 pitches, but is more like 3. The first pitch which is 5.3
can be combined with the second 5.5 traverse. The third pitch is apparently
5.5 but it felt harder than the second pitch. The fourth pitch 5.6 can
easily be stretched with the fifth which is a 5.2 roped walkoff on a slab. I
waited until 12:30pm just to get to lead to the first anchor. By 2:00pm I
was able to move on to the second anchor and I brought my seconds up. Before
the trip I had bought a Petzl Reverso, knowing we would be three climbers,
and I explained to Dylan and AJ how it functioned. It was quite easy to
setup on the second anchor and I brought them over. My placements seemed to
be pretty good but a blue tricam wiggled out on the traverse. AJ led the
third pitch and Dylan led the fourth and fifth. It was 5:30pm by the time we
topped, not only because we were slow (which we were) but because the people
ahead of us were unbelievably slower (as Tico warned would happen). Despite
our slow progress, AJ did not allow it to impede her regular intake of
smoking while on belay.
We walked down the road on the top until we got a lift from some climbers.
We drove back to the cabin and cooked dinner. Later we joined Paulina and
her MIT companions in the cabin and chatted about things. We went to sleep
by about 11:00pm, projecting a 6:00am start on Sunday.
Side note - a minor argument had erupted over a change of plans. AJ now
wanted to stay in New Hampshire since the ride to the Gunks was not worth
the time investment. I insisted it was, and a vote was involved in which I
lost 2-1. We were supposedly to stay in NH.
Sunday, August 19
I awoke at 5:45am to Paulina coming over to rouse us, and I went into the
process of getting my companions up. There was some ugliness as AJ was slow
and demanded coffee again. Once again Paulina and company were first to
leave, telling us to meet them at the base of "Fun House" on Cathedral
Ledge. We finally got moving and we arrived at Cathedral Ledge about 8:00am.
We wandered around until we found Thin Air and asked some people where Fun
House was. They told us we came the wrong way, and pointed us to the proper
direction. After some sweaty hiking we found it and also found Paulina
racking for the first pitch.
Fun House is two pitches of 5.7 with an alternate 5.8 start up a thin crack
open book with a slightly overhanging finish you can bypass by moving onto
the adjacent wall of the open book. I offered to lead it but my brother
insisted he try. Since his leader fall on the 5.9 he has been very tentative
and intimidated with leading, and climbing in general. To climb above his
pro seems to be pure terror for him. Through much cursing and fear shouting
he aided his way up the crack by placing 3 friends. He finished the first
pitch using all 8 of our cams. I led the second 5.7 pitch and it was the
most enjoyable climbing I have had to date. Since I have forgotten to
mention it, climbing on Granite is a real treat. The friction and bomber
cracks make for some very easy climbing. 5.7 Granite in NH seems to me like
a 5.3 in Ontario. I topped out very smoothly and brought the two up on the
Reverso.
It was AJ's turn so we went to the upper right on Fun House to "Upper
Refuse" 5.5. It's a 270 foot four-pitch climb which is easily two pitches.
AJ was considering "Black Lung", a 5.8 just to right of Upper Refuse, but
she decided against it and led up to the first belay ledge. She could have
probably led up to the second belay station but Paulina and her partner were
up there. Before we had a chance to climb, two guides with their clients
came whizzing by us, climbing the 5.5 and placing maybe one piece of pro
before topping. They made the climb look like regular stairs. After AJ
finally pulled up the slack from both ropes (something she continually
forgot to do, putting us on belay before pulling the slack), I climbed Black
Lung while Dylan climbed Upper Refuse. Black Lung is well protected, but
spectacularly exposed climbing with one very tricky crux. It is
well-protected so I would have liked to lead it.
On the first belay ledge I had a minor fight with Dylan. He was continually
ignoring safety protocol by untying from his only anchor to adjust himself.
Several times already he had been untying me in the process, and as a result
leaving me open to the chance to plummetting off. I purchased a cow's tail
before I left, absolutely the most valuable piece of EQ I have ever
purchased, and I would always clip it to two anchors so I could lean back
and belay. My brother, however, seemed to be intent on unscrewing my pro
frequently.
We topped out Upper Refuse (apparently so named for the tourist garbage
hurled over the side) after Dylan led the remaining pitches, and once again
got a ride back to the parking lot. Paulina had left back to Boston and we
had packed our stuff in the morning, so we set out in search of a campsite.
I won't bore you with the details but we found accomodation in a campsite
and went to sleep.
Monday, August 20
We bought a guidebook in the morning and decided to do Whitehorse Ledge. At
this point I am fuming at AJ for making us stay here, especially when this
was a quote-unquote Gunks road trip. But it was her car we had taken, so
ultimately even if my brother joined my side we were stuck in New Hampshire.
That is not to say that NH is not beautiful. In fact the white cliffs
sparkling in the sun from North Conway are very impressive, but I was set on
going to the Gunks. I tried to be nice and go with the flow, so I made a
compromise. I would agree to stay in NH if we did Whitehorse Ledge on the
20th, Mount Washington on my birthday (August 21), and then Rumney on the
22nd, and perhaps the 23rd as well, or back to NH for a last day. A new plan
had emerged.
The day was hot and humid and completely overcast. It looked like there was
a severe chance of rain but we made the long approach hike to the base of
Whitehorse ledge anyway. We intended to climb "Inferno", a 3-pitch 5.8 which
had a 5.7 start with two spectacular 5.8 pitches to finish. AJ would lead
the first and I would lead the last two. Dylan was not interested in leading
at this point.
We arrived at the base of Inferno and made the scramble up to the ledges
where the climb starts. My brother left his bag rather clumsily on the edge
of one of the ledges and as I was building an anchor it spontaneously
slipped off the cliff and fell 50 feet to the ground. My brother went to
retrieve it and found the only damage to be a loss of the Gatorade.
AJ led the first pitch rather well, after some very hard route-finding, and
some almost invisible pitons. She arrived on the belay ledge with some
ferocious rope drag and proceeded to bring us up on the Reverso. At this
point it had started to rain a bit so we hurried up the ever steepening
slab. At the belay it started to pour so I offered to climb up to the trees
on the higher ledge to find a rap station. I got on belay and climbed up
about 30 feet. It was 5.1 or 5.2 terrain so I didn't place any pro. I found
some trees and threw some slings around them and put my brother on belay. As
I was adjusting the belay I suddenly lost purchase of the ATC and watched in
horror as it slipped into space.
"NOOOOOO!!!!!"
"What is it?" my brother asked.
"My ATC just went flying over the side of the cliff!"
"You're kidding me!"
The ATC had bounced once off a rock, again off another and then disappeared
180 feet below. In about five seconds I had whipped out a biner and set up a
Munter hitch. My brother was asking what we should do but I assured him it
was fine. I brought them both over and we found a rap station. AJ gave me a
Figure of 8 device and I set up the rappell. I rapped down the slippery wet
rock into some bushes. After working out some tangles in the rope I looked
down and to my horror the ends were nowhere near any ledges we could make a
second rap from. Feeling like an idiot, I carefully pulled up on the rope
and ascended up to where my brother could pull me back onto the ledge. As I
was on my way back up I realized the solution was so obvious. I tied the
double ropes together and we rapped down 130 feet to the first ledge and
then the last 50 feet to the ground. It was pretty scary in the rain but we
came out okay. Since my brother rapped down first and I was last to reach
the ground, he had gone in search of my ATC. As I was pulling the ropes he
came up with the shiny device in his hand triumphantly. I was amazed! I
inspected it closely and it was no worse for wear. I clipped it onto my
harness and we packed up the gear.
A side note - The experience with the lost ATC forced me to use the Munter,
a belay which was independant from my harness. This was not a new experience
for me since I had been using the Reverso on the anchors previously, but I
found the Munter to be by far the most superior method for belaying a
second, and for the rest of the trip it would be my preferred method for
bringing up a second.
We returned to the campsite in the rain about 3:30pm and after a long
conversation and a weather forecast which predicted 3 days of rain we agreed
to go to the Gunks. My brother and AJ were tired, however, and wanted to
sleep. I suggested we drive to the Gunks right then, and sleep during the
night like normal human beings, but they insisted that we leave at midnight
or 3:00am so that we would arrive for the morning. Besides, they argued,
they would be fresh after sleeping until the morning. Once again I resigned
myself to their whims.
A semi-scary moment - AJ had "wisely" brought the propane stove in the trunk
of the car because she was afraid someone would "steal it" in the campsite
(0.1% likelihood). When I tossed my wet EQ in the car after the epic rappel
I had accidently turned on the propane valve. Had Ms.ChronicSmoker lit up I
think it would have been very bad indeed. But luckily we noticed it before
that happened. She, naturally blamed the incident on me.
Back at the ranch we had arrived at the campesite and were listening to the
radio in the car for the weather forecast. AJ had turned on the AC so that
she could be cool. Unfortunately she never switched it off and it killed her
car battery. We found this out at 3am in the pouring rain after having
packed up everything. Once again, who's fault? Mine, naturally.
At 6:30am we got a jumper boost and we were off to the Gunks, AJ driving as
per usual, and as per against the prearranged duties that she would share
driving responsibilities with my brother. I would not have minded so much,
except that she was a very bad driver who always stopped too quickly and
seemed to get lost easily and frequently (read: scared for my life).
Tuesday, August 21
My birthday. A bad day. We drove 7 hours to the Gunks. Just 50 miles from
New Pahltz I had a blowup with her. I told her all the things I had been
holding back. We argued for a bit, I voted to go back to Toronto, she blamed
me for ruining the trip. My brother pleaded with us to get along and we
quietly drove the remaining way to the Gunks.
We found a campsite in Creekview and the guy in charge, a John Binky I think
was his name, explained everything we could want to know about the Gunks and
then some. Unfortunately he talked to us for a couple of hours, and the
evening wore on. It was 5pm by the time we headed for the crag. Realizing it
was too late, we stopped at Rock and Snow and Dylan bought a guidebook. We
were driving back to the campsite and I asked that we stop for pizza. Both
didn't feel like any, but I wanted something, anything, as a birthday treat.
So we stopped. I ordered a large pizza and a bud and sat there, alone in the
pizza shop, eating my birthday pizza. It was a bad day, a horrible birthday,
and had just about ruined the trip.
Wednesday, August 22
AJ finally got up at 6am, much to my joy, and we were leaving for the crag
by 6:30am. We got to the Trapps and went looking for some easy stuff to
start on. Of course AJ had now refused to climb with me so Dylan was now our
moderator and forced belay slave/EQ cleaner. Dylan searched for Jackie in
the guidebook and could not find it. He insisted it was to the left of a
large overhang. Without looking at the guidebook I saw a gorgeous climb to
the right of the overhang and realized it had to be Jackie. Asking a local
proved me to be right so Dylan racked and started climbing.
He got to the tree and froze. I don't know why. He simply couldn't bring
himself to climb higher. What is funny about Jackie (5.5, G, 2 pitches, 2
stars) is that you can easily walk up to the left and right of the tree on
moderate scrambling ground, so I was trying to offer advice to Dylan on
where to put pro. He was admittedly scared and started coming down. And then
he shocked me! He started down-cleaning. I couldn't believe how silly this
was and told him to stop. Not only did he not trust his own pro to fall on,
he didn't trust any of it to even lower off, not even the slung tree! Well,
I don't want to belittle my brother. He took that leader fall and ever since
he has had a hard problem dealing with leading. I sympathize with him and I
hope he can overcome these fears.
Dylan came down and AJ racked up to lead. I found myself alone and without a
partner so I went over to a group of 3 and asked if they needed a fourth.
The leader informed me they were a guided group and I walked off. Later on I
noticed a guy whom we had asked directions for the previous day! I walked
over and reintroduced myself and told him that I did not have a partner. He
did not understand the situation we were in and so seemed a little confused
as to why I was not climbing with my partners. I asked if he would like to
partner with me, although I saw he was with his wife. A very friendly guy,
he looked at his wife and said he would have to get back to me on that idea.
I said I didn't want to impose and I walked back to Jackie. In a few minutes
he came over to me and said he'd do a climb with me, while his wife went to
the car to get something. A very generous offer.
His name was Dave and he was from Oregon. Not originally though. His roots
were firmly in the Gunks, where he had grown up climbing. In 1991 he had
moved to Oregon with his wife and he loved it there. The thing he missed
most, however, was the Gunks. There wasn't a place like it on Earth, he
said. And I believed him. The Gunks were gigantic and impressive. All the
climbs seemed to swallow up pro, the roofs were powerfully seductive, the
texture of the rock was perfect for rock shoes. I couldn't wait to climb.
I offered to clean but he said he wanted to see me climb to make sure I was
competant (he had been dropped before). I agreed to his offer and I racked
up with his gear (since AJ had my rack). I took a lot of nuts and small
cams. It turned out I wouldn't need any cams. As soon as I got on the rock
it felt like I finally met a rock I was in tune with. I slotted in one nut
after another, everything I grabbed from the rack seemed to slide in
perfectly and a simple yank would lock it in bomber position. I got to the
roof where the pine tree belay station was. I hesitated a bit and then
pulled the roof. It was so exciting that I wasn't sure what emotion was more
prominent, pure joy or elated fear. I slung the tree with 2 slings and
backed it up with a cam in a crack and put on the Munter, bringing up Dave.
He climbed quickly and efficiently, arriving at my station in minutes.
Now I am not spraying here, or trying to boast, but this made me feel very
proud and happy. I felt I had placed my pro quickly and smoothly. I trusted
every placement completely and utterly, and for the first time in my leading
career I had lead a pitch in a pure groove where I felt nothing had gone
wrong. When Dave got to me he said "That was the best lead I've ever seen.
Every nut was totally bomber. Your placements were really creative and
perfectly wedged." Considering he'd been climbing since 1986 I felt really
flattered. It didn't go to my head, but for the first time on the trip I was
truly happy.
Dave finished the second pitch faster than you can say "You're on belay" and
we met Dylan and AJ at the top. We set up a rap and we all reached the
ground. Before AJ reached the ground Dave suggested we setup a toprope on
the tree which overlooks the giant overhang to the left of Jackie. So she
did and we all toproped it. It was a very hard 10a and we all took whippers
off of it until Dave showed us the correct way. Dylan and AJ managed to do
it but I still couldn't get the hang of it. I couldn't find mention of it in
the guidebook.
Dave said his goodbyes and I went with Dylan to lead RMC (5.5, G, 1 star).
The first pitch was once again outstanding and ate nuts like a hungry
squirrel. I setup my belay on the two pronged tree and then set out for the
next pitch. It was a much harder start with some crimpy face moves until I
found a giant piton with 3 holes. Clipping that I went up to the left,
assuming it meandered over that way. I got way off course and found myself
on some dirty lichen covered rock. I couldn't find RMC again and just kept
climbing until I hit the overhanging lichen-covered top. A tricky move with
rope drag, I topped out and setup a belay with only 6 metres of rope
remaining. It was a horrible finish to a great start, but I had somehow got
lost. We walked off this time and made our way back to the base of the
cliff.
AJ then led the first pitch of Baby (5.6, PG, 2 stars). It was getting late
so they rapped off from the first ledge. While AJ was leading the first
pitch of Baby this guy with a Kentucky accent was rapping from the top. We
called out that a climber was on Baby so he veered to the right. When he
reached the ground he talked quietly into a talkabout on his shoulder that a
climber was coming up Baby and to watch out. Now I know some of the
trad-hards are deadly against these things but I think it's a ridiculously
silly notion. These things are must-haves, especially if your voice is not
penetrating. I screamed myself hoarse many times trying to indicate I was
off-belay in both NH and the Gunks, and so many times my partners could not
hear me or what I wanted from them. In fact on the RMC climb I was at the
top of the climb about to attempt the overhanging lichen finish with severe
rope drag and not much rope left. I screamed out "HOW MUCH ROPE LEFT???" as
many times as I could but Dylan simply couldn't hear me. I had to do the
roof hoping I would not feel the jerk of the anchors as they pulled me off.
Anyway, that's my 2 cents, I know I will be buying these things for future
multi-pitch.
Thursday, August 23
We awoke to nice weather but the forecast called for rain so we headed to
the Trapps at 6:30am again. This time we headed for the Near Trapps. Now, I
don't know about the experience of others but navigating seems dead easy.
There's a cliff on the left side of road where the parking lot is, called
the Trapps. There's a cliff on the right side of the road called the Near
Trapps. What could be simpler? So I headed down the road and found the
obvious trail towards the cliffside. AJ didn't think that was the way, and
neither did my brother so they went their way, continuing down the road
towards the lookout point. I shook my head and 10 seconds later I dropped my
packs at the base of Criss (5.11). My partners did not come back.
2 Yankees showed up and setup below Criss. I was interested to see them
attempt this ridiculous crack roof climb so I sat down to watch. We started
chatting and soon we were laughing and joking and having a great time. As
they were about to start the climb, Dylan and AJ had finally bushwhacked up
the cliff and turned left and found themselves a climb to get on. I
continued to hang out with the Yankees. They were both from the Boston area,
one from Worcester, named Dan and DJ.
They placed a cam in the crack overhead, tied into double ropes, and went
for it. At first I thought there was absolutely no hope but each move
brought DJ closer to wiring the sequence. He kept falling on the cam and I
asked them if they felt safe falling on EQ like that.
Dan answered that he fell on EQ every single day he climbed. He only led at
his trad limit, which was 5.11 and for him, if he wasn't falling he wasn't
learning. I was shocked to hear this but he was dead serious. He asked me
"What do you learn from leading on 5.6's? Nothing. Hey, don't get me wrong,
leading 5.6, 5.7, whathaveyou, it's great and it's fun. If you're out for
fun then lead 5.6. But I am here to test myself. I learn nothing from
success, only from failure. I'd rather fail on a 5.11 than succeed 1000
times on a 5.8." Interesting philosophy.
DJ untied after not being able to pull the moves and Dan tied in. After some
preliminary falls he pulled the move and finished the lead. It was very
impressive. Dan set up a toprope and asked me to get my gear on. I declined,
saying 5.11 was way too hard for me. They wouldn't take no for an answer so
I put on my shoes and tried the first move. Way too hard. I couldn't stick.
But they kept giving me beta and little by little I wired the first move.
Then I could do the second move before falling. Then I got the second move
and almost the third move. It was very fun and satisfying to work on this
"project". We then toproped a 5.12 directly to the right of Criss, and it
caused some spectacular "superman" swingouts as we flailed off it.
They invited me to go bouldering with them in the Trapps but I declined
saying I should get back with my partners. I went to find them, since 3-4
hours had passed by now, and found AJ bringing Dylan up on the first pitch
of Baskerville Terrace (5.7, 3 Stars, PG). Seeing that they weren't even
done the first pitch, I told them I was going to the Trapps to boulder and
to meet me at the car if it began to rain, which is what it looked like it
was going to.
Dan and DJ drove down the road to the 1 hour parking and we hopped under the
fence to the stairs which lead to the shortcut to the Trapps bouldering. We
arrived at a boulder called "Boxcar Boulder". It had a cool traverse problem
which we all worked on. I managed to get pretty far on the traverse, further
than the other guys, but then I hadn't just toproped a 5.11 the 5-6 times
they did. There was a local New Yorker with a strong Woody Allen accent who
said "you know" every 3 seconds, who gave us beta on the problems, and
introduced a dyno problem.
At first I couldn't see how anyone could stick the dyno. I could only tap
the top of it. Then I got closer and closer each time. Finally I stuck it
and I was so amazed that I fell off before I realized what I had done.
Feeling confident I stuck it again but couldn't get the sequence. Getting
the dyno wired, I made the leap again and stuck the move. I swung my right
leg up on the ledge and I topped out. It was really fun, and my first
completed boulder problem. I think it was rated V2/3. It started raining so
Dan and DJ dropped me off at the Trapps parking lot and said their goodbyes.
They were really really funny guys who knew how to climb and have fun. I was
sad to see them go.
It was 2:30pm at this point so we went back to Creekview and packed up and
left for Toronto. We arrived in Toronto at 11:30pm so any locals from
Ontario who are curious, it is an 8 hour drive to the Gunks, including stops
at Gas Stations and eating places.
I already got the pictures developed so if I can get them scanned in I will
post them somewhere. Steven, I apologize for not calling you, but the
situation did not allow for it. Whether I was the jerk or AJ was, or both,
or neither, is something I cannot say objectively. All I can say is that
next time I hope to go with a partner who is not as controlling or
domineering, and who does not consider drinking beer or eating pizza to be a
wasteful expense. In other words I want to find a partner who has the same
easy-going attitude as a MadDog or a Paulina. Anyway, it was a great trip,
and I really love the Gunks and New Hampshire. If I were to choose I would
have to say the Gunks are far superior to NH, but both were very fun. I
can't wait for my next road trip and hopefully it will be under better
conditions.
David Kastrup
Adrian> A side note - The experience with the lost ATC forced me
Adrian> to use the Munter, a belay which was independant from my
Adrian> harness. This was not a new experience for me since I had
Adrian> been using the Reverso on the anchors previously, but I
Adrian> found the Munter to be by far the most superior method for
Adrian> belaying a second, and for the rest of the trip it would
Adrian> be my preferred method for bringing up a second.
Welcome to the club. It obviously is not the way of your continent,
but sometimes the Old World methods are not that bad.
David "belays with a Munter, shaves with a knife, cooks with fire,
heats with internally applied alcohol, rolls his own puff pastry and
programs in assembly language" Kastrup
--
David Kastrup, Kriemhildstr. 15, 44793 Bochum
Email: David....@neuroinformatik.ruhr-uni-bochum.de
Paulina Varchavskaia
Talk about mixed feelings! I'm really glad you enjoyed at least some of the
NH/NY rock, and I'm really sorry about all the crowds and waiting, and tension
and whatnot that seems to have plagued your trip. I hope we get to climb
together again, though.
In detail with much snippage...
Adrian MacNair wrote:
> Saturday, August 18
> I awoke at 7:45am and tried to wake up Dylan and AJ. It was difficult, and I
> went over to chat with Paulina. She's a nice woman, Russian with a moderate
> accent, a little short, with wild frizzy brown hair, and a cheerful smile at
> all times. She tilts her head in these quirky movements while she is
> explaining something, always breaking into a grin when she finishes. A
> likeable personality right away.
>
Aw, thanks! (Eyes down in false modesty)
> Before
> the trip I had bought a Petzl Reverso,
don't you love it?
> 5.7 Granite in NH seems to me like
> a 5.3 in Ontario.
You bastard! :-) 5.7 Granite in NH kicked my butt again that weekend...
> She could have
> probably led up to the second belay station but Paulina and her partner were
> up there. Before we had a chance to climb, two guides with their clients
> came whizzing by us, climbing the 5.5 and placing maybe one piece of pro
> before topping. They made the climb look like regular stairs.
Sorry, sorry, sorry. My generic excuse for such situations is rope drag, but
really I was just too much of a wuss to link the pitches without knowing exactly
which way to go.
> On the first belay ledge I had a minor fight with Dylan. He was continually
> ignoring safety protocol by untying from his only anchor to adjust himself.
> Several times already he had been untying me in the process, and as a result
> leaving me open to the chance to plummetting off.
Yuikes! That seems strange coming from somebody who is afraid of climbing above
his placements...
> "NOOOOOO!!!!!"
> "What is it?" my brother asked.
> "My ATC just went flying over the side of the cliff!"
> "You're kidding me!"
>
Good job on the Muenter hitch. Some years ago, I had to ask for help on top of a
lead because I ... forgot ... my belay device at the bottom, and was shown the
hitch. It's definitely better to know it in advance.
> My birthday. A bad day.
People were thinking of you here.
> Both
> didn't feel like any, but I wanted something, anything, as a birthday treat.
> So we stopped. I ordered a large pizza and a bud and sat there, alone in the
> pizza shop, eating my birthday pizza. It was a bad day, a horrible birthday,
> and had just about ruined the trip.
That sounds just awful. It really sucks when the partnership thing doens't work
out, but one would think on a birthday at least you would put away your
differences. Isn't it like truce on religious holidays or something?
> Not only did he not trust his own pro to fall on,
> he didn't trust any of it to even lower off, not even the slung tree! Well,
> I don't want to belittle my brother. He took that leader fall and ever since
> he has had a hard problem dealing with leading. I sympathize with him and I
> hope he can overcome these fears.
It's no fun when you're scared. Believe me, you can get real freaked out even
following (I know I can, although I thought for a while that I was cured). I
find that it's very mental and related to things like peer pressure and
audience, as well as how scary the actual climbing is. Maybe Dylan should climb
with different partners some too, to find his well-balanced head again. I
dunno...
> As soon as I got on the rock
> it felt like I finally met a rock I was in tune with.
Join the club! I love the Gunks - now you understand why I was writing those
posts full of exclamation points?
> Now I am not spraying here, or trying to boast, but this made me feel very
> proud and happy. I felt I had placed my pro quickly and smoothly. I trusted
> every placement completely and utterly, and for the first time in my leading
> career I had lead a pitch in a pure groove where I felt nothing had gone
> wrong. When Dave got to me he said "That was the best lead I've ever seen.
> Every nut was totally bomber. Your placements were really creative and
> perfectly wedged." Considering he'd been climbing since 1986 I felt really
> flattered. It didn't go to my head, but for the first time on the trip I was
> truly happy.
Finally! Congratulations, Adrian. Good job.
> All I can say is that
> next time I hope to go with a partner who is not as controlling or
> domineering, and who does not consider drinking beer or eating pizza to be a
> wasteful expense.
They're few and far between I hear ;-). You'll have better luck next time, man.
I can't believe this story. I'm glad it didn't put you off the American
North-East or the idea of climbing altogether. But your story made me feel lucky
about knowing a couple of peole who I really enjoy climbing with. Ben (who reads
this ng and pointed out that you didn't remember his name :-) ) unfortunately is
leaving, though. So I'll be on a lookout again.
It was nice meeting you. I hope you and Dylan and AJ get over the bad feelings
soon.
Paulina (tilting my head, eh?)
Dingus Milktoast
>
> Aw, thanks! (Eyes down in false modesty)
Paulina! I like Paulina!!!
DMT
Adrian MacNair
news:3B86CAA1.233A57B4@spam_ai.mit.edu...
> Hey, Adrian
>
> Talk about mixed feelings! I'm really glad you enjoyed at least some of
the
> NH/NY rock, and I'm really sorry about all the crowds and waiting, and
tension
> and whatnot that seems to have plagued your trip. I hope we get to climb
> together again, though.
I'm sure we will. No worries there. I suspect that you were obligated to
stick with Ben, your climbing partner, just as I was forced to stick with my
group, but I was hoping we were going to do a pitch together.
> > 5.7 Granite in NH seems to me like
> > a 5.3 in Ontario.
>
> You bastard! :-) 5.7 Granite in NH kicked my butt again that weekend...
Only for my pitches. Ratings are all subjective and I'm sure there are lots
of climbs that I would back off. Fortunately I have a lot of confidence
right now, and I lead above my gear very happily.
> Sorry, sorry, sorry. My generic excuse for such situations is rope drag,
but
> really I was just too much of a wuss to link the pitches without knowing
exactly
> which way to go.
Don't worry, I didn't mean to imply that you were holding us up. I know how
crowded it was on the weekend in general.
> > On the first belay ledge I had a minor fight with Dylan. He was
continually
> > ignoring safety protocol by untying from his only anchor to adjust
himself.
> > Several times already he had been untying me in the process, and as a
result
> > leaving me open to the chance to plummetting off.
>
> Yuikes! That seems strange coming from somebody who is afraid of climbing
above
> his placements...
He just doesn't think sometimes. In actuality we are on a safe ledge and we
are not going to fall off, probably, if he unties our anchor. But in terms
of safety protocol, untying your only anchor point to readjust it is simply
dangerous. Especially when you are simultaneously untying your partner. He
doesn't realize he does it, I think he's just a little quick to action.
> It's no fun when you're scared. Believe me, you can get real freaked out
even
> following (I know I can, although I thought for a while that I was cured).
I
> find that it's very mental and related to things like peer pressure and
> audience, as well as how scary the actual climbing is. Maybe Dylan should
climb
> with different partners some too, to find his well-balanced head again. I
> dunno...
If he doesn't he may stick with bouldering, which he really likes. Only this
means I will be searching for a trad partner. But I look at it this way: I'm
not going to find my perfect partner right off the bat. I don't want to
sound like an ass, but my perfect partner is not my brother. Just like
finding a lover, you don't take the first person of the opposite sex you
see. Often it takes years and years to find that person you click with. I
expect to go through many climbing partners until I find that person who
enjoys my company as much as I do theirs.
> Join the club! I love the Gunks - now you understand why I was writing
those
> posts full of exclamation points?
I do!!!!!!
The Gunks really impressed me a lot. I sort of think of the trip as a "sneak
preview" for the future. I didn't get to climb much but I know when I go
back it's going to be great. And I know there are a number of people this
group who would be happy to climb with me, so I am stoked about that.
> North-East or the idea of climbing altogether. But your story made me feel
lucky
> about knowing a couple of peole who I really enjoy climbing with. Ben (who
reads
> this ng and pointed out that you didn't remember his name :-) )
unfortunately is
> leaving, though. So I'll be on a lookout again.
Please tell Ben I didn't forget his name, I had to snip a lot of the trip
report (and it was STILL 28k!!) so that I didn't go on and on. I told my
wife about you and Ben and how much he reminds me of a friend of mine here
in Toronto.
> It was nice meeting you. I hope you and Dylan and AJ get over the bad
feelings
> soon.
I am over the bad feelings. I hope AJ finds her perfect partner too.
> Paulina (tilting my head, eh?)
hehehe =)
David Henderson
it didn't turn out exactly as planned.
Perhaps we can get Dylan out onto routes he's feel comfortable. The
weather's gorgeous these days.
Cheers, David
Michael A. Riches
antsl...@hotmail.com wrote on 8/24/01 12:46 PM:
>
> I awoke at 7:45am and tried to wake up Dylan and AJ. It was difficult, and I
> went over to chat with Paulina. She's a nice woman, Russian with a moderate
> accent, a little short, with wild frizzy brown hair, and a cheerful smile at
> all times. She tilts her head in these quirky movements while she is
> explaining something, always breaking into a grin when she finishes. A
> likeable personality right away.
Hey...Already I'm liking this TR...
> Later we joined Paulina and
> her MIT companions in the cabin and chatted about things.
Yep...getting better...
> I awoke at 5:45am to Paulina coming over to rouse us
Adrian...Soooo Soooon...???
> After some sweaty...<SNIP> we...<SNIP> also found Paulina...
Ahhhh, Adrian...You cad...!!!
What...??? Ohhhh, sorry about that....I, uhhhh...got somewhat "sidetracked"
there for just a minute...(Snicker, snicker...)
O.K...so back on the serious side...You've come a long way baby....Keep
climbing, keep writing...you're doing great with both of them...
Thanks...
That RatDhuuude...(Ohhhh, and tell Paulina hi for me...snicker...No really,
for paristroika and all that...you know...???)
Steven Cherry
<antsl...@hotmail.com> writes:
>AJ required two more coffee's in town and a multitude of cigarettes.
By the way, there's a little strip of stores in a parking lot next to EMS,
right in the middle of town, that has the best little coffee shop in the
northeast, with great sandwiches for lunch too. As bad as Julie's judgment
is in New Paltz with respect to coffee, she's the queen of NH and gets all
the credit for finding this place. (I only mention it because it's never
crowded and I'm terrified they're not getting enough business.)
>We arrived at the base of Inferno and made the scramble up to the ledges
>where the climb starts. My brother left his bag rather clumsily on the edge
>of one of the ledges and as I was building an anchor it spontaneously
>slipped off the cliff and fell 50 feet to the ground. My brother went to
>retrieve it and found the only damage to be a loss of the Gatorade.
Adrian, I'm not going to say that your TR describes an accident about to
happen, because it doesn't, but between being involuntarily untied at the
belays, the carelessness this dropped bag implies (do you not clip an
unworn bag in on a ledge??), and the fact that you were casually using a
Reverso without knowing (I'm supposing here) how to escape it, I just
want to issue a small word of caution. There, it's said, now let's move
on.
>A side note - The experience with the lost ATC forced me to use the Munter,
>a belay which was independant from my harness. This was not a new experience
>for me since I had been using the Reverso on the anchors previously, but I
>found the Munter to be by far the most superior method for belaying a
>second, and for the rest of the trip it would be my preferred method for
>bringing up a second.
The munter is great for bringing up a second. You'll probably eventually
just use it or not depending on exactly where the anchor is and how you're
standing. One note about it in the Gunks, with all the overhangs, it's
quite common for a second to want to downclimb or be lowered a bit after
a fall. I find that it can be hard to quickly give them a little slack
after the knot flops over, so I often don't use it on an overhanging
route if I think the second will struggle.
>We returned to the campsite in the rain about 3:30pm and after a long
>conversation and a weather forecast which predicted 3 days of rain we agreed
>to go to the Gunks. My brother and AJ were tired, however, and wanted to
>sleep. I suggested we drive to the Gunks right then, and sleep during the
>night like normal human beings, but they insisted that we leave at midnight
>or 3:00am so that we would arrive for the morning.
Nothing personal, but you're right and they were being idiotic. My own
preference would have been to get at least within two or three hours of
the destination, that's a reasonable amount of driving in the morning
to still get a good day in. For example, the New is 8 solid hours for
me, if I leave work early I'm still getting there after midnight even
if I can drive 8 hours straight. But I can get to Coopers Rock by 11:00
or so, get a good night's sleep, be on the road by 7:00 and at the New
by 9:00.
Get Woodall's guide to north american camping, it's great for finding
those intermediate camping places between climbing destinations.
>We found a campsite in Creekview and the guy in charge, a John Binky I think
>was his name, explained everything we could want to know about the Gunks and
>then some. Unfortunately he talked to us for a couple of hours,
I think I mentioned Binky to you in email. I don't know he's always a
talk-your-ear-off guy, but he's one of the nicest and sweetest guys
you'd ever tie in with. At the same time, if I had to have someone back
me up in a bar fight, he'd probably be my #1 choice of anyone I know.
Ex-marine and all that. Pretty nice tattoos, right?
> and the
>evening wore on. It was 5pm by the time we headed for the crag. Realizing it
>was too late, we stopped at Rock and Snow and Dylan bought a guidebook. We
>were driving back to the campsite and I asked that we stop for pizza. Both
>didn't feel like any, but I wanted something, anything, as a birthday treat.
>So we stopped. I ordered a large pizza and a bud and sat there, alone in the
>pizza shop, eating my birthday pizza. It was a bad day, a horrible birthday,
>and had just about ruined the trip.
See, this is why Anne, Tom, and I were wondering where you'd be on your
birthday. The idea of your being in New Paltz and not being bought beers
at Bacchus is unconscionable to us.
>He got to the tree and froze. I don't know why. He simply couldn't bring
>himself to climb higher. What is funny about Jackie (5.5, G, 2 pitches, 2
>stars) is that you can easily walk up to the left and right of the tree on
>moderate scrambling ground
The tree on Jackie is most people's first gear. It's pretty low-angle to
there. But onsight on unfamiliar rock, it's better to be safe than sorry.
>I offered to clean but he said he wanted to see me climb to make sure I was
>competant (he had been dropped before).
I always laugh at this sort of thing. If he never climbed with you, you
never climbed with him!
>Now I am not spraying here, or trying to boast, but this made me feel very
>proud and happy. I felt I had placed my pro quickly and smoothly. I trusted
>every placement completely and utterly, and for the first time in my leading
>career I had lead a pitch in a pure groove where I felt nothing had gone
>wrong.
I'm really glad you totally grooved at the Gunks. It's the reason Maddog
told you to come here in the first place, he could just tell. The funny
thing for me is that while I love the roofs and routefinding and easy
craggability of the place, it's almost my least favorite type of rock
and mostly not my kind of climbing. My partner teases me about how much
I like to roadtrip but it's really because there are a hundred crags
I'd rather have an hour from home. When you click with a place (like I
have with Tennessee, the Daks, and Red Rocks), let it be and just keep
coming back.
>Dave finished the second pitch faster than you can say "You're on belay" and
>we met Dylan and AJ at the top. We set up a rap and we all reached the
>ground. Before AJ reached the ground Dave suggested we setup a toprope on
>the tree which overlooks the giant overhang to the left of Jackie. So she
>did and we all toproped it. It was a very hard 10a and we all took whippers
>off of it until Dave showed us the correct way. Dylan and AJ managed to do
>it but I still couldn't get the hang of it. I couldn't find mention of it in
>the guidebook.
Slightly Roddey, 5.10a or b, officially a variation to Roddey, 5.2.
Completely sequential power moves on good holds around/through a big roof.
Slanting your rappel from Jackie to set up at the tree is classic Gunks
lead-something-easy-set-up-a-TR-on-something-hard. The last section of the
Toproping Guide on gunks.com ("I lead 5.7, I want to top rope 5.9") lists
this combo and about 30 others.
>AJ then led the first pitch of Baby (5.6, PG, 2 stars).
You didn't get on Baby? That's two bad. Both pitches are 5.6, the
second's crux is a great little roof.
>packs at the base of Criss (5.11).
>2 Yankees showed up and setup below Criss. I was interested to see them
>attempt this ridiculous crack roof climb so I sat down to watch.
Totally ridiculous. Dawn and Todd must have worked this for at least a
month. Too bad your newfound friends didn't set up Criss Cross (5.10b ***)
right next door. There's only two routes I've ever worked on lead, and
this is one of them. (By "worked" I mean "fell once the first four times
I led it then finally got the redpoint, not sportclimbing type "worked".)
>hours had passed by now, and found AJ bringing Dylan up on the first pitch
>of Baskerville Terrace (5.7, 3 Stars, PG).
5.7+ two or three stars and PG-R. Wonderful route. You won't die if you
fall at the crux but you'd break something. Great second pitch, though it
could be cleaner (and some more gear would be nice, but it's only 5.6ish).
Odd choice, but maybe other routes were taken. Alphonse, the Gunks's
softest 5.8, would've been a good alternative.
>leg up on the ledge and I topped out. It was really fun, and my first
>completed boulder problem. I think it was rated V2/3.
Kudos on Boxcar. It's one of the problems that woke people up to the
fact that the Gunks is a bouldering destination. Get the bouldering
video, it's the first one Josh Lowell ever did and it's a bit raw
(he was still an NYU film student at the time, I think) but really
really great.
>I already got the pictures developed so if I can get them scanned in I will
>post them somewhere. Steven, I apologize for not calling you
Paulina posted on Sunday night that you probably weren't getting to the
Gunks. I'm glad you did, and actually you took pretty much the trip I
originally suggested to you (except for the falling out with your partner
part), namely go to NH and come down to the Gunks from there only if it
seemed to be getting better weather. Either place is well worth the
full week and it's easy to get overambitious and spend more time on
the road than you need to.
>easy-going attitude as a MadDog or a Paulina. Anyway, it was a great trip,
>and I really love the Gunks and New Hampshire. If I were to choose I would
>have to say the Gunks are far superior to NH, but both were very fun.
They're both great, leave it at that.
Great trip, great report (you're really quite a good writer). Do a
google search on "partner" some time you have a free twenty years or
so. It's as hard and worthwhile finding the right people as you say.
Next year your whole new family can come down and do the NYC tourist thing
as well as get on a few of the 700 classics you still have ahead of you.
-steven-
--
<ste...@panix.com>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
I feel like a penguin who rode his iceberg to the tropics.
It was a long wait but it was worth it.
-- Adrian MacNair, first day of 2001 season
Mad Dog
>Whether I was the jerk or AJ was, or both, or neither, is something I
>cannot say objectively. All I can say is that next time I hope to go
>with a partner who is not as controlling or domineering
One can read much about climbing technique, equipment, training, etc., and with
sufficient motivation, can improve, tick bigger numbers and more respected
routes. But improvement and achievement do not necessarily equate with
increased enjoyment. My fondest memories in climbing arose from times when the
partnership clicked. Brooke and I failed on the Casual a few years ago, but
seeing him kill the rat that ate my fingerless gloves with a well thrown rock
combined with our successful partnership to yield a positive experience.
I've never read an instructional book that taught climbers how to forge
successful partnerships. It's probably one of the most difficult facets of
climbing, or life in general. I've found that it's critical to pair up with
people that have similar goals and desires, and to take the time to clarify
expectations. Fear can affect one person more than another on a climb and can
erode one's ability to deliver on commitments made from the safety of the
barstool. I recommend a balanced, patient approach. As in live and love, one
cannot expect the first relationship to be the best possible pairing. Don't
compromise on issues of importance to you or you'll end up kicking yourself
repeatedly. Or die.
Obviously, there are times where the ideal partner isn't available and if you
want to climb, you'll have to put up or solo. Again, expectations are
important. These days, enjoyment and survival are more important to me than
striving for higher difficulty. I like to push, but not at the expense of
friendship or the chance to meet again for another try. So climbing with
someone who's company I enjoy is important, whether I'm roped up or solo.
Shilajit T Gangulee
: In <lixh7.14161$f01.3...@news3.rdc1.on.home.com> "Adrian MacNair"
: <antsl...@hotmail.com> writes:
: >AJ required two more coffee's in town and a multitude of cigarettes.
: By the way, there's a little strip of stores in a parking lot next to EMS,
: right in the middle of town, that has the best little coffee shop in the
: northeast, with great sandwiches for lunch too. As bad as Julie's judgment
: is in New Paltz with respect to coffee, she's the queen of NH and gets all
: the credit for finding this place. (I only mention it because it's never
: crowded and I'm terrified they're not getting enough business.)
The place's name is Frontside Grind. The super-hot snowboarder chicks
behind the counter don't hurt none, niether.
Steven Cherry
>The place's name is Frontside Grind. The super-hot snowboarder chicks
>behind the counter don't hurt none, niether.
I was gonna save mentioning them for the winter when we'll need another
bunch of patronage. But rec.climbers have short memories, so, Tico,
just remember to post this again in December.
-steven (and february, and april...)-
--
<ste...@panix.com>
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Carbon fiber is for sissies. Wood is stil the only way to go,
especially when climbing with women. They look at you, workin'
your woody with skill and you know from the gleam in their eyes
that yours will not be a cold bivy. -- Maddog, rec.climbing
Dave Andersen
> North-East or the idea of climbing altogether. But your story made me feel lucky
> about knowing a couple of peole who I really enjoy climbing with. Ben (who reads
> this ng and pointed out that you didn't remember his name :-) ) unfortunately is
> leaving, though. So I'll be on a lookout again.
Paulina:
Thesis done, back in Boston in a week, ...
Oh, yeah. Neither of us has a car. Feh!
Adrian: Congrats on some fun climbs. I'm glad you got a chance
to get on some good granite. If you thought Cathedral and Whitehorse
were fun, head to Yosemite some time. Don't think about it. Just
throw a dart at your calendar sometime this fall or next spring,
pick a date, and start shopping for el-cheap airfare. Get thee to
the valley. Find a good partner, or guarantee yourself one by sending
Karl a note, and spend a week or so there. You'll go goo-goo for it.
If you do feel like future trips to NE, "we" (various friends of
Paulina's) can be found at Cathedral or Rumney quite frequently.
I won't try to emulate Paulina's false modesty: We're all pretty
fun to climb with. :-)
Sorry about the partner issues, but thank you for making me feel much
better about mine! My only complaint is that I find marvelous partners
and then either they or I move out of state.
> Paulina (tilting my head, eh?)
It's very cool reading a trip report describing your friends from
a 3rd person's viewpoint. :) Muahaha.
-Dave
--
work: dga - at - lcs.mit.edu me: angio - at - pobox.com
MIT Laboratory for Computer Science http://www.angio.net/
(note that my reply-to address is vaguely despammed...)