Gunksfest 2003(a,b)/Mt. Rashomon
Chiloe
It felt just a bit SERIOUS:
[Marc]
> The Road to GunksFest
> IV, 5.2, WI2, M3, A1
> 3 pitches, 450 miles
Weather raised the bar:
[Tom]
> IT WAS ICE DAMMIT! ICE! SHEETS OF IT! ICE!
>
> Freezing! They all struggled at the crux. Said they
> couldn't feel anything in their hands. Numb.
>
[Alex]
> We'd been freezing our assets off all day.
Leaders set aside private fears:
[Alex]
> although I was a bit apprehensive at climbing 5.9- with
> numb fingers. I heard myself volunteering for the first
> pitch
Under stress, plans changed, and partners became less
reliable:
[Tom]
> Then Larry led the second pitch while Gabe stood at the
> bottom, thinking Alex was going to bring him up. Gabe was
> getting cold waiting.
That could have been unfortunate:
[Tom]
> So Gabriel lead Three Doves on a different rope and got to
> do a six-foot whipper on a screamer at the crux.
Each climber coped with unforseen challenges:
[Marc]
> A hundred miles into the first pitch conditions
> deteriorated some more and wind started to pick up.
> Drifting snow made the route harder than it usually is
>
[Alex]
> "Where are the stoppers?!?"
>
> Actually, I'd never seen the rewoven part come undone
> until I happened to look down right before pulling on
> death flake #2.
>
[Tom]
> TC: Then I tried to do Easy V[4] on top rope and bailed
> half way up. A whipper bail. Totally gumby.
> O: Why bail?
> TC: Ice.
Everyone recalls suffering:
[Alex]
> I prayed for either precipitation or sun and got neither
> for most of the day. Alternately, I wondered if I could
> convince everyone to pack it in and then collectively lie
> about what a great time we'd had.
And yet the party kept going until nightfall:
[Tom]
> It was getting dark by then. I couldn't see them.
Finally, we retired to a warm bar for stories and drinks.
Tom described himself on a Harley, scaring gentle folk as he
rode through their town. We could all picture this. Alex
shared the postscript to Dragon's Tail. Marc evaluated the
climbing in Quebec. Someone claimed Lord Slime is a nice
guy. Tired and well satisfied with our day, I judged that
Gunksfest(a) had been good.
Gunksfest(b) was comfortably sunny and relaxed. Is that why
it's inspired no TRs yet? I remember the people more than
the climbs; the regulars were in fine form as hosts. Julie
pointed out good routes to lead, then belayed patiently with
barely-suppressed beta. Dawn engineered an acrobatic
assault on The Dangler, partnered by the quietly energetic
Marc. Todd led the start of Birdie Party, and wanted to try
something harder, but other folks' ambitions weren't so
high. Rich looked at home on the cliffs as he floated up
several steep routes, followed by Mark. Oldtimers swapped
old stories while the gang walked out, which happened well
before dark. Cheerful every-topic-is-climbing conversation
continued through dinner. In its different way,
Gunksfest(b) had been quite good as well.
Thanks to all -- Alex, Gabe, Marc, Tom, Diane, Colin, Mike,
Julie, Rich, Mark and (last to arrive, but so important to
the spirit) Dawn and Todd.
Julie
>
> Gunksfest(b) was comfortably sunny and relaxed. Is that why
> it's inspired no TRs yet?
Yeah ... it almost felt like "just another day at the Gunks!"
But okay, I'll try. 12/27/03:
-I have abandoned Scott with a 103' fever. Over the phone, he sounds
just awful. I feel torn: part of me wants to go be the dutiful nurse.
The other part of me has read the forecast: 40s, sunny, clear, no wind.
The Gunks Trifecta is in full force.
Departure time: 7:15 AM.
Departure time, according to my left-coast body: 4:15 AM.
-guilt slowly assembles for its assault.
Bakery: hey, I know that guy (Marc/k). But wait, who's the
Sicilian-looking guy, and isn't death on the line ... ?
-guilt quietly grumbles.
Random quiet/shy latecomer: "Is this the, um, gathering?" Introduces
himself as Rich. Leaves us to fill in the 'Goldstone' part.
-guilt, in pangs.
Carraige road: my cellphone, which in guilt I left 'on', rings twice.
Humiliating, as Larry and Rich toss back stories of olde. Neither call
is from Scott in an ER <phew>.
-I promise my guilt that I will climb one route, and go.
Carraige road: Rich says "Snooky's?" which, unbeknownst to him, sets
off a one-way reaction in me. The question mark is rhetorical. It is a
given.
-Good. I can climb my favorite route, hit the road, and be there by
dinner.
Base of cliff: Packs explode. Plans discussed. I manage the mental
straitjacket: both let someone else lead it, and restrain my beta
instinct. Larry enjoys it; and Marc reaches right past the crux ;). I
join them at the belay, stopping fairly often to warm my fingers. The
second pitch is clearly sopping, so I point Larry towards what I think
is probably the 3rd pitch of Minty. He worries that it looks steep,
asks about bail options, but I promise him jugs. He heads up, and
moments later finds out what Gunks 5.easy garuntees: the steep jugs.
Larry practically giggles as he finishes. Marc and I both enjoy it as
well. In the meantime, we can see Rich and Mark on Columbia, another
fine pick for the day.
Voices from the carraige road: "Mark?" "Dawn?" "Julie?" "Heeeyy!!!"
Dawn and Todd arrive late, having asked several parties whether they
were the Gunks Gathering. The cliff is not deserted - indeed, we passed
up the Frog's Head Wall entirely, due to people.
-guilt, making its presence known unmistakeably.
Next: Mac Wall. Marc heads up Three Pines, Larry heads up Something
Interesting. Marc gets to the GT ledge sooner than Larry, so I scramble
up that on a rope Dawn trails. Really, leaving *just* after this one
... but it's so sunny and nice!!
-guilt, clear as a bell.
I could stay. I would stay. But I gotta go!!! I yell my "Goodbye and
thanks for all the fish!" and head back up the carraige road. Saying
so-long to my favorite place ... back soon.
The drive back to Boston goes rather smoothly, except for the tug-of-war
going on in my poor little brain: I have ice-climbing plans for Sunday.
I'll be home early-evening, but could I desert my poor sickie for
*another* day, in the name of climbing?
-guilt, yelling. Am I listening??
Fortunately for me, all the ice has fallen down. And with a good few
Gunks routes in me, I'm satiated ... for now. The guilt battle can be
put aside. Another day. It's never over, god knows.
JSH
Chiloe
> several steep routes
Now visible at:
http://www.gunks.com/w3tuserfiles/99811-rghsgf2GDC.jpg
The guy who posted this described it as:
"Higher Stannard, Gunksfest 2003, Session b.
The photographer and the subject have more than
eighty years of climbing experience between them..."
GOclimb
Mike on Arrow, the first lead of the day. It was not exactly *warm*.
So here is a chilly Mike fiddling a tricam into place with numb
fingers:
http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//243/24350.jpg
Here's Mike fighting numb fingers to make the clip:
http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//243/24351.jpg
A pensive Mike considering his next move:
http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//243/24354.jpg
Mike heading up into an icicle-infested maw on Arrow:
http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//243/24353.jpg
I led Limelight P1. I brought up Colin (shown here belaying), and he
brought up Larry (shown arriving at the P1 anchor.) Larry then led P2:
http://photos.rockclimbing.com/photos//245/24542.jpg
GO
Julie
JSH
Julie
;)
JSH
Chiloe
> Hey Larry, did any of your pics come out?
I took only a few, was too busy climbing. The best was
this shot of Rich on Higher Stannard, which he posted
on Gunks.com: