TR: Seneca Rocks Moderate
John Edwards
real hard, 5.4, 5.5 and 5.6, by Seneca standards but the exposure was
good. The weather however was problematic.
The weather was a big concern because it had been raining Friday and
looked like it was going to rain Saturday as well. So, we decided to
leave Saturday afternoon and climb early Sunday since I had to be back
by 6:30 for a bell choir performance in which Jon was participating.
The weather reports also called for cold (low ~37, high ~55) and windy
conditions.
We were going to leave at 3:00 but decided that if we could get there
earlier, that we might be able to get one pitch in before dark. So we
arranged to leave by 2:00. We finally got on the road at 2:45 (so
much for the real early start) and I hauled ass!
Made it to Seneca in just under 3 hours! Since it was only 5:45, we
decided that we could get one pitch in. We went to Ecstasy Jr. which
is rated 5.4. It had been raining off and on on the drive in and it
was still sprinkling so things were a little damp. It was also pretty
cool out and the wind was blowing a little.
I lost the coin toss so Doug got to lead this pitch. This pitch
starts on a ledge and traverses right for a little then follows a
crack through a bulge to a nice belay stance on a ledge. Peggy was
belaying and I was standing around trying to stay warm and dry (I was
wearing shorts at the time). Since this was out first time out this
year, Doug was taking his time making sure the pro was bomber. Doug
looked confident and moved through the pitch with no problems. Peggy
and I, on the other hand, were starting to get cold.
Peggy had decided that she was not going to climb the pitch because it
was getting late and she had had a late night Friday. So, after Doug
got the belay station setup, I tied in. I didn't change out of my
5.10 light hikers because I was really liking my rag-wool socks at
about this time. The traverse was a little unnerving because the
little sloping ledge was getting wet ... and slippery. I made it to
the crack with no incidence and cruised the rest of the route.
All of the pieces that Doug placed were good and I had no trouble
cleaning the route.
It was overcast and getting darker but the view from the belay was
wonderful. Another couple of climbers had just finished "The Burn",
an excellent looking 5.8 that I want to do later this summer, and let
Doug and me rap down on their rope.
We packed up and made it to The Front Porch in time for a nice pizza
dinner before they closed and finally got to Seneca Shadows around
9:30 to check in and get some rest.
I didn't sleep too well Saturday night 'cause of the rain hitting the
fly! It rained off and on throughout the night. I finally got out of
the tent around 5:30AM. This time I wore some thermal underwear, a
lightweight micro-fleece bottom, fleece jacket and my Cloudveil (love
this jacket!) as I was determined to stay warm. The ground was wet
and there was still some cloud cover.
As I was tearing down my tent site, Doug and Peggy crawled out of
their tent and started the slow process of waking and getting ready to
climb. Our breakfast consisted of summer sausage, cheese, peanut
butter crackers, bananas, apples and water. This was not enough as it
did not include coffee! We went to the 4U motel/restaurant to fulfill
that need.
We got to the parking lot by 8:00AM. Wahoo! first ones there. Our
choice of routes today was the first pitch of Prune followed by Front
C. Next was pitch 4 of Old Man's Route. At this point we neede to
check the time as I *had* to be back by 6:00PM. If we had time, we
were going to try Traffic Jam.
I forgot how strenuous the approach from the south end could be! My
thighs were really starting to burn by the time we to the top (after
more than a few breaks). Now I remeber why they call it Stair Master!
Got to the base of Prune and Doug geared up to lead pitch 1. He moved
up confidently and looked good. This pitch can get a little runout
but the climbing is good and the protection good. Doug had some
difficulty setting up the belay station due to lack of anchor
placements. Peggy seconded the route and looked really confident
moving up the route. She was able to clean all but a few of the more
stubborn pieces. Finally, I tied in and, using my climbing shoes this
time, got on route. The exposure is really nice on Prune. The route
is easy but a lot of fun. I made it up and traversed to the base of
Front C and setup a belay station there.
I was really excited about leading this first pitch. There are two
cracks on this pitch. The one on the right is perfect for gear
placements! I slotted a nut low on the pitch then used a couple of
cams in the right crack while jamming the left. The last piece before
the wall eased back was a great hex placement. After that the pitch
turns into a ramp to pitch 4 of Old Man's Route.
I quickly setup a belay station and was joind by Doug. Peggy followed
shortly thereafter. We scrambled up to the last pitch of Old Man's
Route and I got the sharp end again.
The last pitch was a little awkward in the chimney. After I slung the
chockstone it was easy sailing into the slot. I actually went through
the slot to the other side mostly because the wind was whipping
through the slot and it was cold!
By this juncture I was out of time. It was after 2:00PM so we decided
to rap down and hit the road. Fortuantely, we had 2 60m ropes and
could make it all the down from the rap station near the slot. I
belayed Doug to the rap station and he tied the two ropes togeather,
using a double-fishermans knot, and ran the rope through the chains.
He then ties the ends of the ropes togeather and threw them overboard.
I got to go first. Yippee! What a fun rap down! I did have to
clear the ropes on the way down as they got stuck on some ledges.
After my rappel, I ran back to get the gear that we had left this
morning and started to pack up. We made good time on the rappel and
wasted little time getting down and back into the car. We were on the
road by 3:10PM and I again hauled ass back to DC. I made it just in
time to change my clothes in the church parking lot but didn't get a
chance to wash my hands until I got inside.
Great weekend despite the weather.