Thursday, October 27, 2011

Southern Hospitality

After 4 days of hard climbing to end our time in the Red (for now), we made our way out to Boone, NC.  On our last day in the Red we finally got to see 'Twinkie," an extremely overhung 5.12 that Mike Suleiman was dying to see all trip.  It was exactly what we expected; slab climbing up to a near horizontal roof of jugs, and super pumpy.  Although I made it to the top, it takes someone with a much higher understanding of the art of resting to send it clean.  It is definitely near the top of my to-do list next time I make it to the Red.  Mitch wanted to save his energy for one of his projects, "Tissue Tiger," and didn't get on 'Twinkie" which was apparently a good choice since he sent "Tissue Tiger" later that afternoon while Mike S. and I continuously pumped out at the crux for a 20 ft. fall.  In the end we got on over 50 routes in the Red and we didn't even touch the tip of the iceberg.  

Mitch

Mitch

Mike S.

Mitch

Mitch
It was a lot of fun having Mike come visit us and I know he enjoyed the New and the Red.  After dropping him off at the airport we were left with the decision of spending about $50 each to make the drive to Boone, or going straight to Chattanooga, TN which is our next destination.  With friends expecting us and good weather in the forecast we decided to go to Boone.  The drive in was dark but even then I could sense the beauty Boone has to offer, and it was a treat arriving at our friend Tilly's house that night for a giant feast.  We met Tilly and friends in Moe's Valley early on in this trip, and have been psyched to see Boone ever since.  I have never met someone who is as excited about climbing as Tilly, especially Boone climbing.  His house backs up to one of the largest boulder fields in Boone, and considering there is no guidebook published for the area, we are psyched to have someone to show us around.  There are just as many dogs running around the house here as there are dirt-bag climbers, and Juno and Chooch are loving it as much as we are.  

Mitch

Mitch

Josh


Tilly

Thomas

Thomas

Mr. Silberman
 We spent the last two days climbing in several different areas.  Hiking in to the boulder fields is much different than most of the other bouldering destinations we have seen.  The trees are alive with color and everything seems so lush compared to the deserts we have spent so much time in.  I love it.  My past experiences with the south-east consisted of family reunions off the coast of South Carolina, and I didn't expect North Carolina to be so mountainous.  Yesterday afternoon we took a 25 minute drive to the Grandmother Area and the view from the bed of Tilly's truck where I rode was overwhelmingly beautiful despite the nausea it provided me.

New friend


Dalen

Thomas
The climbing itself is very techy and unlike any climbing we have encountered on this trip.  It is also different in the fact that there is less pressure to chase grades since there is no guidebook, and most of the Boone climbers seem more interested in just having fun than worrying about grades.  It is a refreshing change from some of the other world-class destinations we have been to, and it makes you remember why you are a climber.  Climbing is fun!  We have done climbed some beautiful lines and have finally had a chance to test our strength on the slopers that are so common in the south.  Top-outs are a lot scarier and I already feel more confident at mantling!  We will be here through Halloween and then we are off to Chattanooga!  TJ is meeting us in Boone for the next few days and was already supposed to be here hours ago, but as usual we are sitting around waiting on him...Luckily JR was true to his word and was here in time to enjoy our taco feast tonight!

Cheers,
Thomas
Thomas

Thomas

Thomas

Mr. Silberman

Saturday, October 15, 2011

A Long One


The "Undertow Wall" at Motherload

After 4 days on of hard climbing we are taking a well deserved rest day tomorrow.  We have been to 3 new areas in the last few days including "The Motherload" which is the jewel of the Red River Gorge.  Some of the steepest, longest jug hauls in the country can be found in the huge amphitheater that makes up the Load.  Climbing at the Load is similar to climbing at any gym in Boulder…With so many strong climbers in one spot it is hard not to wonder how you could suck so much after all of the climbing you have done.  At least that is how I felt, and not letting it bother you is easier said than done.  I found myself falling off the some of the biggest and best holds I have ever been on purely because of exhaustion.  While I waited for my forearms to regain mobility We watched a local girl send "Hoof Maker," a 5.13 endurance route.  The most amazing part about this was the amount of time she took resting.  I was able to find some inspiration from this and I have realized that unless you know how to rest correctly, it is not worth resting at all.  


Our friend Matt on" Golden Boy"
Matt whipping on "Golden Boy"
The last few days I think I have figured out how to rest better, and my climbing has gotten better with it.  I sent a great route at Eastern Sky Bridge called "Dave the Dude."  It is the only fully bolted line I have seen that makes use of a  lie-back crack and I would highly recommend it to anyone coming to the Red.  Yesterday Mike and I both sent a super pumpy jug haul called "Ethics Police" at the Solar Collector wall.  The Solar Collector Wall is unique in that it has giant huecos large enough to sit down in, but like the name implies it bakes in the sun most of the day.  We also had the opportunity to get on our first 5.13 route yesterday called "Golden Boy," 5.13b.  Although neither of us even got close to sending it, it was an awesome feeling getting on something so hard and beautiful.  Luckily it is equipped with perm-draws so there was no pressure to get to the top.

Me on "Hypoctite"
For me, being on a route as hard as "Golden Boy"  really put into perspective how truly incredible it is that people are climbing 5.14 and 5.15.  For instance 18 year old Sasha Digiulian is in the Red right now and just ticked "Pure Imagination," a 5.14d that was put up by Jonathan Siegrist last year.  Here is a video of Siegrist's assent.  Sasha is the third female to have climbed the grade, and it only took her 6 tries.  Even more impressive is 15 year old Enzo Oddo.  Just type his name in to Google if you want to get an idea of how hard this kid climbs.   

Today we spent one last day climbing with our friend Ian at the Zoo before he began the long journey to Colorado where he will be spending the next year "working" at Steamboat.  Mitch showed off by re-sending "Hypocrite" 5.12a after an impressive flash on our first day at the Red.  Pretty impressive given it was our fourth day on…Nice Mitch!   We have one more week before we drop Mike off at the airport and make our way to Boone.  

Cheers,
Thomas


"Doing laundry"...I spent $12 for 1 load.  








Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Free Rope

No rock climbing trip is complete without some sort of finger injury and for me it has been an ongoing struggle since January.  Most climbers can agree that it is near impossible to go cold turkey for the suggested 7 months after pulley injuries, and I am constantly reminded of this after I ruptured a pulley a few years ago.  Yesterday Mike Suleiman convinced me to go climbing at Left Flank even though my body was telling me to take a rest day and on the last route of the day, a heinous crimp fest called "Henry," I tweaked the same finger.  I am hoping to only be out a day or two at most.

So, while the Mikes are out searching for a place to climb in the rain today, I am taking refuge with Juno in the cave-like basement of Miguels Pizza Shop staring at this glowing screen all day.  This is only the first day of rain since we arrived last week and a serious improvement from  the weather at the New.

Mike S.


Thomas

We finally made it to PMRP the other day, an area in the Red owned by the climbers coalition out here.  Unfortunately the bus can't navigate the steep drive in without losing it's brakes so we parked at the top and made the long hike in.  After hearing that break-ins are a weekly occurrence at the Motherload parking lot this may be a blessing in disguise.  Every car in the lot was left with the windows down to save them the cost of replacing a broken window.  One van we saw even had signs posted in every window saying "door is open."  Asside from the "Motherload" PMRP is home to many other classics including Amarillo Sunset (5.11b).  Aesthetically this is one of the best routes out there.  Congrats to Mike Suleiman for snagging the flash!
Mitch
Cheers,
Thomas

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Some more pictures courtesy of Mike Suleiman...Thanks




Red River Gorge

Non-stop rain in the New River Gorge brought us to the Red River Gorge a few days early, and we have been here almost a week.  It is hard to believe how the weather here can be so much better than the New which is only a few hours away.  People keep asking us which of the two locations we prefer; the New or the Red.  The first thing I usually say is that the camping situation here is a million times better.  We are staying at Miguel's Pizza Shop which is where the majority of climbers in the Red stay.  The pizza is incredible and the camping is cheap at only $2 a night, a lot cheaper than Rogers because of the incredibly high demand.  Camping here is luxurious with functioning bathrooms, a gear shop IN the pizza shop, a kitchen and tons of great places to relax.  There are A LOT of climbers here, and with events such as "Rocktoberfest" this weekend it is common to have over 200 campers a night.




Climbing at the Red is often described as being all mindless jug-hauls (huge bucket holds), but we have found a fair amount of technical face climbs.  With the amount of climbing we have done since we got here it feels like we have been here a long time and  I am really excited for the next couple of weeks.  The weather seems to be consistently better than the New and the camping situation is a lot more comfortable.  We have over 2 more weeks here and I feel pretty strong after a rest day or two, so I am hoping to project some tougher routes.  Even though a month seems like a long time to spend at one place, I have noticed it is really hard to actually project something (spend more than a few days on one climb) in destinations like the New and Red where there is always somewhere new to climb.  Every person we talk to is telling us about an amazing are or climb that we haven't been to yet.



The Red is iconic of American sport climbing and when Mitch and I started "planning" this trip at that disgusting red house on Walnut, the Red held the most allure and despite the beauty we found in all the other destinations it was hard to suppress the excitement we felt for this final portion of the trip.  It seems like the saying "time flies when your having fun" is true, as this trip has gone by in the blink of an eye.  My dad always told me that only a boring person gets bored, and boredom is the last word I would use to describe this trip.  It is hard to believe that the vantasy is almost done, but looking back on it I am extremely grateful for the experiences it provided me.  I have been to 19 states since January and met countless people from all over the world.  We still have over a month but the signs pointing to what many call the "real world" are all around us with job searching being one of the main ways to spend free time.  Some of my favorite experiences from this trip have been the ones that resulted from spontaneity, and I am trying to plan out my future with that in the back of my mind.  So, if anyone has a job they want to offer me, don't be scared to ask!!!!  Ha.


Cheers,
Thomas