Pennsylvasion!!!

After weeks of knocking out projects in quick succession, it's easy to get caught up in the momentum.  When I first started feeling a bit of finger and bicep pain yesterday, my first thought was to push through with my plans to finish another project today and then either climb in the Gretna comp on Saturday or spend a day long overdue at Bushwhack.  Then I remembered that in less than a week I'll be heading out for my annual Thanksgiving in Vegas, starting off with a little Red Rocks bouldering fix before settling in to eat and drink my way through the Strip.  As excited as I've been to get out there when I'm actually strong enough to climb things that shut me down in the past, it would be stupid to hurt myself now.  While I have many local projects, none of them are going anywhere, and I can't exactly head out to Red Rocks after work!

As I think forward to the many problems I want to do this winter though, I've been happy to have some great new videos to get me psyched.  Interestingly, several of these videos have come not from other Marylanders, but instead from our neighbors to the north.  Bushwhack in particular has been the focus of a strong PA crew, repeating many of the established problems and making a few fantastic contributions of their own.

Mike Gallagher on the Old-Timer's Wall.    Photo: Ryan Shipp

One of the videos I was most excited about came from Ryan Shipp, co-author of the Governor Stable guide, showing his first ascent of Life is Beautiful.  Located at the south end of Bushwhack, the problem starts on a short slab and traverses a finger crack out to the face of an overhanging block before making a somewhat lofty topout.  Of all the boulders I saw on my first trip out there, this was one of the ones I've most wanted to get back and climb, and I was psyched to see that it had finally been done.  Check out the video here.

In addition to the obvious crack, Ryan climbed a line to the left called The Now, following slopers on the left arete to join Life is Beautiful for the topout.  Can't wait to give it a try!

                                                                                                     Photo:  Chris Bell

We also have a couple sweet videos from Chris Bell of strongman Travis Gault throwing down, starting with this one of his slightly different sequence for Monday Morning Quarterbacking the Superbowl than Brian used for the FA.  Always good to see alternative beta.

Even better, Travis sent the line moving up the double seams on the overhanging back side of the Tourette's boulder, calling it Dead Soul.

For those curious about the grades of these new problems, the PA crew suggested V4 for Life is Beautiful, V6 for The Now, and V7 for Dead Soul.  A few of them also repeated Stink, Stank, Stunk and agreed with the V7 grading proposed by the first ascentionist.

The other video that I was psyched to see came from Tim Rose after a visit to Rocks State Park.  He not only climbs Truck Driver, Truck Driver Right, and Jason Kehl's classic Moby Dick, but also gives us the first video footage of the new problem moving up the right side of the Moby boulder, thought to be even harder than the original.

Looking forward to Red Rocks, but also glad to see I'll have so much to come back to!

Northwest Branch 2012 cleanup success

Yesterday with perfect sunny skies, a group of volunteers spent a gorgeous day at Northwest Branch helping out with the 2012 Adopt-A-Crag, planned once again by Paul Barringer with the support of the Mid-Atlantic Climbers.

After fueling up on donuts and pastries in the parking lot, the group split out to work on a variety of tasks.  I, along with my mom, chose to start off with trash removal, and walked down to the 495 overpass to deal with the debris that had recently washed down due to Hurricane Sandy.  While we saw less intentionally discarded trash than usual, several of the low lying branches had been wrapped in plastic bags by the flood waters.  After spending a good hour freeing them and picking our way among the rocks in search of other debris, we went back up to help the others who were searching through the rocks and wood piles closer to the parking lot.

Meanwhile Emily joined a group of volunteers on the hill near the parking lot assisting in invasive species removal, led by a liaison from the Montgomery Parks.  Their targets for the day were the masses of porcelain berry and multiflora rose that had been choking the hillside, and just a couple hours work left the area looking phenomenally cleaner.

Others went up the hill to improve a section of trail, including installing water bars to divert runoff and minimize erosion.

Around noon the group brought it all in for some celebrations and, more importantly, a outstanding gear raffle that included a few sweet items like backpacks, puffy jackets, and packs of slings.  With that, the MAC's fall Adopt-A-Crag lineup was at an end, but several of the group stayed around afterward for some bouldering as afternoon temps climbed into the 60s and the rocks reached that perfect balance of warmth and friction.

Thanks to everyone who organized yesterday's efforts, and especially to all the other volunteers who gave their time to help keep one of my favorite playgrounds clean!

Election Day at Northwest Branch

One of the many perks of teaching in my school system is that unlike many of my friends who must rearrange their entire schedule to make voting possible, our schools are already closed to serve as polling places.  Add in Columbia's efficiently run polls, which in yesterday's case had me in and out in ten minutes, and I'm all but guaranteed a full day of climbing after I've done my civic duty.

Although in past elections I've gone as far away as Coopers for my bouldering fix, yesterday I opted instead to stay a little more local and get in a full day at Northwest Branch, usually reserved for shorter after work sessions.  So after a leisurely morning I went down and met up with Chris and Jackie, whose own voting experiences had not been nearly as stress-free as mine.

Since Jackie had never seen the boulders downriver, we started off with a walk down to the 495 boulders. We warmed up on Triforce, an enjoyable walk through stacked slabs and small overhangs, with enough of a hill below you to make you think a bit.  Around the corner we also got on Death Mountain, starting on good holds in the crack/flake to move up and left on sidepulls and slopers, with a hillside landing below and a few holds that are still managing to break off.  A great little boulder, but maybe not a good idea to climb alone!

Going back upriver a bit, we stopped by the Long Wall area to play on some problems on the Easter Egg boulder.  This is one of my new favorite boulders, with great slopers and dishes all around a short roof with a safe landing.  We started off on the Egg Traverse before getting on some of the harder stuff to the right side. Jackie and I got on Speed of Life (not to be confused with the much better problem a few hundred miles north), which was fun and lived up to its reputation for being balancy.  We weren't actually sure about the proper starting feet though, as starting with the heel hook already in made it seem way to easy for the grade.  Hoping to get back soon and do it from a true sit.

Meanwhile, Chris took a few shots at a line just to the right, starting low and moving right up the corner to an awesome sloper.  Another problem I'm looking forward to returning for.

With Chris needing to get back home, Jackie and I went over to the Tick boulder, one of my favorite NWB boulders that she had never seen before.  The Traverse felt pretty easy thanks to all of the extra ab work I've been doing, but an exciting little foot pop on my second run through reminded me not to get overconfident!  I also got on Kiss the Prow (a.k.a. Odd World), the little prow to the right of the Tick boulder which I had somehow never actually done, starting from a left foot underneath and a right heel hook (without toe-camming the adjacent rock).  It was awesome!  Definitely one I'll be adding to my regular rotation there.

To finish up, we decided to check out Secret Garden, another problem that I had looked at several times but never actually tried.  I was actually a little nervous about it, having heard stories of injured tendons resulting from the crimpy sequence, and reinforced my fingers with so much protective tape that I could barely feel the holds.  Soon it became apparent that I had to choose between protection and success, and the tape came off.  Meanwhile Jackie was cruising through the initial moves, and I was sure she was going to send it quickly.  With the "secret" toe-hook beta failing me, I switched over to her initial footwork sequence, and ended up sending after a few tries.  Only the quickly fading sunlight kept her from sending as well, and I have no doubt she'll crush it on her next visit.

As I try to come up with grades for some of our newer problems, it's good to get on stuff like Secret Garden for a bit of a reference point.  I think it felt a little comparable or maybe even a bit easier than Tuesday Trivia out at Eden Brook, though that could just be my own body type and beta, and someone else might have a totally different opinion.  I'm excited about all of the problems that are now coming into reach though, especially the ones I've looked at for years thinking they might never be possible for me.  A little change is always good.

Eden Brook mini-guide

In case you haven't taken a trip over to mdguides recently, the Eden Brook mini-guide is now available,  and a survey has been posted to help with grade consensus.  Keep an eye out for more Maryland mini-guides coming soon!

                                                                                                                                                   Tuesday Trivia, Eden Brook Boulder

Murray Hill post-hurricane

Today I went out for a quick scouting trip to Murray Hill to assess the storm damage, and found that it had taken a little more of a beating than I'd anticipated.  The boulders themselves were all in good shape, but some of the lower landings had been a bit rearranged... in addition to the platform under the Aquaman boulder being washed away, the large tree that used to be along the bank near the South boulder had rotated 90 degrees to leave the end resting against the base of Cut Bank.  Fortunately I remembered to charge my camera before I left home.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put it in my bag!

I didn't climb anything too hard today, but did get on Amnesia since my back hadn't been feeling up to it when I was there in June.  Such fun crystals!  I also did the undercling start to Swiping Slopers, which I liked as much as the original problem.

Honestly my favorite part was just sitting on my pad by the river, listening to the now gentle flow around the rocks and amazed that the same water had been so powerful just a few days beforehand.  Let's hope things will stay this calm for a while!

Book review: Climbing out of Bed

With power knocked out by the last remnants of Hurricane Sandy a few days ago, I suddenly found myself with a lot more time for reading, and I have a feeling that will become the case even more as our descent into winter brings shorter days on the rocks and longer evenings wrapped up on the couch.  Although I'm the type of person who usually cycles through the same few books, generally involving hobbits, every once in a while I manage to break from routine and am pleasantly surprised.

I first learned about Luke Mehall's new book Climbing out of Bed from good friend and fellow Maryland native Lisa Lynch, who helped in editing both the book and Mehall's quarterly publication The Climbing Zine. After a couple months of hearing about it, I finally downloaded a copy and soon found myself so caught up that I read almost the entire book in a single sitting, as the refreshingly short chapters each kept me wanting "just one more."

This isn't your traditional climbing book.  No long narratives of frozen toes and dramatic rescues in the remote ranges that most of us will never see.  No years of dedicated training culminating in the ascent that redefines a climbing area.  In fact, only about half of the book is even about climbing at all.  It's more a reflection on life in a mountain town as seen through a climber's eyes, with work, play, and love all equally on his mind.  When he does talk about climbing, it's generally at his local crags, even if he is lucky enough to have a couple world class climbing areas in his backyard.

Many times climbing books offer an escape from our lives into places that we may never otherwise see, with climbing objectives that are out of reach without mutant strength, heavy sponsorship, or private wealth.  The beauty of Climbing out of Bed is that Mehall's life is one that many of us would find somewhat familiar.  His climbs are ones on which most of us could succeed, in places that most of us could realistically visit at some point. In fact, the only difference between him and us is that he decided to write it all down.  He tells his stories with a conversational, almost stream of consciousness style that at times felt more like sitting around the fire with an old friend.  Nothing in it was particularly life changing, aside from just that general self-reflection encouraged by reading about someone with whom I identified, but it was a heck of a fun read, which for someone with limited reading time can be the most important quality in a book!

Want to check it out for yourself?  The Kindle edition of Climbing out of Bed as well as volumes 1-4 of The Climbing Zine are available on Amazon, so grab yourself a warm blanket and hot drink, and download away!

Cleaning time at Northwest Branch- 11/10/12

Yesterday I stopped down at Northwest Branch after work hoping to beat the rain and get in a little rock time before heading up to the gym.  I might have been successful had I not walked all the way down to Long Wall, still hopeful through increasingly frequent rain drops, but of course as I reached my destination the skies began to open up and I had to be content with a good walk through the woods.

The park had actually fared better in the hurricane than I had expected, though it was still visibly affected.  With reports of the river rising to 10 feet at its peak, my fear was that the stairs built during the Access Fund conservation team's visit would be wiped out, but at least those turned out to have been spared.  Debris was piled up in several places though, both against the boulders and on the trails, and several spots now looked more like beaches than riverbanks.

Fortunately, Sandy was at least considerate in the timing of her arrival, showing up less than two weeks before an already scheduled cleanup event.  Next Saturday, November 10th, the Mid-Atlantic Climbers are hosting their final Adopt-A-Crag event of the fall season at Northwest Branch.  Registration begins in the parking lot at 8:00 that morning, with work running from 9:00-12:00.  Afterward, stick around for a gear raffle and some climbing with new friends.  If you haven't been to NWB before, now's the perfect time to check it out!

Also, for anyone planning to climb there who hasn't seen the updated guide I've been working on, check it out over on mdguides, along with several others from our area.  There's still a bit missing from it, but I'm hoping to find time for a few more updates before next weekend.

Hope to see everyone out there!