At the Mac Wall: Try Again (5.10b) & Coexistence (5.10d), plus Turdland (5.9 or 5.10d)

(Photo: Gail finishing up the traverse on the 5.8+ pitch one of Birdie Party.)

I have been trying to get ready for my trip to Yosemite next week.

I went to the new gym in NYC, the Cliffs of Long Island City, and threw myself at the easiest of their three crack climbs. Several times, I tried it. It wasn't pretty. When it comes to hand cracks, I have my work cut out for me. I am going back again this week. And while we are in Berkeley, before we drive out to Yosemite, I hope to practice on some of the crack climbs at the Berkeley Iron Works, if I can find a partner.

In addition to working on my crack climbing skills, I have attempted to get some mileage on real rock in the Gunks. It has not been easy to find any climb-worthy days in the last few weeks. The weekends have been rainy.

Gail and I made a go of it one Saturday. Of course, it had rained on Friday and was supposed to rain on Saturday and Sunday as well. But on Saturday the rain was supposed to hold off until the late afternoon, so we decided to go for it and hope for the best. Sometimes insane optimism pays off.

(Photo: Looking down at the first pitch of Frog's Head (5.6-).)

As I drove up I could already tell it wasn't going to be worth it. It was raining at exit 15 in Sloatsburg. (Then again, isn't it always?) It wasn't raining when Gail and I arrived at the cliffs but everything felt a bit slick. It was just warm enough for climbing, probably 42 degrees, but there was a damp chill in the air. I backed off of Baby (5.6) when my fingers started to feel numb inside the off-width. We ended up getting just four slimy pitches in before it started raining in earnest just after noon.

Desperate for more time outside, I agreed to meet Gail again on a weekday that had a more favorable forecast.

This time we had better luck, though again the day started out feeling cold and damp. We began with moderates and never got around to doing anything really challenging.

(Photo: Gail studying the crux move on Snooky's Return (5.8).)

The cliffs were pretty much deserted so we had our pick of popular climbs. Any day on which you get to climb Snooky's Return (5.8), Madame G's (best 5.6 in the world), and Raunchy (5.8) is a very good day indeed. Also Gail led up the first pitch of Columbia (5.8) like it was nothing at all. That crux move is kind of tricky, I think. I was impressed. By the end of the day the sun was shining, the rock felt good, and winter finally seemed to be receding from view behind us.

(Photo: Leading into Spring on Raunchy (5.8), reaching for green leaves and blue skies.)

This past Sunday the weather gods seemed poised finally to deliver the kind of glorious Spring day we'd all been waiting for. Gail and I got out by 9:30 and headed straight for the Mac Wall. I was hoping the routes would be dry because there were several climbs there that were suddenly high on my agenda.

The Mac Wall is well-liked, and for good reason: it has a high concentration of good 5.10's, all in a row, one after another. But until this past weekend I'd never done any of them except the ones on the left side (Interstice (5.10d) and Mother's Day Party (5.10b)), which I could set up as a top-rope from easier climbs. And I've led the Dangler (5.10a), but I'm not sure that really counts as a Mac Wall ten.

The prime reason I've stayed away from most of the popular Mac Wall tens is that, knowing only their reputations, I am scared of them. Each one has its own fright-inducing aspects for the budding 5.10 leader. Try Again (5.10b), for example, has some poorly protected 5.9 climbing off of a ledge and a crux roof protected by an ancient pin. Coexistence (5.10d) has 20-30 feet of 5.8 R/X climbing right off of the deck. Star Action (5.10b) features a crux dyno 60 to 70 feet off the ground. Graveyard Shift (5.10d) just seems scary, period. The name alone is terrifying. And finally, Tough Shift (5.10a) is supposed to have a big runout after the crux move around a corner.

Another reason I've avoided these climbs is that the Mac Wall tends to be incredibly crowded. It sits right at the top of the Stairmaster approach to the Trapps and there are many bolted anchors. Groups of top-ropers regularly hog multiple lines for hours on end. Not my idea of a great time.

But as the new season approached I decided I might be ready to start to fill the Mac Wall hole in my resume. With the annual spring peregrine closure likely to restrict access to some or all of these climbs it seemed like time was of the essence. I thought maybe I could lead Star Action. The pro was reputed to be good. I'd just have to suck it up and try the dyno. And I thought I could handle Try Again safely, making sure I got the best pro I could at the dicey bits and backing off if necessary. I was even considering leading Tough Shift, because, well, how bad could it be? What could possibly go wrong?

We weren't the first party to arrive at the Mac Wall on Sunday but Gail and I had our choice of lines. We decided to start off with a climb I love, Birdie Party. I thought maybe we'd do the 5.10b roof on pitch two if I felt good leading the 5.8+ pitch one.

Right off the bat I did something incredibly stupid. I got up on the wall and with my feet perhaps six feet off the ground I tried to worm a small nut into the vertical seam beneath the good holds. I thought I'd placed one there before. After some tinkering it seemed I had a solid placement. As I said "this seems pretty good!" to Gail I gave the nut a dramatic tug and, wouldn't you know it, it popped right out and I was suddenly flying off the wall. On instinct I converted the fall into a jump and in a split second I landed squarely on my heels next to Gail on the ground. It happened so fast Gail didn't even see it.

I felt fine but I waited a minute to get back on the wall. I worried that I'd sprained or broken something and that the pain would come on over time. This was just what I needed, an injury right before my big climbing trip! But luckily I seemed to be okay and I was able to go right back to climbing.

The second time around I ignored the nut placement and instead placed a hybrid cam in a little v-slot above the seam so I was protected for the smeary move up to the little ledge. The rest of the pitch went well, much to my relief, and soon enough I'd completed the thrilling traverse to the MF (5.9) bolts. This first pitch of Birdie Party, including the traverse, is one of the very best 5.8 pitches in the Gunks. It is full of good moves and the ending is just superb, exposed and exciting.

(Photo: Gail following pitch one of Birdie Party (5.8+).)

By the time Gail reached the end of the pitch it had become much more crowded at the wall. Climbers were coming up both Birdie Party and MF behind us. And the stance at the MF bolts isn't very comfortable. I decided I shouldn't subject Gail to waiting there in a crowd while I tried the second pitch. I suggested to her that we rap and go somewhere else.

But when we got down I saw that there was no one on the right side of the Mac Wall, where the tens I wanted to lead reside. So I gave them a look. Star Action was a wet, seepy mess through the crux, so that one was out. But Try Again appeared to be dry, so I decided to go for it. I wasn't concerned as much with the on-sight (though I hoped to get the roof cleanly) as I was with being safe and reasonable. I told myself to not be afraid to leave a piece and bail, and to take it slow.

I liked the climb. The early going up an easy left-facing corner to a big ledge is no problem. Then you confront a blank face right above the ledge with thin moves up to a dramatically leaning, right-facing corner. There isn't any real gear for the blank face. I got two small nuts in opposition placed in low horizontals, not far off the ledge, which I chained together with a carabiner so they wouldn't pop out. But these nuts were only to make sure I didn't fall further than the ledge. There was no gear available to prevent a ledge fall if I blew the moves on the blank face.

(Photo: Gail at the crux roof on Try Again (5.10b).)

Once you pass the blank face there are some interesting moves up two right-facing corners with good gear, and then comes the crux roof. When I reached the roof I saw that the pin seemed to be brand new! Someone had replaced it. Hallelujah. I clipped it and looked for other back-up gear, but I didn't find anything.

The stance under the roof was strenuous but by leaning into the corner I found I could shake out a bit....

And then I went for it. News flash: I failed. I thought the challenge on Try Again was supposed to be finding the holds above the roof, but I saw holds all over the place. For me the real challenge was choosing the right ones! It took me three tries to step up just right. I think I have it now; I could cruise it next time. I know I always say this. I'm as predictable as the rain in Sloatsburg.

Once above the roof I was kind of shocked to see the climbing wasn't over. I needed to make two or three more thin moves up and right to a flaky rooflet where there would be gear. With my feet above the pin, feeling shaky and pumped out, I had to calm myself and make sure my moves were precise until I could get to the gear. Once I carefully made these moves it was all done.

It felt good to go for it on Try Again but it took a lot out of me. I was safe about it but very slow, tense and deliberate. I don't know if my head is really back in shape yet for the season. It is a quality route, and though it is broken up by ledges it has several fun sequences and a great roof problem. If you place the nuts off the first ledge it is not a horror show and the new pin definitely helps.

After Gail attacked Try Again, solving it differently than the way I did it, we decided we might as well top-rope Coexistence, a climb I thought I would likely never feel confident enough to lead. Why not check it out?

(Photo: Dealing with the beginning bulge on Coexistence (5.10d).)

This is a great great pitch! Much better than Try Again. High quality the whole way, with good 5.8+ moves over a bulge at the start and then some steep climbing up a diagonal crack to a right-facing corner and crux roof. For me the hardest technical move came in the diagonal crack. Maybe I did it wrong. After I sneaked past the crack it seemed like I attacked the corner just right, nailing the reach to the horizontal beneath the roof and then blasting over the roof, proudly, on my first try. The whole way up I was thinking I would never lead it but now.... I really think I might do it one day. The issue is the pro during the early 5.8+ climbing. There is very little gear there, though a small cam might protect the hardest move. If this tiny cam is good then it probably isn't soooo dangerous, though there is still some do-not-fall territory after the protected move. There is dynamite gear for the roof crux at the end of the pitch.

(Photo: Getting into the real business of Coexistence (5.10d).)

After Gail also top-roped Coex we decided to move on. The Mac Wall had become packed with people, both friends and strangers. My gym friend Leo was there and Gail ran into her Philly pal Olivier. While Gail was still climbing Coex I counted over twenty climbers in my immediate field of vision. It was time to go.

(Photo: A typical Mac Wall crowd on a Sunday.)

As we walked down the cliff, it was apparent that the season had officially begun. There were climbers everywhere, on practically every route. I suggested we do Turdland, a climb that gets three stars from Dick Williams but which no one ever seems to do. I think the main reason it is not popular is that Williams lists the 5.10d direct variation as the main route in his most recent guidebook, even though the original route is just one step to the right from the variation and goes at a more approachable 5.9.

I'd heard it was a good 5.9, and a contrived 5.10d if you choose to do the final crux move the hard way. I'd also heard it was a little necky, even though it has three protection bolts (a rarity in the Gunks).

We walked up to the route and I could spot some of the bolts as well as the little roofs and corners described by Dick in the guidebook. I could not tell exactly where I was going but it seemed clear enough. So I headed on up.

It went well, although again I felt like I was really slow. I got stuck just after the first bolt, mystified about how to step up for quite some time until I realized I was too far to the left.

The bolts caused me some concern. I am not an expert in evaluating bolts but all three bolts on this route appear to be really old and rusty, and on some of them the very rusty (and perhaps homemade?) hangers spin. After the first bolt there is a hardish move and then delicate, thin climbing heads up and left to a pin at a rooflet. There is sparse pro in between. The climbing here is not 5.9 but it isn't that much easier. I got a red Camalot in a funky pocket, which gave me some comfort, but if I hadn't managed this placement I would have felt quite run out. Even with the pro I had, this was heads-up climbing above gear during which I did not consider falling to be a viable option-- actually almost the whole pitch felt this way.

But the climbing is very nice. The rock is of high quality, similar to the nearby Absurdland (5.8), and there are a lot of thoughtful moves on the pitch. By the time I got to the upper rooflet beneath the final bolt I was feeling both mentally and physically fried. I checked out the crimps for the 5.10d finish but I could see the better holds literally just an arm's reach to the right and so I chose to finish the pitch the 5.9 way.

I would climb Turdland again if I could get some assurance about the bolts.... And maybe even if I couldn't. The climbing on it is really good. Gail liked it a lot as the second. It is hard to find a route that is new to her! It is not a good climb for the new 5.9 leader. Even though the climbing style is totally different than on Try Again, I think doing the climb was similarly helpful for me in terms of getting my head together for the season. It felt good to go above the gear and work it out, on-sighting challenging moves in a careful, precise way.

(Photo: Gail leading V-3 (5.7).)

After we were finished with Turdland I was ready to dial it back. We ended our day more casually. Gail cruised up V-3 (5.7 and always a pleasure). Then we headed back to the Stairmaster trail and I led Strictly From Nowhere (5.7), which I've done a million times. It is mostly an easy romp up to a fun, steep roofy corner. You have to climb up into the steep corner, place gear, and then escape right. Very exciting for the grade and a very good time.

We ended the day with another new climb for me. I led the first pitch of Revenge of the Relics, just left of Strictly From Nowhere. This pitch is 5.9, with a reachy two-move crux over a bulge not far off the ground. There is bomber gear for the crux, so it's a good little lead, even though the gear gets a bit more sparse for the easier, unremarkable climbing up to the Oscar's Variation tree at the end of the pitch. It is worth doing once.

Next week I head to Yosemite. I am determined to lead some good hard climbs out there, and not to follow my buddy Adrian up everything that is challenging. I know he'll always be able to bail me out if I need him to (crack climbing on granite is his specialty), but I hope not to be forced to push the panic button. I think I've done everything I can to climb as much as possible this season in preparation, given our lousy recent weather.

I will let you know how it goes!

A Wet Week at the Gunks: Stannard's Roof (5.10a), Uncle Rudy (Pitch 1, 5.7+) & A Lesson in Aid Climbing

(Photo: Approaching the big overhang on Stannard's Roof (5.10a).)

I just finished a whole week in the New Paltz area with my wife and kids. It has become our tradition to rent a house in or around New Paltz for a week in July every year. It is my wife's way of indulging me. She likes running in the area, there are great family hikes, and the community pool is nice. But we wouldn't do it if I were not a rock climber.

Last year we got into a nice groove in which I met up with Gail for several days in a row to climb. We would get up early, spend a few hours at the cliff, and then return to our respective families. These short climbing days allowed both of us to climb before it got too hot, and without taking too much time away. This year I hoped to repeat the same system. I was going to climb for one full day on Saturday, June 29, but apart from that day I expected that during our week in New Paltz I'd get out climbing for just a few mornings with Gail.

I hoped to hit several of my 5.10 targets, some old, some new. I wanted to try a second run at Balrog, P-38, and maybe even Simple Stuff or Directississima. And I hoped to flail away at some new ones. Probably my top candidate was Feast of Fools (5.10a).

As the trip approached I made plans to climb on Saturday with Maryana and Nani. I hadn't climbed with either of them outside in a while. As the day neared Gail decided to join us as well, so it looked like we'd have two parties. Maryana suggested we meet up in Lost City, where we could set up top ropes near each other and hang out. I was agreeable, but I knew I wouldn't be happy just top-roping all day. I had some trad-lead goals in Lost City, chief among them two new 5.10's on my list: Lost City Crack (5.10b) and Stannard's Roof (5.10a). I figured we could top rope for a while, but I intended to do some leading when the right time came along.

On Saturday, Gail and I arrived at the parking lot before Maryana and Nani. We headed out on the High Peters Kill Trail until we reached Lost City. We wandered straight up the boulder field to the cliffs and found ourselves in one of the spots I'd previously visited. I later heard another climber call this area the Amphitheater. This area has several easy climbs in the 5.6 to 5.8 range, a rarity at Lost City. Most of the walls at Lost City are so steep that the entry level climbs are 5.10 or 5.11.

It had rained a bit on each of the previous two days but the climbs seemed dry enough. Gail started us off by leading an easy corner climb on the left side of the Amphitheater (mostly 5.easy, maybe 5.5 or 5.6 for one or two moves?), and then I led a very nice vertical crack climb right in the middle of the wall. It starts off steep and committing, up a slanting crack, but then after about fifteen feet a ledge is reached and it gets easier. The angle lessens and there are frequent rests. But the good moves just keep on coming. I really liked this pitch. I would say it is a good Gunks 5.8 (Gail thought maybe 5.9). I don't know if it has a name. We named it the "5.8 Death Warm-Up."

While Gail and I were warming up in the Amphitheater, Maryana and Nani arrived and went over to the Corridor area, setting up a rope on Gold Streaks (5.11b). I've been on that one twice before and although it is really good I wasn't that psyched to hit it again. But I was keen to get back on another great 5.11b just around the corner called Forbidden Zone. So I set that one up for us and then nearly sent it on the first go. At the upper crux I missed the key hidden hold and fell off. As soon as I looked up I could see the hold I missed, and then I went up and finished it. Gail did really well on Forbidden Zone. It was her first time on the climb and she got through the crimpy, tense start and the steep, bulgy middle without a fall, struggling only with the technical moves to the hidden hold at the final crux. Forbidden Zone is such a great pitch-- if every top rope were this good I'd consider converting to the top rope lifestyle. I can't imagine ever leading it. I'd have to have it really wired. There is gear here and there, but nothing for the really tough moves right off the deck. The landing is not good: it is a pile of pointy boulders. I think for me it will forever remain a great top rope.

(Photo: Getting ready for the big reach into the ceiling on Stannard's Roof (5.10a).)

Gail and I left our rope on Forbidden Zone for Maryana and Nani and took a little walk around the right side of Lost City, finding a wet, slimy Lost City Crack and discovering faces and chasms we'd never seen before. There is so much exploring one can do at Lost City. By the time we got back to the Corridor I was ready for my big lead of the day. We took a pass on Gold Streaks and headed with Maryana's rope over to Stannard's Roof. This impressive overhang is a bit to the left of the Amphitheater. I had taken a peek at it earlier in the day and it looked nice and dry.

I had asked Gail to bring an extra yellow Number Two Camalot for me because Parker had once told me that the ceiling takes two of them. I'd also heard that the face beneath the roof goes at 5.8 and that the belay right below the roof is optional. That was about all I knew about Stannard's. We got racked up and I started climbing.

The start goes up an easy chimney and then some very nice 5.8 moves take you up a crack through an orange face. Soon the angle eases and you are beneath the huge ceiling, which looks even bigger once you are really up against it. As of this writing there is a small fixed nut in the crack at the back of the ceiling, and you can get up there and clip it, then return to the optional belay stance and think about how you are going to make the first big reach out to the good holds in the roof.

It is very intimidating. This first big move out is committing, and it is the hardest move of the sequence. There is a little creaky flake to grab, and then a big move to the jugs. I looked it over from several different angles. I shifted my gear around so that, in theory, my two yellow Camalots would be easy to reach.

Then I went for it.

(Photo: Fully in it, right hand on the creaky flake, left hand in the jugs.)

Once you do the big reach you are fully horizontal for the remainder of the roof. There is no time to dilly-dally. When you make it to the first good hold you can throw in a yellow Camalot and make the moves to the next great horizontal slot. I managed this first part just fine.

As I reached the next great horizontal, the end was already in sight. I wanted to place the second yellow Camalot and get out. I could see a positive-looking hold at the lip of the roof. If I could get there, just one move away, I figured I was as good as done.

I want to note here, before I go into my old familiar story of failure, that I really should have gotten this route on-sight. My footwork was solid. I had a good plan. I tried really hard. I had a great handhold and a wonderful heel lock. I just needed to plug and go. It kills me that I messed this one up.

Poor gear management was my undoing.

I reached for the yellow Camalot but I couldn't get it free. I struggled like mad to unhook it. I was wearing a gear sling and everything was difficult to reach, hanging way down beneath me. 

I know what you're thinking. I am aware that wearing a gear sling is the mark of the gumby. But I have never liked the weight of all the gear on my harness. Usually I prefer using the gear sling, no matter what other people think. But not this time. Under Stannard's Roof the sling turned out to be a big liability. Even though I'd put the yellow Camalot in the first section of the sling, I had a devil of a time prying it loose. It seemed like I was fumbling forever, just hanging in there. My left hand was on a great hold but it was getting more and more sweaty. I could feel my grip getting weaker and weaker. I had to get that cam! Finally I got the cam off of the sling, reached up to place it.....

And it was the wrong Camalot, the green! I had been blindly grasping for the piece, and I grabbed the wrong one. I was officially screwed, and I knew it. I stuck the green cam on my harness and started fumbling for yellow all over again, but my left hand slipped and I took a fall. I had blown it. It was a good little whip but the fall was clean.

(Photo: Trying to place gear on Stannard's Roof, but grabbing the wrong cam.)

I don't know why I didn't just take the yellow cam off the gear sling then and there and put it on my harness, but I didn't think of it. I went back up again, fumbled all over again, and this time ultimately placed the cam. But now I was exhausted and took another fall reaching for the lip. Finally on my third time up I didn't need to place gear and I just executed the moves, getting over the lip and finishing the route. It actually felt easy without all the idiotic fumbling and bumbling.

I can add Stannard's Roof to the long list of Gunks 5.10's that I have failed to get on-sight. Even more than the others, I feel like I can just fire through it next time. It is a three-star experience, for sure. The 5.8 face is really nice and the roof is everything the Gunks is all about. I just know I can do this climb. Next time I'll keep the gear on my harness. And I'll probably split it into two pitches. Doing it as one pitch made for truly horrible drag at the top.

By the time we were done with Stannard's I felt like I'd been put through the wringer. We went looking for our friends but it took a while to find Maryana and Nani. We went to the right side of Lost City to look for them while they went left to look for us. Eventually we found them beneath an incredible-looking finger crack called Resistance (5.10c). But none of us really felt like climbing it. We sat around and talked instead. It was a beautiful afternoon. I wasn't in a rush to do more climbing-- I figured I still had several good days ahead.

Sadly, it was not to be. On Sunday we went out to Bonticue with the kids and did the hike/scramble up the middle to the top. This was our second family trip up Bonticue. It is a beautiful cliff, white like Millbrook, and larger than I remembered. I've never climbed there. It looks like there are lots of fun lines to explore.

(Photo: My son Nate atop Bonticue.)

Storm clouds were rolling through as we did the Bonticue hike and we got just a little bit wet on the way back to the car. Later on, after we returned to our rental house, the skies really opened up. It poured like crazy for the next twenty-four hours. Gail and I had hoped to climb on Monday but we had to call it off.

The rain seemed to stop on Monday evening so Gail and I planned to meet on Tuesday morning. We knew it would be wet but Gail brought her aid gear, figuring we could get some practice aid climbing while we waited to see if the cliff would dry out.

(Photo: I'm not sure I've ever seen it running off quite this fiercely behind the Susie A block.)

When we got to the Trapps the whole area was covered in a misty fog. So we aided a wet Oscar's Variation (normally 5.7, but A0 for us). Gail went first so I could watch and learn. I'd never aid climbed before but it seemed simple enough. Gail was methodical about it, stepping up, placing gear, bounce testing, shifting weight to the new piece, clipping in with a fifi hook, then cleaning the aiders off the last piece and clipping the rope to it. When she finished the pitch she cleaned all the gear so I could lead it fresh. I found it difficult at first to trust the gear and step up, which is funny because I trust it enough to fall onto it all the time! After a few moves I got used to aid climbing and enjoyed it... to some extent.

(Photo: Gail aid climbing pitch one of Oscar's Variation (5.7 or A0).

It started to dry out a bit while we were working on Oscar's Variation. I ran up a slightly damp Ribless (5.6 and not so bad) to the first set of bolts, and from there I could see that the crux of Strictly From Nowhere (5.7) appeared to be dry enough for us. So even though the bottom part of the route was still pretty slimy I led that one too. The crux is always really good, the rest is fairly forgettable. It is much nicer to start Strictly's from the Oscar's corner when it is dry.

(Photo: My first time in aiders, climbing the wet Oscar's Variation.)

Conditions were finally improving but we both needed to leave for the day. There would be no big milestones on this day. We packed up and headed out.

The next day was Wednesday, our departure date. I negotiated with the wife for a few more hours of climbing and hoped against hope that it wouldn't rain overnight. Gail and I planned to meet early so I could get back to our house by check-out time.

When the day dawned I thought we were in luck. It was partly sunny at the house. Maybe the cliff would be dry?

Alas, I was too optimistic. The cliff was again shrouded in fog. As I arrived at the Trapps it seemed to be sprinkling a little. Gail and I headed to the Mac Wall to see if anything was in shape for climbing. When we got there Birdie Party and MF were both seeping. It was wetness everywhere.

Frustrated, I decided to lead Three Pines (5.3) to the GT Ledge, even though it was soaking wet. I just wanted to climb something and I figured it would be good practice. And I guess it was, although I wouldn't really call it fun. At times it felt more like wading through a running river than climbing.

Once I had the rope up we descended to the lower set of bolts and top-roped the first pitches of the two climbs underneath: Something Boring (5.9) and Something Or Other (5.7). These were both new to us. I didn't care much for either one. Something Boring is aptly named. It has unremarkable face climbing and no pro for most of its length. Something Or Other has a bit more to offer. In the early going you are supposed to use a wide crack that is filled with vegetation. I made it more interesting for myself by mistakenly staying right of the crack and doing some hard 5.9-ish moves on little crimpers. Next comes a good 5.7 move off a little ledge up to a jug. Not terrible for a rainy day, but I can't imagine we'll ever do either of these climbs again.

After four crummy pitches it was almost time to go. The sky was brightening but it was still quite wet. Gail and I started walking back to the parking lot, looking for one dry pitch that we could do. It wasn't long before we found ourselves beneath a good candidate: Uncle Rudy (5.7+). I have been interested in this roof-problem pitch for years but have never managed to get on it. (I have done pitch three, and it is really good.)

 (Photo: Gail at the crux roof on pitch one of Uncle Rudy (5.7+).)

I liked this pitch. The roof is good, and the pro for the crux is great. The crux is actually two moves: one to get over the roof, and then another thin move up right after the roof. Dick Williams implies in his guidebook that you need a big cam to protect this second crux move, but I found it not to be so. The crack narrows to the right. I got a bomber gray Alien in this crack; lots of other cams would also work.

After the crux, pitch one of Uncle Rudy is pretty dirty and run out, but the climbing is easier. When I got to the belay ledge I considered continuing with Dick's 5.8 PG variation to pitch two, but as it seemed to be covered in wet lichen I decided to leave it for another day.

Uncle Rudy is no great classic, and sending it was no great achievement. But at least it was a pleasant little climb, which was about all I could ask for by the time our wet week was finished. 

Gunks Routes: Splashtic (5.10a) & Nice 5.9 Climb

(Photo:  Gail about to make the crux move on pitch one of Splashtic (5.10a).)

What happened to my Spring season?

When I got out to climb with Maryana in late April I was feeling pretty good.  After warming up with Gaston, I followed her up Obstacle Delusion (5.9), then we both cleanly toproped Teeny Face (5.10a).  After that I led Directissima (5.9) from the ground to the GT Ledge in one pitch and we both one-hanged Ridiculissima (5.10d) on toprope.  Finally, Maryana redpointed Retribution (5.10b).  I wanted to try leading it too but we were out of time, so I just followed it.  It was a good day.

And then I got so busy I couldn't find time to climb.  Trials at work, plus a home renovation that required us to pack up all our belongings and move, meant I couldn't find a day on which to play.  I couldn't even find time to write a blog post about Directissima and Ridiculissima. 

The weeks flew by. 

Memorial Day was fast approaching.  I was headed to Utah with my wife and kids for a destination wedding in Park City.  I had plans to stay in Salt Lake City afterwards for four-- FOUR!!-- days of climbing with Adrian.  I was excited to climb with Adrian again, and to see him for the first time since he moved back to Vancouver in February.  The trip promised to be a climbing dream come true, but I didn't want to arrive feeling out of shape on real rock.

I was desperate to go to the Gunks.  I needed a tune-up!

As is my wont, I hatched a plan:  I would tack an extra day onto my Memorial Day vacation and go to the Gunks right before we left town. 

In many ways this wasn't a great idea.  The forecast was not good.  It had been raining for several days.  And I needed to be back early.  Plus I had no partner. 

No matter.  I decided to go for it.  I harassed Gail until she agreed to climb with me for half a day.  At first she begged off, saying some nonsense about deadlines and proposals.  When I told her this was important, that I really needed to climb to be prepared for my trip, she said that some different explanations for my behavior came to her mind.  And then she used some ugly words.  Words I hesitate to repeat, like "obsession" and "compulsion..."

Luckily she is just as fixated on climbing as I am.  She eventually agreed to meet me.  (She had work to do but brought her laptop computer to the cliff.  Talk about obsessed.  I think that woman has a problem:  she works too hard.)

In addition to the climbing, I decided to cash in a gift certificate Adrian had given me for a free weekday rental from the Classic Car Club in Manhattan.  At no cost, I got to drive to the Gunks in a 2007 Porsche Cayman S.  So even if our day turned out to be a bust, I could at least enjoy my time driving around in a real precision speed machine. 

(Photo:  My ride for the day.  Can you believe it?)

It had been a long time since I'd driven a stick shift.  I was afraid that the Classic Car Club people would immediately discover my incompetence with a manual transmission, rip up the gift certificate, and send me packing.  But even though I stalled out three times on the test drive, they nevertheless (unaccountably) let me leave the lot with this gleaming white priceless sports missile. 

"Suckers!!" I thought as I drove away, trying my best to appear as if I belonged in this car. 

I made believe I was an investment banker with a pocket full of Viagra. 

I took corners in third gear.

I passed people on the right. 

I think I got away with it.  That's what happens when you drive this kind of car.  People expect you to be an aggressive asshole and they get out of your way.  I could get used to this kind of driving.  It felt really good.

I sped up to the Gunks in a wet mist but by the time I picked up Gail in Gardiner the rain had stopped and the sun was beating down.  It was a bit hot and humid, but hey, I wasn't about to complain.  We were going to do some climbing!

I pulled my Porsche into the nearly empty West Trapps parking lot and we set off to look for something dry.

We didn't find anything dry.

There was wetness everywhere but the cliff seemed to be less soaked as it got higher.  We decided to do something with an easy start.  Strictly From Nowhere was open, so we did Strictly's to Shockley's.  We were using Gail's 70 Meter rope; I knew I could get from the bolts atop pitch one on Strictly's all the way to the top of the cliff in one pitch.  I felt great leading both pitches.  I was so comfortable, I was unfazed by the copperhead I found nestled in a crack halfway up Strictly's.  I was particularly happy with how Shockley's went; I managed the roof with much less awkwardness than in the past and got to the finish without any significant drag. 

I wasn't so out of shape after all.  Maybe it was time to try a 5.10?

We were close to Splashtic, a climb I'd glanced at a month earlier with Maryana.  It looked dry now.  Gail encouraged me to try it, saying she thought there was pro for the crux and that if I decided to bail I could escape around the corner to the right.  And the 5.10 bit appeared like it would be short.  It seemed the steep wall which began the climb was only about 30 feet high.  After one or two hard face moves between horizontals it looked like the whole thing eased off to a low-angle romp. 

I had no intention of doing the R-rated 5.9 pitch two.  I didn't know how we'd get down without doing another pitch but Gail said she thought there was some kind of fixed anchor up there to the left.

I racked up and did it.  My analysis:  I think this is a pretty good easy 5.10.  It isn't a great pitch by any stretch of the imagination.  But if you are trying to get your feet wet in 5.10, as I am, Splashtic provides a short steep face with just a couple of hard moves on it.

You can come into the middle of the face from the right or the left.  The right may be a little easier but there is no pro for the move that gets you established on the wall.  I came in this way at first but couldn't work a C3 into the only little crack that is available.  So I stepped down and tried it from the left, where there is a good slot for a cam and a hard, steep move to get up on the wall.

Then it's just a few moves of nice climbing to the jug below the crux.  I got a nice piece in the obvious slot just below the jug.  Don't block this whole slot because you might want some space available there.  I don't want to give the move away so that's all I'm saying about that. 

Also, because I'm a chicken (and a safe chicken at that), I placed two more small Aliens in another horizontal a few feet over to the right and a foot or so higher.  These cams took a little more work, because the horizontal is sort of flaring.  But I thought they were good.

With three solid pieces in, I felt ready for the crux, which is a long reach to the next horizontal. 

I stepped up and gave it a whirl.  And I almost made the reach but didn't quite have it.

So I stepped back down, not weighting the rope. 

Trying again, I made it!  Whoa, my second 5.10 onsight, just like that. 

Once up above the steep face, I moved left to the Gorilla My Dreams corner instead of right to the former Gaston belay, since I knew from my previous trip to the Gunks that the Gaston station was gone. 

As Gail had remembered, there was a rather small tree with some good-looking slings and rings in this vegetated corner to the left.  I put in a piece to back up the tree while Gail climbed the route but then she went ahead and removed the piece after she finished climbing, using the fixed station alone for lowering.  The station seemed good enough for body weight, certainly. 

With not much time left in our half day I suggested we do Nice 5.9 Climb, another 5.9 tick on my list that I hadn't led yet.  I had done this one on toprope a few years ago with Nani and I had struggled at that time with the crux move, falling several times before finally getting it.  Earlier this year I had done it in wet conditions, again on toprope, and it seemed much less mysterious.  I figured now I would lead it quickly-- it is short-- and we'd go on home.  It was on the way out right at the beginning of the cliff.

In one sense Nice 5.9 Climb resembles Splashtic as a good introduction to its grade.  The crux is just one move, an escape out of a corner with an overhang, and it is well-protected.  (There is an upper crux but it is just a little bit of 5.8 steepness, much easier than the lower crux, in my opinion.)

In another sense, however, I don't think Nice 5.9 is a great introductory 5.9, because that one crux move is really pretty tricky.  It is a stand-up move in which you have to get your weight over your high foot just right.  If my memory were erased and I had to onsight it right now I'm not sure I'd get it clean the first time. 

But last Wednesday with Gail it went fine, although as with Splashtic I had to step up, step down, think it over, and try it again.  At which time I got it, without ever weighting the rope.

And so I went home happy with my climbing, and ready (I thought) for Utah.  Little did I realize that the granite slabs and cracks of Little Cottonwood Canyon would humble me, making this day in the Gunks seem like a distant memory. 

Stay tuned.  I'll tell you all about it next time.

Gunks Routes: Oscar's Variation (5.7), Strictly From Nowhere (5.7), and Shockley's Ceiling (5.6)

Strictly From Nowhere (5.7) and Shockley’s Ceiling (5.6) are both great classics. But both have flaws.

Strictly’s has a fantastic first pitch, highlighted by the final bit of climbing up into an overhanging corner, and then around right to a bolted anchor. The easier pitch two begins with nice juggy climbing to the GT Ledge, but unfortunately this is over quickly, and then the rest of the way to the top is undistinguished and dirty.

On Shockley’s, the third pitch is the real business. The climbing through the namesake ceiling is followed by a fun dihedral and then another, smaller roof crux.  It is a world-class pitch, with great protection at the crux and very exciting moves at the moderate 5.6 grade.  But the two pitches that precede it involve pretty forgettable 5.4 climbing, in my opinion.

As I (and others) have noted before, by combining these two climbs, doing Strictly’s to the chains, then doing a short 5.easy pitch up and right to a belay beneath the ceiling, and then finally doing Shockley’s third pitch, you get one of the best moderate multipitch climbs in the Gunks. But I recently went back and tried Oscar’s Variation (5.7) just to the left of Strictly’s, and I think the addition of this variation to the climb makes it even better.

Oscar’s Variation is easy to find. Only a few feet left of the start of Strictly From Nowhere is a prominent left-facing corner that goes up about 50 feet. Oscar’s variation climbs the corner. The pro is great; There is a crack in the back that will allow you to place gear at will. The climbing is very good, and I thought a bit stiff for 5.7. There are a couple of bulgy moments where the fingers are locked into that crack, but the feet are thin, and a committing step up is required. Remember to make use of both walls. When in doubt, stem!

In Williams’ guidebook, he suggests doing Oscar’s Variation as one pitch, and then doing Strictly’s from that point up to the chains as another pitch. But there’s really no reason to break the climbing here into two pitches. It is only 100 feet from the ground to the chains, and when I led it recently there were no drag issues created by doing Oscar’s and Strictly’s together in one pitch. Putting them together makes for a much more sustained and varied start to the climb, and I recommend it highly. You don’t lose much from Strictly’s if you start on Oscar’s.  You’ll still climb the part of Strictly’s everyone comes for: the overhanging final moves to the anchor. I don’t really have any advice to offer about this part of the climb except that you should just place some gear and then keep on moving. The holds are great, don’t worry.

Now, the other week when we did this climb, I was sending my partner Adrian up from the chains to do the crux pitch of Shockley’s. It occurred to me that there was no reason to stop and build a belay before the crux roof. I was pretty sure you could go from the chains on Strictly's to the top of Shockley’s in one 60 meter pitch—it couldn’t be more than 200 feet from the chains to the top of the cliff, right?  It turned out I was right, but not by much.  My partner Adrian made it to the top and had enough rope left over to build a belay on a tree set back ten or fifteen feet from the cliff edge.  But he used the entire length of the rope to do so.  It is a rope stretcher of a pitch, and of course the actual length of various 60 meter ropes will vary, so your rope might not make it with quite so much room to spare.  With a 70 meter rope you wouldn't have any stress about the rope length at all.  Another caveat:  I wouldn't do the crux pitch of Shockley's this way if I were being followed by a new climber who might have trouble with the crux ceiling.  It might be wiser in that circumstance to build a belay right after the ceiling, as Williams suggests in his book. 

Doing Oscar's to Strictly's to Shockley's as two outstanding pitches is to my mind one of the best moderate climbing experiences the Gunks has to offer.  You get crack and corner climbing, followed by juggy steepness, and then a classic roof problem followed by still more quality rock to the top of the cliff.  It just doesn't get any better than that.