I should preface this by saying I’ve been a rock climber since 1997 or 1998 (I can’t remember exactly when I started. I tag the start as the time my friend Bryan dragged me up Ecstasy at Seneca Rocks); and I’ve never (except possibly when I was grossly underemployed and living in New Paltz in 2000-01) felt like I climbed enough. I’ve also never really had a steady, primary climbing partner who climbed at my level.
That said, right now I feel very much like an ex-climber.
4
Land of the Giants (P1 only, onsight) 5.7
Fat City (P2 only, follow Rob)
I climbed a half-day the weekend before last (May 3). I led the first pitch of Land of the Giants (5.7), which was a pretty cool pitch, and it’s not all that often I get to onsight a pitch in the Gunks. Then I followed my friend Rob up the top pitch of Fat City (5.10), which is of course really wild, but much more wild for the leader than the follower. It was great belaying Rob and getting to see him figure out and execute the moves though, and I got a few good pictures. Then I stepped up to the plate and tried (for a long time) and failed to get of the ground on Transcontinental Nailway (5.10). The crux is low and scary, and tricky, and a guide I know broke his back on that crux a few years ago. I also had an audience. But it was also a climb that I had more-or-less wired back in the day, a few years ago.
So no climbing at all in April. Didn’t climb this weekend (weather, issues); and the next two weekends I’m in New Mexico dealing with Family Stuff, so that is it for climbing in May. My summer is looking psycho… 6 day work weeks all of July and Aug.
It’s funny, all winter I train for climbing season (when I’m not dying of the flu). When I’m jogging on the treadmill or doing pull-ups or whatever, I visualize leading Exit Stage Left or whatever. And when the season rolls around, I’m almost always disappointed and depressed. So yeah, right now I feel like an ex-climber.
p.s.
I’m taking a 4 day weekend in June (the 12-15th). I wanna do a climbing trip, but I don’t have a partner (C has to work and can’t really climb these days anyway) Any takers?
