Stir-Crazy

Plastic =/= rock.  WIIIIIIIINTEEEEEER.

Romancing the Stone

Skull Fuck, The Hole, New River Gorge.

Crack Attack

Two things.  One, mis amigos built one of these in the basement.  It's name is Gary Busey (because reasons) and it will bring the pain and then, hopefully, the offwidth strength.   Second, I had a particularly good day (gym...sigh) climbing today.  That's all.

Get in the Tub!

CB working her way up the slab section of Bathtub Mary, 5.11a, in the Muir Valley of the Red River Gorge.  From the slab, you pull into a huuuuuge hueco which gives the climb its name.  You could have a picnic in that thing.

Dog Pile

Someone's dog was gallivanting in Summersville Lake.  A sheepish pile o' fur and his stick, NRG.

Prone

JG in a rare truly restful (although not the most elegant) rest before the crux, high on Iniquity, 5.12b, at the Midnight Surf wall in the Red River Gorge.

Flyin' Hawaiian

DI on Flying Hawaiian, a beautiful piece of 11b rock on the Waimea wall at Rumney.  Its got everything- starts with a (rough) boulder problem, pulls a little roof on jugs, then rolls up into the sweeping, curved dihedral you can see above him here.

Astride the Stone Horse

SW, leg deep (given the angle, it was really tempting to title this post "Balls Deep"...admire my partial restraint) and nearing the top of Binou's Crack.  There's something comforting about being able to jam a whole leg in a crack; you know you're not going to slip out, and often you can pretty much sit on it, especially if it takes a curve like this one.

Top Out

RH making a grab for the chains atop Sparkling Schnitzel, a 5.11 off-width (tricksy baaaarely off-width; hand-fist stacks for me, and not big enough for a knee jam) in Indian Creek, Utah.

Get ready for a string of desert pictures, cause somebody just got back from MOAB.

Whippoorwilled

MD cruising up Don Miron, 5.11c, alongside Summersville Lake, NRG.

Cross-Eyed & Blind

Once more into the breach; the last trip to climb in the ol' EnArGee before the horrible, horrible winter descends on the east coast.  I've been feeling quite strong lately, and am looking forward to doing battle with the climb pictured here, Cross-Eyed & Blind, an 11a at the first buttress of the Meadow.  It's a beautiful line on beautiful stone, long, with many interesting moves.  Usually on a trip, I like to get on a bunch of routes, try them once or twice, not really caring about the send.  For whatever reason, Cross-Eyed is one of the few that really captures my imagination and my ambition.  If not this trip, then another- I know that I will send this.

(Lurking) Fear is the Mind Killer

Almost 5 days later, including one 23 hour climbing day, the boys topped out on their first big wall- El Fucking Capitan via Lurking Fear.  They say they never want to do a big wall again, but I'll give them a few months before all they remember is the joy of the experience and the pride of finishing.  The pain, the exhaustion, the boredom, the fear- it all becomes an abstraction in the service of The Epic.  Type 2 fun for the win.

And yes, I know this is Half Dome not El Cap.  Shut up.

Illin' & Crimpin'

MN puts on the try-hard face as she fights the notorious crimps of Smith Rock.

...and sometimes the gnar shreds you.

Mt. Adams, again.  A person who is definitely not my brother catching an edge at the perfect moment as he flies past my lens (this person who is definitely not my brother fortunately kept it together and ski-side down for a nice recovery).

Sometimes you shred the gnar...

HazMatt on the rip after skinning up Mt. Adams.

Sweet, Sweet Humble Pie

Spent labor day weekend down in the New River Gorge.  Had been sitting on my bum for three weeks or so recovering from an injury, so I expected it to be kinda rough- the NRG is humbling at the best of times, and this was not the best of times.  Lo and behold, I was right!  Could barely pull the moves on routes I had been projecting.  Ah, well.  Climbing is fun even when you're a wuss, and you can't see the takes or the flailing in a still photo.

Merci beaucoup to the Wizard, who absconded with my camera to the anchors, but delivered mighty fine results.

High Gravity Day

Taking a weekend off from fighting gravity and making it work for me instead.  Been a long while since I've been on whitewater.

On the Prowl

EN and his freakish ape index silhouetted on Helium Woman, the Dihedrals, Smith Rock (Oregon!).

Super-man

A little foot cut from AM as he pulls the roof on Super Best Friends, 5.12-something, on a grey day in the Red River Gorge.

Atlas Crushed

JG, back muscles, New River Gorge.  This is the pumpy start to Waco Not Hueco, 11c.