Tall person beta: Much easier if you do a jump start. Grab good right crimp hand from the ground, jump, lock off, and stab for left hand crimp. Feb 11, 2012

Buckets of Blood was first done by myself and Mike Kehoe in the mid to early 80's. As I recall, the climb clocked in on the soft side of V7 so either holds have broken or something is very wrong with the current crew of Carderock locals.

The problem was first envisioned by Gunks legend Rich Goldstone. The "official" start entailed jumping from the ground and snagging two separate crimpers -... more Buckets of Blood was first done by myself and Mike Kehoe in the mid to early 80's. As I recall, the climb clocked in on the soft side of V7 so either holds have broken or something is very wrong with the current crew of Carderock locals.

The problem was first envisioned by Gunks legend Rich Goldstone. The "official" start entailed jumping from the ground and snagging two separate crimpers - as I recall, one was about a full pad and the other was a half pad. In true Carderock fashion, use of the arete is forbidden. Mike Bercaw, Leith Wain and myself regularly tried to work out the top-out, sans rope. Eventually, Mike and I got tired of the hard landing (pre bouldering pads)and set up a top rope. Note: the climb up the arete (V3?)is called Back Of Impossible - both climbs are mislabeled in at least one guide.

I'm about 6ft and Mike, at several inches shorter, was unable to do the jump start. He did a near sit start (crouching on low holds but not butt on the ground) which added a few moves but didn't change the difficulty. Mike figured out the top moves and we both sent the problem on TR. I returned and after a few more top rope burns, did the problem without a rope using both starts.

There are a number of "harder" problems at Carderock/Great Falls that were done around 1980-1984 that seem to have been lost to history - quite possibly due to the antipathy that existed between the more advanced climbers and the vocal bumblers that were hell bent on writing a guidebook to such an obscure area. Perhaps most irksome of these is Leith Wain's first ascent of the 12d just right of Spider Line (I think I have the right name). Leith did this climb second go - pretty impressive for circa 1982 - but was so pissed that he didn't do it first go that he never bothered to mention it to other climbers. It is a tribute to the backwards nature of the local climbing scene that the route was never repeated until Chris Sharma's "first ascent" years (decades?) later. Nov 6, 2013

Sorry - that should be John Bercaw! It was Mike Kehoe and I that first put a rope on the climb. Nov 6, 2013