New and experienced climbers over 50 #37

Fossil. Do you know Charlie Gray? Works for Forest service? He was in your neighborhood for the last few years.  He was my rock climbing mentor in the mid 80s. 

Sam, where in VT? I am in the north east Kingdom. Can sometimes get out after work midweek. 

Emil Briggswrote:

The climbing at the Gunks is great but it's hard to beat Sierra summer weather anywhere on the East Coast.

Acadia NP has it beat 5-6 days a week, sunny and average temperatures around 70. The one or two days of rain are usually just half days. Of course the guidebook is tiny compared to most single areas in the Sierra...

Always wanted to get me some Acadia.

Cherokee Nuneswrote:

Always wanted to get me some Acadia.

I can offer a tent site to anyone who doesn't want to make reservations a year ahead of time, it gets pretty crowded with hikers and regular vacationers here in the summers. 

If anyone does venture this far north, it's well worth a few hours more to Cochrane Lane in NB, it's basically the same pink granite but 10x bigger. Fall is prime time. 

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Sam, where in VT? I am in the north east Kingdom. Can sometimes get out after work midweek. 

East Corinth. Likely I’ll be at eagle hollow a fair bit. Will dm once we’re instate

M Mwrote:

Acadia NP has it beat 5-6 days a week, sunny and average temperatures around 70. The one or two days of rain are usually just half days. Of course the guidebook is tiny compared to most single areas in the Sierra...

While I believe you the one time I was there in June it rained both days. It was still beautiful but we didn't get any climbing in unfortunately.

Emil Briggswrote:

While I believe you the one time I was there in June it rained both days. It was still beautiful but we didn't get any climbing in unfortunately.

We lived close to the Whites for several years and the weather was definitely hit or miss. We did have a couple brilliant summers with great climbing weather. But I also recall an unreasonable number of very wet summers. When it rained, the slab could stay wet for a week. Maybe Acadia dries off faster.

Lori Milaswrote:

Yab Yum.  One of my favorite Tibetan images. And if there’s a route with this name, it should be a wonderful journey!   

The name seems very apropos to me as I found it a great F@cking route!!!

;)

And doesn't Heinlein have a novel where he uses Yab Yum in it?

I've read so many of his (and loved them) that it seems familiar but I cannot find it!

Nick Goldsmithwrote:

Fossil. Do you know Charlie Gray? Works for Forest service? He was in your neighborhood for the last few years.  He was my rock climbing mentor in the mid 80s. 

Nick,

I do not know Charlie, however if he climbs at Smith with any regularity he probably knows of me, because I am pretty recognizable and in the park probably 250 days a year.

Meanwhile, here's a little rest day pictorial story for you all...

So, I’ve been climbing pretty hard lately and felt the need for a rest day. With that in mind, yesterday I headed down into the main area for a “take your chalk bag for a hike” day.

The objective was Sky Chimney a 300’ 5.7 crack line on the northeast wall of the Smith Rock group.

Here’s a picture with the route penciled in green.

The route starts with about 100’ of 5 easy back and foot chimney leading to a ledge atop the heart shaped feature at the walls base. From there, 200’ of 5.7 hand crack leads to a scree covered ledge below a couple of large boulders where easy slab scrambling takes me to the top of the Platform.

Here's a picture looking down on Asterisk pass from part way up the hand crack

The views from the Platform are breath taking and some of the best in the park. To the north, near at hand lie the towers of the Christian Brothers with Monkey Face in the middle distance, and Piewabe on the skyline.

To the east the summits of Smith Rock loom 600’ above the Crooked River.

While lounging about like a lizard on the Platform I see a couple finishing up on the route “Wherever I May Roam.”

From the Platform you either scramble up licheny slab or take a loose dirt gully to its left until you pick up a surprisingly well laid out way trail that leads leisurely back down to Asterisk pass and to the base of the route.

Along the way down I see this beautiful dead corkscrew juniper and some grayia spinosa in bloom and at one point I have to take a running jump to clear a rattlesnake in the trail.

Really nice pics, fossil!

About 250 of us at the protest here Barcelona today. My wife was interviewed by the local news. It will be interesting to see how things go in the US with something like 1800 different protest sites planned. I actually bowed out of a day climbing with my buddies to do this. It has to be pretty damn important for me to miss a day of climbing!

I also have been following with much interest the chatter about all the “easy” routes you guys are doing at the Gunks. I’m trying to figure out a way to get there for a week or so… trying to talk my wife into it. If I can get the permission slip signed, I’ll be asking a lot of questions. Hopefully this year sometime. In the meantime, I’m envious as the Gunks sits at number one on my USA bucket list.

Daniel Joderwrote:

Really nice pics, fossil!

About 250 of us at the protest here Barcelona today. My wife was interviewed by the local news. It will be interesting to see how things go in the US with something like 1800 different protest sites planned. I actually bowed out of a day climbing with my buddies to do this. It has to be pretty damn important for me to miss a day of climbing!

I also have been following with much interest the chatter about all the “easy” routes you guys are doing at the Gunks. I’m trying to figure out a way to get there for a week or so… trying to talk my wife into it. If I can get the permission slip signed, I’ll be asking a lot of questions. Hopefully this year sometime. In the meantime, I’m envious as the Gunks sits at number one on my USA bucket list.

Since we were going to be in the Berkshires anyway today, we joined a No Kings rally in tiny West Stockbridge---count was roughly 375 + about a dozen dogs---not bad at all for such a small community. And all but a couple of the passing vehicles were very supportive. The one negative was that about 90% of those participating were of 'our' demographic--and the upper part, at that. Where are the young people????

Daniel/--you and anyone else on here are more than welcome in the Gunks or other areas here in the NE. Just post up once you know if and when you will be coming.

Thanks, Alan. With the reputation the Gunks has I’d start with 5.2 and work my way up. I already have my route lists prepared!

Alan Rubinwrote:

Since we were going to be in the Berkshires anyway today, we joined a No Kings rally in tiny West Stockbridge---count was roughly 375 + about a dozen dogs---not bad at all for such a small community. And all but a couple of the passing vehicles were very supportive. The one negative was that about 90% of those participating were of 'our' demographic--and the upper part, at that. Where are the young people????

Daniel/--you and anyone else on here are more than welcome in the Gunks or other areas here in the NE. Just post up once you know if and when you will be coming.

Huge number of young people at the No Kings event in Raleigh today but I suspect our demographics skew a lot younger than West Stockbridge.

Big turnout in Boulder today.
Plenty of greyheads, but young people sprinkled in too.
Lots of American flags :-)

Daniel Joderwrote:

Thanks, Alan. With the reputation the Gunks has I’d start with 5.2 and work my way up. I already have my route lists prepared!

Definitely PM me if you find dates/times!  I will put in leave to spend at least a full day with you, if you want!

As for routes, I've found that the grades are stiff but not crazy and it's mostly on lead that you want to start low.

If you're following, then I'd only go down maybe one grade here but the leads are a bit "heady"!

(and as a new-to-the-Gunks climber this year but having lived and climbed all over the world for almost 40 years, it is as insanely great as everyone says!)

Thanks, Buck!

dragonswrote:

We lived close to the Whites for several years and the weather was definitely hit or miss. We did have a couple brilliant summers with great climbing weather. But I also recall an unreasonable number of very wet summers. When it rained, the slab could stay wet for a week. Maybe Acadia dries off faster.

We lucked out on my one trip to climb near the Whites. It was in September and besides some cragging my daughter and I climbed the 5.8 variation of the Northeast Ridge of the Pinnacle. The weather was perfect, temps in the 50s with hardly any wind at all. The thing I like about the Sierras in the summer is that the weather is so predictable. You might get some afternoon thunderstorms but frontal systems that ruin your vacation are rare.

On an unrelated topic you looks sort of familiar from that pic that Buck posted. I wonder if we've met on one of my Gunks trips.

Great photos fossil!

In high school Sky Chimney, Sky Ridge, Cinnamon Slab, Spiderman, Moonshine Dihedral and Revelations were the staples of my climbing diet. However I don't think I ever done the walk off of Sky Chimney. I think the rappel off the backside was too appealing. In your case I suspect the reason for the walk off was that you "happened to find yourself on top without a rope". (I'm quoting RKM)

It still amazes me how infrequently I see people on Sky Chimney (and its sister climb White Satin) even when the park is pretty busy.

Mark E Dixonwrote:

Big turnout in Boulder today.
Plenty of greyheads, but young people sprinkled in too.
Lots of American flags :-)

Biggest turnout I've ever seen in Boulder.