Follow my friends and me as we continually track new bouldering areas in the Adirondack State Park as well as visit top notch bouldering areas all over the northeast
So the rain this past Saturday forced me to slow down a bit...but only a bit!
I have been on a non-stop mission working on new routes and trying old test pieces deep in the forests around Caroga Lake. Looking back over the past month and a half I am realizing just how good we have had it this summer with the weather. Everything has been dry, the bugs have been tolerable and somehow the projects just keep stacking up. One of these trips I should finally be able to write one or two of them off...maybe? Hopefully? It doesn't really matter, it has been and will continue to be a great learning experience and has been loads of fun.
So we got poured on in the woods on Saturday. Later that night back at the house as I tried to dry off I decided it was time to wrap up a few more climbing holds sets that I have been working on for Element Climbing. These sets are designed to supplement the "Core Pocket" set that I created a few months ago. Keep an eye out for some XXL holds in the near future to match these sets as well! The owner of the company has also mentioned that he has molded and poured a few sets of the screw on holds that I sent out last time....pretty excited to see how they climb!
Keep crushing everyone! I have a slew of hard routes to keep dreaming about...
You guess it, another trip into Lost Hunter's Cliff. The SAC crew was rolling especially deep on Saturday with visits from out-of-towners Kennith D. Murphy, Jobi, and Timmy along with the usual Lost Hunters crew; Mitch, Jai, Sullivan and myself. Also in for a full day of action were some SAC crew members who had never seen the cliff before...Banta, Des and Kris.
Saturday was especially nice. The temperature and humidity was lower than it has been recently and we still hadn't had any rain, this meant that all of the established routes at Lost Hunters would be dry so I was especially psyched. If I have learned one thing over the past two months and over 8 trips into this cliff, it is how to accept defeat and to continue to treat each non-sending session as a learning experience.
I unfortunately walked away yet again with none of my projects ticked off but....
I was surrounded by close friends for an entire beautiful sunny day
I was able to get to a new high point on both of my projects (fell off of the upper jug on "Buck Fever", two hand movements away from the victory ledge)
I cleaned two new routes and got to install some more top anchors
I got to witness one of the most inspiring sends I have seen in person to date
I got to watch various SAC crew members make progress on all of there projects
I got to enjoy a post session swim in Chub Lake as the sun set over Sherman Mountain
Despite no new sends, i'll have to chalk this past Saturday up as a victory.
Yet another unfortunate thread found online regarding excessive chalking and tick marks on boulders in the Adirondacks. If you happen to see a climber marking hand and foot holds with colored sidewalk chalk, do us all a favor and slap it out of their hands! I have seen it on boulders at Nine Corners Lake and now the below post concerning McKenzie Pond in Saranac Lake, NY.
Some of you may remember me talking about a photo shoot I did last October with a photographer named Tomas Donoso (http://www.tomasdonoso.com/) for a potential article in the climbing magazine Rock and Ice that would be featuring climbing and bouldering in the Adirondack Park.
Some serious sending action from this past Saturday...
Mitch and Rich went on onsight attempts on numerous trad routes and Murphy walked away with the first lead ascent of what might just be one of the best hard sport routes in the Adirondack Park.
Media Update:
The Main Cliff at Lost Hunter's
Murph and Tim fueling up for the day...kid's van is so legit!
Crux move on "Buck Fever"- 5.12b
Murph gearing up for the first lead ascent of "Buck Fever"- 5.12b
Tricky move after the first bolt
Nice rest at a jug undercling
Gaining a large pocket/hueco for another short rest
Sticking the crux move
Last difficult push before the easier top sequence
Crew rolling deep
Rich breaking out of the pod on "Father Knows Best"- 5.10d
Sinking a deep hand jam
Mitch leading "Lost Hunter's Crack"-5.11a while Rodney works out the sequence on "Buck Fever"- 5.12b
With the 4th of July falling on a Wednesday this year, I had the rare opportunity to climb late into the night during what would have been a typical work week. Usually the night sessions only last until 10pm sometimes 11pm at the latest but on this particular night, the climbing did not cease until well after midnight. I arrived at the trailhead around 7:00 pm to be greeted by Rodney Manning, Mitch Hoffman, Jay, Kyle Biel and Keith Banta. Shortly behind us on their way from Albany was John Sullivan, Ryan Pooler and Sam.
It was a bunch of fun being back at my local bouldering turf, throwing myself at classics as darkness fell and we lit up the summer night with lanterns, spotlights and headlamps. We also got to enjoy the firework display that was being set off down at Pine Lake, just before the Nine Corners Lake trailhead. Always epic and always fun. Good on ya guys!
Sorry for the lack of blog posts lately...I have been climbing so much lately after work and on the weekends with the crew thanks to all of this dry weather we have been having. A majority of my time has been spent on the hour+ hike into the "Lost Hunter's" Cliff as we continue to work on some of Fred Abbuhl's older routes as well as cleaning up some new lines. Prepare for a surge of media updates from the past two weeks:
Media Update:
Mitch Hoffman on the sharp end of "Mountain Bruin"
Mountain Bruin- 5.9+
Rodney Manning top rope rehearsing "Terapia"- 5.12a a line I got the First Ascent of back in 2010
Entering the crux sequence on "Terapia"
John Sullivan representing for team Patagonia
Sully working out the lower moves on "Elusive Trophy"- 5.13a