Summary

Description

Cold and windy in the morning, especially in the parking lot at the top. As we were packing before leaving the house, Lisa decided to pack the backpacking stove and ramen noodles for lunch so we'd have something hot for lunch.

We setup on Dirty Rotten Scoundrel, and I got the first climb. I was trying new shoes for the first time: La Sportiva Cliff, size 44. They aren't nearly as sensitive as the Mythos I've been wearing for years, but they give me a little more room in the toe which is good. (After a long day wearing the Mythos, my toes would be numb for days afterward.) I didn't trust the Cliffs so much since they didn't feel as trustworthy so I put more tension and upper body into my climbing than I really needed to.

The climbing was fantastic. The rock was a little cold at first, but it wormed up pretty quickly, and at the tops of the routes in the sun, I actually broke a sweat. After we each climbed Dirty Rotten Scoundrel, I went up again, topped out, and moved the rope over one to the right onto Place Your Bets. Lisa climbed it once, then I climbed it. Both of us decided to skip the overhang at the top and head around and up the buttress with the slopers. The guy in the group climbing next to us said there was a trick to the moves to pull through the roof and once you knew it, it was easy. Lisa was game so she climbed back up, and the guy climbed up Dirty Rotten Scoundrel to the same height and talked her through it. She did great and pulled the roof with no problem. I was already feeling too blown to try it again. That's what I get for taking 5 months off from outdoor climbing. I'll try it next time we're up there.

Lisa toped out and moved the rope over one more to the right, and we each climbed Grampa's Belay. While I was climbing, Lewis and Jon came by. We knew thy'd be up there and looked for them in the parking lot, but we had run a little late, and I didn't recognize any cars. (They brought Jon's Pathfinder which I don't know.) They each climbed Grampa's Belay, and Jon topped out and took down the gear. We packed up and headed over past the Amphitheater.

Derrick had been trying Devil in the Whitehouse that Jeff Dillon had put up. Jeff offered me a ride, but I knew that it was beyond me that day so I passed. We headed back to Black Rain, and Jon led it. He did a great job, backing off once when he ended up too far off from the first bolt, then sending it with his second attempt. We all had a good time climbing it on TR. I had a tough time with it and ended up over into the wet-but-easier section to the right of the line getting up to the ledge. Also came off once up on the headwall, but it was a good climb.

While I was climbing Black Rain, Lisa and Jon took gear up and setup a rope one to the left on My Husband is Going to Kill Me. I was pretty tired after Black Rain, but decided to give Husband a try before we had to head home. I struggled on the crux (for me, at least) which is about 15' up. I suggested that maybe I was too tired and should just call it a day. Jon and the guys would have none of that and told me to get my ass up the wall. So I did. I could feel my arms and shoulders were just about blown, but I managed to fall my way through the crux and then claw on up the route.

Since it was getting toward (or past) the time we needed to head home for something going on that night, Lisa decided to climb Husband with her pack so she could top out, take down the anchor, and just meet us up on the trail. I know how much she hates wearing a pack while climbing because of how it pulls her off balance, but she did a great job of it, especially on her last climb of the day. The rest of us packed everything up and hiked out, meeting Lisa on the trail.

It ended up being a gorgeous day, and we had shed layers throughout the day. The wind was never really any problem down along the clif. I really missed climbing during hte 5 months that we took of over the winter when good weather and our schedules refused to intersect. It felt fabulous to be back on the rock.