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Shelf Actualization (A February Trip Recap)

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Marek on Gym Arete Direct (Adam) Nowadays, good climbing trips require electrolyte infused hard seltzers, dive bars with Dave Dangle, and good weather. Great climbing trips require some Rocky Mountain oysters, meeting the voice of the Enormocast, and secret blue point competitions... Saturday : Graham, Adam, and I ambitiously planned to send all of our projects on Day 1. Ah, Shelf, the place where great expectations go to die--although we did start strong! First stop: the Gym, where we immediately hopped on the  Gym Arete , and only to hear the unmistakable voice of the Enormocast (Chris Kalous) turn the corner behind us! Awesome guy. In the company of such esteemed greatness, we all sent: Graham and Adam, the Gym Arete; myself, the  direct start. Next stop: Spiney Ridge, to settle a score with  Hurricane . I weathered the storm, but Adam was tragically flooded away. For dinner, we met Christina at Pizza Madness, where Graham dropped some fighting words with the waitress Nicole about
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Climbing in 2019: A (late) Personal Review

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Warning : Lots of self indulgent, climbing specific, spray ahead. But it's (still) mid Covid, so being stoked about anything is a good thing, right? Bueller? I won't judge you for skipping this one; I'm just basking in my own greatness for 2000 words. With a little bit of self reflection mixed in. But just a little. Don't say you weren't warned. 218 Sport climbing pitches total (including onsights, flashes, redpoints) 14 Boulder problems 1 Mixed line 98 days outside (including short, hour long sessions) First... 5.12c* ( Mighty Dog , April 14) 5.12d ( Branching Out , July 28) 5.13a ( Happy Endings , September 29) 58 Climbs 5.12a and harder 2019 was a good year. I climbed a lot, and I like climbing. Most importantly, at the beginning of 2020, I still liked climbing. 98 days of outdoor climbing feels like an insane amount. This number includes just an hour of traversing at Morrison, getting benighted because a rattlesnake blocked the quick way back
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A Tale of Four Climbers

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Eric on Diminished Gluteal Syndrome  (5.12d) at the Infirmary (Photo: Elliot) It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the time for strength, it was the time for weakness, it was the weekend of healing, it was the weekend of degenerating, it was a reflection of times to come, it was a reflection of times past, it was the season of sending, it was the season of failing, it was the perfect temperature, it was raining--in short, this trip was so far like most trips, that some of its most boisterous spray lords insisted on it being received, for good or bad, in the superlative degree of comparison only. Chris texted me five hours before we were going to drive down to the Red River Gorge together: he was sick and strongly considering staying in DC. It's September, 2018. My 2000 Saturn with over 225,000 miles on it isn't the vehicle of choice for an eight drive from DC through the middle of nowhere
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A Red River Halloween Day 8: A Quick Ride at Velo Crag

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Alive, atop Lightning Rod Arete Climbs: Lightning Rod Arete  (5.10c): ★★★ (Although it may deserve a second chance) (Climbs others hopped on): Laterne Rouge  (5.9+) Dura-Ace (5.8+) Ultegra  (5.10a) Today, we were leaving, even though we didn't want to. We were heading outside, even though we didn't want to. And we were climbing... even though we didn't want to? Let me rewind. Waking up this morning was difficult. Maybe we had a little bit too much whiskey, maybe we played a little too much Bang! , maybe we were a little spent from the night before. At 6:30 AM, the weather was definitely garbage: a thick blanket of fog enveloped our cabin. I always have a hard time getting up on these gray days; my body takes its cues from bright morning blue skies. No sun? No getting out of bed. A Typical Breakfast Our requirements for the day were a short approach (we wanted to end up back in DC at a reasonable hour), dry conditions (fog was not good), and quality
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A Red River Halloween Day 7: Adults at the Playground

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It's all fun and games until you make it past the first bolt. Climbs: The Preacher's Daughter  (5.11-): ★★★★ Guernica  (5.11a): ★★★ Brief History of Climb  (5.10b): ★★★★ Capture the Flag  (5.11b): ★★ Monkey Bars  (5.10a): ★★★★ Jungle Gym  (5.10b): ★★ Balance Beam  (5.11a): ★★★ I couldn't fall back asleep. I'm a light sleeper and David was snoring. Again. I'd already woken him up once already on this trip... only to realize that doing so means that two of us end up wrecked the next day. Plus, he's got a super power: he can fall back asleep. I can't. So I went into the living room and passed out on the couch. Good morning Kentucky. When I awoke, the world was on fire. Sunshine spilled over everything, exploding red and yellow tree leaves through window portals into our living room. The fiery sunrise lit up the cabin like magic, beckoning me outside with mystic magnetism. I exited the front door, quietly creaked along the front porch, walke
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A Red River Halloween Day 6: Breaking Through

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David powering through 59" Drillbitch Climbs: 59" DrillBitch  (5.10a)  ★★★★ Bethel  (5.10a)  ★★★★ Spinner  (5.10a)  ★★★★ Mancala  (5.10b)  ★★★ Bathtub Mary  (5.11a)  ★★★★ ★ Bullfighter  (5.12b)  ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ Somewhere, deep dark down inside us, there's a being that knows everything about us. It knows when your terrified, it knows when happy. It knows what your feeling. It knows what your capable of. It knows what your not capable of. It knows what you've done. It knows your dreams. Or, in my case, it knows that you don't know your dreams. It knows how you acted and it knows how you will act. I think everybody has this being--it's everybody's inner reflection of them self, its what you think you are. But it's also the truth: it's what you are and it's what you think has happened and will happen. It's the truth as in it's sort of the baseline where everything you do comes from. I think my inner being is very different than my
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