Does This Make Me a Sport Climber?

Horse Canyon Ranch - the place where good ol' boy climbers, vacationing dude ranchers, hippy disc golfers, and the world's elite boulderers & climbers come together. Vandy Outdoor Rec ended up there when the weather for our fall break trip to Table Rock, NC, started looking nasty. We headed west instead!

The nearly 9.5 hr drive to the ranch consisted of little sleep (for me) and a lot of rain. Hours of downpours made me question the quality and quantity of climbing we would get for our trip which lasted Thurs - Sunday. After we had set up camp Thursday, the crew headed to the rock to scout out routes and the level of wetness. Surprisingly, the rock was drying well. With high hopes for dry weather, we settled in at camp.

The Camping

Imagine an EZ-Up tent filled with ten people sitting on coolers and lawn chairs, two tables, a couple propane stoves, a bouldering pad, and bins of food. That setup, alone, made for a enjoyable weekend, especially after sundown when the temps dropped. For the first dinner, I volunteered to make one of my favorite meals - mama's beef stroganoff recipe. Even on Coleman stoves with limited ingredients, the meal was satisfying! We had no problems with food - gorging on mexican burritos, thai peanut rice, sandwiches, cookies, mini candy bars, and other snacks. I slept well most nights too. After camping sp many nights this summer, I have gotten used to the feel and have grown to love the comfort my Kelty down bag affords. I even brought a foam pad in addition to my inflatable pad to enhance the comfort. Oh yeah!

A quick aside: on one midnight journey to relieve myself, I was greeted by an incredible clear sky. The innumerable stars shown like pin holes in a card board box. Every time I witness the beauty of a clear, starry sky, I am amazed. Only the cold on my pantless legs bids me inside away from the grandeur. That is one of the most obvious ways in which I see God's work.

The Climbing

All together, I climbed sixteen pitches. I led eleven of those, all but two cleanly. Four of those leads were on aretes, my favorite type of climb. I top-roped two hand/fist jams at 5.9+, tore up my hands and realized I need a lot of practice. I also pushed myself on two 5.11s. One ended on a steep headwall. I made it through the entire climb (pretty straightforward and 5.8/5.9 before reaching the headwall. Then, I just kept climbing, not succumbing to the thought that it was too hard. The second climb was a made up of a very strenuous thin crack section on the bottom and a very balancy, thin section up top. I struggled big time down low but excelled up top. Those were both confidence building. I led my first 5.10 climb, as well. I should have, and probably could have later, led it clean but had to hang at one section when I couldn't manage the right sequence. I found my way, however, and finished strong.

I was VERY impressed with the Ranch. The quality of the rock and routes was very good AND super convenient. I will definitely go back sometime! I send a big thanks out to all the participants and my fellow coordinators in making this a great trip!!

Below is a list of the climbs I did: S=sport, T=trad, TR=toprope, L=lead

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch The Man in Black 5.7 S L The Bulb 5.8 S L Groovy 5.8 S L Brand New 5.8 S L Hickadelic Jazzgrass 5.8 S L Molt 5.8+ S L Gracie's Eight 5.8+ S L Strongman 5.9+ S L Leonid 5.9+ S L Orange Crush* 5.9+ S L Private Property* 5.10a S L Deft Jam 5.9+ T TR WMA 5.9+ T TR Sons of the Soil 5.10a S TR Milquetoast 5.11a S TR The Mud, The Blood, & The Beer 5.11b T TR

TRAD is RAD

What is harder - climbing through a difficult section or keeping your mind right through that section? I am inclined to go with the latter. This combination of mental and physical challenge is what makes trad climbing so fulfilling. Exposure and committing moves are no cake walk even when a bolt is next to your face. However, make that bolt a size 4 stopper or a 00 c3 cam and place it about 15 feet below you. The moves are the same. The additional challenge is keeping the head straight. This is trad climbing, and it is my new developing passion.

Friday, the outdoor rec took a trip to Sunset Park on Lookout Mountain, TN. Two of my peers, our boss and I headed down there to prepare for our upcoming fall break trip to Table Rock/Linville Gorge, NC. The four of us will be leading four three-person parties during the four day trip. While the boss and one of the guys have extensive trad, leading, and multipitch experience, having climbed all over the world, two of us are fairly new to the multipitch trad world. The intention of the trip was to make sure we were all comfortable and on the same page concerning procedures and protocol.

We had a very good day. First, we headed North to two excellent 5.7s - Blonde Ambition and Jugular Vein. My buddy led BA and I took JV. It was a pretty cool climb with discontinuous, juggy cracks. I felt secure throughout and placed solid gear. I came to appreciate the Black Diamond C3s (small cams) on the climb because of all the thin horizontals. It was a good warmup climb for the mind and body before moving on.

Next, two of us headed over to a long 5.7 to practice rope management. My friend led about halfway up, built a gear anchor and then belayed me up. This way, we simulated climbing two pitches. It went smoothly - good practice.

Next, I led an awkward 5.6 named "One Ten." It is an easy climb full of ledges and rests. However, it follows this blocky gully-like corner. Ducking past roofs and side stepping between corners made it pretty awkward for me. Maybe I will appreciate it later on if I ever lead it again.

The highlight of the day was my last climb -- Bill's Route, 5.8. The route starts atop a boulder, follows an upward arching shallow crack up a short slab before hitting a small roof. I managed to throw a nut and another piece into the arching crack before the roof. Right under the roof, I got a small C3 cam. On the left side of the roof, there is a small chimney about 2ft wide. I wedged myself into the chimney - feet on the face, back against the flake. There I got a little stick. The seams were so small and I could figure out my next move. After some deliberation, I finally just went for it, completing a mostly friction move to stand up to a better hold. I ended up going about 15ft past that little cam before I got a better piece. I was really focusing on the climbing, trying to squeeze out all thoughts of falling or failure. They say, Climbing is your best protection, anyway. That was the hardest part. In fact, I don't even remember much else from the top section. It was a great climb though! I will definitely lead it again and again.

Day Two

After a solid training day, I decided to go back for more on Saturday. Another leader of moderates and I headed back to Sunset to cut our teeth on some more easy climbs. Saturday was even COLDER than Friday and we both quickly felt it. I led Slipstream, 5.6, first. The writing was on the wall from the beginning, when I had difficulty with one of the first moves. I was getting so frustrated, thinking, "What is wrong with me?" Result: I hung on a 0.75 cam - ON A 5.6! Proud moment for sure...at least the piece held. The rest of the route was pretty smooth. Given the wandering nature of it, I belayed my partner from the top. Looking out over Chattanooga was one of my favorite moments from the day. It always saddens me when I forget to look around after a climb. I cherish the opportunity to do so on multipitch. After all, I'm not climbing just to go up - I want to look around. My buddy then went to lead a 5.7, Jugular Vein, which I led Friday. He really wasn't feeling it but went ahead anyway. Result: it took a long time. All in all, we both climbed terribly! We were slow, not focused, and not smooth. Rough day. However, Sunset does offer some beautiful hiking! And great views.

The Pump - it feels so good

What a day of climbing! Super fun. I couldn't asked for better.

Today, my gf, two friends and I hit up Foster Falls in Tracy City, TN. We had been watching the weather all week. It finally broke this morning allowing us to get a solid day of climbing, after we cooked up some deluxe scrambled eggs of course!

One friend is super solid (leading 5.11s), I'm pretty moderate (5.8/5.9 leads) and the other two are beginners. We first hit up The Rocket Slab to warm up. The damp 5.5, Afterburner, barely did the job. Next, we headed to the Dihedrals, only to be greeted by a posse of school children. Okay, off to Jimmywood. Whoa - I'd never been and it's great!

I first led the 5.8, Jacob's Ladder. It was fun and a much better warm up to get the lead head going. Next, I stepped over to Pocket Pool, 5.9, to get serious. What an incredible route! It was possibly one of the best I've ever done - full of a variety of moves and holds. It takes an indirect route, including a great little traverse, and seemed perfectly spaced for me. I loved it, and, besides a slip down low, sent it cleanly.

After that, we headed back to two routes, while the little tykes were camping out at the dihedrals still (It's good to see kids outside though). The first route is a prominent fist-size crack which ascends through some different strata of rock before splitting into a V. I have climbed it several times on TR. This time I led it on gear! It was about 5.8, took good gear, and was pretty short and very secure. Another opportunity to practice with the gear = always good. Leading climbs which I top-roped early on in my climbing career is extra rewarding.

The highlight of the day had to be my go on Bear Mountain Picnic - 5.8+ (HA! climbs like a 5.10). This long, arete ascends beautifully above the creek and is full of sustained, steep climbing on horizontal ledges. I might have chosen the more direct, and, thereby, more difficult route. Man, was it a bear and a blast! I have never made so many sounds climbing before. It was perfect for me right now though - offering me long, steep climbing (not my forte) with exposure. I couldn't muster enough strength to pull the last section on the first go, but blasted through it after a short hang. Routes like Pocket Pool and Bear Mountain Picnic bring together physically demanding climbing with mentally stimulating moves and spacing of protection.

This was definitely one of the best climbing days I've had! I think I have a newfound appreciation for Foster Falls! This week should be really awesome as well! Friday, I will be doing a "training day," practicing multipitch skills before going to Linville Gorge the following Thursday - Sunday. I then hope to hit up Sunset Park in Chattanooga to further increase my trad leading skills. EXCITING!

What have I gotten myself into?

I started asking myself that question as the girlfriend, two friends, and I drove from Nashville to Chattanooga. We were headed for the Rock/Creek Stump Jump 50k. All four of them were 50k first-timers and I was a Stump Jump first-timer.

I signed up for the race back in August. The gf had been itching to do a 50k ever since supporting me in my first back in January. Despite not running much this summer, I figured August and September gave me adequate time to get in some mileage. Alas, the motivation never came. Since running an improv marathon on the 4WD roads of the San Juans back in June, I have run two 12-milers and 2-3 shorter runs. That is it.

I joked on the car ride down, saying, "Running 50ks is like riding bikes, right? Muscle memory". While that sounds ridiculous, it is not much of an exaggeration of my thinking up to the race. After all, I've run a 50k and 3 marathons. Therefore, I will be mentally prepared. Finishing is not a question. I'll just be out there longer. We finished, yes! It was the most physically difficult things I've ever done, though.

Here is a short synopsis of the event:

--The crew and I arrived in Chatty around 6:45pm. Dinner started at 6pm, so we scrounged all the left-overs we could manage and chatted with a friend who was also to run. Then, we all headed down to hear "Ultramarathon Man," Dean Karnazes speak. I'm sorry to say that I was not too motivated by him, and we all left early. Are his accomplishments incredible? Yes. Was I inspired the first time I heard them? Yes. It's just that a room full of long-distance athletes already know about long-distance running, so I guess we're a tougher audience than average Americans.

--The gf and I were going to camp Friday night. The plan was to go to a state forest campsite near the race start. We weren't sure how to get to that campsite though, so we pitched out tent next to the starting area parking lot. Besides the post-football game high schoolers peeling out and the early morning setup crew, it wasn't that bad of a location. At least, we were only yards from the start area.

--The crew all started together. Slowly we managed to break up as one bolted ahead not long into the race, another dropped back midway and a third left me and the gf towards the end. It was nice to have the company. During the middle of the race, I followed a group at an intersection, which turned out to mislead us on a bonus excursion. No problem - add another k to the distance. Also midway through, I got popped with shot of fire in my thigh, when a yellow jacket caught me. Good thing I took my pre-race Epipen shot to get the heart going! ;)

--I knew I had made a tough decision less than halfway through the race. I was already feeling more tired than I should. In fact, most of the race, I felt like the gf was pacing me along. She was possibly even less prepared than I, running a max run of 8 miles in the last 6 months! Those last 10 miles were a slog for sure. I wanted to walk so bad, but walking hurt more! Running was sometimes just as slow as walking and gave me a stiffening sensation in my chest. OH! Why hadn't I trained? No amount of Nuun, Heed, soda, chocolate, pretzels, or gels could make me feel good through those miles. I resorted to straight water, so I could pour it on my face and body.

--Finally, after a very long 7hrs, she and I came down the paved parking lot across the finish line. All I wanted to do was lie down. Someone please give me an ice bath!! I am pretty sure I could have slept mid-race and definitely immediate post-race. The pain and discomfort is subsiding slowly. I still feel like a decrepit old man one day later. Unlike past races, this one caused my joints, tendons, and ligaments to hurt more than my muscles. I didn't have any cramping problems, but my IT band has gone from rubber band to steel cord.

All in all, I'm glad I went through with the race. I am privileged to be able to enjoy the outdoors in this way. The weather was gorgeous, revealing picturesque views of the Tennessee River Gorge. Best of all, I was able to support my friend through her first 50k, much like the way she supported me through mine.

Thanks to R/C and the volunteers for another quality day and to Vandy ORC for some trail maintenance.