Monday, June 30, 2008

Island Retreat

This is a small garden on Sullivan's Island that I designed last year. Of all the designs I have done, I'm most pleased with this one.

In January, Chip Chesnutt of Other Side of the River (othersideoftheriver@gmail.com) began installation on this project. In the end, this became a collaboration between the two of us.

Chip and I have worked together on many landscapes and we make an effort to make sound ecological decisions. We purchased all of the plants from local growers, the hardscapes are permeable and we did not use plants that are known to be invasive.

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Rainbows at High Falls


































Now that the rain and cloudy weather from earlier this week is gone, the high water level in thePigeon Rivercombined with bright, sunny days means that the rainbows at High Falls are incredible! I captured these photos today at Grand Portage State Park throughout the morning and early afternoon hours. With clear skies and mild temperatures in the forecast for the next few days it looks like it's going to be a perfect weekend for waterfall watching!




































Thursday, June 26, 2008

Swirly Clouds


I like this pic because of the swirly clouds in the blue sky. We did have great, natural light for photos.

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Wordless Wednesday - Parade of Lights


Shriner's Parade of Lights. Three Rivers Festival, Fort Wayne, Indiana.July 1985. Digitized ...Copyright © 1985/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Saturday, June 21, 2008

Mountains


Would have liked to go to the mountains on this 3 day weekend, but I know they are always packed on the first holiday of the summer. Besides we can't afford the gas, and neither of us is feeling that good to take that long of a drive. So guess we will just hang out here at the house. Pet the dogs, cats, and horses, and watch the car races. I did give Sonny a bath this morning. The horses were attached yesterday by some sort of horrid bitting, bloodsucking nat (gnat). Each one I killed was full of blood. So I made a stronger fly spray and sprayed them good yesterday and today and got out the fly masks. I had bathed Nita and Star a few weeks ago but hadn't done Sonny yet this spring. He really likes his bath and to be pampered with grooming. Now to teach the ponies, Trave and Stormy that they can like it, too.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Redtailed Hawk

We frequently have redtailed hawks come sailing through out sky looking for mice and other things to eat. We have open areas full of native desert sage and tumbleweeds. The hawks will circle over and around trying to make a mouse give away it's hiding place. Very seldom do we get a chance to take a photo of one. Hubby got this one the other day when the hawk took a break on the power line over our backyard.


Wednesday, June 18, 2008

STEEP! The movie?





I've made a point of commenting on a lot of ski gear recently and how skis can be better used in the mountains as tools for transportation.



The obvious over lap between skiing and climbing has some history to it. One exceptional look at that historyis the movie "STEEP!"



"It started in the 1970s in the mountains above Chamonix, France, where skiers began to attempt ski descents so extreme that they appeared almost suicidal. Men like Anselme Baud and Patrick Vallencant were inspired by the challenge of skiing where no one thought to ski before. Now, two generations later, some of the world's greatest skiers pursue a sport where the prize is not winning, but simply experiencing the exhilaration of skiing and exploring big, wild, remote mountains."







STEEP from The Documentary Group on Vimeo.



The movie is available for under $10. from Amazon.com.



And one I first missed but by popular demand...added in. Thanks guys. Great film!







And a good example of what locals are doing in the PNW today.



http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/1016396/TR_Shuksan_Variation_to_Hangin#Post1016396





Drew Tabke Xtreme Verbier from Drew Tabke on Vimeo.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Winter thrush



The Hermit Thrushes have returned for the winter. They're silent here, for the most part — you only spot them from their movements.



(Nothing to see here, just a bump on the branch, move along, move along...)

They desert us in summer, breeding as far north as mid-Alaska.

Wood Thrushes have an opposite agenda:
1. Arrive in spring.
2. Sing like a lovesick fool all summer long.
3. Shuffle off to Panama once the days grow short.

Someone once told me: the Hermit Thrush is rusty on his tail, and the Wood Thrush is rusty on his head. I can never recall which is which in the field, though. There are easier distinctions anyway, especially when you aren't usually in a position to be peering down on their heads or tails. (The Wood Thrush's spots are much darker, for example.)

During migration it can get confusing, with the Veery, Swainson's Thrush, and Gray-cheeked Thrush also thrown into the mix. I'm afraid I may have fallen out of practice in telling them apart without having a field guide handy.

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

One Question Answered

After one day at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, I've already found the answer to one question "left over" from my Switzer research!



As noted in the post Not One, Not Two, Not Three, but Four of Them! (about half way through the post) there was a question regarding which Jacob Switzer was the owner of 80 acres in the W ½ of the SW ¼ of R2 T12 S16 in Fairfield Township, Columbiana County, Ohio.



The answer came in a deed record (volume 64 page 397 of FHL film 926962) in which Isaac Switzer and Christiana his wife, Benjamin Switzer and Lidia Ann his wife, Levi Switzer and Hannah his wife, Peter Keck and Delia Ann his wife, James Crooks and Eliza his wife, Anna Switzer and Sophia Switzer of the county of Columbiana sold the parcel “containing 72 acres of land owned and lately occupied by Jacob Switzer deceased” to Christian Kiser for $3420 on April 6, 1860.



So now we know that this land belonged to Switzer Family Number 4 :: Jacob G. and Catharina and not to “my” Jacob. In addition, it confirms the names of his heirs and provides the names of the spouses of the married children, which would be nice for anyone researching this particular family!





Facebookization



Why don't she write?!

Facebookization.

I've meant several times to start up again -- geez, it's been a year! But well... blogs (writing and reading) for me are huge time sucks. And Facebook is the huge time suck that I've been abusing most recently.

Note to spammers: that does not mean that you can graffiti my blog with your crummy, spammy links. I still delete those.

Anyway, I'm still alive, though parched with drought. Thinking about starting back up again, or at least posting every now and then.

The photos show something I've been obsessed with lately: I'm on a huge succulent kick, potting them up in thrift-store finds. I can't say which is more squee-inducing, finding new plants, or discovering containers that speak to me (marked way, way down).



Monday, June 9, 2008

Christmas Décor Downsized

Denise Olson at Moultrie Creek has invited the Genea-Bloggers to participate in a Christmas tour to help celebrate the season!

Although I don't put up a lot of decorations (actually, almost none) for the holidays, I do have a small table-top tree. When we moved from our house in .. the Christmas decorations went with my mother, except for a couple of items. My apartment isn't very big and since I'm trying to downsize "stuff" I haven't purchased any decorations other than that little tree along with the ornaments, lights, etc. that adorn it. The tree sits on my dining room table (which is seldom used for actually dining!) and brightens up that corner of the room.

The Angel on top of the tree and the Santa stocking on the wall are two of the decorations I brought with me from the house. I also have a small collection of snowmen that adorn a few spots on end tables and some of them hang on the branches of the Christmas tree. It's not much, but it satisfies my needs.



As far as Christmases past, well, turns out we didn't take pictures of the house after decorating it. There are a few pictures that show the decorations in the background, but they don't show it very well. Mom always went a bit overboard with the lights and tinsel and stuff. Now, her apartment is smaller than mine and she has covered every available space with some kind of ornamentation! Perhaps the sparseness of my decorations are a reaction to her exuberance.

Top 10 Ways to Bike Uphill without a Helmet while Breaching the Gender Gap

Tandem Nuts

So a few of us were debating what makes a good sensationalist headline in the bicycling blogosphere, and the title of this post seemed just about perfect. Sure, it's missing a couple of things. I considered adding "...while cycling vehicularly on a low-trail bike dressed inRaphaand listening to an audio book of Grant Petersen's the Shoes Ruse." But in the end I decided less was more and went with the shorter version.




And as posts rarely live up to the promise of the titles that lure us to them, I will remain true to this tradition of disappointment by informing you that I will, unfortunately, not be traveling to California at the end of this month. Ithas nothing to do with my preparedness for the ride and I hope to take part in a different AdventureCORPS event in the future;the organisers have been very understanding. Stuff happens and - well, that's all really. I will practice my top 10 ways to bike uphill closer to home for the time being.




One reason sensationalist titles are on my mind lately, is that I've been getting more emails than usual with requests to host "guest posts" from various marketing entities, or to write such posts for other websites, or to embed commission-generating links into my content. I think these people find me because my titles are somehow "SEO'ed" without my realising it or doing it intentionally - a thought that for some reason depresses me. It also makes me extremely self-conscious about providing links to products, businesses, online stores, etc. in my posts, be they sponsors or not. Does it create the (false) impression that I am getting commission from those links? Or do I indeed derive some indirect benefit from it, such as showing the businesses I link to that I can drive traffic to their sites and thus encouraging them to sponsor me? Once I start thinking this way, the whole bike blogging racket starts to feel like one giant minefield and then I need to snap out of it before I can write anything unselfconsciously again.




A little while back a reporter contacted me for an interview and I declined. She responded by demanding that I prove that I am "real" and not a marketing hoax. I was offended and kind of shaken, though in the reporter's defense this was around the time of the "Amina, Gay Girl in Damascus" scandal and the idea of hoax identities was popular. I sent her a polite email with the contact information of a local reporter who had met me in person, and that was the end of it. But it left a bad taste in my mouth, as did meeting some industry people at Interbike later who confessed they'd thought it was my husband and not me who actually wrote the blog while I merely posed for pictures. Ouch?




I am starting to ramble and free-associate, but I guess the common thread for me here is the theme of absurdity. The absurdity of using catchy titles to get people to read bland content, the absurdity of making plans and announcing them, and the absurdity of this blog. I hope my readers not take any of it too seriously. Instead, let's go ride our bikes... regardless of gender, stance on helmet use and approach to elevation.

Sunday, June 8, 2008

Columbus and Kearny, San Francisco


Columbus and Kearny, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Recognize this view? If you do, that's because it's on many a San Francisco postcard. My friend and I ate at a Thai restaurant nearby and inadvertently walked into one of San Francisco's most famous intersections, which highlights both old and new architecture.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Honey Cyclocross: Sweetly Different

Honey Cyclocross Bike

Aside from their obvious use for cyclocross racing, 'cross bikes can be a good choice for unpaved riding - something I've been apparently doing more and more of in recent weeks. So I wanted to try one and compare the experience to the 650B road-to-trail type bikes I've been riding thus far. Ride Studio Cafe's manager Patria offered her personal steed - a women-specific, true cyclocross racing machine from Honey Bikes. Patria and I are similar in height and we use the same pedal system, which makes it very convenient for me to try her bikes. One day when she wasn't riding it, I took the Honey out for a spin.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

A small local manufacturer, Honey Bikes are a sister (or cousin?) company to Seven Cycles, specialising in modestly priced, handmade steel bikes.The Honey brand is not promoted aggressively, and the aesthetics are low key.Models include road, race, cyclocross, mountain, tandem and commuter bikes - each available in sizes configured for men and women, with size-specific tubing. The bikes are sold fully built-up with a selection of component groups and stock colours, priced starting at $2,000. These are not custom bicycles and the comparatively reasonable prices are achieved by sticking to stock configurations. However, the choices for those configurations are extensive - particularly the wide range of sizes. Thecyclocross model is available in 12 sizes, ranging from 49.5cm to 62cm, measured by the top tube.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

Patria's bike is a 52.5cm according to the Honey sizing system. The toptube slopes 8°, exposing quite a bit of seatpost despite my rather unaggressive bar to saddle height ratio (Normally the saddle is set up a tad higher than shown here).




Honey Cyclocross Bike

There is no toe overlap for me on this bike despite the 700C x 35mm knobby tires and short top tube.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

The frame has a nice flow to it and is cleanly finished; the welded joints appear seamless under the paint. For those in the know, the curvy stays and sculptural dropouts are tell-tale signs of the relationship to Seven.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

The body-colour stem and all-black components give a sense of unity and flow to the overall look of the bike.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

One interesting feature that is typical of cyclocross bikes, is the cable routing.All three cables - the shifter cables and the rear brake cable - are routed along the top of the top tube.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

This is done so that cyclocross racers can carry their bikes more comfortably, and so that the shifter cables (normally underneath the downtube) do not get covered in mud.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

Also typical of cyclocross bikes are canti-lever brakes. These Tektro cantis worked adequately for me, though I still have not found brakes that work excellently on wide tire bikes.





Honey Cyclocross Bike

The carbon fiber fork is made for Honey Bikes specifically, with canti bosses.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

Lots of clearance for wide tires here, I believe 40mm being the maximum width.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

The tires on the bike when I rode it were Schwalbe Racing Ralph 35mm.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

The SRAM Rival drivetrain and levers were new to me, but it did not take long to figure out the double-tap shifting. I can use SRAM brake levers much better than Shimano, though I still prefer the Campagnolo on my own bike.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

I rode the Honey on a local dirt trail, then on the road, then finally in circles on a grass lot before returning it to its owner. It was not a long ride - maybe 12 miles total.The ride quality over rough roads was smooth and the bicycle felt pleasantly floaty. At the same time, the wide tires were amazingly stable, and I fondly recalled the reassuring go-anywhere feeling of knobbies from my teenage years. However, that is where the sense of familiarity ended. Having ridden a Surly Cross-Check before, I thought that I knew what to expect from a cyclocross bike, but this was a different animal. As far as the handling, the novelty factor dominated my impression. The weight distribution was not what I was used to, and the bike felt somehow simultaneously more relaxed and more aggressive than the roadbikes I've gotten to know. I found myself standing up more than usual, and in general it was as if the bike wanted me to ride it differently than I normally ride. What I remember thinking was: "I can tell this bike is meant for something specific. But it's not meant for me." Still, the test ride was enjoyable precisely because of the novelty factor and the challenge of understanding the handling. I felt comfortable and reasonably confident on the bicycle, yet aware that it was designed for someone with a different riding style than mine.




Unlike me, the bike's owner actually races cyclocross. She finds the handling spot on, as do other cross racers who've tried it. The Honey is certainly worth considering for those looking for a racing bike just in time for the cyclocross season.




Honey Cyclocross Bike

As far as general road-to-trail type riding for the rest of us... Well, in theory the Honey Cyclocross is suitable for that as well. I noticed that the gearing on the stock drivetrains is somewhat high, so you may need to tweak that. But features such as the wide tire clearances with no TCO, the canti/v-brake bosses, the variety of sizing options, and the lightweight components, are very appropriate. As described earlier, I would say the handling is rather particular; you may want to test ride the bike first. But that is exactly what I would say about low-trail 650B bikes, whose handling feels intuitive to me but strange to others.




For a US-made frame with an elegant contemporary aesthetic and mid-tier components, the price point of the Honey is certainly appealing. I am curious about their other models, and in particular find myself wanting to try the mountain bike. Those knobby tires have really put ideas in my head. Many thanks to Patria for lending me her Honey Bike! Full set of pictures here.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Blue Ice Yeti 45 review

Reviewed by Jerry Johnson (one of my very first climbing mates)




Here is what I really like about the Blue Ice Yeti 45 –
throw anything in it and don’t worry about screws poking out or crampons
tearing through. Frankly, I am tired of the ultra light pack I need to watch
around sharp implements, branches during the inevitable bushwhack, or ski
edges. There will no need to constantly
patch this pack with Aqua Seal and a hodgepodge of Cordura scraps.













































R
eaders of this blog are well acquainted with Blue Ice. They
build a few specialized products for the alpine world. I already use the Boa
leash and the 27 liter Warthog. The Yeti is their solution to the need for a
pack for bigger loads up to overnight. Like
any well designed pack it carries just fine and has the usual features we like.
Two compression straps, a waterproof zipper down the front for quick access to
spare gloves (something I am learning to appreciate with use), and an
adequately padded, and removable, hip belt with a accessory pocket. Most packs nowadays share these and additional
features. The design crew for the Yeti did a couple things with these features
I really appreciate.




The lid is, of course, removable via four Fast Tex style
nylon buckles made by Duraflex. A gripe I always seem to have in these systems
is that the lid doesn’t cinch down as tight over the pack as I would like. Most
of the time when I have a partially loaded pack I just tuck the lid insight and
cinch it shut but, for moderate loads when you use the lid as intended, most
lids fit sloppy at the back, flop around and don’t really seal all that well.
On the Yeti, they sewed the rear lid buckles slightly further down the back so
the lid fits as it should. Mine didn’t come with two zipper slides on the main
pocket but they should in future production runs.






Speaking of strappage. The pack came with two long webbing
straps for attaching crampons or whatever. Many packs have some daisy chained
webbing that works well enough but involve a lot of extra sewing and so
expense. The strap tie on points on the Yeti are stellar. The base is a thin
neoprene impregnated nylon with well formed loops. Threading webbing or a Voile
strap is a no brainer and clearly they are strong enough for haul loops if
needed. Here is a request for Blue Ice – make straps out of the neoprene
material with strong steel buckles. They would replace the old Beck Crampon
Straps we used in the 70’s and still in use as accessory straps today. I’d buy
them. And one other thing – I wish pack manufacturers would sew straps with a
little extra on the ends. I seem to always strain compression straps to their
full extent and a little extra webbing to grab on to would be very cool.






Reflecting the alpine roots, the pack has two small gear
loops on the pack straps. I didn’t like them. They make the pack harder to get
in and out of and I don’t quite see the point. I sometimes climb with a bandoleer
system but these just seem to get in the way and make rack changeovers just
that much more complicated. Others may feel differently and should give them a
go. There are gear loops inside the pack but again, I don’t see the need. I
hadn’t owned a pack with the new school axe system and was skeptical but they
work well with my Quarks – easy off/easy on.

Frame is a plastic sheet with two metal stays. I recently
swapped it out for a piece of foam and it seems to work just as well, offers a
bivi pad, and saves a few ounces. Again, it likely comes down to a personal
preference or need.





Blue Ice gear is bomber – really well sewn and finished. My
only real gripe is that the black color makes it hard to see in the pack in dim
light. Not a deal breaker by any means.




Monday, June 2, 2008

Big Bend :: Cerro Castellan

After four nights at Rio Grande Village, I drove to the Castolon area and the Cottonwood Campground, at the south end of Big Bend National Park, on March 1st.

It is a very scenic drive of about 60 miles from Rio Grande Village to Castolon. You nearly circle the Chisos Mountains coming up from the east, passing by on the north, then following them along their western side. To say that the Chisos Mountains dominate the central landscape of the park would be an understatement.

The Chisos Mountains. From the northeast side, 15 miles or so from Rio Grande Village.

The high peak on the left is the South rim. This was taken at on overlook a few miles south of Castolon, using the 7x magnification of the zoom lens. The informational sign at the overlook stated that the South Rim was 16 miles away!

However, Cerro Castellan (also called Castolon Peak) is “the landmark” of the Castolon area, which was a small community whose name is believed to be a corruption of the spelling of Castellan.

The view from about seven miles south of Castolon. The Chisos mountains in the background, Cerro Castellan on the right, and the Rio Grande winding its way through the area.

Cerro Castellan, highlighted by the last rays of the sun at the end of another beautiful day. I stood out in the chilly wind for over an hour waiting and hoping for this moment! It was magnificent and lasted only a few seconds. It was also well worth the time and the cold hands!

Photographs taken on March 1, ...

Climbing Moby Grape (5.8), Cannon Cliff, NH



(Photo: a portion of Cannon Cliff, with some wetness clearly visible.)

A few weeks ago I got to bring to life a little dream of mine. I've been wanting for a couple years to do a long route on what passes for a big wall here in the Northeast, either the Diagonal route (5.8) on Wallface Mountain in the Adirondacks, or the Whitney-Gilman Ridge (5.7) or Moby Grape (5.8) on Cannon Cliff in New Hampshire. Until recently this dream has remained unrealized because I didn't want to take a whole weekend away from my family in order to do the climbs, and I didn't have a partner for whom it seemed to be a priority.

But then this summer I met A, who recently moved to NYC from Vancouver. He's been climbing at Squamish for two decades. Big walls are his bread and butter. It wasn't long into our first climbing conversation that I confessed to him my burning desire to go North to hit one of these big faces.

Then when A and I started talking about heading up to the Gunks for a weekend day a few weeks ago, A asked me if I wanted to head up to Cannon Cliff instead. It was like I'd rubbed a lamp and a genie had suddenly emerged. There was no way I was saying no. The only problem was that I couldn't take both Saturday and Sunday to climb. I quickly hatched a viable, if kind of brutal, alternative plan: we would head out Friday night and drive 5 or 6 hours to the vicinity, crash in a hotel, get up early, hit Moby Grape (and maybe the Whitney-Gilman too if we were really moving fast!), and then drive the 5 to 6 hours back home Saturday night. This way we'd be done in a day. A marathon day, but just a day nonetheless.

For some reason A agreed.

We drove out on Friday night, heading up Route 91 through Vermont until the junction with Route 93, which goes down through New Hampshire to Franconia Notch State Park, the home of Cannon Cliff. I had printed from Google a list of nearby hotels but I didn't think we would need it. I assumed there'd be room at the local Comfort Inn since it wasn't yet leaf season.

Unfortunately I was mistaken.

We pulled into the Comfort Inn lot at about 12:45 a.m. When we went inside, a very smug young woman seemed thrilled to tell us that they didn't have a single room for us. I asked her if she knew of any other hotels in the area with rooms and she replied with certainty that no one else would take us either. I never found out why the hotels were allegedly so packed. I couldn't wait to get away from this unpleasant person, so I neglected to ask her.

Back in the parking lot we were debating whether to drive around looking for another hotel or to simply try to sleep in my Subaru when I remembered my printed-out list of hotels. Several surreal phone calls then ensued, in which I called numerous different hotels only to reach the same late-night hotel desk man over and over again. It turned out that in the St. Johnsbury, VT area (where Route 91 meets Route 93), most of the hotels have no one at the desk at night, and a few different hotels have their late-night incoming calls routed to this one person who mans the phone for the Fairbanks Inn. I had a few conversations in a row with this same gentleman, and in each case he was equally incapable of determining whether any rooms were available at whatever hotel was in question. (He actually left me a message later offering me a room after we'd made other arrangements.) Finally we lucked out when I awoke the proprietress of an amazing little slice of history called Injun Joe Court. I'm not kidding. This place really exists. The lady told us to come on over, and she waited up for us, so I decided against asking her about the name of her establishment. We finally got to sleep about 1:30, vowing to get up at 6:00 so we could find breakfast and still get to Cannon pretty early.



(Photo: the sign for Injun Joe's. Crazy, right?)

We got up pretty much on time and had an indifferent breakfast at the Joe's Pond Country Store nearby, making it to the Cannon Cliff parking lot by 8:00 a.m. Upon our arrival, we learned some potentially upsetting news from other climbers who were sporting a pair of binoculars. They'd been scanning the cliff, and they'd found that there were multiple parties already on both the Whitney-Gilman Ridge and Moby Grape. Also, the cliff was looking pretty wet. I wasn't really surprised to find other climbers at Cannon on the weekend, but I didn't think it would be so crowded so early. It was supposed to be a nice day, in the sixties, but the whole park was still shrouded in fog. And as for the wetness, that really did catch me by surprise. It had rained pretty heavily two days before down in the NYC area (this was the time of the Brooklyn "tornado"), but after a full dry day I didn't expect it to be so wet on the rock.

What could we do but make the best of it? We'd come all this way. We weren't turning around. We geared up and hiked through the big talus field to the base of Moby Grape, and it immediately became apparent that we would not be doing more than one route on the cliff. We were already the fourth party of the day on Moby Grape. And the second party was not yet finished with the first pitch.

When we finally got started, the route turned out to be excellent, even though it got wetter and wetter as we progressed towards the top. Many climbers know of the famous features on the route, such as the triangle roof on the third pitch, and the Finger of Fate on the fifth. But the route has so much more than that to offer. Nearly every pitch has at least one unique feature offering a specific challenge to the climber. And despite what you may have read, nearly the whole route features good climbing on solid granite.

Generally good rock notwithstanding, as an alpine route on an exfoliating cliff Moby Grape certainly requires more commitment than your average Gunks 5.8. And with numerous sections featuring vertical jam cracks and granite slabs, the climbing was largely alien to a Gunks climber like me. Once the wetness variable was added to the equation I was thrilled to have an experienced granite climber like A along. I knew he'd be happy to lead all the crux pitches and in the end he led some of the ones designated for me as well.

We had with us the Jon Sykes guidebook to the area, Secrets of the Notch. Since there was a conga line of climbers ahead of us on the route, we barely used the book. Looking at the description in retrospect, it seems adequate to me, but no more than that. The description on mountainproject.com is really quite poor, leaving out a lot of crucial directions and inaccurately dismissing the climbing that follows the "finger of fate" to the top of the cliff. Probably the best route description can be found on the website for Chauvin Guides.

Pitch 1 (5.8)



(Photo: climbing Reppy's Crack, close on the heels of another party.)

We started, as I imagine most people do these days, with the Reppy's Crack variation. This pitch features a perfect hand jam-crack for about 120 feet, which is then followed by fun moves around a corner and up to a bolted anchor. I actually considered leading this pitch, despite my complete lack of experience with jamming. I figured I knew intellectually what to do, and that by the end of the pitch I'd get used to it and have it down. But jam cracks are A's specialty, so I deferred to his desire to lead the pitch, and I am so happy I did. After A flew up the thing, obviously enjoying himself and declaring the crack to be the equal of anything in Squamish, I slowly suffered to the top. I found the hand jams awkward, the foot jams painful. My progress was too slow, increasing the pain. And it never let up. No particular move was too hard, but the whole experience was just exhausting for me. Before the crux pod I felt one of my hands start to slip and I just let the fall happen. I needed a rest. Then I did the crux step up out of the pod without any trouble, and just willed my way to the end of the pitch, constantly wishing it could be over. I arrived at the belay a little demoralized. I vowed to get some practice jamming, but without a multi-day trip to Yosemite or Squamish I'm not sure how I'm going to get enough practice to improve! The rest of the climb went much more smoothly for me, without a moment's fear that I would actually fall, and the ratings on the whole seemed fair.

Pitch 2 (4th Class)

This is the route's lone throwaway pitch. It is about 90 feet of easy scrambling, starting left up some blocks and then up a corner to a good ledge at the base of steeper rock.

Pitch 3 (5.8)



(Photo: climbing up to the triangle roof, again not far behind another group.)

This is the physical crux pitch, featuring the triangular roof. The roof is a fun 5.8 challenge, one that any Gunks climber should have no trouble with. Something the guidebooks don't tell you is that the moves to get to the stance below the roof, up a right-leaning seam with slabby feet, are also tricky, and contribute to the sustained fun of the pitch. After pulling the roof it is another friction step up to a good ledge, which can be followed to the right for a belay at some suspect blocks.

Pitch 4 (5.7 or 5.8)



(Photo: working up the pitch 4 corner.)

This was one of my leads, and perhaps because A told me it was a 5.6 I thought it was easy. I later learned that Sykes calls it a 5.7 in his book and the Chauvin Guides' site describes it as 5.8. I thought this pitch was different from all the others and lots of fun, with somewhat committing moves up a layback crack for about 15-20 feet up to the right and around a corner, then up easier rock slightly to the left to a ledge, pretty much directly below the shark's fin-shaped feature known as the Finger of Fate. While A thought the layback was insecure, it didn't worry me much because there are good (if small) edges for feet wherever you need them.

Pitch 5 (5.8)



(Photo: getting into the Finger of Fate.)

The challenges of this pitch are more mental than physical. The Finger of Fate is actually the second challenge of the pitch. The first is a feature known as the Sickle. This curved, crescent-shaped rock starts almost horizontal and then curves up sharply to the right. There is a fun slabby step with crimpy fingers over to the Sickle, then a hand traverse to the right until your hands are high enough for you to pull your feet up so that you are standing on top of it. In my opinion this is the best part of the pitch. While the Finger of Fate looks intimidating from below, it is actually very easy to climb. People tunnel behind it from either side; when A got to it he chose the right. I made things more difficult for myself while following by stubbornly trying to climb it with my pack on. I had seen an earlier party climb it with packs, but theirs were much smaller than mine. I couldn't fit through with mine on, and I found myself basically stuck while straddling the Finger, unable to fit my body through so I could sit on top of it. I ended up slowly taking a sling from around my shoulder, attaching the pack to my harness with the sling, and then struggling free of the pack, all the while balancing my torso atop the Finger and staring straight down about 400 feet to the bottom of the cliff. I'm sure it made quite a sight; I wish I had pictures! Once atop the finger, this great pitch isn't quite over. There's still a low-angled slab move or two to some good holds and then a big grass ledge. These slab moves are not hard, but they are impossible to protect well and a fall here on lead would send you tumbling past the Finger. When we did it, the slab was wet, and I didn't envy A having to lead the pitch. It was a sign of what was to come for the rest of the climb.

Pitch 6 (5.7 or 5.8)

This pitch begins with a couple bouldery moves up a little polished channel. When we got there, we found out why it is polished: it was running with water, soaking wet. A kept telling me that my toes would still stick on wet granite, and it turned out he was right. The pitch isn't bad, even soaking wet. Past the start the climbing eases past some more slab moves on lower-angled granite to a belay below a chimney.

Pitch 7 (5.7)

When you look up at the awkward move out of the chimney and around onto the face of the cliff, it is hard to believe it is rated 5.7. It turns out to be just as awkward as it appears, and the committing move out from the chimney, if blown, might lead to a pretty nasty swing backwards. Nevertheless I think this pitch is really fun and different from all the others, and it is totally unheralded. There is a great handhold to latch onto before you make the move, and the challenge of the pitch is figuring out how to squirm your body around to grab the hold effectively. Once you've got it (and I'm not telling you which hand to use!), it's just a couple moves up and around onto the face of the wall, then easier climbing straight up to a good stance.

Pitch 8 (5.6)

There is a popular alternate finish to Moby Grape, a 5.7+ left-facing dihedral called Curt's Corner. We'd hoped to try it out, but it was really wet, just running with water. The guidebook described another 5.6 finish to the right, but looking up neither of us had much of a clue where we were expected to go. I tried to find the line, but failed, and then A came up and picked out a line I wasn't even considering, getting us off the route in no time. I have no idea whether we found the correct finish.



(Photo: a view from the top.)

The descent from the top of Cannon reminds you how far you've come up. It took us more than an hour to get down, but this may have been partly because the descent path was damp and slippery. For us it was borderline unpleasant, but I bet in drier conditions it would be no problem at all.

As we left and I steeled myself for the 6 hour drive back to NYC, I tried to look on the bright side: this would make the commute to the Gunks seem short!