Black Rain -- First 5.9 Sport Lead

I just led my hardest route yesterday at Pilot Mountain.  Although apprehensive about the send, especially the first precariously positioned bolt which took me a while to clip into, I was able to control my fear and make it to the anchors, just shy of running out of juice.  It was an interesting experience and one I won't forget.  My belaying partner, Demian, was quite patient with me, soliciting the occasional beta or reminding me to take my time.

One interesting thing about fear is that it overtakes you.  All the lessons learned and technique gained go flying out the window.  Panic modes kicks in, and then you just become a bundle of nerves with sweaty palms and shallow breathing.  Controlling this physiological reaction was harder than the actual route.  In the back of my mind, but not too far back, was the fear of falling (It would have been my first lead fall).  I don't think I was too scared of falling.  I was more scared of failing at something I knew I could do.  I would have been disappointed in myself, and letting oneself down is painful.  In my mind, I had already flashed a few tens and almost completed some 11's, so this route was well within my flash abilities, and the beta did indicate that it was a 5.9, not a 5.9+, not sandbagged route.

I should do this route again but in a calmer state of mind.  I think this would be a good mental exercise.  There are route variations that make it harder too, so that's an option.

Demain and I also climbed Thin to Win (5.10, TR, not flashed) and Chicken Bone (5.7, TR, flashed).  Thin to Win was tough but short.  I didn't want a project, so I had to make a second attempt to finish it after a couple of other climbers gave it a go.  The second time I still needed extra beta to finish it and even took an unexpected fall on TR before sending the crux.  Unexpected falls are unnerving to me.  I don't mind the ones where I know I can send, but a foot slip or losing my grip is a frustrating mistake.  Of course, now that I think back, I don't know why I couldn't send it the first time.  It's actually a fairly straight-forward 5.10.

For the record:

• Thin to Win (5.10, TR, not clean)
• Chicken Bone (5.7, TR, flashed months ago already)
• Black Rain (5.9, sport lead, flashed)

Pilot with Mark Daughtridge

Any Major Dude

These were the routes we did on Sunday the 9th of Decemeber.

• Unnamed/Right Chicken Bone/Pilot Error 5.7 (flashed on TR)
• Devil in the White House 5.10+ (flashed on TR)
• Mild Mannered Secretary 5.7 (flashed Sport) 
• Any Major Dude 5.11+ TR (didn't complete)

Devil in the White House was definitely one of the pumpiest, hardest routes I've done to date.  I took it on with little resting, hoping (guessing) the holds would be there when I reached for them.  It was quite a gratifying feeling to reach the anchor without any resting on the rope or falls.

Any Major Dude kicked my ass.  I was well on my way to completing it, however, as I reached the crux move (which looks like a big left hand reach/dyno) I developed a strain in my back from the awkward stance I was in.  Unable to reposition myself to rest that muscle, I flailed until I had to peel off the wall into the adjacent tree to rest.  A few more attempts proved futile as I burned through my remaining energy and tried to ignore the persistent pain in my back.  After cutting my left middle finger on the sharp rock and contemplating how much I wanted this send (at the expense of further injuring my back and cutting my finger), I asked to be lowered.  Mind you, this is a 5.11+ (5.11c?), so I'm not disappointed.  I'm glad I was able to get as far as I was, because it's the hardest route I've ever attempted, and I can see how to do it.  I know I can do this.  Not bad for someone who's only been climbing since April of this year.

Next time I go back to Pilot, I definitely want to do Black Rain which is a 5.9 sport.  Someone was on it constantly on Sunday, so I didn't get to try it.

09DEC12

Stone Mountain

I had the privilege to climb on one of the most beautiful pieces of stone in North Carolina on Sunday with a group of experienced climbers.  The entire day was wonderful.  I learned a lot about climbing as well as picked up some new skills with the rope.

The area we visited is called Stone Mountain.  It's slab climbing and quite different than Pilot Mountain or Moore's Wall, although it is similar to both Looking Glass and Cedar Rock.  Stone Mountain is quite tall, so multiple pitches are required to send its summit.  Instead of leading the sketchy runouts, however, we hiked a nice trail to the summit and from there, we rappelled down and top-roped multiple pitches using ascender-like devices shown below.

Tibloc

Petzl Basic

I was climbing with Brian Fritz who set up a double rope fix rappel allowing us to both rappel simultaneously.  The pitches were long, so we have to tie two ropes together to reach the next "belay" station.  I use the word "belay" loosely because, in effect, there was no belay from the bottom as we used a Petzl Basic and Tibloc to self-belay.  This technique allows rapid climbing with little to no fall distance.  It's extremely safe and easy to use.  The only gotcha is rope tension needed at the beginning of the climb, but after that, you send without any concern of a belayer, slack in the system, or other belay issues.  Down-climbing might be the only downside.

The pitches were hard and slab climbing is more about foot placement (smearing mostly), shifting body weight and balance.  Hands are used for balance and friction, but there are no real hand holds.  This style of climbing teaches you to trust your feet on the smallest of holds.  Sometimes foot holds aren't to be found and then you're hunting for the smallest imperfections on the rock to place your feet on.

02DEC12

Pilot Mountain Clean Up

The Crew Who Rode in The Beast

On Sunday Nov. 25th, a small group of us went to Pilot Mountain State Park to help with the clean up effort.  The objective was to push off any rocks from the top of the cliff, so they wouldn't fall on the trail at a later time.  The burn took a serious toll on the top part of the cliff scorching numerous pines and turning the ground into a fine, black soot.  This soot was easily sent airborne as we combed the cliffed for loose rocks, and soon we were all caked with a thin layer of black dust, not unlike coal miners.  The dust filled our noses, ears, and on several occasions I found myself hacking and sneezing.

The debris was cleared mostly by tying into natural anchors and rappelling part of the way down the cliff to dislodge precariously balanced rocks before they decided to take a plunge into an unwary hiker or climber below.  By noon or so, we had mostly finished and were told that we could climb!

Teflon Toes

I was able to climb the following two routes on top rope.

• Gentle Ben (5.10a)
• Any Major Dudette (variation to left with roof) 5.10?

Bill Webster put in some bolts on a route to the left of Gotta Wear Shades called Teflon Toes.  It's rated a 5.11, but I'd like to try it.

I can't wait for Pilot to reopen, but it might be a little while longer.  While at the bottom trail, there were still some smoldering spots, and I left smelling like a campfire.  What a sight we must've been walking into Finnagan's smelling like a camp fire and looking like coal miners!

Moore's Wall

Due to the tragic loss of control of a controlled fire at Pilot Mountain, we headed to Moore's Wall today.

Pilot Burning

Pilot Mountain fire shows paradoxical need for prescribed burns

These are the routes we climbed.


Sentinel Buttress 5.5 trad, follow
Zoo View 5.7+ trad, follow
Blue Balls 5.6 trad, follow


I climbed with Zach Todd for the first time, and he led all three of these routes.  These were all trad climbs, so Zach was setting protection, and I was following and removing the protection.  This was the first time following and removing protection.  Zoo View was a second pitch, so this was also the first time I climbed so high.

Moore's Wall

It was a great experience.  Climbing at Moore's is quite enjoyable.  The routes we sent had juggy hangs and lots of foot rest.  Zoo View was definitely a challenge, with a slight overhang, but I found myself able to rest my feet, breath, regain my composure and able to continue the climb with coming close to burning my arms or panicing.

I can't wait to get out there again and try either something harder or leading.  I haven't placed gear before, but after seeing Zach in action, I think I'm close to ready.

Cedar Rock with CCC

I had the good fortune to experience some epic slab climbing at Cedar Rock with some new friends.  Brad Woolf organized a group campsite (Kuykendall) near the crag and had various events in store for us.  I'm not sure how long this link will last, but here's a link to the First Pisgah Climbing Festival.

I met lots of wonderful folks, drank some beer and sent some of the toughest slab I've seen to date.  It was a very busy day, and we got started a little late, so I only got to do two routes, however, they were quite memorable.

• Black Swan 5.10b
• Northern Exposure 5.8+ (I'm not sure about the name of this one.)

(I'm not sure about the rating of these routes, as I can't find any information on them.)

I wish I had taken photos of these routes, because neither of these is on Mountain Project nor rockclimbing.com, and I could have added them.

Access to the Cedar Rock climbing is about a 45 minute hike that passes over the Art Loeb Trail.

Mike Reardon and Brad Woolf are working on a guide book that should be available soon.

Here's a photo of Ryan Bandy being a badass on the slab.  (Thanks to Erin Nuckols for taking tons of awesome pics!)

PIlot with Triad Outdoor Adventures

I had the good fortune of climbing with some members of the Triad Outdoor Adventures group on Sunday Oct. 21st.  The event was organized by Bruce Nanney, a seasoned climber who moved to Boone, NC for climbing and has been doing so for about 7 years.  I learned a few things from Bruce who's attention to safety was of utmost concern.

We climbed exclusively at The Beach due to our 10:30am arrival at the mountain.  The usual suspects were on the tick list including:

• Scarface 5.6
• Body Surfin' 5.7
• Spin Drift 5.9 (2)
• Walking on the Beach 5.9
• Hawaii Five-O (wasn't able to send)

The last one I attempted with Ryan Archer twice and got about halfway up.  This last route was a real motivator considering the difficulty but also considering I really thought and could see where to go, but my arms simply refused to give me the power I needed to send.  Bruce was the one who pushed us, and I'm glad he did otherwise I would not have tried it.

Overall, it was a killer climbing day with beautiful weather, and I met lots of nice people, some, potential, future climbing partners.

I need to get back to Pilot as soon as possible to try Hawaii Five-O again.  I can do this.

Triple Crown Bouldering: Stone Fort

I missed the first competition in Boone, NC but was fortunate enough to make the trip out to Chattanooga for the Stone Fort competition.  I found the bouldering quite enjoyable, and although I was noting my score and sends, I did not turn in my sheet for official evaluation.  I was there to see good climbers go up the boulders and to have some fun and meet people.  I accomplished all of this.

Here are the routes I did.

18c Booger V0
18b Easy Does It V0-
22d Needless Things V0-
18L Incredarete V1
18h Shaggy V1
76b Nick of Time V1
54c Brian's Brain V1
54f Keel Hauled V3 <--- awww yeah!
51b Trailer Ball V1
12i The Little German Girl V1


I scared myself on Keel Hauled.  It tops out quite high, and my arms were spent.  I remember crying out to my spotter (Dylan Rigler) near the very top.  It would have been a tremendous fall.  Ironically, this moment made the whole trip worth it.

A guide can be found here.

http://shilohsedgeclimbingteam.blogspot.com/2009/04/little-rock-city-guide.html

There's also a book that was recently published.

Beer Walls Lead & Junkyard New Yosemite

New Yosemite kicked my ass.  I went in thinking I had this 5.9+ in the bag.  Wrong.  A little humility and a pulled groin muscle.  I'm still limping a little.  I tried to climb a couple of days after I got back, Tuesday, but that wasn't happening.  I got seriously spanked!

The lead climbs, however, were epic.  I lead on three sport routes at the Beer Walls in Bubba City.  One was a 5.7.  I do remember being scared at one point, quite scared.  I thought I had made a bad decision, and I couldn't down climb, so I was basically screwed because I couldn't see my ascent up the wall.  It was a moment when I realized this was much more a mental exercise than a physical one.  And a specific type of mental exercise, one that combined judgement, risk and creativity.  It was a defining moment in my climbing career.  I realized this was why I was out here.  This was the reason I was climbing.  It's a very memorable moment.  I can think back right now and recall just how I felt at that point up the route.  When I looked back on the climb later that weekend, I remember thinking I wanted to try something even harder, push myself even further.  I wanted to experience that risk and subsequent fear that makes you insanely focused on the task at hand.  A surge of adrenaline and a rush of fear immediately followed by the knowledge that the best course of action was to breath and think slowly and carefully.  This moment of razor focus is pure zen.


Wunderkind    5.6, onsighted, lead
Near Beer     5.6, onsighted, lead
Gilded Otter  5.7, onsighted, lead

New River Gorge & First Lead Climb

I'm so friggin' pumped.  Andrew and I went to the Craggin' Classic event hosted by the American Alpine Club at the New River Gorge climbing area and had the most phenomenal climbing experience yet.  I've never met so many climbers, sent so much badass rock, and had such a concentrated amount of activity squeezed into one weekend for as long as I can remember.  We did boulder problems, top-roped and even did two sport lead climbs for the first time ever.

The lead climbs were a spontaneous "extra" feature of the weekend.  I was half joking with Andrew about getting some quickdraws at the local climbing store in Fayetteville.  I figured, I could buy some and have them for when we eventually got up the courage to do sport.  After mentioning it a couple of times, I think Andrew started getting excited.  Next thing you know, we're on a 5.7 with 6 bolts, and I'm doing lead.  I'm very excited about our progress.  We also did another one where Andrew lead.

Aside from the biggest highlight of the weekend we also did some bouldering in river bed by the damn.  I didn't take any pictures because I was so caught up with climbing, but that place is phenomenal.

The American Alpine Club just purchased some land next to the climbing areas and is setting up a new camp space (near Junkyard).  We camped there over the weekend.  It's a nice location, and when they get facilities there it will be even nicer, ie. bathrooms, showers, etc.

Here are the routes we did.

Friday

Bridge Buttress

• Chockstone (TR) 5.9+ onsighted

• Zag (TR) 5.8 onsighted

Junkyard

• Jumping Jack Flash (TR) onsighted

• Four Sheets to the Wind (TR) 5.9+ [did not send]

Saturday

Hawk's Nest - various boulders including a V2 (flashed)
Cotton Top - various boulders

Sunday

Sandstonia (aka Tattoo Wall)

• Shady Lady 5.7 (SP) onsighted

• Bobby D's Bunny 5.6 (SP) flashed

The Gunks: Peterskill

I was fortunate enough to climb in The Gunks, specifically the top roping area in Peterskill.  I climbed with Sal Trupia and Spencer Villano (amongst other climbers) from Island Rock.  I met these guys a few weeks ago during a Meetup at Island Rock.

The Golden Dream

Here are the routes we sended.

• It Ain't All It's Crack'd Up To Be 5.8
• Psycho Crack Right 5.8
• The Yellow Wallpaper 5.9+
• Pop Quiz 5.8
• Slot Machine 5.6
• The Golden Dream 5.9+

The Golden Dream and The Yellow Wallpaper were my favorites.  Golden Dream is a crack the entire way up, but the crack is in a corner, so you can use the opposing walls to shimy up while your hands anchor in the crack.  Yellow Wallpaper is a balancing act.  On my first attempt, I fell accidentally.  I thought I had a hold with my hand, but it just slipped out of my grip.  I struggled taking falls twice more on the ascent and decided to get lowered down.  I was getting frustrated.  The sun in my face, normally a good feeling added to the frustration.  I revisited the route a second time, and although I wasn't able to send clean, I did manage to finish with more grace this second time.  I think I'm at the edge of my current abilities outside on a 5.9+ which is remarkably close to my limit at the TRC gym back in NC.

According to the description at Mountain Project the rock at Peterskill is quartzite conglomerate.  We had initially planned to climb Saturday morning, but the rock was so slick from a previous rain that it would have been impossible to climb, so we took the afternoon off and returned at 4:30, the rock now in perfect condition for climbing.  This is when we sended Golden Dream and Slot Machine on The Golden Wall.

By the way, the Mountain Project site is amazing.  You can build a profile and keep track of routes you've done via "ticks".  There's also a highly functional iPhone app that can provide the same capabilities and can sync with the regular website.  There are a ton of other features available at Mountain Project including the ability to add your own routes, pictures, descriptions, ratings, etc.  Check this site out!

Moutain Project Site

I took a bunch of photos that I'd like to upload, but dumbass me forgot the USB cable for my camera, so I'm not sure how to get those photos off the flash card without purchasing yet another thing I already own.

Lloyd Ramsey Dies at Pilot Mountain

I just met Lloyd, and I just found out he died yesterday in an accident at Pilot Mountain.  He will be missed by many.  Lloyd was always so cheerful, friendly and ready to solicit advice.  He was a wealth of knowledge about climbing and about the routes at Pilot Mountain.  I only had the privilege of climbing with him twice, but I learned more from him in those two climbs than all my other trips put together.

Although we were new friends, I will miss him tremendously.  His legacy will live in my mind, and I will never forget the lessons he taught me.

Remembering the man on the mountain

Climber died doing what he loved

Climber loved sharing knowledge of Pilot Mountain

70-year-old Winston-Salem man dead after fall at Pilot Mountain

A Pilot Mountain Legend: Lloyd Ramsey

Pilot with Andrew, Aaron and Lloyd

I went on a short, early-morning trip to Pilot Mountain with Andrew.  I'm actually glad we made it out there early, as the weather was nice.  Towards 1pm, when we were getting ready to leave, the temperature had started soaring into the upper 80s, not the best climbing temperature!

Although we only did four routes, I pushed myself harder outside than ever before, and I was able to accomplish some feats I didn't think I could.  We started on Three Bears Gully.  We climbed the easy Honey Pot route (5.5), then I did a variation to the left which was likely 5.8/5.9.  At one point, I had fingers from both hands in a crack, the fingers jumbled together, almost wedged next to each other, with my left thumb completely wedged in like a cam.  The left thumb was the only thing keeping me on the wall, as I managed to power through that area.  The next couple of feet resulted in an intense moment of triumph as all fear left me, and I was razor focused.  This surreal moment of clarity lasted only seconds but for that instant, all time came into focus.  The whole context of what I was working towards, what I am now and what I want to become came into view.  I felt invincible.  I felt high.  It was a magical feeling that I had never had climbing.  I was so overwhelmed by this strange experience that I didn't tell my partner about it immediately.  I told him a little later, but I was unable to describe exactly how I had felt.

We then climbed Spin Drift (Lloyd's undocumented route on The Beach; picture to the left).  I had failed the weekend prior, however this time I was able to overcome the slight overhang.  It wasn't the best climb; I did have to let go at one point and float in space.  I was a little scared hanging there.  I'm not sure why I still get scared, but I guess it's a good thing.  I don't know.  Spin Drift has a someone interesting start too.  This is one route I'd like to do again.

We then met up with Lloyd and Aaron and shared their rope on 9-ball and 8-ball.  These have challenging bouldering-like starts and then an interesting finish to the right (to the left is almost trivially easy).  They are very short routes, and like I said, mostly bouldering type problems to start with.  I plowed through these like a stroll through the park.  The boys thought it was impressive, which I guess it was, and I realized with their reaction that I was becoming a decent climber, that I have potential, that I may have a tiny sliver of technique after all.  It felt good to ace those two last routes. 

I'm a little sad that I won't get to climb Pilot for some time.  I have a trip planned to NY, and I'm climbing with some folks up there for two days at a place called The Gunks, specifically Peterskill.  Definitely looking forward to that!

Climbing with Lloyd Ramsey and Andrew Hoover

I took another trip to Pilot this weekend.  Andrew and I drove up in the morning and ran into Lloyd, the Pilot Mountain Wikipedia.  Although I hadn't had enough sleep or food and drank the night before, I was able to climb four routes (one I couldn't quite get completely through).  Food & sleep make a huge difference in any activity.

These were the routes we hit (The numbers are per the version 2 guidebook available at the ranger station and online at the CCC).

83. Parking Lot
6. Body Surfin'
9 1/2. Spin Drift (not in guidebook; Lloyd named it)
5. Scarface

I couldn't finish Spin Drift.  I fell towards the top of the climb.  I burned out trying to plan my next move Lloyd to lower me.  I was completely exhausted.  He claims this was a 5.9.  Had I had more food and sleep, I think I could do this one.  Lloyd, on the other hand, made this one look too easy. 

Speaking of Lloyd, he has an extensive website on Pilot.  Check it out.

http://climbpilotnc.us/

Also, he says there's a book coming out in December of 2012 with Piedmont climbs: Pilot Mountain, Hanging Rock (Moore's wall). That should be really helpful.

The guidebook was updated in 2010 but still lacks many pictures.  Erica Lineberry is on the cover of this second edition.  Here's a link to version 1 from 2007.

Running at Robert Moses Beach

I decided to visit the beach and go for a run.  I went to Robert Moses which was suggested after a few Google searches.  I didn't realize it would be $10 just to get on the beach.  Oh well.  I was planning on running somewhere between 4 and 6 miles depending on how crowded it was and how I was feeling.  I felt some pain on my left foot, on the pad of my heel, but after a quick examination, I didn't see any cuts or blood, so I kept going.  Soon, I was feeling pain in other parts of the foot and eventually the right foot.  I tried to avoid the shells, and kept going.  After the run, I decided to check my feet out because they were still hurting a little.  Turns out that pain was the formation of many a blister.  Some of these were blood blisters.  Well, nothing a little alcohol and some cloth tape can't take care of.  Shit.  Now I have to climb like this tonight.  And crap, I probably won't be able to run for a few days.

Island Rock - Plainview, NY

I'm in Long Island for a couple of weeks, and I didn't want to miss out on any climbing, so I looked into a Meetup here and found one that meets on Wednesday nights.  It's called Island Rock, and although I had to pay $25 for my first climb there, it was worth it.  The routes are harder than back home.  A 5.8 is easily a 5.9 at TRC.  I met a dude, Ken, who's pretty good and we may climb today, later on.

I've been trying to stay fit while traveling.  It's not easy considering the nature of my work and that coworkers just want to sit around and drink and eat.  I was able to get in a slow bike ride yesterday and a treadmill run at 8mph (3 miles), which is the fastest I've ever run a 3 miler.  I ran a 6 miler a few days ago at 7mph, which, for me, is fast.  This is on a treadmill, though, in a nice air conditioned room (temperature around 70 degrees).  There's no way I can run that fast on the trail back home.  I do miss that running.  I'm thinking about running outside today, but it's already 78 degrees, and I see no relief in sight.  I could just go run on the beach.  That would be fun.  And then after sweating, I could just jump in the water.  Yeah.  Maybe I'll do that.  Thank the lord I don't get bored running, because I'd be a mess up here.  It's really hard to workout on this business travel stuff.

Pilot Mountain & Looking Glass

I've been climbing outside three times now.  I'll summarize each trip.

Pilot Mountain with Scott Dempsey

We drove up on Friday, camped from the car, made a big breakfast and then slowly sauntered over to the climbing part of the park.  It was a real busy day.  Scott and I looked for top rope anchors available, and after nearly an hour of scouting the place, settled on a 5.9 climb.  This was probably too aggressive for my first climb.  I had never been outside before, and, well, I didn't trust the anchors at the top, so I was scared to fall.  This was also my first time climbing with Scott.  After a couple of failed attempts up the this first route, we took the anchor down and found an easier climb which we were both able to do.  Unfortunately, I don't remember the name of either route, but I would remember them if I saw them.  I must make a habit of taking a picture of each route I climb and trying to find out the name, so I can document the climb.

Overall, it was an ok trip, although I would have preferred to do more than two routes.  We didn't have enough webbing to use natural anchors, and many of the bolted ones were in use.  I think my next purchase will be more beaners and a bit of webbing that I can use as loops.

Looking Glass with Appalachain Mountain Institute

Looking Glass is a slab, and this climb was completely different than Pilot.  It was really all about feet.  The hand holds were almost non-existent.  It was a fun trip.  I paid about $90 or so to attend this class.  It was quite an expensive trip for what it was.  I drove up to Brevard (4+ hours) on Friday, stayed at a hotel in Brevard (cha-ching, another $80), ate at an Irish pub while reading John Long's climbing book and then climbed with these guys the next morning.  I was probably the most experienced climber there, save for the guides.

We didn't climb very long.  I got to do maybe 5 routes.  None were too challenging, although I was happy to have done a slab since that sort of climbing is so different.  I also probed these guys for some anchors tips, and saw first hand, how the cams worked.

Since the climbing was short, I went for a quick 3 mile trail run at the entrance to Pisgah.  It was sweltering hot, so I'm glad I didn't pick a 6 mile run.



Pilot Mountain with Triangle Rock Club

This was my favorite trip outside so far.  I got to do quite a few routes, and being more enthusiast than anyone else in my group, I was allowed to climb first on all routes.  Also, I made an effort to document the routes I climbed, so I could go back at a future date and climb them again, at least the ones I thought were worth it.  The routes I noted were:

• pee break
• buzzard's breath
• goldilocks
• creative germs
• honey pot (not sure here)
• snooker
• scarface

 These were mostly 5.6 and 5.7 routes, so they weren't too difficult, however, I found myself a few times wondering if I'd make it.  I even slipped on one of them as I went over a rounded semi-overhang.  My arms simply gave out.  It's amazing how much more stamina is required to climb outside than is needed indoors.

(There's a pamplet that describes all the routes and is available at the base of the mountain and online.  I'll have to make a printout of this for the next trip I take out there, which looks to be July 21st with Andrew Hoover.  I met him at the Raleigh Rock Climbing Meetup at Vertical Edge, and we've been belay partners since.  We have a day trip planned to Pilot soon, and I think we're a good match.  I may be slightly better than he is on some days, although there are routes he's been able to do that I haven't: the crack orange route at VE I haven't mastered yet).

I did a lot of belaying while a Pilot on this trip which I'm grateful for.  I think being a good belayer is  important, so I'm glad I had the opportunity to belay different climbers, mostly newbies.  Some people warn you, others just drop off the rock unexpectedly, so it's good to get exposed to a wide variety of climbers.  It's also a good workout for your arms.  I also learned that the slack outside is very different than indoors.  When someone drops, they'll fall quite a good distance due to the elasticity of the rope, something that isn't quite as obvious indoors.