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