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.