8/7  Drive to the Gunks.  Massive storms all night long.  A freakin' river runs under my tent.  But I do stay dry.

8/8  Steamy stinky hot.  Climb Loose Goose (5.5) with Aramy and Devin.  I back off the 5.8 variation because I'm gushing sweat like Bill O'Reilly confronted with the possibility of personally having to fight the wars he so heartily endorses.  We finish the regular route and I climb the 5.8 variation on TR.  Climb Disneyland with Jess and Nick.  We all go swimming.

8/9  Climb No Glow (5.9) with Jess and Nick.  I'm psyched to get the onsight.  Next we climb Last Shall Be First (5.6) then finish the day with a trip to the swimming hole.

8/10  It starts raining at night and continues all day.  We head to the Gunks to find Jess' cell phone which she lost the previous day.  Miraculously, I find it on the talus slope.  Even more miraculously, it works after it dries out.  Jess and Nick depart.  I do some disappointing shopping at disappointing Rock and Snow (did you know they have no return policy?  on anything?  even soft goods?  why would you pay list price or more for zero customer service?).  Spend the rest of the day reading.

8/11  Katie arrives.  Then Kristin arrives with Greg, Kerran, Rachel, and their trippers Adam, Ansel, Chelsea, Dallas, Holly, Joe and Molly.  We take them to Breakfast Wall, which is damp but climbable.  Then we set a few climbs on Bunk Bed.  Then we go swimming.

8/12  Head to Golden Dream where we eat ice cream, climb some rock, tyro, rappel and hang out.  I lead Skink (5.6+) which is really challenging for anyone under 5'7" tall.  After departing Peter's Kill we go swimming, then eat dinner and head to the carriage road for night bouldering.

8/13  Katie shuttles WR trips while Kristin and I head to the Gunks.  We climb Three Doves, one of my favorites.  After much fiascoing (is that a word?) Katie returns with Guy, Jess, Matt, and their trippers Andy, Carly, Jason, Jeff, Liz, Pat and Rachel.

8/14  We set a few climbs on Breakfast Wall.  Then I take one tripper with a cut finger to Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie.  They are fast and efficient.  I hardly get any reading done at all.  We return with ice cream to find the group climbing in the Cuckoo's Nest area.  When everyone is done climbing we go for a swim.

8/15  Back to Golden Dream where we do the usual climb, tyro, rappel thing.  I get a chance to climb Fickle Fingers (5.10b) which I've never climbed before and I'm psyched to get the toprope onsight.  Then off for some swimming and night bouldering.

8/16  Drive back to Ithaca where we deissue rock gear, then head to Camp Barton for Camp-O-Rama.  The rock site coordinators put on an awesome skit -- if I do say so myself.  Really, you can't go wrong if you take three crazy people and put them in tank top hoodies.