Rock Climbing --- 9/20/2008 - 9/21/2008 --- Gunks

Drove down Saturday morning and filled IORC's tents with 144 balloons :-)

Guy and Mike were my rope guns since my shoulder was really sore. The first thing we did was jump on Colorful Crack, which I have been waiting to climb for years... since BEFORE Sophomore year. Guy bought a #5 camalot which we thought might help protect the climb. Turns out it is too small, but there is a decent passive placement right off the ground. Still, clipping the .75 after the long reach is potential groundfall. But it turns out the climb is really easy. Not what you would expect looking at a 135 degree overhung offwidth crack. Anyhow, Mike led it, Guy followed, then I led it (my only lead of the weekend) and Guy followed again. Tick!

After that Guy led all three pitches of Drunkard's Delight. Then I walked to the top of Laurel and took pictures of Guy leading that climb. Mike and I climbed Laurel on TR, then we toproped Junior, 5.9+, just to the left of Laurel (Clover is the climb to the right, between Laurel and Rhododendron). That got us to quota.

We finished the day with Mike's redpoint lead of Retribution. Awesome! I followed it cleanly using my usual sequence, then tried it again using Mike's sequence which includes the arete. I had stopped using the arete years ago and would tell everyone it is off, though I'm willing to admit that was a completely arbitrary exclusion. Retribution goes for me either way, and when I'm all rehabed and ready to redpoint, we will just have to see which way I send.

Sunday we were going to get on Birdland, but it was crowded. So we goaded Guy into leading Roseland, his first Gunks 5.9, and he did an excellent job. From there, Mike led the final pitch of Gelsa. Then we walked to Beginner's Delight (named after Ray Beginner, the first ascensionist). Neither Mike nor Guy had done the climb before and it is a great one to take students up, so we figured we would run up it. Mike led all three pitches and we came down the Snooky's rappel. Then back to Ithaca (with the usual stop for ice cream).

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