And Then There Were None

I've borrowed the title for this post from Agatha Christie's great book of the same name (or Ten Little Indians, depending on which edition you read).  The title refers to my completion of a long time goal, redpointing all of the routes on the Undertow Wall at the Motherlode in the Red River Gorge.  This was one of the year's goals that I described here and I'm pleased to get it done this early in the season.


The Undertow is perhaps my favorite chunk of rock to climb on, anywhere in the world.  Ranging from 50 to 90 feet tall and from slightly overhanging to pretty darn steep, it's packed with great lines and I've enjoyed many days climbing there.  The climbing style is endurance oriented with a wide variety of holds: jugs, pinches, pockets, slopers, and lots of the Undertow Special: open handed mini-jugs.

The Left Side of the Undertow and the Madness Cave Farther Left

Is sending all the routes on the Undertow a big deal?  Not really.  Lots of people have done it before, most in a lot shorter time than it took me.  I've heard that the wall has been done in a day, an impressive feat of endurance that would be pretty darn impressive to watch.

For me, this was a personal goal, showing progression physically and mentally as a rock climber.  Looking back with 20/20 hindsight, I was definitely a gumbie on my first trip to the Red.  That was more than 10 years ago and I remember hiking in to the Motherlode just to gawk at all the steep routes.  They represented a level of climbing that was then inconceivable.  Over many years and many trips to the Red, I slowly gained strength and endurance and was able to climb the easy routes at the 'Lode.  Then I was on to the next level, projecting Resurrection (12c) over many goes.  A few more years of climbing and more specific training yielded better results and quicker ascents.  My last two routes were ones that I had avoided, Team Wilson (12d) and Convicted (13a).  Team Wilson consists of amazing endurance climbing with few rests and is often considered the hardest 12d in the Red.  Convicted, the last on the wall for me, is quite the opposite, featuring more bouldery climbing and good rests.  Both are amazing.

I have to admit that finishing Convicted was bittersweet.  On one hand a major goal, years in the making, was complete.  On the other hand I no longer have any projects on my favorite wall.  The next step is to move left into the Madness Cave where several hard routes lurk.  I'm sure these will keep my occupied for a long time to come.

The Undertow Breakdown:
13a: 3
12d: 7
12c: 1
12b: 5
12a: 3
11d: 2


My favorites on the wall:
Convicted (13a)  Very cool bouldery climbing with all manner of holds.
Team Wilson (12d)  The best endurance route I've ever done.
Tuna Town (12d)  Very easy for the grade but so fun.
Resurrection (12c) Fun power climbing down low with nice endurance climbing up high.

A Good Few Days

A quick glance at the calendar shows the Fall Equinox occurred on September 22, heralding in the autumn season.  Autumn, the time that all rock climbers eagerly await, bringing cool temperatures, low humidity, and hopefully big sends.  The weather apparently lost its calendar as the high on Sunday was 88 with a maximum humidity of 86%.  Maybe it's just being ready for the good weather but conditions lately haven't felt as bad as the numbers may have looked.  I've  managed to climb outside 3 days lately with some pretty good results. 

Theresa and I spent a nice weekend outside, climbing at a newer area that's not fully ready to be publicized near Chattanooga.  On Saturday I managed to climb a project that's probably about 13a and very, very good.  It was my goal of the trip and was psyched to get it done.  Stephen had bolted it last year and very graciously opened it up to the public.  His routes are almost universally good, he's got a great eye for quality and does a conscientious job equipping them.  Later in the day I also did an existing 12d, with the crux at the very end climbing on technical New River-ish stone.  This route was bolted by my friend Dave who originally showed my the area and is another of the classic routes at the crag.

A boring photo showing some of the wall

Another boring photo

We camped that night with the girls, enjoying sitting by the campfire, eating fajitas, and listening to football on the radio.  In the morning we had a very adult breakfast of Fruity Pebbles (with bananas!) and then packed up camp.  We headed back to the same crag and had another great, if less successful day.  I bit the bullet and went up a very dirty route, getting filthy but figuring out all the moves on another of the big routes on the main wall.  We capped the weekend off with a nice dinner at The Terminal Brewhouse in Chattanooga.  The Terminal has good food and brews good beer and is easy to get to if you're traveling through on I-24.

Vegas Baby, Yeah?

After many trips (20+ and counting), I've realized that you're either a Vegas person or you’re not. Theresa and I are definitely Vegas people! We love the ridiculousness of it all, the booze, the gambling, the unparalled people watching, and the plentiful outdoor activities that reside within an hour of downtown.

We recently headed out there to celebrate Theresa's birthday and, the flight out notwithstanding, had a blast. The flight brought up an interesting topic that Theresa and I debated over drinks: should very large people have to purchase an additional seat to accommodate their size? This came up because Theresa was seated next to a very large woman that I would guesstimate at between 400 and 500 pounds. She required an additional seatbelt to accommodate her size and liberally spilled over into Theresa's space, impacting her in-flight experience. During out discussion, I was somewhat torn between the rights of the large woman and the impacted passenger. I had seen her pass on the in-flight snacks so perhaps her size is due to some sort of glandular issue. This was when Theresa informed me that while I slept she pulled out a copious amount of Popeye’s chicken and quickly consumed it. So much for glandular issues! I’m still a little torn but I think the rights of the many outweigh the rights of the few.

Anyway, after a night of playing poker at the Flamingo, we headed to one of my favorite climbing areas, Mt. Charleston. For those who don’t know, Charleston is about 45 minutes northwest of Vegas and has several limestone climbing areas, all lying above 6000 feet. I think it’s one of the best summer destination areas in the US, offering lots of routes up to 4 pitches on excellent rock with no humidity. Our destination was Robber’s Roost, an area that I hadn’t been to before with about 50 routes. The high in downtown was 97 but, at 8000+ feet, we got quite chilly at the Roost even in sweatshirts. Dale and his wife Tiffany(?), Vegas locals whom I met several years ago, happened to be there in down coats and seemed more comfortable than we were. I’m always amazed when climbing at Charleston that we never run into anyone but locals, despite it being a well known area in a super-touristy city. Yes Charleston has some chipped holds but so does Maple and it’s overrun with people. Perhaps it’s the difficult climbing style and solid grades that keep it off the summer road trip map. Another option is that many climbers aren’t “Vegas people”. They dislike the din and visual overstimulation of the strip and think the whole area is like that. I’m curious to hear the thoughts of others about this and to hear what people who have actually climbed at Charleston thought of the place.

That night I took Theresa out to dinner at Gallagher’s Steakhouse at the New York New York. She’s a big fan of steak and Gallagher’s features dry aged beef which can be hard to find. Our meal was excellent, starting with chilled king crab, moving on to our entree of steak with creamed spinach. The creamed spinach was a little too creamy, not in the same league as the creamed spinach at Hal’s in Atlanta. The highlight of the meal, at least for me, was dessert. We shared a molten chocolate cake that has to be one of the top five things I’ve ever eaten. Simple, rich and delicious and served with a small dollop of ice cream and a large mound of homemade whipped cream. We were also impressed by their house wine, a Washington winery named 14 Hands that produces an excellent Merlot.

The next day found us at the pool, enjoying perhaps the last chance to swim before the chill of winter sets in. That night was a more casual evening with a quick dinner with a stop at Max Brenner’s Chocolate by the Bald Man at Caesar’s to try his most intriguing chocolate pizza. Not the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten although still very tasty and quite different. The menu is filled with interesting options so we’ll definitely be back. Our flight home was, fortunately, uneventful and now we’re back at the grindstone.

A Quick Diversion

Here's a little video to keep you entertained for a few minutes.  It pokes fun at internet climbers and new-school grades on trad routes, particularly appropriate to the southeast.

Oh yeah, it's work safe.

The Great Outdoors

In an effort to avoid complete gym-rate status, I’ve braved the heat and ventured outside a few times lately.  Twice we climbed at a newer area outside Chattanooga and then this past weekend I headed to the Red River Gorge. It was nice to get outside, even if it was a little hot, to get back to nature and assess how well the gym training translates into success with real rock climbing.

Overall I’d grade the success of the past couple of month's gym training as applied to sandstone sport climbing as somewhere around a B or B-.  As one might expect, the steep super-jug hauls had poor carryover to outside rock, particular at the newer area where the holds are predominantly good but more slopey.  At the Red, the gym training did perhaps a better job as the holds were positive and better simulated by plastic.  Overall my endurance was only OK, giving a good data point in evaluating training effectiveness and showing what I need to work on and how to tailor my time spent indoors.  Interestingly, my power on steep routes seemed improved which was a pleasant surprise as I haven’t been concentrating on it.

In the end, it was nice to be outside, hanging with friends and seeing some folks I haven't seen in a while.  I always enjoy climbing at the Red and managed to do a few new routes which is always a bonus.  Here are some pics:

Mark on Random Precision

Brent on Mosaic

This guy wasn't on the gym training routine.  The largest copperhead I've ever seen.

Brent on Amarillo Sunset.

Nate on the crux of Amarillo Sunset.

Nate on Amarillo Sunset

Goals for the Season

Hear that faint sound? Yep, that’s fall, quietly starting to knock, ready to sweep out the bugs and snakes and bring with her sticky rock and low humidity. That’s right, temperatures are showing hints of promise with real climbing weather on the horizon. The fall climbing season is about to be upon us and this year I’ve decided to set some concrete goals. Hopefully I’ll revisit these later and assess how good a job I did of setting realistic goals and going after them.

Without further ado:

Major Goal:
The one route that I really want to focus on this year is Psychopath at TWall in Chattanooga. Psychopath is a 13b sport route that climbs some pretty amazing natural pockets and crimps with some difficult moves at the very end. I tried this route several times last winter and found it hard but doable. The route doesn’t overly suit me as it’s a power-endurance route with no rests once you start climbing.  I'm better off on endurance routes, ones with hard moves and good shakes. This fact will make success all the sweeter as I think it’s important to be able to do routes of all styles, not just ones that fit you.

Minor Goals:
I have several minor goals for the season, some close to home and others further afield. Chief among these is to finish up some old projects at Little River, The Word and Stealth. Both of these are routes that I’ve been trying off and on for years without success. Some years I didn’t try them at all, other years I may have climbed on them one or two days. I’d like to get both of these monkeys off my back and move on to other things.

Slightly further away, I have some goals at the Red River Gorge. I want to work on finishing up the Undertow Wall at the Motherlode (Leave it to Beavis, Team Wilson, and Convicted remain) and try to do something in the Madness cave. These goals are predicated on having enough free time this fall to get to the Red a decent amount.

Finally there's international travel and of course I have aspirations. I’d like to get back to Mexico in December and enjoy some time in the sun. In the Potrero there are two routes that would be worthwhile goals this year. I came close on Big Blue in the Surf Bowl last year and feel that I could finish it up fairly quickly this year. The other routes is the second pitch of Mothership Connection on the Outrage Wall. Vinod and I tried it last year but we were repelled by very cold temperatures and high winds (I never even climbed on the second pitch). As with the Red, these goals are predicated on getting to Mexico and finding decent conditions.

So there we have it, some lofty ambitions to be sure but I hope these represent goals that will push me but, ultimately, I will be able to make progress toward completing them. Now where’s that cold weather?

The Dog Days of Summer

For a blog primarily about climbing, there's sure hasn't been much writing about it as of late.  Well here's a quick update and then on to things more interesting.  I'm still gym-bound, waiting out the heat and hopefully getting a little stronger.  Lately I've been trying to boulder more, even though I really don't like it.  The hope is to gain some power which will improve endurance (by making each individual move less taxing).  That's the theory at least, we'll see how my plastic honed endurance and (hopefully) power translate to real rock in a couple of weeks.  Temperatures are slowly creeping down, hopefully summer will fully break after Labor Day and we can venture outside without spontaneously combusting. 

Now on to more important things.  Theresa and I had noticed that Bourbon (AKA the White Dog) had lost weight and seemed to be drinking and peeing much more than normal.  Theresa took her to the vet who confirmed the weight loss (9 pounds) and took some blood and urine samples.  We got the call about results and found that she's diabetic.  The vet wanted to do some more tests so we had to wait to fully learn more about her condition.  Meanwhile, we were supposed to take the girls to Theresa's parents to swim in their backyard pond.  We waffled about whether she would have the energy to play but decided to let her try it out.  Once we got there both dogs put on a show, playing in the lake for more than an hour, only getting out when we forced them to.  We were both very relieved to see Bourbon enjoy herself so much, a story best told in pictures.

Bourbon trying go start trouble with the swans.

Ripley grinning and showing off

Gimme!

No, really, gimme!

Bourbon showing off

Bourbon looking a little dirty.

Who's sick?

Need to work on the entry a bit, perhaps.

 The swans relaxing after the girls left the pond.

...or else she get's the hose again.

The next week we took the girls back to the vet where they confirmed the diagnosis.  The treatment plan is to modify her diet and give her insulin shots twice a day.  This was a shock at first but we're already adapting to it.  Bourbon has been a trooper, not giving us any trouble when we poke and prod here.  The prognosis is good, we just have to take a little extra care of our little white dog.

The new tools of the trade