Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Cultural Weekend in the Shawangunks

This past weekend I took a trip down to the Shawangunks just outside of New Paltz NY. Lesson learned this weekend, don't go to an internationally famous historical climbing area on weekends and expect to climb the classics. We had the typical gunks list of climbs that we all wanted to accomplish, including High Exposure (5.6), The Dangler (5.10a), and Madame G (5.6) and surprise surprise, we got shut down on all of them due to the biggest lines I've ever seen. It was like going to disney world, we literally had to wait 3 hours just to touch the rock I have never experienced something like this in my climbing career.

We did end up getting on some rock though, some decent random 5.6's and one off width 5.6 that was one of the best off widths iv climbed yet. Put <ThermalBar> to the test yet again atop a 200' pitch, i was cold in the 45 degree weather in a t-shirt belaying my partner, decided to eat it then and was warm literally for the rest of the day, these things seise to amaze me. Hopefully i can get down to the gunks one more time this season but for sure will be getting down there next year.

This weekend was more of a cultural weekend, we had the only campsite with a fire pit so our bon fire brought a wide variety of campers and climbers to come and toss a few back with us. Met and talked to a lot of great people this weekend, I makes me feel great to be apart of such an amazing community.