Hatcher Pass, and Recent Alaska updates.

Alaska climbing has been full of surprises and some good climbing lately.

A few weeks ago Katie Scatena came for a surprise visit. We managed to get some rock climbing in. We did 'Classic Crack' a fun two pitch trad climb which goes a 5.8+, 5.8. The next day we made a trip up to Wookie Wall and did some fun overhanging pumpy granite climbing. I started working 'Catalyst' 5.12c, there is a direct start to this that is quite a bit harder, 13b perhaps. Katie finished up our day leading 'First Amendment'.

Now for the more serious part of the post, perhaps a follow up to Allen's earlier post about the dangers of climbing. On tuesday the 6th (?) of July. I had three friends climbing at the 'Wedge', a high alpine crag with an hour and 45 min. approach, my friend and often my partner Kelsey, and extremely competent and experienced climber was on route when a freak rock fall occurred. A large rock slammed into his chest and throat, ripping him and his belayer off the wall, and into a fifty foot tumble down scree. Kelsey was flown out helicopter with serious although non life threatening injuries, and his partner suffered a broken foot. The moral of this story I suppose is that accidents happen, even to the most experienced climbers, and it's wise to expect them every time you touch the rock. The next day, I went to rescue gear. Accidents and danger are around every corner. On the same tuesday we were heading to climb at 'Pivot Point' A fun short crag with a handful of decent routes from 5.7 to a 5.14 project. We headed up the hill towards the crag concerned about bears. I was about 15 feet in front of my partner, when a big brown shape loomed out of the brush, and started crashing towards me. Before I knew it, this animal was on top of me, and "I'm going to die" flashed through my mind. I fell over and rolled into a small ball trying to protect my head. It was only from the ground that I realized moose hooves were crashing on either side of me. I started screaming "Run Hannah, Run!" Hannah made it to a tree as the moose saw her and went after her, giving me a second or two to regain my feet and dash to the tree. I climbed into the tree as the moose charged us again, and again. The last time I saw her coming from 50 feet away, I had no way to attack back except my voice, which I used. the moose finally backed off. Had I had a firearm or mace, I would have used it.

I've been doing some other climbing. I've had two beautiful days in Hatcher Pass with one overcast one. I've lead some fun trad lines, two pitches of 'Toto' 5.8, 5.7, 'The Slot' 5.7, were two of the best although I did a "sport" 10a that required gear and runouts as well as a 5.7 that required several 30+ foot runouts between bolts. I've also managed to get some bouldering in at the pass. Including some repeat ascents: 'Indian Head Arete' V2, and unknown V5 on the same boulder, and yesterday a FA on a 20 ft V1 we named 'Nuptial Ball'.

Summer at the Red

Red River Gorge in the summertime is not for the faint of heart. The stifling humidity and sweltering heat provide a one-two punch capable of deflating even the most adventurous soul into a sweaty mass of whining and complacency. The bugs bite, the snakes lurk, and bears come lumbering around in an effort to drive the masses back to their backyard barbeques and air conditioned lifestyles. The local flora, even, aides the fauna in their attack upon trespassers. Poison ivy, poison sumac, and poison oak will leave you itching, stinging nettles will leave you cursing, and at every turn rhododendron fields make movement laborious and claustrophobic. Still around? The indigenous people of the 3rd poorest county in the nation will steal the lint out of your pockets should you turn your head for a second.

For those who choose adventure over comfort, however, the memories of those two low humidity days, the trips into lexington for liquor, and that(those) near death experience(s), are more valuable and enduring than the bugbites, sunburn, or hangovers. The Red in the summertime can be grueling, but the experiences are authentic, lasting, and worth the steep price of admission.

This past weekend, for me, was a reminder of these truths I learned last summer. My Thursday-Sunday trip was rich with stories of sketchy offroading, rainy day crag hunting, a keg of Newcastle with the Miguel’s crew (including the man himself), and excellent climbing. Did I send anything of note? Absolutely not. Didn’t matter at all. A bottle of Ale-8, a good slice of pie, and a group of friends to sharing stories. The good life.

Red River Gorge Bouldering

Part of my last weekend was spent cleaning/poaching boulder problems on Natural Bridge property at the Red. Mark Osbourne, however, informed me that should I get caught by the rangers, its a $250 dollar fine and they will confiscate my gear. Dilemmas...

This boulder problem is on the road easement and is thusly fair game

Table Top v3 from Allen Chaney on Vimeo.

This is Matt Rupp at Friction Slab boulder.