RRC Archives

ynot, you once got us to minas tirith when trying to go to willie's wall. I think you were just trying to get a bit more choss hunting in.

Wes wrote:hamscoI wouldn't trade my life for all the 5.15 sends in the world. And, I have found that there is life outside of climbing and I have been to way more family events, games, etc. then I ever went to before.

Isn't being with family wonderful? I think Jesse summed it up best: still worth doing, but no longer the priority.

I do miss my climbing family though, and plan to spend more time with all of you this fall.

ynot wrote:I have gotten lost trying to find Hen's nest, the back way in to Jazz rock, and the back way to Jewel. The crag is always right where the giude says it is. go figure
Oh I also had a mini epic getting out of Mariba by dark. What doesn't kill you makes your crag finding skills better.

I recall that I was usually bleeding before we got to the crag!

Oh happy days!

Use GPS. The coordinates are posted. You can get cheap units used for $30 which is good enough for just Lat and Lon.

Yup- its all about the odometer, and the pylons before the creek...cakewalk from there. One time we ended up at Backside looking for Muscle Beach because we were neglectful of the mileage beta. Jeep trails/logging roads, downed trees and limestone bands seem to be found on nearly every damn old school trad approach in the Red. If you really want to test your tenacity, try the long approach to Hen's Nest in a torrential downpour. Just be sure to bring plenty of intoxicants of both liquid and combustible varieties in order keep morale high among the troops- last thing you want is a mutinous crew. I now carry one of those fancy USGS topo maps with crag locations transcribed from http://www.outragegis.com/gorge/crags/ if all else fails. At least I find comfort in knowing whatever happens I won't be doing the uphill gravel grovel at the days end just to get back to the damn car...

ynot wrote:What doesn't kill you makes your crag finding skills better.

I totally agree!

The key to finding crags in the RRG is persistence and the willingness to wander without knowing if you are in the right place or not. GIve over to the feelings of uncertainty and just enjoy the miserable, sweaty, rhodo encumbered humid journey.

hahahahahahahaha

man even days on the trail are just as bad and hell once you get there.......

Haha, thanks for the replies. So, my buddy and I, after two hours of bushwacking (go figure) decided that we'd had enough and we'd go after Dip another day We descended the hill and went across the road to Indian Creek Crag. That trail was pretty good (we were mindful of the "go 0.6 miles past the concrete bridge after an obvious left" in the guide book*) and we got there in a short amount of time. The thing is, we epic-ed big time and I left some booty because I thought a cut hand and rashed shin was enough to tell me I was being a numbskull and hadn't gathered my common sense for the day.**

The day ended well. After coming down from Indian Creek Crag, we relaxed and realized that we weren't thinking so much as running like idiots through the woods and up weird routes (the one on the pinnacle boulder--the one with the HOLE in the top of it). We drove down to Global Village and put up that sweet little 5.6 around the left after you meet the crag. Wow, that little route made up for all the shenanigans earlier that day.

Summed up - most of the day I felt like an idiot. Props to RRG climbers for their approach skills. If anyone has been up to the Gunks, they know it's like walking down the isle of a grocery store and picking cans of peaches from the shelves when picking a climb. The approaches are jokes compared to RRG.

*Second edition of the guide book
**I think there is still some booty at the top of that one route on the pinnacle boulder. Follow the wide crack (first one you see) up and out left (way out left) to some easier veritcal climbing. I left 3 carabiners, 3 slings, a green friend, and a blue tri-cam (yes, call me an idiot - but I'm alive, so I'm happy -- enjoy the gear).

I believe it traverses just a few feet right when you get to the bulge with the loose block. it's not a good route but the topout and descent are worth it. 4 of us went up it and the third popped off the bulge and swung into a tree. he was ok.