Sherri

Thanks everyone. It was an exciting day/night on Black Orpheus--I'm not too proud to admit I was scared up there. Figured it would make a fun read. And I owe huge kudos to "Argus" for coming out the next day to help me retrieve my stuck ropes. (We did so by climbing "Plate of Fate", a 5.9 3 pitch route which shares that same rap line). He even carried my ropes out on the hike. :kisss: That particular mural was commissioned by a climber in California last winter. I really enjoyed it while it was hanging on the wall here before I shipped it off to him; felt like I was like looking out the window onto Red Rocks. Love that place. Dave--you're right. That corner was classic!

Thanks so much for sharing this beautiful story and pics, Megan. Makes me think that Thanksgiving came a month early there, for all of you.

Looks like you guys had a great day out there! That's a fun climb.

Not that there's anything wrong with that... Stalking is the sincerest form of flattery. :kisss:

I know. Guilty as charged. You bring out the stalker in me.

are you old enough to remember that commercial? I remember it. Crap. Now I feel old too. Though, I must say, my mom taught us to throw the trash out of the car window ONLY when there weren't no one standing around. Looking forward to seeing those sexy legs of yours sailing up the rock this spring, Sobo!

Happy Birthday Sobo! Don't let all those candles skeer ya...they're just there to light the way to the long-overdue happiness awaiting you in the year to come. Nobody deserves it more than you, Sweetcakes! Big hugs to you and don't forget to put me on your dance card for spring climbing! I aint' getting any younger either, so we better get out there soon. :kisss:

Spring is already feeling so far away...thanks for the wet-season stoke! Nice to see Index in any weather. Love your determination and creativity. The photo of the tent belay is classic.

That route looks fun, Bill. I've been on one other route(Hot Flash) over there on the First Creek slabs, great area that feels far from the Loop madness. Mountain Project: Lady Luck topo

Hey Ken, I'll be down there, too, 14th prolly til the 18th. Already have partners for most of the trip, but if something opens up or falls through I'll give you a call in case you still need to fill a day. Have a great time!

I'll be down there Nov 13-18. Maybe see you around Bill.

Maybe check out Mt. Erie? It tends to be a little drier when everywhere else isn't.

A look around one of the Aussie climbing forums might also turn up some useful info/contacts: This one's based in Victoria, but it'll get you started: Chockstone

You make that look like a lot fun, and I'm not even a boulderer. Nice work and TR.

Mark, you're a good partner to be there for him like this, posting up so we can all pitch in w/the cash and concern. Coming together as a community is a an unexpected part of climbing that I'm appreciating more and more. Thanks for sending up the signal for Paul.

Beautiful, all of it! Nice job.

Great story.

Sympathies for you re Max's passing. He looks like he was a magnificent friend. The TPLO surgeries are crazy expensive, but effective, at least in our experience. Almost ten years ago, our lab mix had two done--one on each back knee in consecutive years--and she was back to sprinting after cats and birds and jumping 5 ft fences again in seemingly no time. (I swear they put springs in there.) She's now 13 and though she still tries jumping off the bed or off the porch, she's slowing down little by little; having the surgeries has enabled her to live out her full life. Good luck with the treatments for your Husky rescue. That's a lucky dog to have found itself in your care. :kisss:

My bad.

My scars are a bit fresher. Last year I would run roped solo laps on that thing until the bleeding got bad, then I'd apply a layer of tape and repeat.

I had read all of John Long's book during my first year of rockclimbing. When I was ready to get serious about trad leading, in particular, Rob recommended I read "Traditional Lead Climbing", by Heidi Pesterfield. I did, and I owe Rob big for the great advice. :kisss:

+1 Thanks for sharing the details of your experience and for the reminder that the most dangerous part of the climb is often not part of the climb. Best wishes to you, Suz and Steve!

Fun climb fer sure. The wind really adds to the excitement. There is also a good descent route to the climber's right, starting with a short rappel(bolt station is well hidden waaaay around corner to the right) and some 4th class downclimbing.

I'm headed down tomorrow for a last-minute sandstone fix. Looking for partners for Sun, Mon, and/or Tues, prefer trad but anything is good. Would like to get on a moderate multi at least one of the days. I have rack/rope/car. Any cc.comers going to be in da house?? I'll be checking PMs.

Pete H-- good one! I think G-spotter brings up a good point re not taking up your holds with gear placements. Sometimes it is unavoidably a choice between using the available crack for one OR the other. I think some climbs are even rated with this fact in mind, with one rating for toproping or another, stiffer rating for leading. "Agent Orange" at Index comes to mind. There's only like three tiny cracks on that whole thing, and right where you really need a finger jam...if you had to lead the thing on gear, there'd be NO holds there. It's rated .11a as a toprope, .11d X as a gear lead. Crillz is wise to warn about not making a habit out of using your placements this way. We've all seen what happens when a shoelace or sling catches even a well-placed piece as we move past it. Better to place your pro and then avoid touching it again as you make your moves. If I feel my hand press against a piece during a move, I don't count it as clean in my book. But that's just because I like to raise the bar on myself.