fern Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 warning: excessively banal detail, chestbeating, boring cragging report for day trip to gaper crag ------------------------------------------------------- climbing by myself by fern On Saturday I drove up to Squamish by myself to do some rock cragging for the first time since November. It's easy to toprope in the Smoke Bluffs so I wasn't concerned about not having a partner for the day. Even though I didn't get there until almost 11am I was surprised how few people there were around. I hiked up towards Neat and Cool which is deservedly a popular crag because it's convenient and there are lots of great 5.8 routes. On the hike I saw couple of people I know, John and Ann-Marie who were also headed up for their first day of the season, they continued up to Pixie Corner while I scrambled up to the top of Neat and Cool past a couple of people I know, Sandra and Scott. Once I got to the top I looked down and still there were very few people at the base, only a couple of people that I sort of know, Grahame and Helen were racking up to do Corner Crack and a few people that I don't know were over on Cat Crack. So I dropped my rope down Lieback Flake (a nice 5.8) and rappelled down to the base. I put my shoes on an set myself to climb back up again. Then sun was starting to come around the corner and shine on the cliff and more people were arriving. A party of 5 dispatched 2 ropes to the top to set up on Cornflakes and Flying Circus, which are both pretty good 5.8s. I started up Lieback Flake, belaying myself. I use an awkward system which doesn't self-feed very well, but that's OK because it forces me to find rests as I am going. I was about halfway up when the guy rappelling to my left got agitated about some tangles in his rope, so I swung over and cleared them. I finished up my route and rappelled back down to the bottom. By now there werew quite a few ropes hanging around and I thought for a bit about what to do next. The easiest thing of course would be to chat up all the people around and see if they would mind sharing TRs, but that means starting a conversation with a stranger ... not something I do very well. Luckily the fellow with the tangled rope was Australian and lacking my social inhibitions. So Todd offered me a belay up Flying Circus and I passed my rope off to their party to have a go on Lieback Flake. Flying Circus is a very fun 5.8, though it is quite polished in spots from the amount of traffic it gets, I wish it was a little bit longer though. After climbing my turn I belayed a few times for Todd and his friends who apparently all know each other from the Cliffhanger climbing gym. One girl, Celia, said she had met me last year climbing by myself at Octopus's Garden but I don't think it was me ... she might have been thinking of thelawgoddess though, an easy mistake because Kaia and I are seriously like twins, both being 5'11" and blonde. Graham and Helen had finished up with Corner Crack so I racked up and borrowed a rope to give that route a go. It is a little awkward, but a very secure handcrack and I've done it a couple of times before, so I finished it off quite quickly and took another turn belaying Todd up it. He seemed to really enjoy it, raving about it to his friends, well it is always nice to see someone enthusiastic ... although I wouldn't say that it is a squamish classic. In the meantime another group of 5 people I think from the same gym had arrived, though they seemed to only have one rope which they set up on Neat and Cool. I've never actually done that 5.8, it a bit overhanging and reachy so I find it quite intimidating. But they seemed to be having fun. They looked like quite the characters too: The bearded bulging blonde viking guy leading the group, the dreadlock-and-rasta-knit cap french-canadian guy, the chain smoking prana girl, the crags are so much more entertaining than TV. I took one more run up Lieback Flake before we dropped our rope so another party could set up on it. It was much more fluid this time without having to belay myself and at the top I took the trickier direct path up the slab to the anchor. Then I took a bit of a break because everyone around me seemed to be eating lunch, but as soon as I could snag Todd to belay me again I scrambled over to Cat Crack. A group of Climber's Access Society directors were over there doing some social climbing, so I chatted for a little bit with Anders who taught me to lead on these same routes however many years ago it was that I started climbing. He had a sprained ankle at the time, so mostly he just looked at my gear placements from the ground and said 'yeah looks good'. Well Cat Crack is a route that actually needs a few foot-jams and my toes were feeling the punishment of the first day in soft shoes. I wasn't sure what to do next since my rope and anchor gear was involved in various routes for these friendly people, but I looked over and saw my friend Jasmin on Geritol. So after belaying Todd up Cat Crack I headed over to say hi. Jasmin and her friend Kelly generously offered me a turn on their rope, so I headed up Geritol which is a climb I really like with a mix of finger crack, and face climbing. For the first time ever I climbed it clean which made me pretty happy. I belayed Kelly up the same route. While Jasmin moved over to get in line for Kangaroo Corner, which the Viking fellow was just finishing with. It was starting to be very busy at this cliff with perhaps 20 people milling around and a few climbing, I guess it was the start of the season for many people. A very good climber was trying a new direct variation to Neat and Cool, but wasn't feeling up for the lead so took a deliberate whipper to a round of applause from the gapers. He continued to make toprope attempts though, punctuating the afternoon with shrieks and grunts, each of which was met with another round of applause. Some more friends Lena and Elise and a different Celia (with her 6week baby Dylan) arrived and took over on Geritol while I belayed Jasmin on Kangaroo Corner. It's a pretty good 5.8, short and steep. Jasmin sewed it up well and only took one hang at the hardest move where the crack get too small for fingers. She lowered off and Kelly took a turn but I got him to leave the gear in since I was contemplating giving it a try on lead myself. It's a bit harder than anything I've tried leading in the past, and although I'd tr'ed it maybe 3 times before over the years I'd never got up it cleanly. But since the gear was already in I decided I may as well try. So after a few minutes psyching up I tightened up my shoes and tied in. The friction was super since it is still early season and people haven't sweated all over the rock, I moved up and clipped a few pieces then removed one cam since I figured I could use the slot better for my fingers. I set up for the one hard sidepull and high foot stem but ... my fingers slipped and I sagged onto the rope, oh well. After a short shake out I pulled back into the corner, clipped the last cam and grabbed the thank-god jug ... wooT! What a fun route that is, hard to top for the first day of the season. So I lowered off and spent the rest of the afternoon belaying and chatting with my friends. Quote
Greg_W Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 an easy mistake because Kaia and I are seriously like twins, both being 5'11" and blonde. Quote
RuMR Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 aren't they both first-string members of the the varsity Swedish Bikini Team??? Quote
Greg_W Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 aren't they both first-string members of the the varsity Swedish Bikini Team??? Yeah, and you're Kareem Abdul Jabar. Quote
Greg_W Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 well...i'm bald like him! Yeah, I can see the resemblance - especially when his bald kneecaps are the same level as your bald head!!! Quote
fern Posted March 15, 2004 Author Posted March 15, 2004 quit talking about yourself jerky! this is a thread about me! Quote
Greg_W Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 quit talking about yourself jerky! this is a thread about me! Oh, you? The 5'-11" one? Sorry. Quote
Dru Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 You don't mention the rating of Kangaroo Crack which is actually highball V2 supposedly Quote
thelawgoddess Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 One girl, Celia, said she had met me last year climbing by myself at Octopus's Garden but I don't think it was me ... she might have been thinking of thelawgoddess though, an easy mistake because Kaia and I are seriously like twins, both being 5'11" and blonde. i don't remember celia, but i think the garden is the only place i've rope-soloed up there. pretty sure you were around that day, though, so maybe she actually met you and is just confused about who was doing what. sweet cragging tr, fern. makes me want to move to squamish this summer! i've dyed my hair and stopped wearing those 8.5" stilletto's, though, so i don't think we'll be mistaken anymore. Quote
fern Posted March 15, 2004 Author Posted March 15, 2004 You don't mention the rating of Kangaroo Crack ya I did. it's 5.8 ... like all the others Quote
Dru Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 I was referring to the sit start. Where are the 1500 pictures Distel style? Quote
Mer Posted March 15, 2004 Posted March 15, 2004 You mean you spent a day at the bluffs without sending Frappio Mochaccinopresso?!? (A $5.80 at the Starbucks wall.) Quote
Distel32 Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 I was referring to the sit start. Where are the 1500 pictures Distel style? oh you just wait Dru, I'm going to Utah for a week Quote
RuMR Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 I was referring to the sit start. Where are the 1500 pictures Distel style? oh you just wait Dru, I'm going to Utah for a week Quote
chelle Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 Nice TR Fern. I'm goping to make it up that way in April, towards the end of the month. We need to work on our project. Quote
Billygoat Posted March 16, 2004 Posted March 16, 2004 Sounds like Spring has arrived! Great day at the crags. Thanks Fern Quote
fern Posted March 22, 2004 Author Posted March 22, 2004 I went cragging again. Saturday afternoon climbed at base of grand wall. The Arrowroot and Rutabaga climbs are quite filthy, perhaps from loose dirt washing down from the Millenium Falcon during the winter. Recommend a wirebrush. Somebody has been scrubbing away in the Smoke Bluffs, the far right end of Bughouse Heights or whatever that is called above the old parking lot where the trail to Pixie Corner splits left from the road below Penny Lane. Some short sport routes and cracks, I did a couple and they were quality climbing. Also someone has re-scrubbed Tools of Moss Destruction (for like the millionth time), and it was fun and challenging ... thanks to Mer for the patient belay - so hop on that sandbag now because it'll be a moss carpet again by August Quote
Dru Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 Funarama has sprouted rapidly over the winter. Bring flame thrower and Agent Orange if planning to climb there in the next few weeks. Quote
Mer Posted March 22, 2004 Posted March 22, 2004 Welcome Fern, nice work on that accursed bit of slab . Lacerated crack hands and unusual bruising should be healed in time to head out next again weekend. Quote
ken4ord Posted March 23, 2004 Posted March 23, 2004 Nice TR Fern. I am hoping for good weather this weekend up there. Originally we were planning on going to Smith, but if it is like it was this last weekend, I really want to get up to Squamish instead. Quote
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