Easy climbs in the gunks

rgold wrote:Easy O. The first move is just not that bad and is certainly no "boulder problem." Over the years, I've taken all manner of elderly and infirm people up it.

I will agree that you as The Guide could get all kinds of people thru those Easy O moves. But I as The Son did not get my father thru it. He was not infirm, an active outdoor hike leader, pretty accustomed to mild scrambling on rock.

Sometime in their 60s or so, my mother got the idea that she'd like to try rock climbing, and my father came along. So I started them on Dirty Chimney P1, which enabled us to quickly make the important discovery that my mother just didn't have it for rock climbing, just didn't seem to have a sense of how to find and use positive holds. I somehow pulled her up most of that pitch, but she realized this was not for her, and she was done for the day.

My father did much better on Dirty Chimney, was willing to try more -- and I was thinking that future days taking my father out for easy climbing in the Gunks would be a cool thing. So I took him to Easy Overhang with the hope that he'd take a liking to climbing (even though this day hadn't been his idea).

Then he got confused by the initial sequence. Maybe a more careful "demonstration" by me in advance would have helped, but it didn't occur to me that he'd need that (since after all he was the one who long ago encouraged and led me in getting into rock-scrambling).

I would gladly have worked more with him on the moves, but he insisted he was quitting.

So while I still think Easy O is a good beginner climb, I do have that memory. But I sort of doubt my father would have continued with rock-climbing no matter what second climb I'd chosen that day.

Ken

doligo wrote:Whoa, Rich, I didn't realize you were nearing a big date. How many front side levers are you still doing?

Yeah, I'm closin' in on seventy. Starting to notice it too. Aging is not for the fainthearted.

I'm still doing front levers in straddle position (for fun), but I haven't really been able to do a real one in proper form for perhaps ten years. Can't say I've really worked at it though.



Hope all is well with you Dolgio.

kenr wrote: I will agree that you as The Guide could get all kinds of people thru those Easy O moves. But I as The Son did not get my father thru it. ...So while I still think Easy O is a good beginner climb, I do have that memory.

Fair enough, Ken. I might just have been lucky with clients when I actually guided BITD. I did have one fellow in his sixties who made it up the first pitch and said that was just way more than anything he had ever imagined and could we please go down now? He was breathing like a locomotive and I didn't even consider telling him about the joys of getting to the top...

Perhaps I was spared an epic in another case. I had chosen Casa Emilio for its 5.2 esthetics and the fact that it was far from the hurly-burly. So we walked a mile or so down the carriage road and hiked up to the top of the pinnacle where the route starts. When we got there, my client, a fit woman in her forties who was neither elderly nor infirm, exclaimed, "That was just great! Thank you so much for a fantastic experience!" I said, "Er, um, this is where, uh, the climbing starts." She looked at the wall, looked back at me with her eyes wide and said, "Are you out of your 'effin mind?"

I sensed at that moment that our climbing day was drawing to a premature close. I've never been able to figure out what she thought the ropes and gear I was toting were going to be used for. In any case, it was a lovely summer day, so we descended to the carriage road, walked to Sky Top, and ascended the stairs to the lookout at the top. No further mention was made of rock-climbing, and as far as I know a good time was had by all.

rgold wrote:I might just have been lucky with clients when I actually guided back in the day.

Well you were "lucky" with me. I took a lesson from you in the Gunks on How to Lead, and it worked so well that I never took another lesson in leading. The format of that day surprised me, because I had to recruit my sister as a belayer. I have no idea what climbs I led, or or what moves you were doing -- I guess I was so focused on the learning.

I remember I chose you as a guide because I'd found out you were a mathematician. In the last couple of years I've done lots of climbing with a mathematician who is about the same age as the father of the OP of this discussion.
He didn't start climbing until after he turned 50. Now he leads hard 5.9 in the Gunks. Last year I belayed him when he led his first 10c (sport) - on sight. I was thrilled to be a part of his success (and glad that I didn't have to lead it myself). His immediate unconsidered response was: "Yes but I rested on the pro" - (one time, after making a strenuous clip)

I hope I can be disappointed in that special way when I turn 70.

Ken

P.S. You know there is a "third" pitch to Casa Emilio, which is interesting and fits the 5.2-5.3 difficulty of the route (but perhaps not for beginners because it has a traverse). Worth knowing about if making the long walk out there.

Wow, Ken, who knew? Glad you're still at it and that I didn't lead you irretrievably astray all those years ago!

I tried Crimson Corner and stuff around it today. Going up and down the arete itself in the obvious way was not as dirty or licheny as I remembered. I'd call it OK slab climbing. No arete-specific moves. So if you want 5.1 slab climbing with an easier approach than the "Practice Rock", there it is. (not very representative of the great 5.2-5.4 climbs of the Gunks).

Explored various other short sections off to the sides of the arete which I suppose could by tried by those looking for "something more". The chimney to the left of the arete didn't seem to have much to offer (for me anyway).

I think I sorta did the "Yale" route, listed as 5.4 in some guidebooks. To me it seemed like an athletic 5.5 move near the bottom followed by decent 5.2-5.3 face climbing above. (? perhaps could give less athletic climbers a "boost" so they could enjoy the easier climbing above ?)

Dirty Chimney I still like. I noticed that the upper (dirtier) section (which I assume almost nobody ever does) has a tricky exit move, perhaps 5.2?

Ken

definitely the ABC Slab... it's sometimes used by guides for groups, but it is usually open. It follows an approach tail at the beginning of the Uberfall. It's easy slab with a bunch of trees above it... Probably goes at 5.0-5.2 depending on the variation... but it is at the top of the cliff giving a great view.

He will love it.

"ABC slab" sounds like another name for the "practice rock".

Or please correct me on that.

So I think it's more helpful to say that it's near the beginning of the Undercliff road (above left).

The advantages of the "practice rock" slab over the Crimson Corner slab are: more different lines to climb, perhaps a nicer view. There are some lines by the practice rock with some non-slab moves (as there are with Crimson Corner). And the Practice rock is much closer to the parking lot -- but definitely farther from the real Gunks climbing scene.

If the OP's father has done some indoor gym climbing, I would not be so confident he "will love" slab climbing. I don't love slab climbing, and I don't know many climbers who do.

Ken

If you're talking about the practice slabs between the West Trapps lot and the Uberfall, that's "AMC Slabs", as in Appalachian Mountain Club.