Beware of Air @ Necedah

There is a hornet nest just above and to the left of the fourth bolt on Air at Necedah. I was stung twice in the face while getting ready to clip the bolt. My daughter and I were on the way to drop her off at school in La Crosse and thought we would casually stop and do AIR.

It just goes to show climbing outside is always to be taken seriously. I hung and clipped the third bolt looked up and saw a draw hanging on the fourth and thought "hmm" why would someone bail there. A freakin swarm of hornets around your head turns out to be a pretty good reason. I did manage to pull the draw and we bailed from the third bolt so whoever owns the draw can claim it there. I was going to down climb and pull it but, I don't know, the pain, swelling, and need to search for the glasses that flew off my head when I brushed away the hornets distracted me.

So I believe the route is still climbable by clipping the first three bolts and placing gear in the crack to the right of the fourth bolt or if you are really careful and stay to the right and below the fourth bolt clip it and stay in the crack on the way to the fifth. Anyway good luck and beware.

that's a great name for the right climb

edit:

steep and runout... as opposed to not steep and lots of ledges

You ought to post this as a comment on the Route page - the folks who would benefit by the warning are a little more likely to see it there.

I did that but put it here also to get the info out to as many as possible. Didn't want a new leader to have a nasty surprise.

Ouch! At least didn't you have to take the whip, falling on that route never seemed fun. Really good climb though. I'm having flashbacks from belaying Andy at the lake and watching him get attacked by wasps on the Lost Face, good times.

Heard the same comment about "Air" from someone else, this week.

I've also been stung three times on lead: once on "Lost Face" years ago, and twice on "Jolly Roger" (two years in a row! but not this year). I remember the "Lost Face" wasps being a particularly aggressive species that is twice the size of our usual benign wasps.

Doug Hemken wrote:Heard the same comment about "Air" from someone else, this week. I've also been stung three times on lead: once on "Lost Face" years ago, and twice on "Jolly Roger" (two years in a row! but not this year). I remember the "Lost Face" wasps being a particularly aggressive species that is twice the size of our usual benign wasps.

Yes they were huge and very unlike the normal DL wasps/hornets. Sort of sting first and ask questions later. Most likely they will be gone next year one way or the other.

Matt Kuehl wrote:Ouch! At least didn't you have to take the whip, falling on that route never seemed fun. Really good climb though. I'm having flashbacks from belaying Andy at the lake and watching him get attacked by wasps on the Lost Face, good times.

Yeah love the route but would not want to fall on it. I had a few nuts in my hand and left them behind thinking I would never need them.

Nice, I like a belayer who takes perverse pleasure in the pain of his leader.

Ah Jeff, that is no fun. I was swarmed yesterday while topping out a boulder problem at Gov. Dodge. I jumped off the top and ran into the woods. Made it out with only three stings. About a month ago I was stung in the face on Chicago, and days later swarmed but not stung on Lost face.
A biologist that works with my wife said that this is a good summer for bees, and they are being really aggressive.

Remo wrote:Ah Jeff, that is no fun. I was swarmed yesterday while topping out a boulder problem at Gov. Dodge. I jumped off the top and ran into the woods. Made it out with only three stings. About a month ago I was stung in the face on Chicago, and days later swarmed but not stung on Lost face. A biologist that works with my wife said that this is a good summer for bees, and they are being really aggressive.

Awesome image, topping out and just leaping from the top running into the woods while all your buddies are going WTF. Climbing at the lake for years I thought I was immune to the presence of wasps. I did encounter wasps at Lost Face years ago but they were the normal Lake variety and not at all aggressive.

I suppose a lot of critters this year are a little off with the heat and lack of water. I heard a weird tale of wolves stalking a woman and her small dog at Steinke basin last month. They just sat down on the trail and would not let her get to her car. Only moved when the rangers showed up ran the sirens and lights to scare them off.

Jeff Howard wrote: Nice, I like a belayer who takes perverse pleasure in the pain of his leader.

Actually he was seconding and I was belaying him with a grigri, which turned out to be very good because when he got swarmed and fell I could lower him to the ground really quickly. It would have been a bit trickier if i was using the reverso... its tough to lower people. But it was still kinda hilarious (at least later).

Someone should go kill the wasps on Air.

I would like to head out there sometime this weekend. Sunday looks like its going to be fantastic for climbing.

A lot of fun can be had with a BB Gun up there on Air. Bring plenty of swill.

Chris. I would be willing to get out with you on Sunday to Neceedah.
let me know if you think that will work?