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roninthorne
Apr 11, 2008, 2:03 AM
Post #1 of 2
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Registered: Nov 27, 2002
Posts: 659
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This Vermont college group came to West Virginia and rocked, folks... nothing short of it. They arrived at Seneca Rocks and settled into a site at the Princess Snowbird campground under cloudy skies, and their first day, which was to have begun with Judy Gap, began with rain.
Did they bail, did they wail? None of it!! They headed over to scout the South End of Seneca, instead, then settled in at the Southern Pillar and climbed Block Party, Roy Gap Chimneys, and several other classics including at least one true Seneca 5.10, which is a challenge when the rock is dry, as anyone who has ever been there knows.
The next day, Monday, began with a bit of fog and some clouds, but there was not a down face in the bunch when I pulled into the campground at 9 am to find them loading gear and securing camp. Within minutes, we headed off to Judy Gap, where the sun soon came out to warm them as they sent Matt the Ropegun up the Standard 5.8 while I draped a TR off the yawning offwidth 5.9 just uphill and set a photo-op anchor on the shoulder of the formation. Below, while Matt moved ever upward, several others worked a short but severe TR face just downhill from the Standard's start.
I've seen some seasoned climbers stalled by Judy, and I was impressed. No one gave up, although there were several folks fighting just more than road-lag and cooler temps. Everyone climbed hard, gave it their all, and celebrated each other's success as much as their own. Matt came down from the Standard to show us how a "lazy man" climbs an offwidth, sacrificing a half-dollar sized bit of ankle to do so, and his example refired the efforts of the group to worm their way up the monster slot.
While they were duelling it out with the Tuscarora, I hiked to the top of the fins for a truly spectacular view in the company of some feral goats, looking out over several fine untouched lines and a sweeping panorama of the Valley below, as well as the relatively unexplored and undeveloped South side of Judy Gap.
Below, the TR ascents and attempts continued with a brief seminar on rappelling safety and another TR set-up on the slot chimney leading down the back (western) side of the formation. Climbing and rapping sontinued until nearly 5pm, when gear was hauled down in short order and the trail-free descent to the road began.
Tuesday they took on Nelson's Via Ferrata, and returned to tell the tale with no losses, a feat in and of itself, although not without the occasional, personal microepic. They also enjoyed the "Beach" at Seneca, finding our springtime swimming conditions "crisp", but MUCH warmer than the winter wonderland they had fled from up North. I spent the 70-degree afternoon bouldering, working with a student of my own, and climbing new lines in an undisclosed location, with plans to rejoin the group at Franklin in the morning for a half-day of trailwork and an exploration of that crag's fine lines.
On Wednesday I found them waiting at the base, Jamie (their fearless leader) and Matt scoping the Parking Lot wall lines, while the rest milled around sorting gear and trying to stay warm in the early morning chill. After a brief orientation on the impact we've enjoyed from so many who have given back so little, we headed out with tools in hand for a short tour of the crag and worksites.
Once through, having heard some of the history of the crag and the assorted trail epics, they had their bearings and set about with a will. While Adam Wild Wild West K and Don't Talk To Me Aaron G rebuilt the often-ruptured stone verge of the trail from Barnacle Bill to Neptune, the rest of the group ("Bionic" Heath R, Brian The Tall Man N, Lauren Uberchick J, Broseph M, Matt the Unstoppable Ropegun and Sensei Jamie S) constructed a full on stone breakwater at the base of Castaways and relined the path from there to Decompression Sickness.... all in about 3 hours!
After a break for Cindy P's freshly-delivered venison burritos (and a rapid game of rauxchambeaux to see if they'd save one for me... they did), they gathered their effects and returned to the vehicles to SEND!!!
Ropes were dropped from the 5.5 corner L of Limestoned (this corner makes a very nice gear lead for the trad beginner), Wild, Wild West, and Lunar Debris. Matt put his ropegun back in action with an eye on my newest line, Odysseus. He took one fall off the move above the first bolt , lowered, rechalked, then onsighted the rest of the line like he was walking through the campus back home.
After repeated runs at all climbs equipped and encounters with wet rock, small holds, wild swings, and flying squirrels, the group warmed down by toting eight bags of mulch, three bags of topsoil, and seven junipers (paid for and hauled to the Gorge by the lovely Ms. Cindy P) up the hill at the end of their climbing day. We set rails and timbers along the stretch downhill to Wintermute and No Weld and they all finished with a send of Castaways before it was placed out of bounds for the summer to allow for soil recovery.
Tired and triumphant, we hit the Korner Kafe for a celebratory local-cuisine dinner with milkshakes, discussions of catnip abuse, climbing community apathy, Bombay tech service operators and old photo theft consequences. There were multiple orders for lemonade and meatball subs, a few "Ya'll ain't from arond here's", and a demonstration of table football prowess by the Uberchick. We bid a fond goodnight and farewell to Cindy P before heading back to Princess Snowbird to finish the celebration and share some final thoughts on personal accountability, going for it, ethics, and fave climbs around a fire of scavenged wood, in the shadow of the Rocks where the adventure began five far-too-short days before. I left them around 10pm, and drove home under starry, starry skies with a smile on my face, Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" providing the perfect background groove to my journey.
This little tribe touched my heart as few have done before. They have guts, humor, stamina, integrity, love for each other, and the incredible gift of a couple of great leaders in Matt and Jamie. At a point in their lives and history when many college students are noteable only for their self-absorption and disdain, they have the hearts of lions, open minds, and the souls of poet-warriors, and I am glad beyond these feeble words that my life has come to a place where I could share a few days of my time walking with them through this state that my heart has always called home.
Thanks, folks... a thousand times, thank you. You know where to find me, and my house is yours if ever you come calling on old WV again, 24/7/365. Don't be surprised to see my shaggy mug knockin' at your door some summer day when the south is a humid oven. If/when and until then, I'll look forward to your next visit.
(This post was edited by roninthorne on Apr 11, 2008, 12:11 PM)
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