It finally happened!!!

I lead my first Gunks 10. Woo hoo!!!

Good deal Jake! Great pics! Have planned on doing Moriah south and over all the Carters, A, B, C, D, E .... and down to the notch, with one night over for awhile now. Just haven't yet gotten it done. This climbing thing keeps getting in the way. May have to strap skis to the pack and get it done in the winter.

I lead Sphlastic, it's a 10a near Gorilla My Dreams. It's a nice face climb. I am very excited, this has been a goal for me.

Yikes Dip, don't know where to begin! Quite the account! Good job on Rapscallion! It is a head game we play! Seems you are climbing hard. Must have been all that bouldering your have been doing! Was the bat making noises? I was following a climb and the leader told me to watch out since the flake he had jammed a big cam in was occupied by a now trapped bat. I got up the cam and the bat was really going off with this chattering, growling kind of noise. I was freaked. I pictured that just as I pulled the cam the bat would come out, go right for my throat and rip it out just like something from a Monty Python movie. Or at least tear off an arm or leg or something. I got up to the cam, unclipped it and climbed well above it all the while the bat was chattering up a storm! Reached down and removed the cam and scampered up the climb. All the while my buddy was laughing his butt off! The bat? He just flew off!

Under the mistaken route category, I was belaying a buddy on Higher Stannard at the Gunks last weekend, and we start up at the same time a party starts up Birdie Party (5.10b). I have followed the first pitch (5.8+) but have not done the second. They get the first pitch done, switch leads and up goes the leader. He traverse right, then up and protects the roof. He goes up, thrashes around above the roof for a hold and then down climbs. Up again, cuts the feet free, heel hooks left, locks off right and goes for a hold with the left. Not happening. Backs off and takes the hang. Eventually takes a pretty good whip and then finally makes it over. I'm thinking "A 10.b roof where you have to cut the feet free and heel hook?" My partner brings me up and I have a chance to converse with the leader of the other party. "Good job! Looked pretty stout for a 10.b" I say, meaning "Dude I think you were off route!" He responds "Aah! It was just a long reach." Meaning "No way I was off route. That just doesn't happen to me." Subsequently I check the guide book and he had done the second pitch of Interstice at 5.10d not the 5.10b second pitch of Birdie Party! -- Bill

Dip...do you need a partner?

Hey Don! Good karma! You got out met some new friends, got some climbing in and did some public service. Sounds like a great day to me!

Great Sadness

It's with great sadness that I report that my friend Chris Sadlej died while climbing in Poland on Saturday.

I met Chris last spring. He was doing a Post Doc at Princeton and he posted for partners. Luckily, Chris responded to my note and we became Summer of 2011 climbing partners. I introduced him to many of my (stronger) climbing buddies and he enjoyed a great season of climbing in the US. So much so , that he really didn't want to go back to Poland. Alas, he had two young daughters and a girlfriend waiting for him in Poland. We maintained our friendship through the winter and he was planning to come back to the gunks this summer. Sadly, it is not to be.

I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Chris; not only as a climbing partner but as a friend. He pushed me on the cliff as a climber, and he pushed my intellect while on the ground. He was a rare treasure who I will surely miss. I can remember a magical day at Bonticue; we climbed a bit, but, it was too hot to keep going. The sun was beating down and Julia, John, Ernesto, Chris and I were all laying out (I was in a hole, out of the sun) waiting for the sun to set. From each of our vantage points, we just talked all afternoon, all of us. we discussed climbing, life, travel, dreams and hopes. It was a day like no other; me the oldest one of the group, surrounded by such young, lively energy.

I will miss Chris very much. I will cherish the memories and be forever grateful for the moment in time that he entered my life.


Here is the article (translated) that was posted about Chris.

Yesterday afternoon, while climbing on Zamarla Turnia our colleague and friend, the great mountaineer and climber - Chris Sadlej was killed.
Chris was climbing for more than a dozen years in the Tatry, the Alps, the Dolomites, and in the U.S. , He went on expeditions to Asia and South America. His accomplishments place him in the forefront of Polish climbers of the last decade, often, seeking challenges outside the mainstream. He was an effective and well-ordered. But above all, Chris was well liked, a devoted colleague and friend. I know that his presence and actions helped many people. He was an inspiration for many young people. His passion for the mountains has infected many. He was a mentor for many people during their first mountain climbing tours. He took great pictures and he was also great writer. He was a member of the University Mountaineering Club since its beginnings. In his private life - a physicist, a scientist, he worked in Poland and abroad, with great accomplishments. He left behind two young children. Family, relatives, friends and colleagues offer their sincerest condolences. On behalf of the relatives and friends of Chris, please respect the seriousness of the situation, especially on the internet.

LIM -- Nice report! Roger's Rock is a hoot! Any crag you have to canoe to definitely rates up there! It is pretty cool to look down and see all the boats anchored while the occupants enjoy the antics of the climbers. BTW what is the brand of you harness? Seems to me the gear loops ought to be just a bit stronger!

If you rap off Double Crack on the lower tree, make sure you have 70M rope. Even with the 70 you will have to rap off the end of your ropes to hit the ground (at least this 110 pounder did). Also, hang on to you rope, otherwise it will recoil and you will not be able to grab the ends.

we rapped down to the tree at the end of "Uphill all the way". Then used the 70M to get to the ground. I should have moved right as I rapped and ended up being too far away from the hill. I had to rap off the end of the ropes to get to the ground.

Wow! Great job Jake! Yeah it definitely rates as a big day! A very big day. Looks like you had a good weather day with the exception of the wind. Was it blowing all the time when you were exposed or just on top of Mount Washington?

I have yet to do it. If Joel ever comes back to the States I will go up with him and get it done.