Photos by orangekyak

After completing the Northwest Books route on our final afternoon in Yosemite, August 2006, Amanda and I took a quick timer shot before struggling to find our way down from this thing. In the distance over Amanda's left shoulder you can see Cathedral Peak, our conquest from the first day of our Yosemite visit.

Amanda sits and contemplates weighty things atop Clouds Rest, the highest granite peak in Yosemite. She seems to be mimicing Half Dome's posture.

With each pitch, the view of Budd lake and the peaks east of Cathedral kept getting better. One cool thing about climbing Cathedral Peak is that by the time you are done, you are looking down at many many neighboring mountains (including half dome in the distance, not in this shot).

From the pull-off on route 50, one can easily see how steep is the leap, and how mild is hogwild.

Once you've done the first pitch, and the first couple moves of the second pitch, the climb just gets easier and easier. Amanda had very little trouble with the whole route.

Seeing The Groove without a climber on a weekend day is a rarity. Supertopo describes it as a 6-foot-wide pipe cut in half the long way. It's fun.

Lincoln Woods, Spring 2005, Jake D. let's 'em swing while sending an arete. Photo taken by Amanda, her first day shooting a manual SLR.

It was a fine day for skiing the trails of the state park, but not the best day for climbing. This view is north? toward the chasm entrance from the middle of the chasm. Dreams of spring ...

Here's the famous noobular one working a tough "boulder route" on outdoor rock with real rock holds and no rope. We couldn't figure out how to get it to stay over the big rock. We all shouted "allez" when he climbed. I don't know what it means but I guessed maybe it meant "I'm scared that you are climbing without a rope on real rock climbing holds." I don't know what kind of holds they were, metolius maybe, but they were sharper than the colored ones at the gym. I think maybe he said they were called "homard" holds or something because I thought I heard a local guy say "homard, masshole" as we walked away and went to the gym for real climbing (with ropes).

Martin, the Brit who encouraged me to climb more rocks one summer, enjoys a few pulls at Horsepens. I listed this picture as one of the problem "Chicks," but I'm actually not quite sure what problem it is. September 2001.

Dbyte cruised up this tricky 11a on July 3, 2004. The mantle on this climb is no joke. I discovered that while getting shut down on top rope.

Once you leave that hueco on Goldenlocks, prepare to battle the pump. Perhaps next year my technique will beat the pump and I'll lead this nemesis without falling. This year, however, the steepening crack spat me out twice. Photo by Kevin. Not awful for a belayer photo. December 04.

We found this 50-foot sport climb while checking out Precious Orr. It was a good time. I led it, with a few shakes and mostly unquestionable ethics. Kevin led it after. Photo by Jeff.

Tradpuppy caught me reaching for my rack about 2/3 up Prerequisite to Excellence. December 04.

Amanda did a great job following the West Chimney on the Eaglet. She's backstepping and chimneying like a pro in this pic. I think I'll keep her!

The young man of the mountain? Amanda snapped this picture while we celebrated our five-year anniversary by climbing The Eaglet in Franconia Notch. One can't be too careful while ascending interesting geological formations in The Notch - The Old Man would be whispering in my ear if he was still holding his ground. In pace requiescat.

Gabe (cracklover) wrestled with Flesh for Lulu, but it was Lulu who took the prize on this day. This shot shows our hero straining at the crux moves.

Jake cruised Underdog (5.10a) as a warm-up. This shot shows him pulling through the crux onto the shark-fins ramp.

It took us a couple tries, tag-team style, to figure out the moves on Little Big Man (5.11b). Once we had it sussed, Jake was the one who gunned the thing. This shot shows him pulling from 30-degree overhang to a lip that falls back to 45-degree slab.

Jake fired off this shot of me making my way through the delicate moves on Egg McMeadows. It was a beautiful day. 9.11.04.

December 27, 2003 ... Kevin high steps for balance while placing gear on Quick and Dirty at TWall. This climb was a 5.8 or 5.9 and Kevin did a great job sewing it up. TWall rocks. Photo by tradpuppy.

December 27, 2003 ... hoppinbig led this 10a sport climb and I TR'd it. It was a sweet climb. This pic, by tradpuppy, may be a butt shot, but you can appreciate the weather conditions (bright sun) and beautiful rock.

I love the Pemi wilderness. These shots were taken from the summit of Mt. Garfield. The AT comes up from Franconia Notch along the Lafayette ridge on the right, crosses over Garfield (affording this fine view, among others), then heads northeast to Crawford Notch and the Presidentials.

This is the shot jakedatc took of me on clune crank. I played with it in photoshop a little to adjust the angle and give it a little bit of a drop shadow, just for kicks.

Photo by foograbinstone, belay by tcollins. June 21, 2003. The roof is a fine warmup climb, weighing in at 5.7. The roof part is rather easy, certainly not the crux of this short climb.

Grunt grunt stretch stretch ... trust those feet ... the essence of Lurch. March 2003.

The crop makes it look like Jeff is just standing on the ground playing with his nuts. Actually, he's about 15 feet over his last piece, 50 feet up, standing in a comfortable stance, playing with his nuts. duh

You'll be lucky to find this small number of climbers at the base of practice face on a fine June weekend day such as this one. Luckily, everyone was cordial and in the sharing mood, so much practice leading and top roping was done by all.

Jumaring Jeff climbing Boardwalk at Crow Hill. He's smooth. Mass Climbers rule.

What's Rage? If you asked Kevin at that moment, he might have answered that it was flipping the biner onto its gate while trying to clip in order to avoid huge pendulum on the South's biggest roof. Photo taken on Bishop's digital by me, from the top of It.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. Hoppinbig took a series of pictures of me leading Thinner (trad 5.7) at Steven King Library, South Clear Creek, Obed. I like this one because it shows how off balance I was while trying to place gear. I think I ended up placing six cams on this short route.

Here's a view of the library ("Biggest roof in the South"???) and beth crusing the bouldery start of It, 5.10a. The line follows the dihedral past three bolts to anchors just below the roof. A fun climb.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. If you're not distracted by the wonderful artwork, the line is easy to spot on this Qincy Quarries boulder problem. Photo by jumarringjeff or tcollins.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. This boulder problem at the south end of the Quarries is not stiff, but it challenges me every time. On a recent trip (March 03) with tcollins and jumarringjeff, we played around on it. TD snapped this shot of me, with Jeff spotting. I think I decked on this attempt.

Here's a topo of QQ walls. What do you think? Is it helpful? Confusing? Sorry for the fuzziness. PM me and I will email you a .gif version of it. RC.com only accepts .jpg files and graphics do not compress well as .gif.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. Belay by ambler, photo by robbovius. There's not much gear above this placement on this climb, so I wanted to make it good. I had just bought a new #3 camalot with my REI dividend the day before. It came in handy here. I ended up placing a red tricam at the top to protect the top-out. "The Groundhog Was Wrong" E-Mass rc.com'ers get-together March 1, 2003.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. Belayed by ambler, photo by robbovius. Most routes at C-Wall have thin, bouldery cruxes that earn their ratings within three moves of the ground. I bouldered the start of Ceaseless Turmoil (5.8) and placed the pink tricam you see ahead of time. When I started the lead I grabbed a mouthfull of nylon to make the first clip easier. "The Groundhog Was Wrong" Quincy Quarries Mass. RC.com'ers get-together March 1, 2003.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. This is one of the routes recently made more climbable by the 2002 Qunicy Quarries improvements. Eric made it look easy on TR here. Photo by Deb Fraser.

Me hanging on my home woody the day it was built in January 2003.

Three Mainers invaded our campsite at TWall in December 2002. See http://www.rockclimbing.com/forums/viewtopic.php?topic=22677&forum=43 for info about this rc.com non-gathering gathering. Graham proved to be one of the best climbers on the wall that weekend. This tough climb was his warmup at TWall one day.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. This is me pulling down on a short TR climb in the "new" area of the revitalized quarries. After an Irish exchange student went missing a few years back the quarries were closed. In the ensueing drain-and-dredge effort, 17 dead bodies (including FES) were found in the area. Presumed to be swimmers, cliff divers and mafia dumpees. In the past few months the quarries have been filled with dirt from the big dig which was then seeded. Organized clean-up efforts including graffiti removal have resulted in an urban climbing wonderland. Probably a 5.6 or 5.7. TR fun. Photo by Deb Fraser.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. Orangekyak bouldering on the huge slopers of Horsepens in the fall of 2001.

PLEASE COMMENT BEFORE VOTING. Ken's Crack is a nice 1-pitch hand crack at the Trapps, Gunks. It is rated 5.7.

Just look at this rock!!! This little problem, I'm told it's called centipede (to the left of millipede) and weighs in at V2, has stymied my northern crimper-lovin arse on two separate trips to horsepens. apparently focusing my slr is stymying my girlfriend.

"Drop the Anchors" at Sky Bridge, Red River Gorge. My first lead climb, an amazing route, pockety and fun with a bulgy crux. It's a 5.8, and I took the onsight. Picture was taken by belayer/road trip mate Martin, who hails from near the Peak District in England.