Photos by gblauer

My climbing/bee keeping husband is in the battle for his life. Metastatic lung cancer is ravaging his body.

gblauer working hard on the slab.

gblauer practicing her slab moves. Not a lot of chance to practice slab at the gunks.

gblauer contemplating the chimney

gblauer getting ready to get into the chimney on the 4th pitch.

gblauer after exiting the chimney.

We climbed Ewephoria, but, finished up on Too Tough to Die.

Chris, enjoying a great day at the gunks, July 23rd 2011

Mitch, Patrick and Bett checking out the lines at Stony Kill Falls. I believe climbing is forbidden, but, you would be a little crazy to try; the rock quality is pretty poor. Although I am sure you could pick your way up to the top of the falls.

gblauer working her way up an unkown climb at Smoke Bluffs.

gblauer working her way up a moderate on the burger and fries wall.

Gail working her way up Skywalker.

gblauer working her way up Diedre. Very different from Gunks climbing!

Gblauer preparing to walk off Diedre. You have two choices: Through a beautiful forest or down the slabs. We opted for the forest.

Gotta be the best 5.3 in the world!

Molly out on her first outdoor climb. She was awesome.

Molly on her first every outdoor climb. She loved Betty and went on to second High E!

Manny bringing up Gail on one of Bonticou's many climbs

We helped Ed take some local climbers out to climb on the Mota Wall. Here is a father and son enjoying Cactus Pile and I Believe I can Fly.

Chillo (Don't know how to spell his name) is only 6 years old. This was his very first time climbing. He nearly made it to the top of P1, Cactus Pile. He was a natural!

Mitch and the local Hidalgo kids hamming it up for the camera. We were taking the kids out to climb on the Mota wall.

Mitch just starting up the slabby and thin Marklar.

gblauer on an uncharacteristically cold day in Potrero. Getting ready to start up Ramsey's, a great, new 3 pitch 5.9+.

Chris was cycling from Tennessee to southern Mexico and lamenting the fact that he didn't have any gear to try some EPC climbing. (He used to climb many years ago in the dacks). We scrounged some gear and took him out climbing. He was thrilled.

gblauer working her way up Bogus Journey. A nice, easy climb up on the TNT call.

Kelly and Marcos on Milk Cow Blues. Kelly is working her way to the crux (near hueco)

gblauer at the start of Selam. I think this is one of the nicest moderate 10's in the Virgin Canyon. At 140 feet, the climb just keeps on giving.

Luc finishing Selam, a very long 10 in the Virgin Canyon. Two ropes requried to get off, or rap to Flying Scorpian anchors.

Mitch getting ready to jump on the tyrolean traverse. It's not required to get off the climb, but, it sure is fun!

After we did Space Boyz, I had some energy to run Selam. Personally, I think Selam is the best moderate 10 in the park.

Mitchal doing the tyrolean traverse to get to the raps to get off of Crescent Moon Buttress.

"Gee, I have to remember how this works..."

you can free solo from the anchors on the last pitch to the summit register or you can set up a hand line from the bolts on the ridge.

Josee just about finishing P7. You have to rap into the start of P7.

Ed running up P4, a tricky 10 that takes you on the sharpest rock you have ever climbed.

Cacti, needles, pointy things everywhere you walk. I sat on one of these by accident (the descent is pretty harsh), I have many puncture wounds!

Sandra climbing up to the crux on P1. Nice face climbing, the rock had a ton of friction. Hands/feet stick to everything.

Not very exciting...desert all around. Very dry and dusty. You are up pretty high from where you park.

It's fun to climb Crescent Moon Buttress in a group. We did it with 4 parties of two. Here we are getting our gear together for the 25 minute approach

The climb starts at the base on the far right, climbs up and over the arch, down into the saddle back up the face, raps into the saddle again and two more pitches to the summit.

gblauer at the top of the fixed line, heading to the slabby descent off the TNT wall. I scooted on my butt, paid for it, Mitch had to pick out a lot of cactus needles!

This is a climb on the TNT wall, way above the Mini Super wall. It's un-named, two pitch 10.

After climbing the stairs and hiking the scree slope we found ourselves at the base of skytop buttress. It's a new 3 pitch climb behind the pools far right of the Wonder Wall.

gblauer enjoying the farmer's market in Hidalgo. It's the first time I have seen them selling baby chicks...so cute!

Mitchal leading P1 of Bogus Journey. Nothing bogus about the pain in his wrist! He has not recovered from his wrist surgery and climbing is difficult and painful.

Mitchal leading a single pitch climb apparently bolted by some gunkies. It's not a destination climb, but it's on the way down from a climb called Skytop Buttress, a new, great, "must do" when in the Potrero

Jaime leading Ken's Crack. His first 5.7 trad lead. He did a great job sewing it up.

gblauer finding her way up a line at Bonticou. It looked easy so we decided to go for it. Fun climb, well protected, but quite a bit of suspect rock (loose, detached etc)

Lori enjoying her climbing at Bonticou. Great lines abound.

Jaime enjoying the beautiful climbing at Bonticou