Catching Up (Part I): Driving East and New England

In addition to traveling and climbing across as much of the country as we are able to, we are also both working on applying to grad school this fall (aiming for admission Fall 2014).  This means lots of GRE studying, emails to potential advisors and programs, and personal statement drafts during free time and on rest days.  The testing and application deadlines are fast approaching for this year, and as such we’ve fallen off the blogging wagon and are missing out on some awesome climbing time while we prepare for tests and send lots of anxiety-producing emails to important people that may or may not actually respond.  We’ve still been up to a lot of more exciting things since our last post, though!

After leaving Laramie, we had planned to make our way across the middle part of the country as fast as possible.  However, as we’re repeatedly finding out on this trip, our plans have a way of changing, and we ended up spending some time visiting Seth’s aunt Sally just outside of Chicago.  The night we arrived, Seth’s family treated us to Chicago-style deep dish pizza and convinced us that we should see the city.  The next day we took the metro (train?) and explored downtown – a big change after spending the last few weeks in Ten Sleep and Laramie.  Our Chicago highlights included the Chicago bean, walking the Magnificent Mile through the shopping district, the historical architecture, and the Lake Michigan beach.

 

The infamous "Bean" (we'd never heard of it)

 

Chicago shore of Lake Michigan

 

We continued east after our Chicago adventure.  We had to battle through way more toll booths than two Seattle-ites should ever have to deal with, but eventually we pulled into New Hampshire to see the northeast, climb at Rumney, and visit Sydney (one of Chelsea’s friends from Team Vertical World).

The gorgeous Baker River, Rumney, New Hampshire

 

We were able to experience some of the most incredible climbing of our trip so far during our stay with Sydney and the Buck family in Merrimack, as well as a bit of the equally enjoyable New England country lifestyle.  After meeting the Bucks (Steve, Denise, Eli, and Micah) and catching up with Sydney, we made plans to climb at Rumney the next day despite a pretty soggy forecast.  Sydney introduced us to her boyfriend Kyle when he came over later in the evening, and Kyle kindly offered to loan us a pretty extensive library of local area guidebooks and help us find a dry place to climb during the rainy weather.

Kyle had some awesome suggestions, but we still ran into wet rock at Rumney the following day.  Instead of spending the day climbing outside, we explored some of the surrounding small towns, took in the gorgeous New England foliage, and got some climbing in with Sydney at the gym she works at. 

 

Wet Rumney schist!

 



When the weather cleared later in the week, Kyle was able to bust out of work to head up to Rumney with us – thanks for giving us such a comprehensive tour of the area!  Sydney then took us to Patuckaway, a beautiful, forested bouldering area near the University of New Hampshire, and we had a fantastic (if challenging!) day trying Sydney’s most recommended problems.  Over the weekend, we headed south with Sydney to get in some quality plastic climbing at the first Dark Horse comp of the season, and to let Sydney and Chelsea meet up with Kayla (another ex-Vertical World team member) while Seth toured Boston College.  The comp had fun problems, and watching the climbers during the final round was great inspiration and motivation as far as increasing our own climbing levels goes over the course of this trip.

 

 

Chelsea warming up in Pawtuckaway State Park

 

Seth on the classic Hobbit Hole V3

 

 

Chelsea working Ride the Lightning V6

 

Seth on a fun V4 with some questionable rock

 

After a few days climbing in the Rumney area, we headed north to Franconia Notch State Park.  This trip had been highly recommended by Seth's grandmother, who had grown up in the area and remembered visiting Franconia Notch when she was young.  Our original plan had been to climb the classic Whitney-Gilman ridge, but the weather was again looking uncooperative, and instead we looked around the beautiful landscape and went for an awesome trail run. After our run, we made dinner at the base of the cliff and spent the night at a great little campsite.

 



Seth loves trail running

 



Overall, we really enjoyed the fall scenery and climbing in the northeast.  The schist climbing at Rumney was very challenging and really fun to play on.  The foliated rock has a texture more like wood than any rock we’ve seen elsewhere, and the mica flakes both within the crag rock and in the gravel on trails were pretty sweet as well – our climbing shoes are still glittery from little mica fragments.  The granite bouldering at Patuckaway was very different than the style at Rumney but was equally challenging and enjoyable, and the location is gorgeous; a little stream runs through the boulders down to a pond filled with cattails and rushes, and some of the problems are right on the water.

 

New Hampshire orchards are fantastic

 

Outside of climbing, we loved the New England farm stands and general culture of environmental consciousness.  We spent a lot of time exploring the farm stands, including the little stand that Sydney and Kyle keep up which supplies produce, eggs, etc. from Kyle’s farm (if you’re ever in the Merrimack area, please check it out and support them!).  We also took advantage of the fall harvest and went apple picking at an orchard very close to the Buck’s house, and may have gotten a little too excited about the apples and the unbelievably reasonable price the orchard owners were charging: we walked away from our orchard experience with a full peck of apples (read: A LOT) and a jug of cider, and we’re still working our way through them. 

Thanks to Sydney, Kyle, and the Bucks for hosting us and sharing the local experience - we had a great time with you guys, and really appreciate everything!  We were also able to spend time with Erik (Seth’s friend from school) while we were in Plymouth, and were lucky enough to run into Salz (another AAI guide from Chelsea’s summer job) at Rumney.  Both Seth and Chelsea wished that we could spend more time in the northeast, but after about a week and a half it was time to head south to Manhattan to visit Chelsea’s sister Kiki at Barnard for the college’s family weekend!  

Cracks and Boulders in Southeast Wyoming

After a highly productive ten days in Ten Sleep, we drove to Laramie WY to spend some time with friends and get in some climbing at awesome but sometimes under-the-radar areas: Laramie is home to Vedauwoo and some of the best bouldering in the state. We stayed with a few of Seth's college ski buddies, Maciej and Jenn, and their hilariously goofy dog Decker. On the way into town, Seth forced Chelsea to make a stop at the notorious Beer Crack, a sixty-degree overhanging handcrack that requires some inverted knee antics to make the exit.  Chelsea's crack skills (which still mostly involve crimping nonexistent faceholds rather than jamming) weren't up to this classic Bleedavoo boulder.  Seth, however, definitely earned his beer and burgers that night, which we had at the Crowbar in Laramie with our gracious hosts.

Doing battle with the mighty Beer Crack

Chels and Decker

 

Our first full day in the Laramie area was rainy, windy, and cold - perfect for a GRE and grad school app work day at Night Heron, a second-hand bookstore in Laramie with delicious breakfast burritos, strong coffee, and homemade pastries.  We spent most of the day there getting work done, then went back to Maciej and Jenn's to watch some kung-fu movies and hang with Maciej, Jenn, and Decker.  We also learned that Chelsea's friend Adam was serendipitously driving through Laramie on his way to Boulder CO that night, and we were able to get together for dinner and a small-scale Alpine Ascents staff reunion with Adam and Pete (an Alpine Ascents guide) 1200 miles from the office, which was unexpected and awesome.

The next day we went bouldering with Seth's friend Davin.  Davin is the bouldering pioneer of southeast Wyoming, with over 2000 first ascents from V0 to V12. We had planned to go to the Bennet Peak area, but decided instead to meet up with Seth and Davin's friend Brian at Neverland, which is located in the Laramie Range and consists of steep, wind-sculpted gneiss.  When we got there that sculpting, smoothing wind was hard at work.  It was so windy that, when bounding across the plain on our hike to the boulders, Davin's dog was blown diagonally with each leap.  Eventually we tried climbing at the sheltered Fingerpaint Cave, which is aptly named (the cave is covered in modern renditions of Native American style hand paintings) and has great routes from V4 to V10/11.  Chelsea and Seth climbed Triangle Man (V4) and worked on another V6/7 while Davin and Brian cleaned off a new line through the cave.

 

Chelsea on Triangle Man, V4.

Our next destination was a sector called The Grove, a sheltered area full of aspens and some of Neverland's best rock (e.g., a few 30+ foot long roofs on perfect stone). We went to a large boulder that had not yet been developed and found some great potential.  Davin cleaned a steep line with some cool footwork, and Seth had a great lesson in developing on a steep prow that looked to have some fun moves: Davin and Brian pointed out a number of holds that Seth wanted to use but weren't actually safe to pull on, and we logged some serious crowbar time prying them off the wall.  This upped the significantly on Seth's prow, but eventually he was able to stick a hard deadpoint move to a pocket and finish the climb.  Chelsea found a right-moving traverse that shares a start with Seth's climb and ends with a nerve-racking mantle that probably favors the smaller climber.  Next Davin, Brian and Seth showed Chelsea the Evening Wall, a sheer ~35 degree fault plane up to 20 feet high, with abundant crimps.  Chelsea climbed This Will Destroy You (V4, and one of Seth's first ascents from 2011) and a steep V5 on an adjacent wall while Davin and Brian cleaned off a harder start to the one move power climb Thunderfuck (V7), name uncertain.  Overall, it was a long, successful day.

Seth finally sticks the pocket on his prow climb.



 

Chelsea on This Will Destroy You (V4)

 

 

Davin pulling the harder start for Thunderfuck

 

After Neverland, we spent a day in Vedauwoo with Dan, one of Chelsea's friends from Seattle.  It was still pretty windy, so we found a crag that was relatively sheltered and taped up.  We climbed Lower Progressive, a techy handcrack with a wide exit (5.9+, and Chelsea's first Vedauwoo 5.9 onsight!), and Handjacker, a classic 5.7 offwidth.  A group of climbers around the corner had just finished a 5.10b and gave it good reviews, so we decided to give it a try.  This route consisted of a tricky boulder problem into a leaning hand/fist crack.  Seth took some whippers but made it to the top, and Dan and Chelsea followed.  At the end of the day, we decided to try Plumb Line (5.9+), one of Seth's favorite climbs in the area, before having dinner in town, checking out the new ice cream shop, and getting psyched on winter ski plans in the Wyo/Colorado area with Dan.   

 

 

Chelsea on the wide exit to Lower Progressive (5.9+)

photo courtesy of Dan Scott

 

 

 

Dan sending Lower Progressive

photo courtesy of Dan Scott



 

 

 

 Seth getting wedged in the fat Handjacker (5.7+)
photo courtesy of Dan Scott

 

 

  

Plumb Line (5.9+): super awesome, mega, splitter.

 

Our last day in Laramie we had planned to make a trip to Needle Peak, a bouldering area about an hour outside of town.  We felt pretty tired after the past few days of dedicated climbing, though, so we spent most of the day working, sending emails to potential grad advisors (Chelsea) and looking at programs (Seth), and then polluting Maciej's Netflix account by watching an embarrassing amount of New Girl (sorry Maciej).  We rallied for a short evening trip to the bunker area in Vedauwoo to play on Thrasher (V6), one of Seth's top five boulder problems of all time.  Thrasher is a steep climb with relatively good holds and large moves.  We didn't leave ourselves enough time or, likely, energy to send before the sun went down, but it felt good to get some end of the day climbing in.  We enjoyed a last beer with Maciej and some much needed skin recovery before packing up and getting ready to drive east the next morning.

 

 

Seth on Thrasher

 

 

Sunset in Vedauwoo





 

We had a great time visiting and climbing with everyone we were able to connect with in Laramie.  Thanks to Maciej, Jenn, and Decker for hosting us, Adam and Pete for getting in touch and hanging on their drive through, Davin and Brian for showing us the radical lines in Neverland, and Dan for rallying through grad school commitments and a cold to get in some sweet crack climbing with us!