Far Out Son of Lung...

Cracks

I'm tired.
Tired tired. Enchanted Rock was a great experience and we had an absolute blast out on the granite. I learned some of the basics of crack climbing and was able to climb Sweat (5.7), Eat (5.9) and Little Feet (5.9+) though it took some additional instruction, patience and takes from Rock Gal. Each of the climbs had its own set of challenges and certainly provided me with quite a bit of opportunity for cussing, frustration and falling. Still, it was a great experience and I look forward to going back and trying again.

Off or On?
During our weekend experience we learned that free, Herbal Insect Reppellant works much more effectively as insect attractant. In fact, it works very well on flys, gnats and bees. They seem to smell the stuff and decide that if the mosquitos won't have any of it, they might as well dive in and enjoy. Gnats also seem to have an accute ability to fly into one's ears and nose in the middle of a difficult move, and this made for some rather interesting flailing.

Primitive Camping
However cool, is easily foregone for a shower and gnat-less sleeping experience, which can be found at the Lady Bird Park in Fredericksburg, a short drive from Enchanted Rock. It provides a nice pallette of grass, a bug free environ and a bathroom that flushes. I still love camping, but when you are exhausted from climbing, sore and sunburned, sometimes you have to just give in and go for the comfy place.

Jamming
"So, you just stick your hand in thumb down and find a good spot to set the jam. Then, turn your elbow down until it locks in place and you can move on it."

Right. Wedge my hand into the crack, then twist my body unnaturally until the rock imprints on my skin and my hand is securely stuck in the crack. Then standup, find another jam with the other hand and try to figure out ho to get my first hand free of the jam.

Jamming hurts. Foot jams involve turning your foot sideways before sticking them into the crack as far as possible... crank your knee & ankle up to lock your foot into the crack and then stand up. Toes crushed? Good. Painful? Excellent. Hands are still worse though. But in the end, after all the cussing, sweating, bitching and general "I can't believe this is how you do this" comments, it is incredibly rewarding.

And, of all the beautiful scenery we saw, all the incredible cracks we climbed and places we hiked to... I don't have a single picture.

posted by GreSam @ 12:10