Category Archives: Climbing

Posts about…you guessed it – climbing! Trip reports, anecdotes, and musings about my favorite recreational pasttime.

A Bit of “Pre-Season” Climbing…

Aug 16 2017

Wow. It has been TWO months since I last posted here…I think that’s a record! Our summer has been busy, but mostly with family beach vacations and pool/water park adventures. Exciting and fun? Of course! But fit for a climbing blog – not so much. Speaking of climbing, fall is quickly approaching, and WE. CANNOT. WAIT. Those first few fall trips are always like a bird being let out of a cage to see if its wings really work. We’ve been gym rats all summer – hangboarding, core work, and even an impromptu bouldering comp. Soon it’ll be time to get…Read the rest of this entry →

(FINALLY!) Back at the NRG

Jun 14 2017

It only took us until the middle of June this year, but we FINALLY made it back up to one of our favorite places in the entire world this past weekend. All spring it seemed we had one logistical issue after another – weather, partners, schedules, you name it. The only other time we’ve gone this long without climbing at the New River Gorge was the year Little Zu was born, when we skipped spring/summer up there entirely and waited til fall. But now all is right in the world. It may be too little too late when it comes to…Read the rest of this entry →

Low Gravity Days at Hidden Valley

Jun 07 2017

For anyone that is interested in beta for sending the steeps at Hidden Valley, VA, here it is – 1. Climb back to back 3 day weekends at the Red River Gorge. 2. Go to Hidden Valley and try hard. You won’t walk away empty-handed, I promise! Our climbing schedule this month was planned out in detail very far in advance completely impromptu based on the weather, but it seemed to really work for us. After all the steep climbing we’ve been doing lately, I decided I wanted another shot at Gristle 12a, a route I’d tried once before back in April.…Read the rest of this entry →

Rainy Red River Gorge Adventures…Round 2.

May 31 2017

If I could pick one word to sum up spring climbing season this year, it would be “rain.” We just can’t seem to buy any sun around here. The good thing about that is that we haven’t had grueling hot temperatures. The bad thing is that we’ve been limited as to our climbing destinations. For example, we have been to the New exactly ZERO times in 2017. Meanwhile, we just got home from back to back 3 day weekends at the Red, which we have never even considered doing before. Don’t get me wrong, the Red is awesome…but the 6+…Read the rest of this entry →

Rainy Red River Gorge Adventures!

May 23 2017

If there’s one thing you can count on when planning trips to the Red River Gorge in the spring, it’s rain. While rain doesn’t generally equate to the best climbing conditions, there is thankfully one other thing you can count on at the Red – there will be dry rock NO MATTER WHAT. And not just 5.12 and up dry rock – but dry rock at all grades. So when we saw rain percentages hovering in the 80-90% ranges, we just tossed the rain gear in the van and hit the road as planned. Thankfully, skies were clear when we set…Read the rest of this entry →

“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN