This week I’m going to be in Houston on business. As such, I can’t promise much for posts. But! who knows. we shall see.

My birthday weekend was pretty spectacular. Below, I’ve included some pictures of Tony and me climbing at Main Cliff in CT.

We only did two climbs as we started a bit late. First I lead Broadway, a CT 5.8 classic. It went pretty well, no real issues. I’m feeling more comfortable leading eights. Provided they have Good gear placement options.

In this picture, I’m just to the right of the overhang.

The weather was ideal for climbing. Just enough of a slight breeze to keep you cool but not overwhelming.

There’s a copperhead snake that has made its residence between two rocks up by the top of Carey’s Corner. we kept our distance for obvious reasons.

We’ve seen it there a few times, so if you happen to head out there keep an eye out for it. It’s not in the actual climb, but instead up past the permanent anchor over the top. Just watch where you step.

As I was leading Broadway I put in my number 1 cam a bit too tightly into the rock. Tony had a heck of a time taking it out. You can see that both sides of each individual cams are jammed against the side of the rock. While the piece certainly would have protected me had I fallen, it was a pain in the butt to remove.

After polishing off Broadway, I gave Tony an opportunity to lead a 5.4. He had no major issues. When setting anchor he dropped a rock the size of a softball down at me, but thankfully gave me enough warning (ROCK! HUGE ROCK!) so that I could run to safety.

We climbed until well after dark. Thankfully we’ve fallen into the habit of taking flashlights with us when we hike into the woods.

It was a really fantastic birthday.