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So I got my gear. It’s not quite all of it, as the nuts and carabiners are still on the way. That said, it’s still an exciting and impressive rack. Check it out:

Along the top there are my Black Diamond Camalots.

The number four, shown above, is the largest that I purchased. You can get larger ones, and I may get one down the road, but for now this will surely do.

Just underneath those are some Metolius cams for smaller crack applications. To the left is my Petzl helmet, grigri*, and Metolius gear sling,and to the right is my Metolius nut removal tool and adjustable anchor line.

*A grigri is a belay device that won’t slip if you let go. That way my partner can feel confident that I am providing a solid belay no matter what.

Just under that we have a collection of slings, a stray camalot that should have been placed up top, and a swath of wiregates complete with force spec.

The wiregates are handy for clipping to sports routes and to the end of your slings. The gate is made out of… well… wire. So it’s lighter to carry than a typical carabiner.

Finally, beneath all that is my rope and my rope bag. Special thanks to my awesome parents for paying for these. It’s a 60 meter 9.9mm dry rope which should be A+ for lead climbing. The rope bag is a stylish red and black Black Diamond bag.

I am extremely stoked.

Climbing gear is here. Photos will come soon.

Yesterday I was let out of work at noon due to the inclement weather. I played some guitar with Shaun L. worked on some homework and then hit up the climbing gym with Pete.

They gym was practically empty.

Rarely are so many ropes available, so we decided to do an experiment. Each rope in the gym is numbered and there are 34 ropes (ignoring the learning wall, which consists of scads of 5.5’s.) Could we start on rope one, and climb on every rope in the facility? Most of the ropes have numerous climbing routes on them. There are only a few that provide limited options. Could we do it? Would we be victorious?

Well… it was close. Pete was climbing like a champ staying at a steady 5.8-5.10 pace. I rocked heavy early on with a 5.12a, 5.9skywall, 5.10c combo but it killed me later in the game. we got to the final rope. Rope 34… and I failed. I could only get halfway up the wall on a 5.9. My left hand was shot. It physically could not grip the wall.

It was triumphant and completely devastating all in one… Pete successfully climbed 17 of the 34 routes. I successfully climbed 16.5.

My hands ache this morning. It was a good night.

On Sunday Jesse, Irene, John, Pete and I decided to go climbing at East Peak.

To say it was a learning experience is an understatement.

We arrived at Hubbard Park at about 11am. Our supplies were plentiful but our plan was vague.

Supplies:
The Lunchbox of Legends
Two Static Ropes
One Dynamic Rope
Slings & webbing aplenty
Water bottles aplenty
Many layers of clothes
Harnesses, shoes, biners, etc.
One guide book

Plan:
Find the crag.
Climb the crag.

Our hike in started smoothly but quickly worsened as we foolishly decided to leave the trail for a scramble to the tall walls in the distance. Our path was treacherous at best as it climbed up a steep hill covered in loose rocks and leaves. The fact that our ankles survived is a minor miracle. For the better part of 45 minutes we half walked, half crawled our way to the cliff’s base where we finally met some other climbers.

John asked what the best way to the top was so that we could set up our anchors and get to climbing. We were told of two options. We could take the long trail around… or scurry up a 5.1 gully.

We chose the gully and found ourselves sloppily scrambling up yet another awkward vertical path. 40 minutes later we had reached the top with all our gear. It was now well after 1:00pm and we had yet to set up a real climb.

We walked the paths at the top of the cliff looking for a route when we finally came across what we believed to be “Thor’s Hammer.” Pete and Irene were going to rappel down after the anchors were placed, but Jesse and I (not feeling comfortable rappelling) decided to hike. This way we’d also be able to guide them in their rope placement.

John, who had prior commitments had to leave before we even started climbing. He decided to walk the trails out of the park and call us to let us know the best route.

The hike to the base was not smooth. Once again, we found ourselves without a trail holding onto roots and cracked rocks on a 35 degree incline. Upon reaching our destination, Jesse and I realized there was no turning back; we could not hike down what we had just hiked up. There was only one way out, and it was up. Balloon #1: the belay ledge of no return.

After setting up the ropes, we agreed that Jesse should climb first. It was getting close to 3:00 and we were nervous about the sun setting, leaving us stranded without head lamps. What was most disconcerting was that these routes, as described by the guide book, were not particularly easy. There was a 5.8 somewhere on the wall but it was sandwiched between a 5.11 and a 5.13. Thor’s hammer itself was a 5.9, but it required hand jams which, for us gym climbers, can make for a harrowing experience. We were unsure as to whether we would physically be able to escape from our current location. Especially if all four of us ended up at the base. And if we misplaced any of anchor’s we’d find ourselves stranded on a jagged exposed wall without any options above us, or below us.

Thankfully we all had cell phones so Jesse and I were able to call up to Irene and Pete to tell them not to rappel down until one of us had successfully climbed out. That way, in the worst scenario where someone was stranded, we could physically haul them out from the top.

Jesse attempted Thor’s Hammer. Burdened by mental uncertainties, he struggled greatly. When he finally reached the dropped anchor, we realized that it had been dropped too low (Balloon #2). In order to top out (topping out means climbing to the top and the over the top so you’re standing on the top of the cliff) Jesse would have to climb the last 20 feet or so freely. This was clearly unacceptable. So another 15 minutes passed with Jesse hanging on mid-route as Irene and Pete set up an additional anchor and eventually tossed him a line of webbing to tie into in case of emergency.

Once Jesse was up, the three of them fixed the anchor (Balloon #3) and then Irene rappelled down. She attempted Thor’s Hammer next but lost the route a third of the way up. Unfortunately, during the bottom half of the climb the anchor is about 15 feet to the left of where the crack is. So if you drop, you swing across the rock. Irene swung over to another crack and decided to climb that instead (Balloon #4). This was a 5.11 and it was not cooperating with Irene.

Once Irene topped out Pete chose not to tempt fate. He stayed on top, deciding to forfeit his climbing experience that day in exchange for safety. At the bottom, the sun had inched around the southeast facing wall and it started to get cold. I put on all my extra clothing and started tying the backpacks and the lunchbox of legends to the extra rope that they had dropped from the top. Jesse and Pete hauled that line up as I tied myself into the final rope.

I used my cell phone to call up.

mike d: “am I on belay?”
Jesse: “… irene is he on belay? Yeah mike. you’re on belay.”

and then I started my ascent up Thor’s Hammer.

Thor’s Hammer is a mildly intimidating climb. The thin red line in the image above shows the route. As you can see, it follows a corner of rock up and around a number of overhangs. The first of which is the crux (Balloon #5). When you reach this spot the roof hangs about five feet out from the wall and about five feet to the left of the crack. There’s a crack in between the overhang and the main rock face. It screams for hand jamming.

First, I pulled myself out away from the wall and splayed my feet out across the mostly barren wall below. After getting one or two feet from the crack, I stuck my forearm into the crack and squeezed my fist. It provided just enough umph to release my second hand and repeat that process. With my fists jammed in a crack over my head, I swung my feet one at a time over to a larger chip. I could then swing my left arm around the edge and grab the arete.

It was extremely awesome.

Once you get around that roof, the crack opens up enough so that you can get your elbow or knee inside. Apply torque and it’s not too difficult to inch yourself up. And because this is Trap rock, easily identifiable by its step like appearance, foot chips are numerous. once through, the crack widens further until you can fit inside and comfortably shimmy your way to the top.

I topped out just after 4pm. We quickly packed our gear and followed the trails out of the park. We finally reached the parking lot twenty minutes after sundown. What a relief it was simply to know that we were alive and well after such an adventure.

If you’re interested in seeing the rest of Pete’s photography from Sunday, check out his gallery here. He puts it nicely when he says “Overall I would say this felt less like a climbing experience and more like a survival one.”

Last night post rock climbing Jesse and I invited Irene, Kay, April, and Jeff back to the House of Rock for dinner. Jesse had hit up the grocery store earlier in the day and we tried one of the meals from the Essential Asian book that my sister gave me for Christmas.

It was a pineapple chicken dish that transcended delicious. Never before have I used roasted shredded coconut as a garnish. I highly recommend it.

This dish will probably be made again in the future, at which point I’ll have to remember to take photographs.

It was a wonderful evening.

Even after a huge feast of pulled pork earlier this week, I decided to make a ham last night. It came out great! 10 pounds of delicious delicious ham.

Now we have all sorts of leftover ham. And I’m excited to say that I’ll finally be able to dive into my new Asian cookbook. Tonight I’m going to pick up a few scallions from the food store on the way home from work and then I’m going to make some fried rice. It looks simple enough: egg, diced ham, brown rice, peanut oil, etc.

If I can remember, I’ll snap a few photos and post about it tomorrow.

In other news, this past Tuesday I hit up the climbing gym with Irene, Pete, and Jesse. While there I tried a frighteningly difficult climb that is rumored to be somewhere in the high 5.12 low 5.13 area. There’s one move near the top that requires a powerful left hand bump from one sloper to another. I tried the move about half a dozen times unsuccessfully.

This morning, two days after those 6 attempts, my left arm still feels destroyed.

*NOTE: IF YOU ARE USING INTERNET EXPLORER, THE FORMATTING OF THIS WEBSITE WILL PROBABLY BE SERIOUSLY MESSED UP*

I took the day off from work today (Friday) to head out to the gunks for rock climbing with Jesse, Kay, Devin, and Trainer.

This was a pretty big deal for a few reasons. First, I’ve never taken a day off from work in order to climb. Second, I’ve never been to the gunks… and the Gunks are huge. Physically and iconically. Here’s some info on the gunks.

‘Gunks’ is short for Shawangunk. The Shawangunk ridge is located in NY and is considered the premier climbing location in New England. According to Wikipedia, ‘Shawangunk’ has its roots from the Danish word for “smokey air.” There are a few theories as to why it was named in this way, but these stories are not nearly as exciting as the physical rock.

According to Trainer the ridge was formed when the North American Tectonic Plate smashed into the African Tectonic Plate. The mayhem that ensued resulted in a wall of fantastic rock jutting out from the otherwise flat terrain. Interestingly, Trainer also pointed out that when the rock, which had formed in nice horizontal layers, was violently pushed upwards, it tilted 22 degrees. So all of the faces and horizontals are 22 degrees off the horizontal (or vertical). The rock itself is a conglomerate of sandstone and quartz that overlays a bunch of shale. As the ridge was battered by the elements the shale wore away and the quartz and sandstone stayed… this resulted in wicked awesome overhangs perfect for rock climbing.

We left the House of Rock at about 5:30 and got to the cliff base a few hours later. The ridge itself was shrouded in fog so during our approach we didn’t have a solid understanding of how mammoth the ridge really was. While we lost the awe factor we gained the Lord of the Rings factor. The fog made the area appear quite surreal.

Foggy Gunks

The veterans brought us over to a simple 5.7 and 5.8 to start. (The names escape me at the moment, but I’m sure that Devin will comment to this post and enlighten us all as to the names of all climbs climbed.) Devin lead route #1 and then dropped a top rope at route #2.

Now it should be said that Devin gets great pleasure out of setting up crack climbs. Cracks are deadly for the typical gym rat because most rock climbing gyms are not conducive to crack training. Gym climbers are typically much stronger at face climbing. Since I am just beginning to explore the outdoors, but can rock out on gym like face climbs, Devin enjoys stumping me with cracks. In the picture above the first climb we worked on drives straight up the center where the tree is. The second climb can be seen over to the right where the second rope is located.

Here’s a picture of Jesse rocking out on climb #2:

Jesse in action.

Once those two climbs were completed I lead my first route: a 5.2 (don’t laugh. leading is complicated). Leading is 50% climbing and 50% mind-game. With Devin’s support and the physical ease of the 5.2 climb, I could focus on the concepts of placing gear.

Leading was interesting. It will be a minor miracle when I can lead a 5.10. This is a picture taken from a ledge so large you could easily park four Buicks across it.

Mike’s first trad route, note the weak gear placement.

After whipping this out we played on a route with a sweet overhang also lead by Devin. Check it out:

Genuine Awesome

Please note, the little blue dot in the upper left is me and the handful of little colorful dots at the base of the cliff are Devin, Trainer, and Kay. This route was pretty much as fun as you can get for a 5.7.

I finished up the day with one final crack climb that encouraged some funky finger jams. I ‘cheated’ on a few of the finger jams by retreating to the adjacent rock face and leaning back off the crack… using it more like an edge then a crack. I could feel Devin’s disappointment in me. Even still, it was a fun time.

Devin and Mike D, relaxing pre-crack.

Today was a feast of fat. Breakfast was a typical buffet: eggs, potatos, cream of rice… Lunch consisted of a Royal Red Robin Burger, whose toppings include bacon, lettuce, a fried egg, and grease. It was delicious. Dinner was a new york strip steak with a side of spinach and pecan pie for dessert from Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Wow? yes. steak served in a platter of sizzling butter? yes please. in regards to food, today was ideal.

In regards to work, today was not ideal. I did very little. Really, I did nothing at all outside of move some wires in a terminal block and dust off our equipment. A few of our team mates weren’t ready for us yet, so I paced from about 6am to 4pm. Tomorrow should be better.

Also, check out Pete’s climbing pictures from our adventures at Main Cliff.

I am down in the dumps! and it stinks!

The reasons for my current downedness are as follows:

1. My Advanced Dynamics Class final is next Wednesday and it will be Brutal
2. Texas looms
3. The next nine days are already scheduled to the brim with mandatory activities.

Sander comments that I really can’t complain because the classes and such are my own decision. He has a good point and I’ll do what I can to limit my whining.
< whining >
Didn’t we all complain about undergrad though? we didn’t really have to take those classes either.
< /whining >

Basically what I’m trying to say here is that I’ve decided to buy a full rack of rockclimbing traditional equipment. What better way to lighten my mood then to buy hundreds of dollars worth of climbing equipment?

click more for the plan…
(more…)

This weekend was A+ and not just because it contained nearly 10 hours of rock climbing.

Saturday I hit up the rock gym with Mechanical Pete and Simon the German. My arms were miserably sore from a Friday workout, but my hands were steel traps. I attempted a few 12’s, but didn’t have nearly as much success as last Thursday. I did come to a major realization regarding the 5.12 with which I have been struggling.

There is one particular move which is so perfectly awkward that it’s nearly impossible to do slowly. I’ve found that the discomfort level increases rapidly, almost to an asymptote, at that one move. See red line on graph:

The only way I can get through the crux is if I ride the comfort momentum and swing through the moment of difficulty, not unlike bridging the current spike on a MosFet. Note the blue line on the graph above. With this realization, I expect little difficulty in the future.

Saturday night I checked out Big Shot (a billy joel cover band) at the bar Rookies in Cromwell. I wasn’t entirely impressed with the bar, but the band was top notch. Their sound was so perfectly full. The singer sounded exactly like Billy Joel and the bassist had the most unbelievable look of apathy for most of the show.

Sunday, I zipped over to Main Cliff at Ragged Mountain and played with the routes Y.M.C. and Carey’s Corner. Devin, Irene, Mechanical Pete, Tony, Paulette, and Nick were there. It was a climbing party.

Carey’s Corner is a route that follows two unpleasent offwidths. An offwidth is a crack that is just a little too big to use a hand jam. Instead, you kind of have to stick half your body into the crack and torque your body to push against each side. Then you inch your way to victory any way you can.

It was a great weekend.

If you want to see extremely awesome bouldering, check out this very well produced video of a climbing competition at a gym in Salt Lake City.

It really captures the adrenaline and power of the climbers.

1. I took a vacation day today so that I can study for an advanced dynamics mid-term that I have tonight

2. I went climbing last night… and had the most amazing climbing night.. of ever. After warming up and stretching out, I tried the 5.12 that has been royally kicking my butt. It defeated me. Now usually after I try that climb my fingers have turned into a soft putty and are unable to lift even the lightest of objects, but yesterday… yesterday my fingers were showing unnatural resilience. So I jumped back on that thing and failed again. Even after two attempts, my fingers were stainless steel, so I tried a third time. As I reached the final move, my left hand gripping an awkward block, my right hand clenching a tight crimp, I realized… my fingers are not the least bit tired. I finished the move and rejoiced at my accomplishment.

But I wasn’t done. I felt strong.

So I jumped on another 11d/12a on a different wall that I had been unable to successfully climb. I smoked it. No problem. Then I jumped on a third 5.12 that is known for giving young children wicked nightmares of inadequacy. I reached the very last hold before falling from the wall.

Five 5.12 attempts: two first ascents, three darn close.

The night was marvelous.

I’m relatively happy at the moment. And while I’m not sure why, it probably has a lot to do with a hearty rock climbing session last night. Jesse and I worked laps. What a rush.

In just 20-30 minutes our hands were reduced to silly putty… barely able to hold onto a grip the size of a telephone handset. Our forearms pumped and expanded to near Popeye proportions.

When you do laps usually by the last few your mind isn’t really thinking much. Instead, your body just performs the moves. It’s crazy.

I’m headed to Atlanta, Georgia for a week long exposition. I should be returning next Thursday evening… at which point I’ll probably just get up and leave for a week in Texas. I will do what I can to post regularly or semi-regularly.

I think Shaun McQuaid might be mildly disappointed in today’s post. Yes… yes… I waited all day… but finally I’m getting my act together and am posting the weekend update. So here it is:

Climbing at Cathole
a post by mike d.

Sunday was a perfect fall day.

Jesse, Devin, and I took advantage of it by heading over to Cathole Pass in Meriden CT. We set up the rope on two routes that I have mentioned previously: Saturday Night Special and Millions of Dead Dogs.

After a comfortable warm up on Saturday Night Special, we started working on MoDD. I think I have decided that, of those climbs in CT that I have climbed, this Dead Dogs route is my favorite outdoor climb in CT.

Cathole is especially fun because it’s a very exposed cliff. Anytime while you’re climbing you can glance off to the right and get a beautiful view of the fall awesomeness. Anyway, back to the route.

What makes this route fun, in my opinion, is the top. The last 20 feet or so, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, is covered in Razor Crimps. This time, I climbed the route with my camera and took a sweet photo.

So amazing! Here are more pictures from Sunday!

Overall a pretty stellar day, though chilly at times. I look forward to our return to this spot.

Once you climb a few rocks, you look at everything as a potential climb.

Call me sacreligious, but occasionally when I’m in church I can’t help but imagine climbing the ornate walls. I see the designs and try to mentally figure out the best way to navigate the moves

Lean back off the arch, heel hook the leafy orb… right hand to the trim, pull up, shift weight and mantle off the top of the column…

The feasibility of the climb would depend a lot on the air flow within the church and whether or not a coating of dust covered the higher hand holds. But really, I don’t think it’d be too bad. My church here in Meriden probably has a few solid 5.9’s and one or two 5.11’s (lots of slopers.)

mike d: those are fantastic pants
fantastic pants girl: thanks!
mike d: they look extremely comfortable
fantastic pants girl: they are!

This weekend was ideal.

Friday: climbing, kung fu
Saturday: music, kung fu
Sunday: climbing, music

That pretty much sums up the things in life that I love.

While each of these events was exciting, the climbing yesterday was of particular interest. Jesse, Irene, M.C. and I hit up ‘cathole pass’ in Meriden. Cathole was named such because of bobcats that used to run rampant in the area. Now, there’s a lot less bobcats and a lot more highway (these may or may not be independent variables).

The climbing was fantastic. I zipped up four routes. And if I haven’t talked about naming routes in climbing on this website, there’s no better time than now. When someone completes a route for the first time they usually have the priviledge of naming said route. As a result, there are some funky named routes out there. Here’s what we did yesterday.

Pegasus: pretty easy 5.8+, but it was on the edge of a ridge, so not only did you have nothing above you or below you, there was nothing to your right either. This is a classic CT climb and one of the most famous 5.8’s in the region.

Saturday Night Special: an easier 5.8. Though apparently some people call it a 5.9-. this one was quick, but it gave me a bit of sass when I approached a crack from the wrong side

Cat-o-nine tails: Super fun, 5.9 (I thought it felt more like a 5.10) and even more exposed than Pegasus. Strenuous at times, but not overwhelming. There were a few spots that really made you think

Millions of Dead Dogs: 5.10- one of the most fun climbs I’ve done outside. The top is covered in what can only be referred to as ‘razor crimps.’ Super sharp thin ledges that feel like they are going to cut your fingers. When on the route, and searching for hand holds, the sharper the better. Because if it’s sharp you know it’s a positive hold and something that will provide some good leverage. Also, “millions of dead dogs” is the perfect example of a ridiculous route name.

Check out all the climbs, and their names, with this handy drawing.

Two bits of awesome news:

1) I climbed my first 5.12b/c at the gym last night. It’s been a work in progress for the past few months and last night I zipped through it cleanly. The climb starts off pretty brutal and remains consistent for most of the climb. I am still not doing it as efficiently as I think I could… but it’s a big step for me.

It’s an amazing feeling reaching up and grabbing a hold with your right hand and feeling your fingers slowly failing. You know you probably only have about 3/4 of a second before that right hand will not be able to hold on any longer so you make a desperate grab for the next hold with your left hand. You STICK it. and immediately your right hand slips off the previous hold. But you’re solid.

It’s exhilarating.

2) We are trying to work it out so that we can have our ROCK SHOW at the ROCK GYM.

please take a moment to re-read that last sentence and realize how awesome that would be.

Rock Show@Rock Gym

If we could pull that off… it’d be huge. HUGE. Asprin Snacks performing at the gym? I think yes.

I went rock climbing at Ragged mountain yesterday in Southington with Irene and Pete. It was really great. The weather was perfect and the rock was beautiful.

I love climbing with Pete. He’s an older guy whose patience and willingness to teach is awe inspiring. You’ll be half way up a climb, fingers limp from exhaustion and mind numb from 30 minutes of trying the same move again and again… and Pete will speak calmly from the base and coach you and encourage you. He’s great.

The highlight was a climb called “sublime.” It’s about a 100 ft ascent along a crack in the rock. The rock is perfect with really tight crimps and the occasional bucket. This has been one of the few times where I’ve needed to use hand jams. A hand jam is where you stuff your hand, wrist, fingers, etc, into a crack and then twist it until you have enough resistance to pull yourself upwards. It’s mildly painful but very effective.

The other great highlight of the weekend? I finally had some time to sit down and write out sax parts for THE BAND. I spoke to great lengths on Saturday night about the band with Erich (alto player) and we have planned a jam session for next Sunday. I am extremely excited. We’re hoping for a Big Gig sometime in early 2007.

It’d probably be smart to just pencil us in for every weekend in January, February, and March. You won’t want to miss this.

Last night Jesse and I went climbing again. It was a wild success. Not only did I whip through the 5.11 that I had been working on (got it cleanly!), I reached the top of a brutal 5.12b. I’ve done the 5.12b once or twice before but last night was particularly awesome because it means that even after a few months of non-climbing, I am right back where I left off.

So after a summer of almost zero climbing, I am back FULL force. Saturday I climbed outdoors at pinnacle rock in Plainsville CT with Irene and K. It was a solid good time. We set up two ropes, one at ‘Emerald City’ and another at a name-unknown 5.10ish crimpy beast just to the right of beefy overhanging Supermantle. We met a few folks who were busy battling Supermantle. Irene tied in and gave the climb a shot but just barely missed a critical left hand two finger pocket on her first try. It would have been hilarious had she pulled it off because these 6 foot tall grunting dudes without shirts would certainly have been humbled if 5′2″ Irene cruised up their prize route on her first try. I was routing for her.

Sunday, Abby and Lori visited for an indoor climbing experience. They did pretty well and showed plenty of confidence (which, to a belaying teacher, is very much appreciated). They said they had a blast. I have yet to meet a person who hates rock climbing.

I hit the gym again last night with a couple easy climbs. I found a 5.11 that I’m going to make my new project. There’s a move about 10 feet up that requires a left hand lunge up to a less than awesome pinching hold.

I will defeat it yet!

The odometer on the Phoenix broke today, just like the Diva. It was stuck at 180173. Upon noticing this, I groaned because I would lose my ability to track mpg. But then suddenly, about 14 miles later, it started working again. It had regenerated itself. Just like the Berserker Trolls in Warcraft II. That’s right. You know what I’m talking about.

In other news we went climbing last night for the first time since… probably June. There was a girl at the gym with Fantastic climbing pants. They were really great pants. well fit at the waist, but perfectly baggy to allow for climbing maneuvers. I don’t think my eyes have ever seen such perfect pants. I should have told her how much I appreciated her pants, but I don’t really know how to tell someone that I think their pants are awesome without sounding extremely strange. If I see Fantastic Pants Girl at the gym again and she happens to be wearing those great pants, I will have to make sure I throw my self conscience aside and let her know that her efforts for Bauhaus-like ’style via functionality’ did not go unnoticed.

Devin, a climbing friend, has taken time off from his otherwise studeous starbucks lifestyle to live the dreams of corporate climbers everywhere. He has driven to Colorado for non-stop climbing adventures.

There are some pictures located here.

Here are some highlights from his first e-mail recap:

The first pitch was spicy. Its protected by 3 bolts,
200 feet of climbing and 3 bolts. Friction climbing
too, that “forget about your hands pay attention the
the little nothings your feet are on” insecure slab
climbing…really fun.

A longer quote
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Last night I went climbing for the first time in a long time. Lately I’ve just been bouldering a lot because Jesse injured his hand, but last night I met up with some folks at the gym, donned my harness, and tied into the ropes. It was rejuvenating. There’s a 5.12b that’s been consistently punching me in the face. By the halfway point my fingers really want to fall off a little bit. After two or three falls, I can eventually reach the top at which point my patient belayer lowers my limp limbs to the floor. Unfortunately, every time I get down from that route, beaten, bleeding, and broken, some teenager old runs over, clips in, and skirts up it like it was a staircase.

I hate teenagers*.

*all teen mikedidonato.com readers excluded