Muir Valley Climbing - Fall 2009
It occurred to me that I forgot to post this post! Well, I intended to edit it first and then it got lost in the shuffle. Better late than never (at least I hope when it comes to my writing).
November 2009 I was invited by my friend and climbing guide, Adam Beck, to hit the crags at Red River Gorge. I suppose one benefit of posting this late is that I can provide an update to Adam's guide status. His business was acquired by Fox Mountain Guides and Climbing School and he is now guiding through them, which if you are in the market, I highly recommend getting in touch with him.
The Red is the closest good climbing to my home in Indianapolis and with over 1600 routes provides a lifetime of climbing so you might see quite a bit of posts in regards to this region. However, I will attempt to be more specific to the routes covered and highlights of the trip that are pertinent to travelers to the area. This was a quick trip with only one full day of climbing and included sleeping in my Jeep at Miguel's Pizza.
Adam is a much better climber than I but he doesn't hesitate to scout out routes that accommodate the skill level of the group and ideally we land a spot that covers a range of grades. In addition to myself, there were other intermediate climbers in our group and an AMGA acquaintance Adam knew joined us after some small talk over breakfast at Miguel's. So we took our diverse skill range and headed over to Muir Valley.
I climb consistently at 5.8 and training to jump up a level (which I am posting my climbing progress on this site). We hiked to the Tectonic Wall and started the day on 5.9+ route called Plate Tectonics. The better climbers lead and put up a top rope and I gave it a go. It was early and we were on the shaded side of the valley and I gave up on the route when I could no longer feel my fingers. The other climbers did much better than I did in this regard and looking back on it I wonder how I could have better managed that obstacle (please send suggestions using the contact form, I'd appreciate it). I failed on that opportunity to reach the 5.9 level and that turned out to be my only chance of that day. I focused the rest of the day on better climbing techniques and rope work, leading more routes than I've done before and clearing the lines.
I watched Adam lead 5.11B on Edge-a-Sketch on The Great Wall that was inspiring. Every visit to the crags is a new learning experience and an opportunity to improve my skills. I've been spending the off-season studying Eric Horst's, “How to Climb 5.12,” and my all time favorite climbing (and life) teacher, Arno Ilgner, reading the new “Espresso Lessons,” and going though my highlights in, “Rock Warrior Way.” I'm fortunate to have a friend in Adam Beck and a wife that supports my climbing and enjoys climbing herself. 2010 is going to be a great year for climbing. Lisa and I already have some dates on the books and a little more gear to test out.
