Friday, May 15, 2009

Clark Mountain

Oh yes! Tis true, believe it or not, I climbed on a rope for the first time in a long while.  I mean talk about weak shit when it comes to holding on for more than like 10 moves in a row.  I found my weakness and I'm psyched to develop and strengthen it above and beyond a new level in my endurance game. 
 It all began with a massive hike that quickly gained elevation with a full load of camping gear, check!  Climbing gear, check!  Food, check!  WATER, uuhhhh.  
Once up in the mix of the first tier(the crux) hiking began to mellow out.  A couple laps on some fun warm ups, than a quick 15 minute dash to the second tier(base camp).  From here on out the hike was a breeze, no more camping gear etc..  The view from here is absolutely spectacular, makes one want to never leave such a place of peace and solitude.  
With a comfy camp setup, bottle of wine, and some delicious instant grub, dazing off into a dreamlike fantasy realm of existence was almost inevitable.  After a long beautiful night of no sleep due to high levels of excitement and spiders crawling across my face, the fun finally began.
 Pictured below is what I believe to be one of the top 5.14's in the country, Jumbo Pumping Hate.  A few years ago a crucial hold had broken in the midst of the crux, thus increasing the grade of difficulty.  With the crux residing at the top of the route, having mad endurance is a necessity.  Mmyeess, obtain I shall.  I'm extremely psyched to complete this mega-line and who knows maybe I will have a crack at the neighboring KING LINE!! 
The beginning view of my long treacherous journey ahead.
The opening crux section of Jumbo Pumping Hate, 5.14/long as hell!!

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