Category Archives: Climbing

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

Progress (Not Perfection) at the Obed

Sep 06 2012

The Obed Wild and Scenic River is our family’s favorite crag to hit over Labor Day weekend – it’s nice to have an extra day with the longer drive, and we’re able to avoid all the crowds that are swarming at the New and Red River Gorges. However this time probably could have been talked into going just about anywhere had the forecast been any better, but it appeared that the entire Southeast was being held hostage by Hurricane Isaac. We weren’t too worried about the climbing – because of the steep terrain and enormous roofs, the Obed is a…Read the rest of this entry →

Back to the New River Gorge

Aug 15 2012

My affair with Ten Sleep Canyon sure was great while it lasted, but like so many good things, it had to come to an end. Lucky for me I had the world-class climbing of the New River Gorge to come back to. And this weekend was not just any old weekend at the New – one of our partners in climb just moved up there a couple of weeks ago, and our crew descended upon his new digs in full force. Day 1: Endless WallOrdinarily Endless Wall would not be what I would consider a “go-to” area for summer,…Read the rest of this entry →

Nothing Like the Needles…and Our Moves Like Jagger.

Aug 09 2012

We couldn’t have scripted a better ending for our trip than the spindly little spires surrounding Custer State Park, also known as the Needles. The tiny, airy summits provided more than enough reward and motivation for 4 (and a half…) climbers to get off the ground one more day. And the long runouts over moderate terrain was ideal at the end of the week when lead heads were secure but our bodies were tired. The word that best sums up the climbing at the Needles is FUN! For me, it was an experience with a distinctive child-like quality to it.…Read the rest of this entry →

An Affair With Ten Sleep Canyon

Aug 07 2012

Dear Ten Sleep Canyon,Thanks for the amazing time. Were it not for geography I would definitely make cheating on the New River Gorge a regular occurrence with you. But the long-distance thing is gonna be hard, so we’re gonna have to settle for a rendezvous every year or two. Love you long time,Cragmama Over the top? Not really. This place was that good – a summer sport climbing paradise I tell ya. First of all, the canyon was ridiculously impressive, making Spearfish look like nothing more than a small trench in the foothills. The approaches were long but rewarded…Read the rest of this entry →

A Devilish Rest Day: Devil’s Bathtub and Devil’s Tower

Aug 06 2012

After 2 days of crankin’ in Spearfish Canyon, our crew was ready for something a little more low-key. The only must-do on our agenda was to make our way 3 hours west to Ten Sleep, Wyoming, but nobody said a rest day had to be boring…We had found out from some locals about a surreal swimming hole along Sunshine Creek in Spearfish Canyon, which seemed like a great way to pass by the morning. It was about a 2 mile hike round trip, along a well-worn trail that was mostly flat and often meandered back and forth across the creek.…Read the rest of this entry →

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