Horse Pens 40 Bouldering Review and Give Away!

I have to admit, at first I didn't like the book...entirely because some of my favorite climbs had been downgraded:) But after thumbing through and staring at all of the sweet pictures and incredibly useful info for a day or two, I started to realize that this really was one of the best presented bouldering guidebooks I have ever seen. When the Rumbling Bald Bouldering Guidebook came out a few years ago, I was blown away by the full color photo topo's and how easy it was to get around such an expansive boulderfield. I almost thought it couldn't get much better, but this guidebook proved me wrong. With most of the features of the Bald Guide, and many additional perks, the Horse Pens 40 Bouldering guide may have just set the standard that all guidebooks should shoot for!


If you know anything about bouldering in the Southeast, then you are already familiar with Horse Pens 40. An access success story in the early 2000’s, Horse Pens 40 became well known for its impeccable sandstone slopers pretty quickly. Almost instantly the area was compared to Fonatainebleau, the planet’s bouldering Mecca in France, and this helped to turn Horse Pens, and the southeast for that matter, into a legit bouldering destination. No longer were the stories of hidden boulders in the hillsides of the southern Appalachians just myths, only the lucky few could sample and enjoy...it was now possible for everyone to get in on the world class action. Since then, grades have changed, projects and testpieces have been sent and beta has been shared in major magazines and basic topo’s online. Horse Pens is also part of the biggest yearly outdoor bouldering competitions in the US...The Triple Crown Bouldering Competition. Now, finally, the new guidebook “Horse Pens 40 Bouldering” by Adam Henry and Greener Grass Publishing has given these inanimate rock formations their due respects.

I have been lucky to be able to travel to several different states and countries and experience bouldering in many different ways. Along the way I have relied heavily on any information source I could get my hands on, but mainly the use of a well respected and informative guidebook. I’ve seen the spectrum of guidebooks…used some of the most world renowned guidebooks to get around Fontainebleau and I’ve also used a few drunkenly scribbled beer napkin topo’s that weren’t so hot too. Up until the Rumbling Bald Bouldering Guide, there have been very few guidebooks to southeastern boulderfields. Southeastern boulder crags are sometimes mentioned in other guidebooks (like Horse Pens was mentioned in the Alabama & Georgia edition of “The Dixie Cragger’s Atlas”) but instead have mainly stayed in the realm of a .pdf file from Dr Topo (RIP). The new “Horse Pens 40 Bouldering” adds a vital tome to possibly the most well known southern boulderfield.

As soon as I picked up the book, I couldn't help but notice that the layout and design of the book is clean, vivid, and sharp. Brilliantly detailed color pictures pop out of every page, as I thumbed through, looking for my favorite sends. I skip past all of the words in the front to get to the topo’s and problem descriptions, the real meat of any guidebook. Almost every page is laid out differently, so it reads less as a textbook and more as an informative magazine. Also on almost every page are problem descriptions, a traditional topo, a photo topo, and a great action shot of a local legend or famous climber on that area’s classic...makes the book very appealing to thumb through and look at the pictures, even if you’re not looking at the topo’s or problems. If you haven't seen the sample pages yet, you really should check them out...and they didn't just use the best pages for the sample, the whole guide looks like this! The multiple photo sequences of the FA’s of Eric Pittman on Trick or Treat and James Litz (one of my all time favorite boulderers) on God Module were a really nice touch. I picked up quickly that there is a color coding to the problems on the topo’s; green for V3 and under, yellow for V4 to V7, and red for V8 and up...similar to color coding circuits at Fontainebleau. This makes it easy to glance at the traditional or photo topo and see what’s around in your grade range or which line out of the bunch you should climb. The topo’s are easy to read and navigating between areas is pretty easy...especially compared to topo’s of the past. At the beginning of each area, there is a description of the area, an overview of the area in comparison to the big map, a bar graph of different grades and the number of routes in that area, and a great little feature called “Not To Be Missed”. If you only get to visit Horse Pens for a few days, you want to climb the classics and cant misses in your grade range. ”Not To Be Missed” will tell you what the best routes to hit, in whichever grade range you climb, for the best Horse Pens experience. To top this off, in the front of the guide section is a list of the “Best Of The Best”, or the absolute best problems in the park at each grade. If you can only send a few...send these!


Alright, alright...I finished geeking out and gawking at the problems I had sent or wanted to send, so it was time to read this like a normal book, from cover to cover. Usually I skip over much of the introductory information provided in many guidebooks, too many times its just fluff, but the 30-40 intro pages is a pretty nice read. After the Forward from the Verm himself, the Brief History of Alabama bouldering takes you from John Gill’s experiences at Shades Crest/Moss Rock to those pushing the limits more recently. Adam’s reputation for being opinionated and polarizing show’s up in The Southern Way, more so than his recent interview in Climbing Magazine, but I understand his need to share his mantra and what has been a driving force in developing not only this guidebook, but the entire boulderfield. Grades are always debatable and Adam makes it clear that you can call it whatever you want and it wont hurt his feelings...with that being said, many of the traditional grades of many of the classics have been dropped and sandbagged, even compared to Font itself. Bumboy, Centerpede and Millipede have all seen a drop, and so have many more of the area classics...but he does qualify it by saying that these are the grades with perfect conditions and with intimate knowledge of the line based on previous ascents. The Alabama Beta is crucial for planning a trip and the articles by Bob Cormany and Brad McLeod provide an inside primer on deep south access and bouldering. Mike Shultz’s History of Horse Pens provides a glimpse into the past of Horse Pens and its many uses...although opinionated (come on…”War of Northern Aggression”) and debatable, its informative and sets a great background for bouldering in the area.

Luckily, the book came out before I took a recent, late season road trip. This wasn’t my first trip to Horse Pens, but I still wasn’t exactly familiar with the entire area, so the guidebook really helped me find my way around. It was much easier than the old Dr Topo to use, it covered more areas and problems, and helped me to maximize my time while I was there. I was able to pick which problems I wanted to send, walk straight to them without any navigation problems, and the photo topo’s made sure I was on route once I got there. It wasn't difficult to navigate through the labyrinth and make my way from area to area also.

As if the Horse Pens 40 beta wasn’t on point and enough, Adam also provides some info for 2 other areas nearby. I haven’t had the chance to climb at Palisades Park, but I was able to compete in Chalky Dreams at Moss Rock Preserve last year. If you’re down in Birmingham, there’s plenty there to keep you busy for a few days. The article “Shades Crest” by John Gill was a nice addition too! In comparing the topo and info I was given at the comp last year, there has been some changes to some of the names and grades, but overall the classics are still there and the boulderfield was represented better than I've ever seen it.

Overall, I thought this was one of the best bouldering guidebooks I have used. If the only gripe I have is that Bumboy was downgraded to a V3, I still think it’s a V4:), then I’d say the book was a success. As if Horse Pens 40 wasn’t already one of the best bouldering destinations in the southeast, now there is an equally impressive guidebook to lead you through the maze of impeccable problems! If you're planning that Alabama bouldering getaway, the first stop for info should be Greener Grass's website or your local outfitter to pick up a copy of this invaluable book. I am certain that the guidebook will make your trip more worth while and more enjoyable!


THE GUIDEBOOK GIVE AWAY!!! 2 COPIES TO GIVE AWAY!!!

Alright, with that said...here are the rules of the Guidebook Give Away Contest!
Post a comment right on this page or send an e-mail to UpstateBouldering@hotmail.com with your name and address and the name of your favorite Southeastern (mainly AL, GA, TN, NC & SC), bouldering route. If you have a picture of you on that route, send that in too and I'll post it up in a future blog so everyone can see. If you havent been to the southeast to boulder, send me the name of the southeastern route that you dream of road tripping and climbing instead. All entries will be used in a random drawing on June 1st to give away 2 new copies of the guidebook. I will make a weekly post including the names and routes of all that have entered that week...that way you can see if I received your e-mail/comment entry or not and if you are entered in the contest. Please only submit 1 entry, multiple entries will be thrown out. I will not sale or use any e-mail or physical address for anything except this contest. Once again, this is all possible by the gracious guys at Greener Grass Publishing...keep an eye on them for new guidebooks coming out in the future. Good Luck and send those entries in!

Coming Soon...Horse Pens 40 Guidebook Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

If you check the site frequently, then you might have noticed the link to the new Horse Pens 40 Bouldering Guidebook has appeared to the left. Greener Grass Publishing has been kind enough to donate a brand new copy of the guidebook so it can be given away on the website. Keep your eyes peeled for the official contest information and my review of the new guidebook, coming within the next week. The contest will be open to anyone, anywhere and will be easy to enter and win!

First Paddle and Lake Bouldering of the Spring

With all this hot weather, I'm shocked it took us until yesterday to take our first lake paddling trip. We finally went out to Lake Keowee, busier but warmer right now, and did a short trip near Falls Creek Landing. Falls Creek is infamous for the island, about a 1/2 mile out, with a 20 foot tall rock bulge that everyone jumps off of. Early in the season, before the poison ivy takes over and the lake drops any, you can climb a few great routes up the rock bulge, knowing that the water has got your back! One of my favorites is the V3 that starts on the right side of the rock, goes up the broken ledges and tops out on the slopers at the top...really sketchy feeling when you're mantling out the top! If you havent checked out any of the water bouldering spots on Keowee, you should. The 2 I listed under local spots can be accessed by land or water...so next time you want to cool off, pack your oldest shoes, head out to the lake and get some air between you and the water!

Spring Break Sendfest!

As I mentioned in my last post, I had this last week off of work and had a chance to boulder until I couldn't see straight!



BOAT ROCK:
The break started last Friday and Saturday at Boat Rock in Atlanta...one of my favorite bouldering spots in the South. We started out at the Spiderman boulder, and I surprisingly started out my break on a high note. After feeling strong on Spiderman Crack V2 and Spiderman Direct V3, I then made quick work of Spiderman Traverse V4. I was then able to add the extra traversing that changes Spiderman Traverse into Antivenom V5...for the send of my first Boat Rock V5. As I mentioned in my last post, I have been dealing with some injuries, and I felt like it was going to lead to an early end of the bouldering season...so I was pretty psyched to send something so hard, at least for for me. Feeling confident, I laid down for the start of Venom V5. I couldn't even pull off of the ground for the first few tries and then I made a little progress and figured out how to hold my heel hook and at least suspend myself from the start...now its on! After clamping down with my thighs, and bleeding from both, I made the one hard move to get the problem started, got my feet beneath me and traversed over to one of my favorite top outs at Boat Rock. Venom became an instant classic for me, it felt so good to send and was the highpoint for Friday's session.

After climbing some routes on the Bad Boys boulder, we headed out to the Yellow Arete area, just in time to see a couple of sends of Yellow Arete V4...one of the super classic Boat Rock problems. I've never had good success on the route, but I love to see folks send it! We were all climbing on the smaller boulders close by, sending mainly easy stuff, when we encountered another new favorite of mine...The Shield V3 (SDS V4). To be such a simple problem, I really enjoyed sending it, and Brian sent it too. I followed The Shield up with Mantle One V3 & Mantle Two V3, and then we called it quits for the day and headed out for dinner.

Saturday we went back to Boat Rock and had another good day of sends. Brian has been projecting Sourwood Arete V3, almost every time we go out to Boat Rock...so it was good to see him finally send it! This is another one of the area classics and a super fun route. We then went down and sent some of the problems on the Waves In Motion boulder and the big Beach slab, and from there we decided to head out to the Half Pipe area, somewhere none of us had been out to before. Bread Basket V2 has such an obvious feature on the rock, the bread basket, that it calls out to you to climb it. Then I sent the rest of the routes on the same boulder...Pipe Dreams Arete V3, Diamond Head V2 and the easy slabs in the Half Pipe. We added a few other easy routes to the tick list and headed out to the Glove. Brian wanted to work on Eagle Slab V3, and I have always tried to figure out Dogwood Arete V4 when I'm nearby. Brian blew a hole in the soles of both of his climbing shoes, so he was shut down completely...and I was shut down on Dogwood, yet again. We could hear the cold beers calling out to us from Brian's fridge, so we headed back to rescue them and put them out of their misery:)

That was the end of the first trip of Spring Break, and what a good trip it was! I found out that I wasn't as injured as I thought I was, and the time off/down time I took actually helped me to rebound and send at the top of my game. Its always a blast to hang out with Brian and Sara and see Atlanta from an insiders point of view too!

From Little Eastatoee

LITTLE EASTATOEE:
I was feeling beat until Monday, when I stopped off at Little Eastatoee and sent one of my last projects there...West LE Fadeaway V4. This is a fun route that includes a good variety of movements. I was happy to wrap up my Little Eastatoee tick list for the season!

BOAT ROCK...REPRIVE:
My second trip of the break was to Horse Pens 40, what most consider to be the mecca of southeastern sandstone bouldering. I'm a slab fan, so both Boat Rock and Horse Pens are right up my alley! Since I had been back from Boat Rock, I kept thinking about a route I could have sent, but didn't really try...the V4 SDS to The Shield. So on my way down Tuesday, I stopped off for a quick lunch break at Boat Rock and headed out towards Yellow Arete to send it. It didn't take too many attempts to figure out the sit start and balancy move required to link into the stand start version of The Shield, and add the send. Right around the arete from The Shield is an obviously overchalked hold that is used to launch off of and dyno to the lip...Robert's Throw, a V6/7. I had looked at the route on the first Boat Rock visit, and gave it a couple of attempts, but didn't really give it my best. After working out the best, highest feet that would work, I gave it a couple of solid attempts. Unexpectedly, I almost snatched the lip within my first half dozen tries, and stuck it with a dozen. I heaved my body over the top out mantle and was super psyched to have sent! Robert's Throw and Venom were the 2 definite highlights of my 3 Boat Rock visits over my break.



HORSE PENS 40:
After the drive-by sending in ATL, I headed on to Horse Pens. This was only my second trip to HP40, and my first time camping and night climbing there. My last trip was almost entirely about sending Bumboy, so I really wanted to see as much of the place as I could this time. After setting up camp, I headed out to the Ten Pins area to send a bunch of stuff I wanted to last time I was here. After shoeing up, I pulled on the first few routes and then started rapid sending. Some of the highlights for me included Sunbeam V3, Baja V2, Ketchup V1, and Copa Cabana V2(hasnt this been a V3 up until now?). Then I went over to the Spirit area and sent some of my favorites of the trip...Snibe V1, The Stranger V2, and Spirit V3. Spirit was one of the highlights of Horse Pens this trip. I figured out the top moves pretty quick, but had some trouble with the SDS. Thanks to a guy from Nashville showing me the SDS moves, I finally linked it all together for the send. At this point, I had exhausted myself in like 2 hours, so I headed back to camp for a bit.



For my second session, I really wanted to work on Centerpede and Millipede, but the action on Bumboy was way too intense to be around. A nice guy, that I had met earlier, was flipping out trying to send, while some death metal thrashed out of some ipod speakers nearby...way too much for my generally mellow mood. Its funny how so many people can get so frustrated and lose their cool while they're climbing. I took the new guidebooks advice and headed around the corner to the much less crowded Orchid V2. I really enjoyed Orchid and Sure Thing, both fun typical slopey HP40 V2's, and also added Lay It Down V2, Busu V2 and Pearl Necklace V2, other good feeling routes. After sending Merlin V1, one of the best V1's I've climbed, I headed over to work on Orca V3, one of the routes I've always wanted to send. I worked it a little last time I was here and got nowhere, but I felt like a different climber this time. After figuring out the big right hand slap to the top, I took another dozen or so tries to be able to move out left to the crimpy sloper and top it out...what a sweet route! This, along with Spirit, were the 2 highlights of my trip to HP40. Feeling like my muscles were becoming jello, I headed pack for a rest at camp.

After dinner and night fall, I headed out to some of the Roadside boulders for a quick night session. I sent a few V0's and Lucky Charms V2 to finish up a great day of climbing! Wednesday morning I was the first person awake in the entire campground, so much for sleeping late. I was able to get another short session in before 8am, and realize that my fingers felt like over hydrated hot dogs, rolling around on a bed of nails. I gave in to the fact that I was completely spent and packed it up early and headed home. I had an incredible time on this trip; Boat Rock and Horse Pens, with so many quality sends...made for one of my best road trips ever!


Table Rock Webcam
TABLE ROCK:
Thursday, I went hiking up in Table Rock State Park and identified a possible new bouldering area that the CCC will be asking for in a new proposal to the park. I climbed just a few easy low ball routes (I don't want to make anyone angry and jeopardize future access) but found these routes fun and the boulderfield very worthy of asking for in the proposal. News of this proposal will be coming in a future post.

GRANITE CITY:
Friday, George and I went to Granite City and had an easy day of sending V1's. I also topoed some new stuff and updated the old topo with more accurate grades...look for it to be posted up within a few weeks.

Now its Saturday and I'm trying to rest up, as well as, get some biking and paddling in before I have to be back at work on Monday. The heat has come on so fast that we skipped the springtime 70's and went straight to the summer 80's, so bouldering season down here in South Carolina is on its last leg...I couldnt be any happier with how I climbed and the routes I ticked on my break though. It was a great way to wrap up (or start wrapping up) an incredible bouldering season!

Spring has Sprung

I've been super busy with work lately and haven't had a chance to climb or blog much. I did get out to a couple of spots over the weekend to do a little bouldering, but nothing major.



Friday, we took a trip up to Dixon boulders at Crowder's Mtn State Park below Charlotte. This was my 3rd trip up there, so I was a little familiar with the spot. On this trip though, I noticed that the old boulder trail that started at the road, which I thought was closed to foot traffic, was now open to access the boulders. This makes for an easier and more enjoyable approach up through the boulders instead of hiking to the top of the hill to access them. I climbed a bunch of easy fun stuff down closer to the road, including a sweet face that had 2 1-finger pockets up to a slopey top out...maybe a V2 or V3 at the tops, but a fun climb none-the-less. We then chased a few routes up the hill until we connected to the boulders we had climbed before. After repeating some of the routes we had already sent, we packed it up and headed out.



Saturday, we took a trip up to Cashiers and Highlands and climbed at Granite City on our way back. Cashiers has one of my favorite restaurants around, Cornucopia, that serves up traditional American and southern food. Cornucopia is also a nice place to take a bottle of wine or some beers with you to enjoy with your meal (Cahiers is a dry town, so you have to bring it with you if you want to drink). After cramming one of the best cheeseburgers in the world in, we loaded up and headed to Highlands to shop, and pick up dessert at the homemade candy store...the pecan pralines and caramels were incredible! From there we dropped down into the Horse Cove/Whiteside Cove area and hit Granite City. Granite City is usually a good choice for summer bouldering, at least in the morning and evening, and then you can spend the hot of the day in the Chattooga headwaters cooling off. After climbing the usual warm ups and local classics, I tried one of my favorite routes, a relatively easy, V1/V2, dyno seen in the above photo. When I stuck the jug at the top though, I partially dislocated my wrist, something that has happened a couple of times before. I hopped off and shook it back into place and refired, sending the dyno in a little pain. After a few more routes, we packed it up and started to head home. On the ride home, my wrist started pounding and feeling much worse than when this had happened before. Later on that night, I could barely move my wrist without terrible pain. Now, after a few days and some home wall therapy, its feeling better...but I think this may have effectively shut me down from climbing anything hard for the rest of the spring.

Earlier this week, I got a chance to visit a set of chossy boulders near my house, that I've dubbed the Voltage Boulders (they are either under or just beside some of the giant powerlines). Nothing too special, pretty chossy with some downed trees on the best routes to be honest with you...but I still enjoyed checking out some new stuff. There was one really fun V1 sit start on a bunch of hollow huecoes that went up to a fun easy slab that sticks out to me. I also got to check out a slabby rock face, with a handful of boulders at the base, on the same day. There were a few good lines, but the bear evidence made us think twice about hanging around too long.

Next week, I have the week off from work, so I have had big plans of hopefully hitting Boat Rock, Little Rock City, HP40, Pisgah and possibly Boone...but I'll have to see how the wrist feels and may have to rearrange my plans if it feels too bad. Either way, Spring Break has always been the time of the year that I wrap up the bouldering season and start to focus on mountain biking and eventually kayaking for the summer...I just hope I can end the season with some good bouldering.

Rainy week and Table Rock

Last week was pretty rainy, so I didn't get much bouldering in. Now that the time change has occurred though, a new window in the evening opens up for me to hit some local boulders after work. I have a few V3 projects, that I have neglected all season, that I want to get finished with before it gets too hot. Hopefully today I'll get a chance to finish up a few of them.

Yesterday, I took a 10 mile hike through Table Rock, looking for good boulders that the CCC could ask for in the new climbing proposal. I have been told about some good boulders on one of the trails and was surprised to see the quantity, quality and variety of the boulderfield...longer hike than most approaches, but well worth it. Hopefully this will be the first officially legal bouldering area in SC very soon! Stay tuned for info about Table Rock and a new post very soon on how to make a brush kit, that includes a great idea (I stole from George:)) on how to make an inexpensive extendable stick brush, out of a monopod that can also be used as a hiking pole!

Bouldering and Access Lately...

Since I've last posted, I have been trying to finalize a few routes that have been on my to do list for a little while. After the weekend extravaganza at the Bald and Jedi, I have been keeping it pretty low key and bouldering only a little here and there. I ran out to Little Eastatoee one afternoon and added about 5 more V3 and below climbs to the area, to bring the total number of problems up to 70 established and almost 100, including the projects that haven't been sent. I also made a couple of trips, one with George, to the Bearfields last week to work a couple of projects that we've been focusing on...Final Frontier Slab V4ish and Alley Oop Scoop V4+/5-. We worked the tall slab problem, Final Frontier, to the committing point, but neither of us had a cool enough head to punch through for the FA. We then went to work a route that I've been thinking a lot about, Alley Oop Scoop. You start out by throwing to a small crack, basically the only hold on a big 3 foot vertical scoop. After latching onto the scoop, you have to fight for some decent feet, so you can match your right foot to the starting hold and push past a tough outward compression move to balance up on the hold and stretch far for the slopey top out. We couldn't top it out, but I was getting close on the first crux move (the foot hand match), so I ran back out there last Friday and luckily sent for the FA. This is one of my favorite climbs of the Spring season and almost claimed half of my finger and part of my rotator cuff when I sent it. I am still sore and having trouble with my shoulder from the tough, cruxy compression moves. This will probably be my last "hard" (or at least for me) route of the Spring.

I'm starting to feel the need to put the climbing shoes and crashpad down for a while and focus on some other outdoor activities for a little while, especially biking and kayaking. I've had a great, possibly the best ever, climbing season (fall-spring) this year, but I like to take a break every summer, so I don't get burned out on climbing. I still hope to make it down to Horse Pens and up to Dixon before things heat up too much, and even then take a couple of trips up to Boone this summer...but I've been thinking more about biking and zooming through the woods at break neck speeds seems to be calling me right now:)

I was also lucky enough to be involved with a meeting involving a couple of the administration at Table Rock State Park. The superintendent was very nice and considerate enough to listen to the CCC and help us, to help them, increase the use of the rocks in the park. Not only did they listen, but they encouraged us to help out and to submit paper work for new and further access. One of the most important things that has come out of the meeting is that we are about to start taking actions here in SC to try to get better access situations. The first big action will be a giant trail day to rework the climbers trail at Table Rock. We will need massive amounts of volunteer work, so please be ready to help when we put the call out. Hopefully, this time next year, we will see the results of some positive changes for climbers and the park alike. The superintendent also has his hands in many of the other recreation and conservation efforts in the upstate that can benefit us climbers, so our efforts in the park can have giant impacts on some areas that may become available to climbers very soon. In summary, we may have just made a very powerful ally in the fight for SC access...we want to prove that we are capable and confident to help out and be the backbone of this eventual movement. Please help when called upon and give your time and effort to help procure access in the upstate! Until then, get out and enjoy the last good month (maybe even weeks if it keeps heating up so fast) of climbing weather...and send those projects before you get weak over the summer:)

Toons, Bond, Jedi & the Southeast...and a great CCC meeting too!

Sounds like a weekend on the couch, but it wasn't:) This weekend has been on my radar for quiet sometime now...my wife was out of town and I had a chance to climb til I couldn't see straight. That worked out good, because I've had a few routes, in couple different boulderfields on my mind lately. I only got photos or video of Saturday and Sunday and I havent had an opportunity to work the files up yet, check back for footage very soon.

Friday started out good...I was able to hit the Bald early and I wanted to tick off some of the harder climbs that had been on my mind. I headed straight for Toon Town, in the Far East, to work on Underdog V4. I had worked this route some with George last week, and thought that it was within my reach. Overhung climbing is not really my strength, but mantles are, so Underdog was a challenge, but doable. I tried to prime myself with some HIT and Rock Ring training over the last week, a quick fix trick that has seemed to work in the past for my weaknesses. I warmed up a little and then sat under the roof on that HUGE jug flake, threw up to the huecoes under the roof and finally reached high for the top...and fell right on my back. Dang, this thing still felt pretty hard for me! I sat back down on the jug flake again, powered past the point I just fell on, and mantled out the send. This was one of my main focuses for the day, so feeling fulfilled, I got a little ambitious and sat on the starting holds on Thundercats, a new V5 Chris Dorrity mentioned on the Bald Bouldering Website. I got a foot under the roof and another on a crystal on the lower edge of the face, and pulled up onto my left hand in the slot...and immediately fell on my back again. Surprisingly, the start felt very doable for me, so I gave it another shot, powered through the start to latch onto the arete and sent second try. Latching onto the hold at the bottom of the arete and swinging out almost threw me off, but after gaining some feet, I headed for the top out. I was so psyched & I couldn't believe it...this is only the 3rd V5 I've sent at the Bald, so it was a nice treat. Another V4 nearby, and the last route I needed to clean out the Toon Town area, was Transformers. I had tried Transformers the week before, and thought that the mantle was the hardest part. I sat under the roof, sent the traverse, loaded up big for the mantle, and wrestled it over for a quick send. I had only been there 20 minutes and had finished 3 of my 5 big goals for the day, the rest of the day would just be gravy on top. I had actually went there hoping to send most of the Bond routes, which are very near Toon Town, but didn't mind "watching cartoons" all morning either (needless to say that Transformers and Thundercats were 2 of my all time favortie cartoons when I was a kid)! I'm such a Bond fan, have been for 25 years, so I at least needed to attempt them all, to see what would happen. I headed to the 007 Boulder first and sent 007 V2, Dr. No V0 and From Russia With Love V0, and then I had a flash send on You Only Live Twice V3 on the Bond Boulder. By that point, I had finally burnt myself up on the harder stuff and didn't have much left for the other V3's and the V5. On the way back to take a break under the Toon roof, I stepped in a deep hole, between some talus, and cut and deeply bruised my knee and lower leg. I laid there on the ground like a little boy or Peter Griffin after he banged the snot out of his knee (you know the episode I'm talking about). This pretty much put an end to my day, and I could barely walk out of the East Side. Feeling pretty high from sending some hard routes for me, I left feeling pretty low and wondering if I needed to go see a doctor.

After driving the hour and a half back home, I took some ibuprofen, got some lunch and realized I wasn't as bad off as I originally thought. Feeling ansy and still somewhat full of energy, I headed out to Jedi to work on a few projects, Fear The Turtle V3, Turtle Arete V3 and Terrapin Station V5. The last time I went to Jedi, I was chased out by some bears, so I was somewhat apprehensive about even going in the first place. I took one of my dogs, as an early warning signal and protection, but didn't have any problems. I was able to send Fear The Turtle and worked the top moves to Terrapin Station, but no complete send. Finally feeling exhausted, I packed it up and pointed myself towards home.

Saturday, I wanted to get up to the Bald early and avoid some of the crowd, so I got there around 9:30 and headed back out to the East Side. Feeling somewhat worn out from the day before, I made it my goal to send as many V0's and V1's as possible, and see all of the boulders I haven't yet seen. I went straight out to the Cereal Area, sent a few easy routes and then I heard some familiar voices coming from Pit BBQ. I made my way down and met up with Andy and Caleb from Clemson, just in time to see them both send Pit Bar-B-Q V6...video coming soon. Afterwards, Robert, one of my old climbing buddies, called and happened to be on his way to the Bald. I went to meet him in the lot and we ended up sending some V0's-V3's around the Breakfast Area and the South East, a spot I hadn't really been to before. The only new route of mention was The Continuum V3, a neat route that starts in a deep hole and follows some crimps to jugs, to a somewhat easy topout. Around 4:30, he had to head back home and I headed for the CCC meeting to help represent SC climbers. The meeting and people were great and everything seemed to be productive and focused towards fundraising and more access. Check out the minutes of the meeting to see what is going on in the Carolina's. Once again, its the highest priority that we help get the Bald Boulders paid off, as soon as possible, so please try to help out as much and as often as you can...if you can only give $5 a month, its still helping to pay off this incredible set of pebbles! If you are not a member of the CCC, please consider it. One of the great perks is the ability to climb at a CCC member only boulderfield in Asheboro NC...check it out!

Sunday, I was planning on taking it easy and maybe hitting Little Eastatoee after I took a bike ride, but George, back from an overnighter at Horse Pens 40 (check his blog for a report and a video of Doug doing Slider V9) and Caleb got in touch and wanted to hit Jedi. I still wanted to work Turtle Arete and Terrapin Station, so I was totally game for a session. We got there, looked around, and we all picked a project to work for a little while. I finally put a send on Turtle Arete, a slabby V3 arete, Caleb worked a V5 problem on one of the Looking Glass boulders, and George and I sent Ticklish Innards a fun V2 deadpoint/dyno from so small crimps. We ended with George resending Use The Force V3 for a new video he's working on, and then headed out to recoup before Monday.

I had a great weekend climbing! I got to send a few hard routes and projects and tick off some easy new routes too. I was able to hang out with climbing friends old and new, and attend a CCC meeting in support of expanded access. I couldn't have been anymore satisfied!!!