Southern Comfort

Since arriving on Sunday, Rachel and I have been staying down in Chattanooga, climbing, hiking, and enjoying some much needed relaxation. We've mostly been climbing at Stone Fort, but that has been more than enough to keep us satisfied. Lets see, day 1.
Our first day was a beautiful one, clear skies, and a high of 70 degrees. A little warm for hard climbing, but it was a welcome change from New England Hell. Our first day I mainly sampled around, trying to gauge the difficulty of my various goals. After warming up, I did Kingpin, a tiny v6 on a little egg-shaped boulder. It looks unassuming, but jesus christ is it hard... at least for me. I probably spent half an hour walking in circles, scratching my head, before I finally figured out the finesse necessary to hang on the slopers. Next we cruised over to Flying High, a v11 that sat at the top of my list. Im not sure about this one.. I think I can do it, I touched the hold multiple times, it might just come down to luck and conditions.

Flying High

 I also put in a few goes on the neighboring dyno, Watch Your Back, another v11. This one was crazy! I touched the hold, but sticking it will be a whole other challenge, i'm not sure if i'll make it back to this one either. After this I went and flashed a kind of cool v8 called Gross Sit. I dont know, it was alright, I knew I could flash it, I just had to not make mistakes! Then I fell on the last move of Dragon Man, a crazy v9 roof, and Rachel did Art of the Vogi v4 on the quick. I finished off the day by feeling out the moves on the shield. This was my main project for the trip, so it was cool to finally try it. My skin, and the 75 degree weather did not allow me to give it all that much, basically cruising up to the crux gaston move and sliding out of it. It feels well within reach though. After that we decided to call it a day.

Day 2 in LRC was a hot one, we got there around noon, and it was probably 80 degrees out. Everything felt hard and greasy and desperate. We warmed up slowly, thrutching up some sketchy highball slabs, waiting for the weather to cool. Once it got a little cooler I checked out a cool v7 called On The Fence. The climb starts under a roof on a edge, and moves out the roof using a cool wide pinch to a vertical sloper at the lip, with a decent thumb catch. From here you hand foot match the pinch and come into a small right facing crimp on the lip. The crux move is a big, blind slap to a pretty bad sloper (or at least it felt really bad) followed by a easy thrutch pogo to a slopey jug. The crux move kicked me off a few times, but I took er down in 4 tries or something.

On the Fence v7

After that I ran a few laps on the adjacent Tennessee Thong for video, and then split my finger on a dumb v9. It was still around 75 degrees out, so Rachel and I laid low for a couple hours to avoid the sun, we climbed on some easier problems, I ran a few laps on Manute Bol, and Rachel tried the moves. It was cool to see her do basically all the moves on this climb, since it was in the sun, slopey, and insanely height dependent. She will take it down for sure.

Once the sun set it got a lot nicer out, so we cruised over to this somewhat obscure problem, which isn't in the guidebook, despite the somewhat obvious line, literally 5 feet from the classic Castaway. Up High, Down Low, Too Slow v10 is a party-trick esque, vert mantle/lock off climb. Height is the dependent factor on this one.  It starts very low on a bunch of random incuts. I didn't know where to start so I did it once from each of them. You immediately move left hand to a flat four finger edge that is slopey for 3/4 turning extremely incut, which upset me, because there is this nice, long crimp, but you are using it as a three finger spike. Anyways, you put your right foot in this HUGE foothold and move your right hand to an undercling, on the opposite side of the slot that your foot is in, then you blindly thrutch your left foot up as high as you can on this decent rail foothold. You're in a pretty scrunched up position, and then you have to stand out of it, and extend your body as far as you can, to the point where your left hand is pointing straight up on the spike. As you inch higher and higher you aim with your right hand for a crimper that couldn't be any smaller. Its 1/8th of a pad for two fingers, and like 1/16th of a pad for the third.

You can actually see the hold in this pic, right above my fingers. 

When I stick the crimp I would have two fingers on with my left, and when I closed my right hand, the two fingers popped off. So you are hanging one hand on this hold, and there is nothing else to put your left hand on, so you just hang one arm and move the left foot up to the slot, and then do a jump for the finish jug, which isn't easy to do, since you are so extended and have nothing to generate from.

The top

I was fortunate to figure out this line fairly quickly, and as for the grade, it depends on how big you are, because if you can keep your hand on easily going for the last move it probably wouldn't be harder than v8, but if you can't reach its simply impossible. For me, it felt just barely there, I don't think I could have been an inch shorter and been able to reach, so I feel good with the v10 grade. More importantly, it is a very cool and unique and interesting problem which deserves more traffic. Im baffled by LRC, there seem to be a excess of climbs that are absolutely amazing but have been done only a few times, like twice, such as Watch Your Back, Simply Irresistible, and Jeremiah. Anyways, Rachel ended the day by doing the classic Ribcage v3, and I finished off by doing Undertow v6 and threw in a lap on Crack of Doom v5. 

Tuesday was a rest day, since the conditions again were in the high 70's and our skin was wrecked. We had a nice day at the aquarium and got ice cream twice. 

Wednesday was amazing. The high was 59 and it was cloudy and windy. With some help from Doug, Rachel and I made our way to Cumberland, an area just 5 minutes from LRC. Cumberland is Rad! I was so impressed by it. The rock is amazing, LRC quality, with a perfect stream running straight through it. We started off by doing Riverside v5/6 a few times for video, but I won't spoil it with pictures. 

Next we walked over to Gross's Roof v11, my goal for the day. What an amazing problem. Perfect edges out of a beautiful orange and black roof, with an amazing finish jug. I slowly got my fingers used to crimping by trying the different methods, but none of them felt like they fit my body. The OG method could have gone but it was very powerful and I probably didn't have enough energy to figure it out and send it in a single session. The 'tall man' beta felt super scrunchy and I felt awkward trying to use the inverse toe-took. So I came up with my own method. So the problem starts crossed, with your left hand in a fingerlock slot and your right hand on a small crimp. What I did was started with my left hand on the bad part of the slot, and I immediately matched my right hand into the slot, getting it with my pinkie, ring, and middle fingers. Then I crossed left hand over myself to the next crimp in the roof, and readjusted my right hand, putting my pointer finger in. 

The third move of Gross's Roof 

Then I sagged down and did a huge left hand bump, pulling off my right hand pinkie fingerlock, to the final edge in the roof. For most people the last move is a pretty big jump to the finish jug, but since my hand was one hold lower, it became another crux, being a wild and crazy swing to hold. However, I prevailed since my sequence was gloriously high percentage, just very extended and painful. Overall, this problem took me roughly half an hour to complete, and is one of my all time favorites. 

Next we walked back down to the river and I tried Big Gulp v11 for a while. I felt close on the first move, and could do the rest of the problem very easily, but couldn't find the power and coordination to send. I did manage to climb Seven Eleven Stand, an incredible v7 that climbs over the river. Around lunch time, we drove back to LRC, and went after it again! Rachel warmed up and quickly took down the classic crimpy highball Latin for Dagger v5, which was impressive to see. I really wanted to try The Law this trip, but like always it was wet. All but the starting hold was dry, and it was supposed to rain the next day, so I figured if I had a chance it was now. It was kind of funny, I had been hanging out in the gym, setting mad Law simulators to prepare myself for the 'crux first move.' Well I got on it, and casually did the first move, jokes aside, I had probably been training going to a hold a solid foot further than the actual move.

The law

Apparently, though, I should have been training for the second move, since I couldn't do it. The top felt fine, and I could do the first move every go. I almost did the move a few times, and then things quickly went to hell exploding a split on my middle finger, which both prevented my from the crux hold on the Law, but also the crux hold on the Shield, which upset me more. It may heal by Friday, but I doubt it, so it looks like I will need to find some other goals, which is unlucky, but is how it goes sometimes. 

Then I failed again, this time on Instinct Sit v10. I don't think i've ever had such an experience climbing, where straight up fatigue was setting me back. So with this one, you do a few powerful moves on edges, to a huge jug, to the v7 stand, which I had easily flashed last year. I guess it was because I had been climbing for 8 hours that day, but I would literally just do have ten seconds of climbing time, before everything in my body just releasing and making me fall. I think I fell on the stand start moves 15 times? Including a foot slip after sticking the crux lock off. I got angry, and swore a lot, but at least I gained some fitness, and I look strong in the pics.

Punting again. 

I was pretty upset after this, but was still wanting to get more climbing in, since rain was in the forecast, so Rachel and I walked back to Psychosomatic, a v9 slab climb. I knew the beta thanks to Jonah, and set off, somehow staying on the wall through the crux, and upon grabbing the finishing slot/jug/sloper my foot slipped sending me down. It was unlucky, I could have flashed, but it was my own fault for poor foot placement. I was happy to snag it second go.

Psychosomatic v9

Sending this climb on the quick rekindled my psych, so we walked back to the main area to try to flash I think I can. This climb is considered to be 'the softest climb since thrill of victory' so I was expecting to take it down quick. Maybe it was the taped fingers, or the 10 hour day before, but it felt hard to me! I had to use a low foot and go left hand off the smaller crimp, and it took me a few tries! Once I stuck the first move, the end went easily. I thought soft v9 was fair.. but i'd have to do it again to really tell. I finished up the day by climbing The Eliminator v7, a sweet climb on flat rails and interesting moves. Wrecked and tired, we walked back to the car, and drove down the mountain with the sun setting over Chattanooga. 

Today it is pouring, and our skin hurts, so we are taking it easy, but the weather is looking nice for Friday and Saturday so the psych is still high! Hopefully I can connect the dots on some more LRC classics. 

Here is the list of things I have done so far. 

Gross's Roof v11

Up High Down Low Too Slow v10 

Psychosomatic v9 

I think I can v9 

Gross Sit v8 Flash

The Eliminator v7 

On The Fence v7 

Seven Eleven Stand v7 

Riverside v5/6 

Kingpin v6

Undertow v6

Swingers v4 

The Crescent v1 

High Times v1

-Kai