Family Climbing Day today. Jonathan and I brought Jasmine (7) and Ariel (4) today, and met Jules with Reesa (6.5), and Eric with Rebecca (7), Brianna (5), and Marisela (4). Ethan brought himself and great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The objective was to set up some fun top-ropes, something easy for the kids, and manage to climb and keep the kids amused at the same time. It was a great success!
Jasmine brought along some glue and milk boxes to work on her Thanksgiving project to create pilgrim houses. She was to glue bark, etc., onto the milk boxes to create houses. However, as the supplies came out, the group dynamics changed to create a glue-fest! Everyone seemed to have a leaf with a pile of glue on it, mixing it and basically covering their hands with glue, and anything else they came in contact with. Ethan found glue on his climbing shoes as well, but unfortunately, it won't help him stick to the climb better unless he stands in the same place for a few minutes and lets the glue dry. But they amused themselves and had a great time. Dancing on the rangers' emergency supply box seemed to pass the time, and swinging from the "Trashcan Traverse" top rope was a big hit. A couple of the girls actually got on belay and climbed up the Uberfall descent route (of course, when no one was trying to come down).
The grownups actually got in some fine climbing. First we worked on a variation that starts to the left of the "Trashcan Traverse" - under it, starting on the lower underclinging flakes, then up the small open book, traversing right past a crack to above the original route's knee lock, then finishing in the same place. It didn't seem to be in any guidebook, we thought it might be a 5.9+. Later I went into Rock and Snow and asked about it - the bouldering guide book has a V0+ which sounds like what we did, and the guy in the store said that would be was equivalent to a 5.10+.
Later on, Ethan and I also tried the "Trashcan Traverse" (5.11-). I made it to the hold just before the knee lock, Ethan made it further than he's ever gotten before and actually had the knee lock but didn't make it to the hold way out above it.
We also had a toprope on "Jacob's Ladder" (5.10). Jules and Jonathan tried an easier variation to the right of the start, Ethan did a difficult variation to the left of the small overhang, and I believe I did the original line, up the ramp to the small overhang and directly up from it. Trashed those finger tips!
Our last toprope set up was on "Squiggles" (5.4) and "Squiggles Direct" (5.10). Some went up the 5.4 just for fun, and attempted the 5.10. I was excited to actually make it all the way up the 5.10 this time, after never getting past the starting move when I tried it earlier in the spring. Oh, that thin little layback, so balancy. My fingertips are still throbbing a day later!
After spending quite a while gathering up the mess of family debris, we headed off to Mountain Brauhaus for some good food and the slowest service in restaurant history. We should have let the kids loose on the place to give them a strong hint that maybe we'd like to eat after being there over an hour (took them a half hour just to take our food order). But we had mercy and everyone behaved. Then to the "luxury" (ha!) accomodations at the 87 Motel where we threw Jasmine, Ariel and Reesa into the bathtub for a wild and puddly bath while we had another beer. We all were ready to go to bed early after this day!
Sunday was beautiful warm weather - a gift this time of year. Lucky Ethan, Jules and Reesa got in another day of fine climbing, while we and Eric's tribe went to discover what the Rosendale International Pickle Festival was all about. Hmmm... maybe we should have gone climbing!
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