Fall means it's climbing season! Time for the summer heat to dissipate and the crisp mornings to put fog on your breath. My first ever trip to the Red River Gorge was in the fall of 2007 and I fell in love with the colors and the way the sunshine warmed your back on the exposed rock. This trip did not have as much sunshine, but it certainly did not lack in amazing climbing.
I should first show my appreciation for my climbing friends. Without Patrick and Chris (below), I would be miserable and have super weak forearms. When we met during my July trip to the Red, we became instantaneous friends-- even sharing phone numbers at the crag! So when they extended the invitation to join their yearly fall RRG trip, I changed around my schedule to get down for a few days.
The boys had been dreaming of Creature Feature (Phantasia Wall, 5.9, four stars) at night for nearly a year. Creature is right! Bugs, spiders, and creepy crawly things skirted out of the light of our head lamps as we mantled the roof and flew over the rest of the plates to the rings.
My crowning glory of the weekend was a 5.10 in Pendergrass Murray Recreational Preserve named Brown Eyed Girl at Chika Bonita Wall (four stars in the book, five stars in my opinion). We had been playing on some .7's and .9's under a roof all day, trying to avoid the rain. As we were finishing up the last routes, Patrick came from around the corner where he had found a protected 5.10 slab-- my favorite!
After climbing it once, I told Patty that I knew I could lead it. "Well what are you waiting for?" Uh. Ok... So I sent it.
As a girl, I feel like slab highlights the best of my climbing abilities. I love the yoga-y moves that take lots of balance and flexibility. A good foot-hand match also looks pretty and seems to impress the boys that can barely touch their toes.
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