Week 13 Back in the Swing September 26-27th

Ok for sure no pics this week. Thats because it rained the whole time.... which is ok! it makes for better adventures :)

If you recall I mentioned Nate... looking to learn a bit of aid climbing.

So never having met Nate I pick him up at 6am. He (like myself) is really into climbing... and only 20 miles into the drive we are old friends.

While not out-right raining it is not pleasant. A drizzle that looks locked in for the day. Luckily Nate and I are eerily similar. Climbers, photographers, we have maps all over our walls, and a penchant for of siding on the side of adventure rather than comfort.

So the rain seems like a good thing. Annapolis rocks can be busy, and since we are aid climbing anyway,it will keep most of the climbers away.

The rain is certainly not stopping, but the hike goes quickly and we set up below a short overhang. I lead up... which ends up being 5 aid placements and then quickly 4th class to the top of a fin.

Unsatisfied we set up move over to Black Crack...a great sustained 5.9 to free climb. This ends up being perfect... long for A Rock with decent but thoughtful gear.
I give Nate the lead... testing the second piece... he pops it and takes it a 8 foot fall grounding and just barely missing an ominous stump.

Now climbing, and even more aid climbing is a game of the mind. Not only in the specific motions of being deliberate... but in the momentum and in the case of a fall convincing yourself that you can get back up there and do it differently next time.

Nate clearly has the head for aid.... I think it is ingrained in genetics. He hops up and 5 minutes later is up past the initial stuff and plugging away. An hour later he makes the top... not bad for a first aid lead.

Something about aid belaying... it is perhaps the most boring thing you can imagine... an hour (up to 4 at times!) of just sitting there watching. Not much else. Usually i go aid soloing for just this reason.

Today i had a strange experience.

When i was in college I made my first 3D movie about the juxtaposition of scale in climbing. Here we are climbing these large formations, but our success depends on such tiny, even microscopic, connections of the rock. Similarly sometimes a small piece of rock can all of a sudden change size and the 6 inch piece I am looking at becomes a perfect 200 foot tall corner. Hey we can all dream and aid belaying certainly spawns thoughts like this.

I re-lead the pitch and we call it a day, and hike down.

So a good day aid climbing? or perhaps more importantly a new friend... and someone to keep me motivated for the bigger projects that have taken a back seat in the last year. Stay tuned.