last post

this is my last post to the china blog. i'm going to lose all my photos sometime in the next few months as i am going to be graduated. (woohoo!) here are some pics from the back roads near slade, kentucky.



my new blog is here. check it out. there is a big surprise there!

trad trad trad trad

My thumbs are sore! Its a first for me-- to have pumped thumbs from handjamming. My fingers are fine, as are my forearms. But some different muscles in my back are sore. And the skin on my hands is really tender right now (even though we made tape gloves).

I went to Indian Creek wall yesterday with a big crew of people. We set up topropes on some splitter hand cracks and got to work. Many of us are sport climbers, for whom a full crack climb involved movements completely foreign to us. It was a lot of fun to watch everyone learn (and to figure it out myself). The sport climber will do anything to avoid the awkwardness of a full four-limb jam. On a 5.9+, there was serious stemming out onto nothing footholds, long, strenuous laybacks, double gastons, and plenty of moaning...



On Saturday I went to Fortress with Jeff and Geoff where we did some trad lines. I got in a couple of good leads-- Calypso II and the first pitch of Bedtime for Bonzo. I was nervous and tried to not barf of my belayer but, in the end, it felt really good to place some gear.

(me leading calypso II)

(jeff)

(at the top of the route, hanging out while Geoff tried where lizards dare)


(the second pitch of bedtime for bonzo. "exposed" but nothing compared to the gunks!)

(team green!)

some pics from last weekend

I'm still having a great time at the Red River Gorge. Here are some pics from last weekend.

Amy starting up Pogue Ethics:

Jeffrey cruising the crux:


On my second accent of Creep Show, a new project:

The top of this route is a series of laybacks off a slopey flake. Its committing and a little bit scary (totally safe!). Its going to go down!!!

Amy lead Roadside Attraction, a tricky long crack trad route. She did really well. Go Amy!!

Here is Carla coming up to the top of pitch two. Notice the big layback. Uh huh.


And here I am on AWOL, a pockety steep little 10a. Its routes like this that really excite me. I wanna get strong.

breathe

i'm starting to relax at the red...

check out my stick clip-- how do you like the green "tape?"

amy cleaning after leading brother stair (which, despite the link is a 10!)...

and i'd like you to meet my new friend roo:

the red

greetings from kentucky! it is much greener and more humid than last time i was here. amy and i are having a fabulous time. we're hanging out with two dogs, getting in some trad leads, finding our inner strength, reawakening atrophied muscles, and playing plenty of scrabble (its raining today).

news: thesis is written, signed off, bound, and has arrived at harvard. i am officially, completely, entirely, wholeheatedly DONE with grad school. wwwhhhheeeeee!!! i will officially graduate in november, at which point y'all can start addressing me as "doctor." ("doc" is acceptable)

so... i am taking advantage of this break in my life for a nice long road trip. i've been making noise about this for a while. t'wasn't just noise! i plan to travel, climb, and visit folks until christmas or so. then i will be rejoining the ant colony-- taking a job, getting a puppy, etc. in the meantime, drop me an email if you'd like to meet up somewhere or be graced with my presence.

one more thing.... when i lose my harvard computer accounts, all the photos on this blog will go bye-bye. i think its a good time to start a new one. any suggestions for names? ("zhong guo michelle" seems dated anyways)

RRG to-do list:
roadside attraction
fuzzy undercling
rocket man (yeah, this one is a big stretch for me! but it looks delicious!)