Oakes gulf again? No? ok, then what? … Rock climbing! 4/29/07

We forgot the camera, so check out my gear

Skiing wasn’t in the books for last weekend, due to rain, so Chicks Rip Too and I went rock climbing. (I don’t know how I feel about posting non skiing related trips here but if I hear complaints or am so moved I’ll steal someone else’s creative/gory title for another blog. While I’m explaining, this was my first post-puberty rock climbing trip and really don’t know what to write about, so… anyone who wants to take pity on me and take me climbing should feel free, I’m sure it will help my writing which in turn will brighten your day!)

We had stayed at casa de Hochberg in Richmond, MA (look it up, it’s a real place, I swear) on Saturday night, hoping that the rain would stop and the sun would come out strong Sunday morning. It didn’t so we gave up hope for climbing the Berkshires and headed to Northampton MA, the closest rock gym around.

and my room

Not thinking to get directions to this gym, we drove to Northampton and stopped at the first outdoorsy esq. shop we could find, the Mountain Goat, where CRT asked the clerk, “where can we climb around here?” with a puzzled look he asked, “outside or inside?” I had been hoping for outside, myself when he said, “cause I climbed outside this morning...” CRT wanted to know if it was dry, it was and we took his handwritten map and found our way to the trailhead.

Finding the trailhead does not mean we found the rock! An hour or two later, we found the rock. First we found a dead snow mobile, then we found a sweet cliff band to drop (sadly I was sans skis), then a stream and a water tower but still no rock climbing route. Finally we went back to the car and tried the other trail and 5 minutes down the trail, there it was. And as soon as we got there it started to rain.

hot, right?

The rain wasn’t strong enough to keep us off the rock and we were able to top rope 3 climbs (see I’m making terms up). More importantly than the climbing I belayed for the first time and learned the basics of rock climbing safety.

Chris, you missing something?

Killer was there with us and did a great job as a watch dog and even tried to climb the wall a few times as his mom, sent it. (can I say that?)

I didn’t get to ski but I had a lot of fun and I even got to stop by my friend from study abroad, Lo’s place, in South Hadley for dinner.

it was 'skate to' access

Take me climbing!