Once upon a time, there was a road race.  The organizers, however, wanted to make things interesting, so they added a bit of a twist to the race: the competitors wouldn’t know how long the race would last, nor where the finish line was.  It was the craziest, most bad-ass race ever conceived.  Some even questioned the organizers’ sanity.

The first competitor was named Fatty McFatstein.  He started at a good pace, but soon came upon a pizza bush.  He ate a slice. Then another.  After that, he got tired, and took a nap.  Before long, he had eaten about 46 slices of pizza in-between about 10 naps.  He never really left that pizza bush… after some time, he was attacked and eaten by some ferocious forest animals.

The next competitor was named Mick.  Mick was equally intrigued and confused by the race.  He kept thinking about how much he wanted to see the finish line, what glorious prizes awaited there, and how many boobies he’d see if he won.  Mick made the decision that he would make it to the end no matter what it took.  He ran and ran, so long and fast that soon he had worn his shoes right off.  Still, he continued, without rest or food.  His body gradually lost its ability to properly heal itself, but he just focused on the pain, the road ahead, what lies beyond, and kept going.  Mick even saw a couple women on the sidelines flash their boobies, but he knew the finish line would pay off, so he smiled politely, waved, and pressed on.  Eventually, he was running naked, on bloody stumps of bone and mashed flesh that used to be his feet.  Starving and infected with gangrene, he collapsed.  Soon, he had rotted away into dust.

The last competitor, named Schpat, decided that he didn’t really care about the race all that much.  Shpat trotted along the road, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, stopping as he pleased.  A few times, he even explored some other trails that ventured off the road, and found they were shortcuts.  Along a few of the shortcuts, he met people, ate good food, and felt some boobies.  After a few years of journeying, Schpat had completely forgotten about the race he had begun.  He just kept trodding along, eating food, drinking drinks, and feeling boobies.  He crossed the finish line without ever realizing it.

Saturday morning rolled around, and I got a call from Pat.  I quote Pat: “Ok, are you ready for this?  You may need to grow some balls for this next part.  Not big ones, maybe just little, mediocre balls.  I got out of rehearsal early, dude!  I say we go to [IP] for a night session!”

The preceding week was spent editing video, and learning a new editing program – I had told people I was going to shut myself in all day Saturday to get a certain video complete, which I still wasn’t entirely confident was possible.  I was so committed to this video all week long that everything else, save my climbing training, had fallen to the wayside.  My room was in shambles, and it was literally impossible to get from the door to my bed without stepping into a laundry basket.  Also, my house was out of food.  I couldn’t imagine going to IP for bouldering… especially since I had just woken up and it was 1pm, and it took 2-2.5 hours to get there.  What would this mean for the video?!

I quickly went through possible reasons why I couldn’t go:

• I trained very hard yesterday, and I’m going to Rumney on Sunday.  Won’t work – he trains just as hard as me, and we distinctly agreed to never forgo ACTUAL climbing due to cushy recovery times.
• I have to finish the video.  Might work – use business interests and other hard work to divert attention from the fact that I’m pussing out.

I went with no. 2, to which Pat quickly replied, “Dude!  What the fuck are you talking about?!  Are you a little office jockey computer nerd, or are you a climber?  What is all this lifestyle bullshit you’ve been preaching, then?”

I then tried Plan C, which is only to be used in the most dire circumstances:  ”Dude, I need to do laundry like you wouldn’t believe.”

You can imagine how well that went over with my best friend who wanted to go bouldering with me, due to the fact that he may not get another chance to do so for a few months.  I ended up in my car, in a state comparable to that of Cameron in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.

The evening comprised of sussing out the moves of an amazing arête V8, and working on Diesel, probably my new favorite boulder problem, in cool nighttime temps.  It was probably my most fun bouldering experience to date.

Nighttime bouldering, Pat looks at Diesel

It was getting late, and we heard a wolf howl.  We decided it was time to pack up, and Taylor was acting weird.  I decided she was just tired and hungry.

On the home stretch of the hike out, both Pat and I were probably thinking about how vulnerable our position was: trodding along a narrow path in the woods, surrounded on both sides by a nice cover of tall brush.  In the pitch dark.  Almost in unison, we saw to our right, not 25 yards away, two beady yellow eyes.  A fucking wolf was following us the entire way.  We immediately started barking and yelling at it, and kept our pace toward the cars, 100 yards up the path.  Our noisy retreat was met with a cold, deadly stare.

This is probably what Harold looks like in the daylight. I named him Harold because it's an ironic Anglo-Saxon name.

Taylor, my dog, ran out ahead to the road, happy as can be, and only then was there an adjustment in the wolf’s position.  It’s target was now apparent.

Pat, with his big, imposing crash pad on, went up the embankment, grabbed Taylor by the collar, and I fished out my keys to unlock the car.  We successfully got the happy-go-lucky mutt into my Forester, and looked down the embankment.  Still staring up at us were the same yellow eyes of the wolf…

So we got in our cars and left, feeling a high that I hadn’t experienced in a very long time.

I could have finished editing a cool video that night, but instead, a friend came along and reminded me that I was a rock climber.

-NS

So, here’s the first review on my latest gadget, and why I no longer need headphones, an iPod, or wires connecting the two.

The best mp3 player money can buy

]]> http://easternclimber.com/wear/why-i-dont-need-an-ipod-anymore/feed/ 0 http://easternclimber.com/media/beach-bouldering/ http://easternclimber.com/media/beach-bouldering/#comments Wed, 14 Jul 2010 00:45:03 +0000 Nick http://easternclimber.com/?p=265 I love Long Island.  I love beaches.  I love bouldering.  See photos.  More coming soon.

Back Side at sunset

It's so sexy. There's a bunch of moderate-to-hard stuff, plus easier (I think?) slab stuff on this side

Jump starts, slab topouts, the Long Island Sound at your back

The view when you enter... summer at its best...

Another very beautiful, very climbable boulder we didn't have time to climb... Day jobs always get in the way.

See the map if you need to know the specific location – East Marion, Long Island.

We’ll be there next weekend, too.

Melissa going to work with some extra weight.

The Deeper Meaning, Part 3: Respect

When it comes to climbing, the role of genetics in helping to pull through a crux is always debatable.  I believe genetics plays a part in the way one climbs, but, as I said before, I consider myself to be average; nothing out of the ordinary is pushing me past others.  Actually, I am at a disadvantage because I have a disease called Hypothyroidism.  When not treated, this disease causes fatigue, depression, cases of being overweight, difficulty concentrating, and feeling cold all of the time.  There is no cure, but there is a pill that has to be taken every morning in order to sustain normal thyroid levels, and keep the symptoms at bay.  If I miss a pill, my body is out-of-whack for an entire week.  Throughout my diagnosis, I tried to push through my pain, and climb.  It was impossible to send anything due to my disease.  Two weeks after receiving my medication, I began to feel like my normal self.  Now, I have the discipline to push beyond my limits, because I have the energy and willpower to succeed.

Just recently, I have taken six weeks off from climbing due to an unusual injury.  While warming up at nationals, I slipped off the wall and my elbow smashed into a huge plastic hold.  This caused a contusion, or severe damage to my “funny bone” nerve in my right arm.  My entire forearm went numb, and so did my pinky and ring fingers.  Even though I couldn’t feel much, I still went out and climbed.  Before nationals, I was training four hours each day, four days a week, in high hopes of placing well.  All this was crushed when I fell warming up, something that seems so dumb, and would make for an even dumber story.  Although I couldn’t climb well at Nationals, I gained a lot from those six weeks I didn’t climb.

Sometimes, things happen in our lives that we cannot control.  It is how we deal with these situations that determines how people see us.  A person can have respect for themself, and the respect of others, but it may come quickly or slowly.  Through this disease, I gained respect for my body’s needs, carefully tending to them to keep healthy through the grueling training I do for climbing.

Melissa, and teammate Kevin. I guess conditioning is fun...

~Melissa G.

Pat at 7am. Not a morning person.

I woke up at 4:00am to drive to the Adirondacks for some bouldering last Sunday.  The advice of an acquaintance led us to believe that the bugs tend to come out at night, so we did an early-morning bouldering session.  If you aren’t usually an early bird, I suggest you try it – watching the sun rise in the ‘Dacks is pretty cool, and the friction is good when you’re fresh on the rocks.

I only took a couple photos, but we finally got to explore most of the areas that Nine Corner Lake has to offer.

Me on Thorazine

Pat on Thorazine

Pat, making a throw for the top.

Selected problems we enjoyed:

• Thorazine (Listed as a Five-Star problem in Adirondack Rock.  It’s that good.)
• The Burden of Priesthood
• Chillin’
• Ice Cold
• Psychosomatic
• Instant Yoga
• Shape Shifter

As a side note, I made sure that Eastern Mountain Sports is only selling the new re-print of Adirondack Rock on the web.  I’ve already purchased 2 copies of this book because I lose things easily.

-NS

It’s a good read all-around, and an even better look.  I hope this is the start of a new trend…

DPM: Women’s Issue!

-NS

On May 15th, Melissa competed in the SCS Regionals, where she placed 2nd in Juniors.  Also, she may be the first competitor in history to Z-clip in the middle of the competition, causing her to lose first place by one hold.  WTH…

Despite her competition shakes, she trains ridiculously hard and keeps a good attitude.

Melissa shows off her paws…

The Deeper Meaning, Part 2: Stress Relief

My 13th year seems so long ago, but in only those few short years, I’vegrown into an average-height, average-looking person (except, maybe, for my bicep veins), who is in the middle of High School.  Climbing became my security blanket as I got older.  I came to consider it a separate, better life; I had school, and then climbing.  They were both carefully separated, so school never ruined climbing for me.

My two worlds combined when I got my drivers’ license, which brought with it a greater level of independence, and important choices.  With this new privilege, I was able to part with my school and go climb every day after classes were over.  Every decision I make, whether it is simple or complicated, depends on climbing.  If the decision is going to hurt my progress in the sport, I don’t go through with it.  Climbing hard relieves the stresses I face at school, and I want nothing to tamper with that.

Keeping my stress levels low allows me to be happy and content, even when facing math class in a room full of vicious cheerleaders.  I could never imagine my world revolving around high school,  Instead, I feel like a commuter student every weekday morning with my day revolving around climbing.  The stress relief that climbing offers me is important because it keeps me away from my high school and puts me into the “real” world.

~Melissa Godowski

Getting dusted...

Continued in Part 3…

I soon after discovered that it was recently documented in Adirondack Rock (possibly the coolest guidebook I have ever seen). I saw it. And I went. Every bit of my whimsical, climber-wet-dream-fantasy was realized. The boulders of Snowy Mountain are completely out of place in the North East. They consist of huecos and edges with sloping top-outs. You have to see it to believe it. I know I did. Thats why I uploaded this video that captures a few fun moderates…

Here’s some cool pics. Some are random, and others are climbs that I needed a spot from the photographer for the top out.

Coitus. The coolest v6 I have ever climbed.

Fun.

Who’s dat?!

-PC

Because I fell deathly ill with some virus, and was running a high fever for most of the time, I relegated myself to taking pretty pictures.

Enjoy.

-NS

Butt shot of Rich on Peer Pressure at Bonsai

Rich finishing up Peer Pressure

KK Gregory pulls on some fun route at Bonsai. Notice the blue sky. Thanks, Weather Man, for trying to talk me out of climbing.

Seth and KK climbing at Bonsai

.

Josh Larson Pulling through the cobwebs on King Cobra at Orange Crush

Josh literally shaking off huge spider webs. Apparently there was a spider the size of a fist on this climb.

Josh, more King Cobra

It was directly followed by a bolted sport climb.

After my bout with Farley on Saturday morning, I drove up to the Northern Adirondacks to climb on the boulders at McKenzie Pond.  It was my first time there, but Adirondack Rock made parking and finding the boulders an easy task (McKenzie Pond is also included in New England Bouldering, fyi).  After the beautiful drive through Keene Valley, Taylor and I hopped out of the car to check things out, and I proceeded to poop my pants when I saw the boulders – HUGE, solid, granitic Gneiss Anorthosite monoliths in the middle of the woods, offering everything from committing slabs to burly compression arêtes. The friction on the rock was… let’s just say it’s very fricative.  I rushed back to my ride to set up camp before it got too late.

I got an early start Sunday morning after a short sleep marked by boulder-induced insomnia, and worked Flux Capacitor and Magnum back on the third set of boulders.  Despite the near-zero bug level, and the nice breeze, the boulders saw very few visitors, and thus, I was left with my weak little Metolius pad, and no spotters.  When most of the boulders top out around 15-20 feet (half slab), it limits your solo bouldering options.

Memorial day brought many more visitors, despite the warmer temps and the rainy night (the rain dried up by 10AM, and most of the cool problems stay dry).  I met up with the guys from WeekendBouldering, and warmed up on Thrust Fault.  The climb was a pretty shaky way to wake up – the move to the lip off of a slippery left hand crimp was kinda scary to me.  After my left hand slipped just before the crux move to the lip, producing a small blood blister, I decided to give it a rest.  JP stepped up to show me how it was done.  He looked solid going all the way up to the last move when, just as he pushed off and grabbed the lip, his left hand slipped, his body barn-doored away from the pads, and he came to the ground.  Realizing he was okay, we started laughing, and he looked at his hand.

JP: “Oh man, I got a flapper!”

Me (zero hesitation): “Where’s my camera?!”

JP's first flapper

The Crux on Flux Capacitor

I slowly became obsessed with Flux, and stubbornly (and unsuccessfully) worked the crux right hand move.  It brings my shortness to full extension… Next session, I’m going to search for some fabled short man beta on the climb.  Oh, and Magnum is sandbagged to hell since the right hand crimp broke some time ago.  Despite this, I worked the first move for about two hours.  The rest of it feels much, much easier.

1st move on Magnum

The Second Set... I hate slabs.

My McKenzie Pond first impressions:

• Nipple-shearing slab climbs

• Amazing friction
• Classic arêtes
• A ten-second approach hike
• Low bug levels (I think I missed the peak in early May, so I don’t know if it’s always like that)
• Really scary top-outs
• Climbing rubber testing

-NS

P.S. – Either I lost my Adirondack Rock guidebook, or someone picked it up.  If you happen upon this page, and found it, I want it back.  Bad.