A Season at the Gunks 2002 |
| One of the only benefits of having your girlfriend move out of state is if she happens to move near a world class climbing area. If she is also near one of the greatest cities in the world, all the better. I visited my girlfriend Angela, a number of times in 2002 and took advantage of the Gunks being only an hour from her house. Nursing a finger injury I finally followed through with my intention of learning how to trad lead and the Gunks was the perfect place to do it. With fantastic three star routes starting at 5.2, it is hard to beat the Gunks as a training ground for trad. I got to climb with Angela, as well as my friends Brian Weiss and Andrei Ghetie, and climbing during the week I rarely had to worry about over-crowding. By the end of my time there, I got to lead many of the classic moderate routes, ticking my personal goals of Madame Grunnebaum’s Wulst (Madame G’s), Shockley’s Ceiling, and High Exposure (High E). While only 5.6’s these are some of the best routes I have ever done and definitely more challenging than harder rated routes I have done other places. I also got to take my first big whipper on gear and have learned that those little TCU’s really do hold falls. Overall the Gunks was incredible and I am looking forward to getting back. |
