Brian & Bridgid

We’re back from two more days of climbing at Indian Creek. Climbing here leaves me feeling more worked, worn out, and ravenously hungry than any other place I’ve ever climbed. I love it!

Doing a lap on top-rope on Wavy Gravy (5.10-). This photo brought to you by Bridgid's one handed photo taking while belaying skills.

The Creek is the ultimate crack climbing training ground. Brute force and thrashing can get a powerful climber through a short section of crack, but when 100 feet of perfectly parallel, vertical crack lie above you, only graceful and efficient jamming will work. Like most climbers new to The Creek, we’re starting with two inch cracks, the size that provides the easiest and most secure jams. The two noteworthy climbs of this size that we climbed are Wavy Gravy (5.10-) and Incredible Hand Crack (5.10). These cracks both feature perfect 2-inch hand jams but also feature overhangs, with the large overhang on Incredible Hand Crack being especially brutal. My hand jamming technique is pretty solid and I was able to power through the steep sections. Bridgid had a harder time with the steep sections, but on her second try she pulled through the crux on Wavy Gravy!

Supercrack (5.10) was the next step in our learning curve (even though we got on it first). It features a long section of 3-inch crack at the top, which means loose and insecure hand jams. I managed to work through the surprisingly challenging technical crux low down then I cruised a 2-inch crack. But when the crack suddenly widened I was in for a rude awakening. After about 10 feet of poor technique, my arms were so worn out I could barley hang long enough to place a cam and hang. And I had 60 feet of this same size crack left. Lots of thrashing, hanging, and 6 #3 cams got me to the anchor (barely). Unfortunately, Bridgid wasn’t able to pull through the technical crux so she didn’t get the pleasure of being worked by the wide crack.

This climb presents my favorite type of climbing challenge. A good bit of improved technique is needed and a little more fitness wouldn’t hurt. But more than anything I need to deal with the psychological challenge as my arms start burning, the jams feel less secure, and the fall potential gets larger as the distance widens between me and my last cam. As my mind tells me to stress out, over-grip, and shove in an excessive number of cams way above my head, I need to remind myself to stay relaxed and balanced over my feet, place a small number of cams efficiently near my body, and keep moving.

We’ll be back for more punishment tomorrow. Stay tuned…