We had a full weekend of rock climbing. Saturday we went with the AMC to Echo Crag. One of the guys on the trip was apparently a famous climber. Unfortunately the group got spred out along the cliff so we didn’t get to talk to people much. There was one nice 5.8 that was very sustained. I would like to try it again when fresh to see if I can do it without resting in the middle.

Sunday Tyson and I headed out on our own on an adventure he had been wanting to do for a couple months now but kept getting rained out — Thin Air at Cathedral Ledge. It is a classic beginner’s route. It is 5 pitches long, rated 5.6, and has decent trad protection. Since it is a classic we tried to get there early in the morning. There was a group ahead of us, but they easily out paced us. Tyson led more of the pitches. I was feeling a bit over exposed and incompetent since a 5.6 should have been a breeze for me. The biggest problems we had were underestimating the temperature and thus bringing too much clothes, and me getting a cam stuck. It ended up being the guide for the group behind us that got it out. I did actually take my first leader fall at a slab at the top. It wasn’t too far, and I just slid back down to a wide ledge, so I haven’t had to trust my gear yet. Photographic evidence here.

Then today after work we went indoor climbing with two friends from the AMC, Thor and Jackie. I started out the evening feeling sore from the weekend, so I wasn’t expecting much, but I surprised myself. That restored a bit of the confidence I had lost yesterday.