Endurance Bouldering

It was a slow start to the day yesterday, but I had the urge to do the western bouldering circuit at Munson Lake, NB.  Though it was very hot (over 30º), the humidity was below 80%, so even though climbing hard was out of the question, I thought it might be possible to climb a lot.

I arrived at lunch time, and found a patch of shade suitable for a picnic.  Afterwords, I grabbed my gear, and started the clock...

I chose a sequence that would distribute the shade breaks, and tried to time the attempts at the slabs and slopers when they were not in direct sun, or immediately after a break.  Since the circuit was first completed, a few new problems have gone up that are appropriate to be included, so those were added.

Starting off along Roadside (I Think I Tore My Sack, I Skinned My Knee..., Charyotte, R-U-N-N-O-F-T, and Sugar Ditch), I worked my way to and through Cornerstones (Roy Toy, Gutterball, Rubberman, Sideshow Bobbed, Cheese Grater Accident, Munson Burner, Le Pro, Curvy Trunk Cedar, HandSOME, HandLESS, Tongue Exercises, Rails Direct) in the first 80 or 90 minutes.  Due to effects of heat on rubber, my shoes did not stick well to the smears and crystals of Sideshow Bobbed, which took me quite a few attempts.  This was also when the heat started to affect me.

In need of shade, I went to Sue Boy (Big Foot, Ghoti, Ghoti, Banane, Multiple Choice, Oral, Junior High, Elementary, Edgecation, Rash, Headache, Mocking Bird, Eye Burst.  High School, which was done in the original version, has been removed from the circuit since it can't be safely protected with only a single pad.) where I tried to relax between climbs and allow some body heat to dissipate, with only marginal results.

Next I went to the Slab Area (Flail, Mace, Pepper Spray, Nutmeg, Husk Musk, Dalle Inversée, Stop That, I'm Brian and So's My Wife, Slab Mois Ça, That Stinks) where the deer flies destroyed any hopes of repose in the tiny patches of shade.

The long walk back to the car was accompanied by a welcome breeze, and some shade provided by the crash pad.

Time for another picnic at Hidden Wall, this time in full shade and with the occasional gust of wind. It was at this point that I realized my skin was holding up quite well, despite feeling like it was thin.  Upon closer inspection, I saw what the problem was:  Blisters!  I've had flappers, slices, punctures, abrasions, peeling tips... But blisters?  The chalk should keep the skin too dry for that, but it wasn't doing a very good job and three fingertips were blistering.  I decided to carry on (Pinch Overhang, Red Belly, Vlad You Are There, Rock Hog, Unnamed) and peeled off part the sole off of my right shoe, in the process.  Due to heat and constant wear, the rubber was delaminating from the leather.  And warm soft rubber doesn't smear well, yet the occasional sharp crystal can bite deep.  It was bound to happen.

The home stretch was in full sun (Use Your Mussels, The Clam, Four Peckered Bull, Taurus, Dunce Cap and finally, Secular Undercourse) which brought skin and rubber limitations to the forefront.  I made my way to the water, dunked, then stayed to cool off and relax.  Total time was 4 hours and 19 minutes, in which I completed 51 boulder problems.  That's just over 5 minutes per boulder problem.  The bar has been raised!

4:18.43

Weather Hindering NB Climbing Season

It’s been a slow start to the climbing season throughout Atlantic Canada.  If it hasn’t been raining, it’s been 30º with 90% humidity.  At Munson Lake, the friction sucks almost as much as the thick swarms of voracious insects do.  The road is firm, but lots of big rocks have worked their way to the surface and created clearance issues.

Shawn B working his way up balancy moves of Ghoti V1, on one of the hot and humid days in June

Nonetheless, a few problems have gone up since the last post.  If a project requires palming slopers or edging on a crystal, nobody’s been anywhere close to getting it though.

On her birthday, Denise braved the insects and scrubbed her way up the first ascent of Swat Team V0.  You read that correctly.  She did this tall slab in bold classic style –ground up on-sight!   It is found on the first boulder along the stretch of trail between the Spongiform and Bad English boulders.

Earlier in the day, at the Hardwood Area, Pierre and I each added one to Trailside after we, and Mike, did a lot of scrubbing.

Just some of the Trailside boulders in the Hardwood Area, Munson Lake, NB

In June, I put up two-thirds of the potential lines on L’Orignal.  With most problems deserving at least one star, this is a really nice boulder and is well worth the trail work I did the month before.  What lines remain are very hard, but obvious and do-able.  (I'm holding off on a topo for this one and for Swat Team.  Someone should be adding more problems once the weather improves, and I don't feel like doing the photoshopping twice.)