Recap of the 2012 New Brunswick Bouldering Season

It’s snowing and raining right now.  The ground is half frozen. The roads out to Munson had deteriorated on my last visit, and are surely worse now.  It will be another 5 or 6 months before things open up again, so now is probably a good time for a season recap:

• Seventy new problems were added, bringing the total to 150. Though I was responsible for a higher percentage of these than the first two seasons, it was great that thirteen others (Twice as many as the first two seasons) contributed with at least one FA of their own this year. 
• Another 23 boulders were found in the West.  About half of these were in established areas around the perimeter, the others comprise a new spot known simply as the Middle.
• The established trails were tidied up a bit, and a few small ones created.  More notable are the Megacrystals and Middle trails that will eventually be connected into a long loop.  Shawn and Jono’s contribution in this endeavour has been enormous.
• Shawn put in another hard work day with Denise and I to expose the Hidden Wall.  Everyone who saw this place both before and after is blown away by the transformation and the number of quality problems now on these three boulders.
• Big Slab was climbed ground up, setting the precedent of working highball projects ropeless.
• The “unclimbable” line on 7-10 was climbed and repeated.  (Hey Jones! I told you it would go.)  Next year’s project is an extension.
• Depending on the size of your party, desire for seclusion, and laziness, there are 5 great camping spots to choose from:  Atop Kingpin (the cover shot of My Good Acorn), overlooking the river and lake from the plateau above the cliff, the East shore of Munson Lake, in the trees beside the River, or the at the Megacrystals pull out.

Just a few degrees of the panoramic view from atop the cliff.

I also learned some valuable lessons this year:

• Patience is mandatory in the spring.

• Make plenty of noise when bushwhacking.  It is entirely possible to walk into the ass end of a dozing moose.  Yes, I scared a moose (scared a moose -will you do the fandango? thunderbolts and lighting...) and it scared me.  They are big and can probably accidentally do a lot of damage to a human.  I don’t want to know what kind of harm they can inflict deliberately.

antler damage by a moose just messing around

• Completing a 48 problem circuit makes for an incredibly satisfying day, and I recommend everyone try it.

• The best way to spend a hot summer day is to boulder in the morning, soak in the river for a few hours while enjoying lunch with tequila and lime, air dry on a warm rock, boulder some more, set up camp, cook, and savour your supper while watching the nighthawks dive for prey as the sun sets behind them.

In case you wondered where my belly rash came from in the shears photo, it was from trying to top out Rockitecture in direct sun on a 30º day with humidity in the high 90's.  Obviously, we were a bit late heading to the river.  Photo credit: Dom Caron. 

What’s up for grabs next season, and beyond?

• There are 50 problems known to be awaiting FA’s (in Middle, Megacrystals, Hardwood, Marty’s Hidden Gully, East-cut, and North).  Of those, 20 projects are scrubbed and ready to go.
• There is a nice trad line up the water groove of the cliff. (Like so many other cliffs in New Brunswick, this one is known to the locals as Eagle Rock.)  It's begging for a couple people to try climbing it.
• In the West, 50% of the intermediate terrain between established problems is yet to be explored.
• The North has only seen a handful of cursory visits so far, with much of the ground still to be covered.
• North and East boundaries of the erratic outcrop have not been determined, nor has the woods between these two areas been explored.

I guess what I’m getting at is we’re not even half way through the development of one of the nicest, most concentrated, and SECLUDED bouldering areas in the North-East/Maritimes.

More Boulders at Munson Lake, NB

A three day weekend and no rain results in twelve new boulder problems at Munson Lake, NB.

On Saturday, Jono and I played around on the new ones I'd discovered a few days earlier, establishing 8 easy problems.  The nicest is probably Quawsant Right: it starts on good holds under the right overhang, reaching around left, then traversing the lip to the top.  This name was inspired by a menu item at the Clifton General Store where they offer a breakfast sandwich on toast or quaswant.  It took me few minutes to figure it out, thinking it was perhaps referring to a Passamaquody cheif who once lived in the area.  Did you get it yet?  It's a horrible misspelling of croissant.

Quawsant

Vitamin I: an overhanging off-width and nice lip traverse.

On Sunday, Mike D came out as well.  The three of us finished off most of what was left from the day before, though a really nice problem on Houdini remains elusive.  After a brief lunch we took off for the overhanging well-featured boulders I'd found on Labour Day weekend.  I took the lead with flagging tape, Jono followed with the saw, and Mike, with the shears, was behind him.  We connected the trail that previously ended just beyond Piled Up with 3 more big boulders (2 of which were new discoveries) and eventually to those steep features just beyond the edge of the clearcut.  We cleared trees and brush, and peeled of some moss and soil carpets.  They were not as large as I'd remembered, but definitely as cool looking.

Mike D in one of the "before" photos

As the sun was setting and the puddles freezing, we walked back to the road and met a convoy.  Adam, Terry, Pete and Dom had been doing some development at Utopia Crag, and were camping out at Munson, since bouldering on was on their agenda for Monday.  After a visit the rest of us went home for hot food and warm beds.

The temperatures rose significantly overnight (Monday's 18ºC was a record high for November 12th) and there was a heavy fog.  As planned everyone met at Hidden Wall (including an Albertan turned back at the US border that Jono had met the night before) but the rock was soaked.  Warm moist air condenses when it contacts cold rock, so our choices were limited to faces in the full sun, on boulders that are exposed to the wind.

The scooped face of Roadside Ice Cream Stand

Terry M on the first crux Adam's new line, Hot Fudge Moustache V3.

Pete B sticks it solidly and crosses through

Adam took advantage, by adding a great new problem to Roadside Ice Cream Stand, which along with the classic Blueberry Ripple, kept everyone entertained for hours.  When we moved on to The Clam, Matt and PJ joined us.   The former deciphered the sequence to the slab left of Use Your Mussels, making it an even dozen new problems.

We wrapped up the day at the Cornerstones, waiting for the sun to dry each boulder in turn: Pump and Dump, Gutterball, HandLESS, Sideshow Bobbed, Eighty-Sixed, Goatsucker, and Curvy Trunk Cedar.

Dom C fighting to stick on the sloping holds of Eighty-Sixed, at the Munson Lake Boulders

No End In Sight

Four more boulders were found today at Munson Lake, NB.

Unsure of what I wanted to climb,  I wandered down the brook near Hidden Wall to scout for new boulders.  Though I didn't continue all the way to the Lake, I went far enough to decide there likely isn't anything significant in that direction: Before long it gets rather soft and thick with alders.  Turning Southwest, I eventually emerged back at the road, without finding a single boulder.

I crossed the road for the return trip to the car, and close to Graffiti Block I found a "new" boulder that's perched on a few smaller rocks, making for some climbing potential on the underside.  The starting hold flexed a bit and the next one, a long reach away, flexed a lot.  A quick flick with a crowbar popped both off, and left no features in their place.  This sucks as it could have been a really cool steep sequence on big holds.  You don't get that often on granite, and didn't here either.  Still, there is one other potential problem on another face.

A few weeks later, Marty was the first to decipher the problem, which he named Charyotte.  It's a short dyno up this face.

Next, I went along the trail to Piled Up, to check if the other two boulders nearby might be doable with the low temperature and humidity.  The landings made me second guess working them solo.  On my way there I spied a piece of granite to the South that had been hidden by leaves until recently, so I left my gear and took off to get a closer look.  The terrain here is rolling.  Young spruce trees –some saplings, some 3 meters tall– are thick in some places and in others it's wide open bog.  There is little sense of scale.  From afar it's hard to tell if a boulder is towering above the trees or if it's tiny and just happens to be sitting on high ground with some saplings at it's base.  You've really got to get up close to get a good idea.

Above and below: Two faces of a yet to be named (or climbed) boulder near Piled Up 

That erratic probably has two easy problems on it, and from it's top I saw more potential, less than 50 metres away.

One of the new finds

The second will also hold a couple easy problems.  I climbed up the back side to slide a block off the top, and from there could see yet another promising looking boulder.

Off I went and, yes, this one looks good up close too.

Above and below: Cool overhanging faces on the 4th boulder

...and from it I walked to yet another only to realize I was back at my gear stash!  So I grabbed the loppers and retraced my steps, and did the preliminary cutting of a new trail.

Cornerstones Still Not Tapped Out

Yesterday’s visit to Munson Lake didn’t involve much bouldering.  The ground was saturated, the ditches full and Munson Brook had the by far the highest flow I’ve seen.  All this was due to the forty millimetres of rain that had fallen the day before.  My intention was to do some work rather than climb.  

Upon arrival, it was surprising to discover that the South and West faces of the boulders were dry.  Sunny and 15 degrees are ideal bouldering conditions so I tried to take advantage of the good friction on a sloper traverse at 7-10 Split.  After a couple attempts, though, I knew it wasn’t going to happen.  

So I set off for Big Slab, to see if something could be done to ameliorate the landing.  The area of concern is on the right, directly below the starting hold that Jono and I played a bit on last weekend. (story here)  Two rocks protrude about 30 cm from the ground, and are about 30 cm apart.  One of them is fairly flat-topped, and from it the starting hold is just reachable.  The other is a pointed ridge held in place by a big slab (not the Big Slab, a flat piece that’s roughly 1.5m x 1.5m x 0.3m).  I wasn’t particularly happy with the dead tree trunk and rocks we’d piled up in this gap last weekend.  They eliminated a catastrophic landing, but multiple pads and highly skilled spotters would be necessary.  I thought I could do better, and I did.

Three-and-a-half hours of shimming, rocking, and levering moved the big slab off the sharp one then back from the boulder and down the slope.  The sharp one was turned, others rearranged and more brought from the surrounding area to make a gently graded landing zone, while keeping the full height of the boulder intact.  I’m happy with the results as it’s not excessively terraced, yet it’s one less thing to worry about.

3 1/2 hours before this shot was taken, the biggest rock (bottom right) was in the middle of the frame against the thin stumps.

***

Today my goal was to send one of my projects.  I went straight for Two Zig Zags, but found the crack/pinch hadn’t dried yet.  Another one was muddy yesterday as I’d finished scrubbing it, so knew there was no point in going to work it today.  It would have to be the sloper traverse on 7-10.

I’d completed a warm-up at home before leaving; therefore, didn’t feel I needed to do much before getting on something hard.  So, after putting up a new problem (Pump and Dump V0) on Kingpin,  I was ready to tackle the project.

Between attempts, I walked around a bit to the small boulder West of Curvy Trunk Cedar.  I’d always dismissed it as not worth the effort.  Many people have asked me about it (it does look cool) and my response was “I don’t think there’s really anything on it... I’m sure it’ll get done by someone at some point when we’re desperate for new problems.”  Today, I walked around the whole thing, something I don’t think I'd done before, and started to consider the possibilities. 

Another attempt on 7-10.  Then lunch.  Then I trimmed some branches around the small boulder.  Another couple attempts, then I scrubbed the small boulder.  Another attempt, and SUCCESS! *Goat Sucker V8

By this point I was pretty tired and my skin was pretty worn, so I decided to head up the slab of the small boulder rather than try the bulge. HandLESS V0.  A sit start to the bulge seemed really hard, but I wasn’t ready to go home yet, so decided to try the top half.  Despite the crystalline slopers, it wasn’t too rough on the hands, and the moves were really cool.  I decided to try and figure out a sit start.  Eventually, I did, then put the whole thing together.  *HandSOME V4.

HandSOME V4, goes right up the little roof/bulge. HandLESS is in the back side.

Big Slab Sees First Ascent!

Back on our first exploratory bouldering session about 2 years ago Adam's sixth sense was in fine form and led him to the 4 boulders that comprise what is now referred to as the Slab Area.  We cut birch saplings to expose the base of a couple of them and went back to Cornerstones to establish the first 14 boulder problems at Munson Lake.

Since then, eleven problems have been climbed on Mace, Small Slab and Inversée, and a trail cut to the Big Slab.  Many climbers have been taken to gaze upon this massive hunk of rock, but no one took the bait.  Even scrubbing it would be an undertaking, let alone the balls that are required to work these thin 25 footers with a cut away landing area.  Once I did try to figure out some start moves, but that was half-hearted.

Big Slab. Unfortunately this perspective doesn't quite capture the grandeur of this granite erratic, but it will work well for the guide.  Notice the N-shaped hold on the right side of the slab.  The left arete is climbed mostly from the other side.

On Saturday, Jono said “let’s go for it.”  So we did.  He came up with a creative rigging system which allowed us to scrub the upper portions.

We sent the left arete with ease, then attempted the slab itself.  There is a very thin start up the middle that will be possible, but I couldn’t really get going.  To the right, there is beautiful looking sequence of reachy moves where we had a bit more success.  A couple more pads and/or another spotter is required though, so we moved on.  I can’t wait to get back there, though.  That line on the right of the slab is doable and will be a fantastic addition to the Munson Lake Boulders.

Here are a couple of shots from where we ended the day in the low angled sun hitting the West faces of the Cornterstones.  Jono's right hand is sticking like velcro to the high textured face of the Glute Boulder, as he moves up the thin slab known as Sideshow Bobbed.

Jono R on Sideshow Bobbed V3, at Munson Lake, NB C Goodman Photo

Jono R on Sideshow Bobbed V3, at Munson Lake, NB. C Goodman Photo

Periodized Training 7.1 (update)

Well, I tried the metabolic resistance training circuit for 5 weeks.  In that time, I managed to climb only twice: The first I talked about in the original article, when it was too early for any adaptation to have taken place; and the second was the circuit (comprised of easy problems).  The weather was simply uncooperative.  So, it's impossible to evaluate the effectiveness of the programme in terms of improving climbing performance.  That being said, there are a few training outcomes that were demonstrated:

1. I shed 2lbs of fat over the 5 week period.
2. There were no changes in lean mass.
3. I felt energized, and was motivated (to train and climb).
4. There was very sublte to moderate DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) following 4 of the training sessions.  This was resolved within 24 hours of onset so would not have lingered to interfere with climbing days had there been any.
5. I survived the 48 problem Munson Lake bouldering circuit with relative ease, and no lingering effects (aside from a couple punctures from the sharp crystals).

Was it worth it? Yes.

Did it work? In a way, at least.

Do I recommend it? Probably not as it stands.  I don't feel stronger or that I can climb any harder.  But, it is a challenge for most athletes to avoid gaining fat mass in season, and many of the strategies to combat this (whether through exercise or diet) can hinder performance nearly as much as the increased weight gain.  This protocol was definitely effective for me in terms of fat loss and without at least some of the side effects.

Am I done with it? No, I will continue to investigate and experiment with it.  I think it may have a role in combination with other protocols in the same training phase, maybe even in the same workout.  It will take some time to refine it, at which point I will share it.

In the mean time, since the days are short and climbing days are limited, I have a better idea of what days are definitely not for climbing.  I've gone back to a more traditional in-season approach for now.

New Brunswick Bouldering at it's Finest!

I just climbed forty-eight boulder problems today.  I must have been making up for lost time, as the weather has not co-operated with my work schedule for the past month.  After a couple hot sunny days the boulders were pretty dry at Munson Lake and the friction was good though –and I took full advantage!

It all started innocently enough.  I turned the car radio off after the 11:30 news update, and parked shortly thereafter, then climbed atop Kingpin.  There, in the sun, I did some calisthenics to get limbered up and decide what problems to get on.  I figured I'd start in the Slab Area and Cornerstones, then depending on the friction and my psyche, work one of my really hard projects.

For speed and ease of travel, I brought just one pad along to Small Slab, then Inversée and Mace.  Very quickly, I got into a groove, sending problem after problem.  I decided to hit up every problem at Cornerstones that could be safely protected with a single pad and no spotter.  Then decided to do the same at Sue Boy and maybe work the project(s) later in the day.

Boulder in the Brook was given a good scrub in the rain a few weeks ago.  This face, and the aretes are now home to 3 beautiful boulder problems.

By 3:00 I was back at the car for some food. Thirty-four problems in less than two-and-a-half hours works out to about 6 minutes a problem.  How much longer could I keep this up? There was no way I was going to stop and rest so I could work some hard stuff. The circuit is too much fun!  I decided to keep going.

I hit every West problem that's fairly close to the roads can be easily protected without a spotter and with one pad.  The only thing I didn't send was Compre(hen)sive.  It may have been slightly damp, but not enough to make it any harder.  Maybe I was beginning to fatigue by then.  In any case, At V7, it's out of place in this circuit, so I felt it was fine to move on.

I'm not really sure if I did keep the pace or not. It probably slowed a bit.  When I realized that there was plenty of daylight and no need to hurry, I did some minor trail work, (foolishly) took a break thinking I could then work the start to a very hard project since I was in the area, and scrubbed what I decided would be the final problem of the circuit.  It's a short, steep problem; all your weight is on your hands.  The holds are very good, but they are SHARP!

Secular Undercourse V1,  the latest addition and final problem in the circuit.

So after drawing blood (and getting the FA), I went down to the river for a quick soak.  The water is high, but not that cold considering it's October.  Once air dried, I walked back up, doing some more trail work along the way and got back to the car at 6:00.

The standard has been set: Six hours and thirty minutes to complete the circuit of 48 boulder problems.  This works out to just over 8 minutes per problem.  In reality it was probably under 7 minutes each, but without a watch it's only a guess, so I counted all the minutes spent doing other things before and after the circuit as well.  This leaves plenty of room for you (and me) to up the ante.

Here is the circuit:
Though listed in the order I chose, you can complete the problems in any order, provided Secular Undercourse is the final (48th) problem.
You must travel between problems on foot. You cannot ride a horse, bike or take a car.
In some cases, an option has been provided for alternate problems in the circuit.  This is because some problems favour a particular body-type or meteorological conditions that may be rare.  Be prepared to give up something in the exchange!
The clock starts when you first leave the road for one of the trails.
If you choose to stash supplies along the way, the clock will start at this time if you leave the road.
The clock stops when you are fully submerged in the Lepreau River.

The problems:

Slab Area

• I'm Brian And So's My Wife (V1)
• Slab Moi Ça (V0)
• That Stinks (V0)
• Stop That (V1)
• Dalle Inversée (V0)
• Husk Musk (V2)
• Pepper Spray (V2)
• Mace (V2)
• Flail (V2)
• Nutmeg (V0)

Cornerstones

• Rails Direct (V0)
• Tongue Exercises(V0)
• Curvy Trunk Cedar (V2)
• Le Pro (V0)
• Munson Burner (V3)
• Cheese Grater Accident (V3) or Enter The Dragon
• Sideshow Bobbed (V3)
• Rubberman (V0)
• Roy Toy (V0)
• Gutterball (V0)

Sue Boy

• Eye Burst (V1)
• Headache (V2)
• Rash (V3)
• Mockingbird (V1)
• Edgecation (V3)
• Elementary (V0)
• High School (V1)
• Junior High (V2)
• Multiple Choice  (V0-V2)
• Oral (V0)
• Big Foot (V2)
• Banane (V0)
• Ghoti (V2)
• Ghoti (V1)

Roadside

• Sugar Ditch (V1)
• R-U-N-N-O-F-T (V0)
• I Think I Tore My Sack (V0)
• Unnamed (V0) on the middle boulder of Hidden Wall
• Vlad You Are There (V1)
• Red Belly (V1) or Emma's Exit
• Pinch Overhang (V3)
• Cow Birther (V1) or Rock Hog
• The Clam (V0)
• Use Your Mussels (V4) or Double Misnomer and El Coucaracha and Rock Hog/Cow Birhter and Red Belly/Emma's Exit

Megacrystals

• Taurus (V0)
• Four-Peckerd Bull (V2)
• Dunce Cap (V0)
• Secular Undercourse (V1)

48 problems have now been completed, but you're not finished until you completely dunk yourself in the lake. No matter how cold it is, you must get fully under!

Periodized Training 7 (Overcoming Staleness)

Four months into a maintenance phase and it becomes awfully hard to get motivated to do a workout.  The programme itself is a success.  All the gains I made in the off-season and preseason have been maintained thus far.  I’m climbing a bit better as my on-the-rock time has been great this summer, but I’m not climbing any harder than at the start of the season.  This is exactly how everything was designed: get better when the weather sucked, climb hard early in the season, maintain that level of performance throughout the summer and into fall.  Put up tonnes of new problems in the process.

This mental staleness may not have occurred if our weather had been more typical this summer.  If we'd had the typical month-long rains and associated clouds of biting insects, I'd have squeezed in a mini off-season when the outdoor climbing conditions deteriorated.  Breaking up the long season into two shorter in-season maintenance phases with a more intensive/extensive work in the middle would have been a bit more stimulating.  Not that I am complaining of the stellar weather this year.  Conditions were amazing, and I did my best to take advantage by climbing often.

But training was getting boring.  Though the specific movements as well as the exercise stimulus to each muscle group changed every month, the overall maintenance programme is pretty much the same for it’s entire duration.  Physically, I still enjoyed doing the workouts, but mentally I wasn’t there.  I found myself slacking off.  No longer looking forward to a training session, I skipped it, then decided maybe the whole week off would do me good. I got Shawn to take me through his rings/campus/hang workout, then he joined me for one of my sessions on Kermit.  I went back to the in-season workouts for another hard week (since I wasn’t going to climb at all the following weekend I ramped up the volume-load hoping to get mentally and physically pumped), but still was left wanting.

That non-climbing weekend involved a fair bit of driving (and a search for solid sandstone -stay tuned for more about that!).  Maybe the humming engine resulted in sympathetic resonance of my brain waves.  More likely it was just that being seated for 5 straight hours made me want to move.  In either case, I wanted to workout.  Not what I’d been doing, not a typical in-season workout, in fact, not a typical workout at all.  I really began to crave a type of metabolic workout that I’d done in the past and used quite often with my team sport athletes.  Everybody loved to hate these, and the adaptations were positive.  The protocol was first reported in the literature about a year ago.  The hormonal response is marked, yet the overall duration of a training session is brief.  Perhaps my body was in need of these hormonal spikes, as my current levels were not fluctuating significantly with the maintenance programme.  The brevity makes skipping them nearly impossible. I thought it would be a good idea to do these for a bit to get back on track motivation-wise.

The pun wasn’t intended, but these are track-based workouts.  Though one could make a weak case for them having some sport-climbing metabolic specificity, from a neuromuscular point of view they are not going to be beneficial.  More likely, those adaptations will actually hinder climbing ability.  I probably should not do these.  What if I modified them by employing exercises (movements and resistance) that have more specificity to climbing?

Other metabolic resistance training circuit protocols I’ve used in the past have had phenomenal results, but are incredibly taxing.  They have no place in-season, though, as they require deliberate rest and recovery strategies between training bouts to prevent overtraining.  Climbing concurrently would be out of the question.

I’d like to train this way, but I want to boulder harder and better, and not miss out on a good outdoor day because I’m tired or sore.  I want my cake.  I want to eat it, too!

Is there any way I could make it work? I mulled it over on the drive home and came up with a few possible solutions.  I reread the pioneering article, and went back in my training log to review what I’d done and what resulted.  I looked up other references, and reviewed the charts of some of my teams.  I got out the calculator to workout volume-loads, and estimate recovery needs.  Eventually, I found the theoretical evidence and enough practical experience to support one solution in particular.

It’s still too early to tell, but so far (just a couple weeks in) I’m psyched to train and to climb.  Physically, I’ve felt pretty good throughout the work/training weeks, and great by each weekend.  A couple days ago, for example, I worked a new project and stuck two really hard moves that I could barely reach/touch last month.  I also was able to repeatedly and easily stick the (crux?) big pinch on Two Zig Zags, a move just beyond my range previously.  The next move (one I’ve done before) eluded me though as the pinch was still dripping wet from the previous days torrents.  All this was after a few hours spent scrubbing and establishing 3 new problems in the Slab Area, and playing around on a couple potential hard lines up Big Slab.

I’ll post the training programme details, if appropriate, once I get a better gauge of the results.  In the mean time, here are some more pics for the online guide.

Nutmeg V0 and Pepper Spray V3 are two nice new additions to the Mace boulder.

Porcupine Caves, Cornerstones area

Colt 45, home to ***Two Zig Zags V8

Dunce Cap V0, Megacrystals Area

Labour Day

This past Sunday, after a great day of new-ish trad climbing at Cochrane Lane in Welsford, I went to the Munson Lake boulders to work a couple projects and to do some trail planning in preparation for a literal labour day of construction Shawn and I had committed to on holiday Monday.

The bouldering session was brief, as I developed a flapper quite early. So after scrubbing the last line on Small Slab, I took off for the river.  My goal was to see if a quicker/easier path could be established between a parking area and a swimming spot.  Previous exploratory visits indicated that though the Slab Area was closest to the river, at that point it’s flow it is too wide, shallow and vegetated for any pleasurable soaking.  Up stream, a trail was beginning to take shape between the Megacrystals boulders and a narrows/rapids.  Though most of the year it is too shallow to swim, the moving water is deep enough to sit submerged in the fast current to relax and bathe.  However, the long walk back uphill to the car (at Roadside Area) afterwards is less than ideal.  I was hoping to head from the Slab Area towards the river, and pick up a game trail through the mature forest that would lead most of the way upstream to the rapids.  This had the potential for a flatter, and shorter walk than the Megacrystals trail.

I hopped over a spongy section behind Inversée, and into an area of mature forest.  The thick canopy formed by the tall trees leave only enough light and moisture for a carpet of moss under them.  Visibility is really good, and the walking is easy. I headed North along a path of brown, well trampled moss.  At the first fork I went left.  It led to a tangled alder thicket.  I backtracked and went right.  This forks as well; one to a boggy section choked with poplar saplings, the other to a nearly impenetrable (for mammals our size) concentration of young spruce on the edge of the old clear cut.  I went back and forth this way, fighting through a rough section hoping for ease on the other side.  After an hour and only progressing half way up the river, I’d had enough.  Finishing the other trail, rather than starting a new one, is definitely the way to proceed.

For the return trip to my car at the Slabs, I decided to try following the edge of forest where it meets the clear cut, so that I wouldn’t overshoot my destination.  As I headed up hill, I passed a few small boulders imbedded in the slope that looked decent enough, but were not worth the schlep on their own.  I gathered up a bunch of dead wood and build a few piles up on the high points to facilitate their rediscovery at a later date.

As I neared the border of the clear cut, I turned South. Fifty metres of easy walking led to a thick wall of green running as far as I could see (which wasn’t as far as that phrase sounds) both East and West. I could see a few places where a moose had crashed through this, so picked one and went for it.  Fifteen steps later, and I was face to face with one of the biggest, baddest, mossiest boulders at Munson Lake.  This thing is 5-6m tall, steep, featured and adjacent to at least 3 similar erratics!

I hadn’t bothered to bring my camera, and I doubt I could have backed away far enough to get a clear shot of these things anyway, so you’ll have to take my word on this. They are amazing! Each is overhanging on at least one side, and most faces (even the overhangs) show obvious features that are atypical of granite erratics.  They'll require some scrubbing, but could host 12 or 15 stellar boulder problems.

***

Labour Day Monday, as planned, Shawn cut stumps at Cornerstones and Slab Area, reducing the pad puncturing potential, while I moved rocks around the base of Mace so a few new lines can be attempted.  There are now five or six problems in this area that are just in need of a final scrub and a first ascent.

We then headed towards the river (via Megacrystals trail), did some trail work, and cleared some dead trees from the area to make room for tents.  We used the logs to build bridges through the bog and got about half-way through before running out of gas.

After refueling, we squeezed in a good bouldering circuit at Cornerstones before heading home.

Rain

A rainy weekend puts an end to Maritime bouldering plans, but it gives me time to post an update on some of the developments that have taken place at Munson Lake.

A couple weeks ago, I went back to Graffiti Block to put the final touches on the landing.  Thirty or 30 or 40 cubic feet of dry masonry later, and we are left with a flat platform that should remain above the waterline for the bulk of a typical climbing season.

With the labour out of the way, I switched my focus to finding a way up the inspiring East face.  The features on the right side are arranged rather uniquely: down low are a trio of big edges for the sit start; to their left 7 or 8 crystal protrusions as decent foot holds; a long reach above the big edges are 3 thin edges (crimps); a bit higher up are a collection of two pad texture-less slopers arranged in every direction.  This clustered pattern of features makes deciphering the proper holds and sequence a very complex task.  The balance, flexibility and opposition forces required add another layer of challenge.  I worked it until my brain and fingers were in need of a break.

Down the road at Hidden Wall, I polished the last bit of dirt off of couple lines, then polished off the FA’s.

The last bit of Hidden Wall, for the guide.

C Goodman on Pinch Overhang V3, (Hidden Wall) at Munson Lake. M Delaney photo.

I returned to Graffiti Block, and within few tries made it up the East face, then sprinted up the slab on the Northwest, adding yet another new problem to the boulder.

That evening PJ, Seb and I worked the crack on Colt 45.  We each struggled on a different move, and kept getting shut down.  Finally, on the last attempt of the day, PJ managed to find a bit more strength and just enough grace to nab the first ascent.  Dubbed Two Zig Zags, at V8 it is the hardest problem yet established on the West side of Munson Lake.  At 3-stars, it is also one of the nicest.

S Launcelot on Two Zig Zags V8,  Munson Lake, NB

As an aside, the star rating we’ve chosen is simple and straightforward.  With just 4 well-defined categories, there is minimal room for splitting hairs and consensus is easily reached.  Here is what we’ve established:

 *** = Excellent problem that would be considered a classic anywhere. It's worth a trip just to do it.

 ** = Very good problem for the region (e.g. The Maritimes; or Maine & NB). It's gratifying to complete, so it is one you will remember for a long time.

 * = Good problem for the area (e.g. Munson Lake).  If it's within your abilities you should do it at least once, as there's something fun and unique about it.  

No star = Common. The problem is somewhat plain, and could be found anywhere. 

Last weekend, a carload from Moncton and I played around the Roadside area some more.  Pierre hardly recognized the Hidden Wall after all the work Shawn & Denise put in since his previous visit.  He was surprised to learn that the biggest two boulders were not nearly touching each other, and now that the trees and brush were cleared they didn’t form a continuous wall!  (Hidden Wall is a double misnomer.)

As we took turns sending the established problems, Pierre would ponder the possibility of new ones up lines I’d previously dismissed for one reason or another.  A quick scrub and a few attempts later and he ended up putting up four worthwhile new problems.  Emma added a fifth.

P Arsenault on Ya Silly Fat Cow V3, Munson Lake, NB

Across the street I added a new problem at Piled Up.  Dubbed Mary Poppins (* V6), it’s a short, but powerful problem capped with a very strenuous top out.  Pierre managed to link it’s start with the off-width known as Wrestling Match, brining the daily tally of new problems to seven.

Not So Hidden Anymore

Sunday, I got to the Roadside Boulders at Munson Lake before the others.  As I drove past Graffiti Block, I noticed the little pond nearby had dried up so stopped the car to have a look.  This is a really cool looking boulder, but it has a deep dark pool of water (that's fed by the pond) around half of it's base –and it's the the half that's worth climbing.  Last fall, I tried tossing a few big granite blocks into the murk hoping to build up a platform to keep the pads dry. They disappeared into the depths.  I rolled the largest blocks I could find to the edge and pushed them over.  They also disappeared well below the surface.  It seemed bottomless.  Many times since, I've made a splash by lobbing rocks from the road to the base of the boulder.

Last month, it was finally dry enough for me to grab the first climb on the Graffiti Block (Sugar Ditch V1), which is to the right of the water hole.  At that time, it was possible to see some of the rocks just below the surface.  Yesterday most were well-above the water.  With some rearranging and additions, I managed to complete a dry and flat-ish landing zone.  I got to work scrubbing just as Shawn and Denise pulled up.

Since these problems looked a little too tough to warm-up on, we continued a bit farther to the Hidden Wall.

Shawn cut limbs and trunks, while Denise and I scrubbed rock and hauled brush.  Then we all scrubbed.  Then they cut a trail and I scrubbed.  Then Shawn built up a landing and everybody scrubbed some more.  Though you still can't see them from the road, these boulders are no longer lost in a jumble of spruce branches and dead birches.  You can actually identify where one boulder ends and the next one begins.  The landings are much improved.  Beer bottles were removed.

The view of Hidden Wall from the new trail.  This face has a long traverse that's been done both ways.

Shawn lacing up for Cow Birther V1 in the foreground, with the middle boulder nicely exposed in behind.

All told, we exposed 8 lines on the southernmost and big middle boulders where we thought there might be 4.  We climbed 4 of them.

On the way out, they asked for a tour of the Slab Area.  Unable to just look, we dragged the pads along as Shawn and Denise quickly dispatched another 4 or 5 problems each before calling it a (9 1/2 hour) day.

***

Monday, I awoke to the sun and songbirds after a restful night in the tent.  After breakfast and a warm-up, I wanted to work a great project at the Cornerstones.  By 10:30, despite feeling that I'd worked out the beta for the one move that was still giving me trouble, and had become more consistent on the rest, I couldn't get it.  It was too hot for the rubber and too slick for my skin.

Back to Roadside I went, but this time to Piled Up.  It was hotter, more humid and with less wind at than on Sunday.  So hot that your hands blister even with gloves on.  Despite this, I managed to scrub 5 new problems and send 2 of them before hunger brought me back to the car for lunch 3 hours later.  Dirty, sweaty, thin skinned, and still hungry I came home.

These boulders are only about 7' high, but have a tricky, rounded topout.  The off-width in is Wrestling Match V1, and the right arete is Baldilocks V3.

As I type this, I can think of a dozen problems on the West side of the Lake that are (nearly, at lest) clean and ready to go.  I am clean now, I've eaten, and it's much cooler in the City, but my skin hasn't grown back yet and I'm hungry again; those twelve FA's will have to wait for another time.

Sometimes You Have To Improvise

P Arsenault not wanting to move out of the shade on Elementary V0, Munson Lake, NB

It was a good couple of days of New Brunswick bouldering.  The sweltering heat and humidity kept us in the easier grades, but most importantly, the bugs were tolerable.


Four of us spent much of Sunday in the shade and on the slabs, and added two new problems to the East side of Munson Lake.  When it got too hot, we broke for lunch and had a little tequila with lime on ice.  Not having a knife, we had to improvise.

As you can see from the middle photo, I had my suspicions, but Dom had the right idea; shears not only work well for clearing paths through the shrub ground covers, they also cut lime wedges with precision.

When the others took off for home, I headed to the shade of the Hardwood Area and put in about an hour-and-a-half of work scrubbing the 5 or 6 chunks of granite that form the Trailside Boulders.  Tired, but with a few hours of daylight left, I set up my tent, then took a bath in the brook before making supper and tucking in for the night.

The Trailside boulders in the Hardwood Area.

Light rain overnight cooled things off for a good half-day on Monday.  Sebastian L met me in the am at the Corner Stones and we dispatched some of the starred problems, before working the long-standing crack project on Colt 45.  Together we (well, Seb mostly) figured out the beta, and each managed to pull off all but one move. For me it's number 2, and for Seb it's the opening move that's the problem.  It has really neat moves between cool holds up an obvious line.  Definitely a 3-star problem that we are both so close to completing that we will likely send it next visit!

S Lancelot executing the namesake move on Enter The Dragon, V4 (Glute Boulder) at Munson Lake, New Brunswick

Just a shot of Inversée for the guide

4:38 pm

I've made three visits to Munson Lake in the past week or so, and all have come to an abrupt end at 4:38.  Earlier in the day, shortly after my (or our) arrival the thin cloud of black flies that formed around any humans was simply curious.  Occasionally one would land and walk along a forearm for a moment, but for the most part they just flied around happy to have some human company.  They wouldn't bite, and we wouldn't swat.  It was a contented relationship.

It's been a warm and dry spring, and even with 5 days of rain to kick off summer, the Lake and surrounding terrain is quite dry. (Dryer than last August when there were no bugs.)  Since then it has been very sunny, hot and humid, to the point that one would expect the biting insects to be done for the year, or at least seeking some shelter in the shade.  Not so at Munson Lake.

So for the first few hours of the day, whether trail building or bouldering, we were happy and warm.  Just look at Pierre's face in the second photo and tell me he's not having fun.

Pierre A. coming out from under Rubberman V1

Pierre A. happy to be riding the top-out jug on Rubberman V1

By 3 o'clock, we'd each been bitten maybe three times.  Considering the amount of exposed skin (temps in the upper 20's and a 80% humidity) this was pretty good.  Around this time, on Monday when I was solo, I put up the first problem on Graffiti Block; a steep but easy line called Sugar Ditch. On Saturday, Pierre and I were putting the final brush strokes on the Hidden Wall in preparation for grabbing a couple of FA's.

At 4 o'clock, the black fly population doubled. At 4:10 it doubled again. At 4:15 the clouds turned into swarms as they went in to feed.   It is impossible to swat everywhere at once, so the best you can do is hope to cover up.  Not only was it too hot for long sleeves, but it takes both hands to pull on a sweater and long pants.  That wastes valuable swatting time, so we tred to do it all at once; dressing, swatting, packing, and scrambling to the shelter of an air-conditioned car.  Meanwhile the black flies had found the openings and were aggressively harvesting chunks of our skin.

We had reached the stage of surrender to the total frustration that arises from being under relentless attack.  We sealed up the windows, squished those bugs that made it inside the car and got out of there as fast as we could.  The car radio showed 4:38 pm.  The time of retreat on 3 separate days was identical.

Graffiti Block.

Hidden Wall Part 1. The pad is below Pierre's new V1, a crack called Cow Birther.  The right arete is Shear Madness, also a V1 

What the Phoque?

The welcome sign at Cape Spencer isn't the most inspiring.

Last weekends Claw Your Way To The Top event at Cape Spencer was a blast. About 25 of us enjoyed a very low tide, stellar weather,  fresh Bay of Fundy lobster, great company, and a few drinks.  Oh yeah, and some bouldering.

For me, it tipped off a week of high volume climbing that involved at least 40 moderate to hard routes (or problems) and only one fall.  (More accurately, it was one missed attempt on a V4 that I quickly got next try.)  Many were on-sights or flashes.  None of this is particularly impressive, but my composure and consistency has really taken a huge leap forward this year.  I can hang out indefinitely while studying the rock and deducing upcoming sequences.  I'm not getting very pumped even on routes with that reputation.  I've been able to reverse dynamic moves if my initial path has taken me into a dead end.  When a foothold crumbled, or a big stretch with crawling fingers has resulted in a foot slipping from a crack, I've hung on without panic.  I am climbing very well and I credit my off-season, preseason and in-season training programmes for this.  This makes me proud as a strength and conditioning coach, as well as as a climber. (That's a lot of "as".)  Here's hoping tomorrow is dry enough to get on some really hard stuff at Munson Lake.

Back to Cape Spencer:  Fred remembered a few more names, and I snapped a couple more shots for the guide/map.

Sea Creatures Area

Mike's Solo Wall

S Burdett lost his head trying to work his way up the Dihedral on the Backside of the House. He did manage to send it a couple of attempts later.

At the first Claw Your Way To The Top, in 2010, most people stuck around the base of the trail, so this year I was determined to drag at least some of them a little farther.  As we walked out, a few stopped at Mike's Solo Wall and a few others at the Midway Warm-up Wall.  Those that carried on heard me  describe What The Phoque? V2 as one of the nicest problems at the Cape.  It starts inside a steep cave and follows good holds up and right to the lip, then continues along this sloping feature up and left to the top.  

Then as we climbed the slight rise on the approach, we looked into the cave and saw this:

It's a Dodge truck.  Rather, it's most of a Dodge truck.  This rusted mess was perched about 70 meters above the beach the last time I visited.  Then it had a body, tires, and the seats were visible through the broken windows.  Not anymore, though!  It has since tumbled down the steep grass slope that's split by the occasional short cliff or terrace.  Surely the momentum would have carried it over the cave and onto the rocks below, as the gap is not much larger than the vehicle and only accessible from the water side.  Somehow (waves, obviously) it was tossed and rolled back up hill, over a steep 15 foot tall boulder that sits well above the water line, and into the cave.  The power of the Bay, or any large body of water manipulated by the wind and moon, is difficult to imagine.  Seeing this put it into perspective... amazing!  Though not the original inspiration for the name of the boulder problem, our reaction upon seeing this orange mess was, appropriately, "What the phoque?"