New Brunswick Bouldering Guide

Eighteen months ago, I finally gave in to the repeated requests to write a guidebook for Munson Lake.  This expanded into a comprehensive guide to cover all the established boulder problems in New Brunswick.

Cover of the New Brunswick Bouldering Guide, available here.

Today, the New Brunswick Bouldering Guide went live!  It is a 100 page digital-download, with over 300 photos.  It describes nearly 700 boulder problems over 15 bouldering locations.  There are road maps, trail maps, descriptions of each area, descriptions for each problem, topo pictures, inspirational action pictures, a history of bouldering in New Brunswick, potential future development opportunities...

You can order your copy here: https://sites.google.com/site/nbboulderingguide/ordering-info






Note: Bald Peak / Mt Douglas are on DND land and that anyone visiting needs to get a recreational pass from either Range Control on Base, or from Petersville at the gate off the highway.

Sport Psychology for Climbers

Ten days ago, I finally sent Two Zig Zags.  I’d been working on it for over a year. Well not consistently.  There was the winter closure, and the crack was often wet in the spring, summer humidity rendered the textureless starting hold unusable, and the grease that built up on it... but still more attempts that it should have taken to consistently target the the pinch and figure out a couple of foot moves from there to the easy finish.  Especially since I’m significantly stronger and smoother than last year.

It got me thinking of the psychological factors at play for successful (or unsuccessful) redpointing. To be clear, my forte in the hard sciences of biomechanics, neuromuscular control and physiology, rather than sport-psych.  What follows is based on deductive reasoning from anecdotal experience as a coach and personal experience as an athlete.  Please leave a comment if you can contribute anything to support or refute my thesis.

There are two major things to consider.  The first is "attentional focus", which you surely are familiar with.  It could be something external like a part of hold you’re aiming for on an a dynamic move, or something internal like relaxing your breathing, or squeezing a pinch for all it’s worth until after you’ve done the next move.  Really this is just part of the learning process, emphasizing an area (of the body or move) that not as automatic as the rest (of the movement pattern or route).

The second is this thing called "optimal level of arousal".  Too much equates to anxiety, tension, perspiration, distraction.  Too little is laziness, carelessness, relaxation.  There are a myriad of techniques athletes and sport psychologists use to increase or decrease stimulation.  Though there is something to this, particularly for competition climbing, it probably gets too much credit for success in real world climbing.  I’ll explain...

Faced with a desperate situation in the mountains, the fight or flight response kicks in.  This is usually the optimal arousal for such critical events.  If it wasn’t, they probably died.  So you hear about the success of  this strategy around the campfire and read it in the mags.

When it comes to more mundane climbing tasks, such as working a project, there is more controversy.
A fairly recent article by Alison Osius, extolls the virtues of increased arousal (stress) on redpointing, and provides corroborating anecdotes by some big names in the climbing world.

There are as many examples of the opposite: success coming on days where there was no pressure, a bit of fatigue, and low expectations (low arousal).  Adam Ondra on the first ascent of La Dura Dura, for instance.  

Eventual success following repeated failures, with sporadic progress can be over-analyzed and weak links forged.  Ondra is quoted (in Rock & Ice #213) doing this very thing when discussing his success on that route.  More likely though, he just had finally deciphered all the nuances of the body movements required, and executed them without making a significant error.

Busy Week At Munson Lake Boulders

Work schedule and weather aligned nicely the week after my return.  I got out to the Munson Lake boulders five out of those first eight days.  Climbing conditions were really good too, as humidity was low and a breeze kept the bugs away.

Sunday I scrubbed and worked a long balancy traverse, put up a new problem and climbed a handful of moderate to hard classics.

Tuesday was labour intensive, as I dug ditches, repaired the road, pulled alders, trimmed overgrown trails, and hauled rocks to build up a landing.

Most of the recent efforts have focused on a cluster of 4 boulders in the Megacrystals
Area.  Here you see Pierre on the rather small Mammoth (V1) boulder, with the backside of Wicked Lester to the left.

I spent most of the Thursday scrubbing in the Megacrystals area, and did some more trail work as well.  As the sun was beginning it’s descent, I was establishing three first ascents, and working a couple others (including that long traverse from Sunday, but without success).

On the back of these two of the new slab problems, is a unique V3 named The Hawks.

Arguably the nicest of the new problems, these V4's demand power and precision. 

Pierre and I camped on the weekend, and added seven more problems on Saturday.  Sunday, Shawn and Denise joined us for some laps on the classic problems.

Shawn nearing the end of the Gutterball traverse on the Kingpin Boulder at Munson Lake, NB.

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.)

Ten Percent Gains

In just a few visits to NB's best bouldering spot this spring, we've managed to increase the total number of problems by nearly 10%.  In the previous post, I only mentioned some new problems in passing, and concentrated on describing the road conditions.  This time I'll do the opposite:  The roads are slightly more compacted, but still very rough and also soft in places.

The first new problems of 2013 are in the Slab Area.  Crack Head follows a thin shallow seam up a near-vertical slab, and Butthead comes up from underneath the boulder to a rounded slabby arete.  From there I went to the Middle Area to add a traverse to the right face of M, as I'd finally managed to leaver a backbreaking block out of the landing zone on my last visit of 2012.  The last addition from day one was Spongiform, whose landing had been too wet to attempt in the fall.

*  *  *
Last Tuesday, I'd hoped to cut a trail for Megacrystals Area.  On my way out, I passed a couple of guys trying to find the boulders, so I ended up doing some guiding instead.  It was probably just as well, as rain was threatening the whole afternoon, and I didn't want to stray far from the car in case the skies did open up and I had to make a quick exit before the road turned to mush.  I did work a few moves on one project, but didn't get it.

I spent this past Friday trimming branches and hauling rocks to remedy a very bad landing below the north arete of How The West Was Won.  I scrubbed it a bit, but still don't know if a line is possible.  After lunch I cut about 200m of trail at the northern part of Megacrystals leading to this beauty.

Those two big flakes sounded very bad when touched, and easily popped off, fragmenting as they hit the soft ground. The rest of the rock is solid, and though there are not going to be any juggy sit starts, I think some nice problems will soon be established.

On Sunday, Pierre and I put in a 10 hour day that started with climbing about 10 established problems, then moved on to trail work, scrubbing and 10 FA's.   The first of this new bunch is an absolute gem that I couldn't quite get when Mike and Jono helped me scrub it in the fall.  After the winter, the sloping finish is a bit cleaner, but still just as long a reach.  It took a bit of work to figure out the last part, but I got it.  Found on the Houdini boulder, it's a 3-star V4/5 called Escape Coat.  The features are atypical for granite and the sequence is incredible!

Next, Pierre put up Holy Weed Stacks, which is a neat addition to the slab side of M.  We followed this up with parrallel finger cracks on a boulder we discovered while cutting the trail from Houdini to M.

With a couple of detours, we eventually made it along the Middle trail to the Bad English boulders.  This is what we ended up dubbing those that Mike, Jono and I worked on late last fall.  After lots of scrubbing and laughter, there were 7 new problems, and plenty of variations and eliminates up the heavily featured south-west one.

Road To Munson Not Good

Since it’s been so dry, with a province-wide fire ban, yesterday I thought I’d try to drive out to the Munson Lake boulders.  Being ultra cautious, based on last year’s experience, I stopped many times to test the road on foot prior to attempting sections by car.  Eventually, I made it, but even the return trip took at least twice as long (and three times the focus) as usual.  Here’s a detailed report:

Seven Mile Lake Road is firm and dry.  Some sections are riddled with brick-sized rocks, others pot holed, some deeply rutted, and there are a few eroded washouts.  Collectively these make for a rough, but uncomplicated drive.

Munson Lake Road is wet at the turn-off, but passable.  The rest of the road is dry, and rough.  Early season ATV traffic stalled in some of the uphill sections.  Their side-slipping tracks, and 3-point turns have left deep scars in the road surface.  Typically muddy sections are dry, but still deform under weight.  The bulk of the remainder is very soft and sandy.  There are fresh moose (and now human and tire) tracks as deep as 10cm in places.  Since the weather changed so quickly, what I think happened was as the frost came out and moisture evaporated, things dried in place, with lots of air space between the granules. Driving isn’t very good, and with the bit of rain forecasted later in the week, everything could turn to deep mud for quite a while.


Overall, I’m glad I made the trip.  A sandwich box, which I’d forgotten out there in December, was especially happy to see me.  (I didn’t have the heart to tell it I didn’t even realize it was missing.)

It was really nice to finally get some harder climbing in and tenderize the finger tips a bit while in the process of putting up 4 of the 10 or so new problems I ran out of time for in the fall.

Spongiform one of the new problems goes up the right, and a traverse (once clean) looks possible as well.

Oh, and my training outcomes... Generally, it feels like I’m climbing rather sloppily, which I’ll attribute to early season rust.  This should get polished off with a few more days on the erratics.  On a positive note, for all but the most balancy and technical problems I attempted, strength and stability gains more than made up for my (temporary) lack of grace.  The strength increases were very noticeable, along with how quickly and thoroughly I would recover between attempts.  With a bit of luck, I’ll soon be able to get on some of the harder projects and really put the training programme to the test.

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

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.