Saturday 10/18/97

My two normal climbing partners Scott Richards and Matt Johns were both out of state for the weekend. I was in PA without anyone to climb with. I decided to head to Krahlick to boulder or possibly meet someone there to climb with. I packed up my gear and my dog Brodie (see photo section) and drove down to Krahlick. I was the first one there, so Brodie and I hiked out along the trail on top. We walked past the Kitchen overhang and the main area all the way to the back to the fire ring and the high overlook. I noticed that there were some trees missing on the right. I walked over to see what had happened and low and behold I saw two cold shut anchors about 1' below the top of the rock. I looked below the shuts and saw bolts. Someone had bolted this route. I have done the route to the left of the arete but never this route. I proceeded to walk to the top of the shuts and look down. Someone had also got rid of alot of trees and shubs on the second ledge below, as well as on the ground. I had to get down below and check out the bottom. Brodie and I hiked back to the descent trail and down to bottom. We hiked past all the normal areas (The Kitchen, The downclimb, Etc.) and bushwacked our way to the base of the back area where the bolts and shuts were. At the base I had found that someone had put up a new route on a lower cliff to the right. It looked short and difficult alot of slightly overhanging face climbing. I as usual looked around the face to see what else was there. I noticed the arete on the right which has some possibilities, and a few feet to the left I found what I was looking for. It was and overhanging face without any chalk on it. It started with small feet, and a 2 fingertip undercling, I stood up onto the feet and put my left up to a big openhand sloper, and found a sidepull for my right hand, I pulled up into that and worked my feet up a little higher. I decided to back off the rock and not go any higher without a rope. I was happy with the possibility that I found. I bouldered around on other stuff for about an hour or so and decided it was time to go find someone, anyone that could belay me on these new climbs and project I found. Bodie and I got back to the car and just as we were getting ready to leave a Gray Ford Ranger pulled up. It was Hop a friend of mine that I hadn't seen in a while with a friend of his. I had climbed with Hop when I first started climbing. He had been climbing about 10 years when I first met him. Seeing him climb early in my climbing career really inspired me to climb hard and get better. I was happy to see someone I knew let alone the person that inspired me to climb most. They had come to climb some easy routes since his friend was new to climbing. We set up the main face for top roping. Hop went first climbing the 5.7 route to the right. He climbed as he always does, making everything seem effortless and easy. Ron got on the route next having a little trouble in the harder sections of the climb. He made it to the top and lowered off. Hop got on again and climbed the 5.11 route to the left, up the small flake. Again he made it look easy. He finished the climb and lowered off. Ron got back on the 5.7 and did a much better job, since he knew the route a little better. He came down and we hiked back to the back wall where the new routes were. We scrambled up to the second ledge thorough some scary exposed shelves of rock to the top where we could set up a toprope for the steep face climbs. We used a stump of a tree that had been cut down in the clearing of the rocks for our anchor. We rapped down to the bottom and I had first shot at the steep face climb. I started up the climb through the easier beginning, all the time avoiding the obvious large ledge to my left. The hard line obviously went direct up the face without easier holds. when the face holds ran out it turned into 2-4 flakes without cracks behind them, they had to be used strictly as oppositional pressure meanwhile the face was overhaning more and more. After a 4' iron cross traverse to a 2 finger flake I had to let go of my left hand and risk the barn door to the right and hanging on 2 fingers. I let go of my left and quickly cranked up on my right two finger hold and slapped at what looked like a good hand ledge which turned out to be a sloper due to the angle of the rock. I quickly matched hands on that and moved my feet up to the corner and went for the next large hold which again was nothing great. My arms were burning and I ran out of gas, off the rock I came and pendulumed to the left. I got lowered to the ground. Hop was next and followed my line up and made about two more moves than I up to the best ledge of the climb. He rested there for a moment and went for the next moves up an arete and a left facing flake. He went for the final move to the top and off he came. He lowered to the ground, and I got back on. I noticed a hold that I had missed on my previous attempt. I went up the rock this time using the missed hold and finishing the route. Hop went up again using another variation to the climb making it look effortless. Ron did a line in the corner up an offwidth chimney that was good for his ability. He enjoyed the climb very much. We decided to pull our rope and head back to the main area and set up one more climb before calling it a day. We did the big crack at the main area beside the easy ramp. Hop's wife Kelly and Ron's girlfriend showed up while we we climbing this route. We discussed climbing together somewhere on Sunday and decided to exchange phone numbers and talk later in the evening. Brodie and I were on our way out when we got to the car I saw that a Ford Ranger pickup truck was swamped in the big mud hole. 4 younger guys were trying to get it out. They were all covered in mud and quite frustrated. I offered to give them a hand and for the next hour we tried various ways trying to pull them out of the muck. The rear end of the truck was completely submerged in the mud and the tires were getting no traction. The crew I was climbing with came up over the hill and saw the sight. They joined in the rescue attempt, but with no luck. Eventually we decided it was time for them to call a tow truck. UPDATE: They eventually got out because I returned to Krahlick on Wednesday and the truck was gone!

Sunday 10/19/1997

We all decided to climb at Casparis Rocks in Connellsville, PA. I had only climbed there once before, I didn't find many routes and thought it was quite the choss pile. Hop assured me that the climbing was quality, so my wife Holly and I with our little brown dog Everest went down to meet them at about 11:00a.m.

Come back soon for finish!