I just want to brag for a moment about a great weekend. Two guys I know from North Carolina came up last weekend. James had been to the Gunks before, but Emil had not. He got the first lead, and it was High E.

On the longest Saturday of the year, with beautiful weather, we got on everything we wanted. Ditto for Sunday, on which we could only climb until noon. Here's the complete tally, and no, I'm not making this up.

Saturday
. High E (Emil)
. Ants Line (me)
. Bonnie's (regular finish) (Emil)
. Groovy (James)
. V-3 (James)
Sunday
. Layback
. Broken Sling

By the way I hosted James's first day a few years ago, and that time (which was a weekday) our day was Yellow Ridge, Disneyland, and Son of Easy O.

right on!

i think my best hosting day ever was with a nonclimber. i took him up high e, and we walked off down to the overcliff road. Through the ferns, with the sun filtering through the trees, we walked through a bit of woods that made the fact that my buddy had not had a day off from work in two and a half years all the more poignant.

Nice. Emil: glad he was one of guests on such a good day. I appreciated his effort when I visited his area.

I would make a special effort to get up there If he's around again and a fourth might be beneficial.

Mark

This post made me think of a buddy of mine who invited a couple of us down to the new a few years ago.
He felt really bad because it was gauley season and he had to work (shooting video on the river) the first day we were there. He pointed us in the direction of the bridge area in the morning, and then kaymoor in the afternoon. That day we went to happy hour and he wouldn't let us pay for a thing, and set us up with a guy to take us out on the upper gauley the next day for free. What an incredible time that was! The following day he took us to summersville lake where we did everything we could handle in the orange oswald wall area. Day four we went to endless, jumped off some crazy 50 or 60' bridge somewhere, and then went to $5 Frank for a plane ride to finish out our first experience in WV. What a great trip and an even better host.

Glad to hear James made it up here and you had a nice day. Todd and I finally got some climbing in on Sunday. He was wondering if you'd ever done Grim-Ace Face. Should probably start another thread . . .

Mark, I didn't find out until Saturday that you'd climbed together, or else I would have let you know they were coming.

Other than the cost of the TravelLodge on Saturday night (they stayed with me on Friday), it was just the perfect weekend. They loved the Bakery, and Bacchus (James found a beer he remembered from Bulgaria!).

I only wish Sunday had been a full day, I would've had us jump on Birdland and done both pitches.

Dunno if ya can call it "hosting" since I was climbing w/ wayward former Gunkie (back in town fer a little while) and renowned king of the typo CrackBoy on Mon and Tues, but here's what we did:

Mon: Bonnie's Direct, p3 High E, p2 of CCK Direct
(then we rapped, sat under the roof at Ants and ate lunch while it monsooned, walked out as the sun came back out, and hit R&S and the Otter )

Tues: (joined by Steph, her brother Kevin, and Mike R) we collectively did:

Te Dum (CB & MR), Disneyland (K, S, and ML), Criss Cross Direct (CB, MR, ML, K, S), Gelsa (S & K) Broken Sling (ML, K, and CB), Birdcage/land via the Chouinard var. (CB & S), Farewell to Arms (ML and K), To Be or Not To Be (ML, K, CB)

Not too too bad for a day and a half of climbing.

Lucky people!

They would never find all those obscure routes without help.

You people are so wonderful! My bet is that your dung captures the aroma of rose petals.

Monday;
Limelight, Arrow, High E. Blew his mind. Gave me a buzz to see someone else have fun on these climbs

To Be or Not To Be

Mmmmm ... yummy.