Gaptastic

For the most part this December’s weather seems to resemble April’s…cold, but not freezing, and often wet rather than snowy.  I have a bad case of Winter Fever as I’m praying for the trails and slopes to be covered with powder and the rock to crust with ice.  In the meantime, I manage to get by during these cold-to-cool weather days and already twice this month I’ve been able to climb on Mount Minsi.  I brought my tools along one especially cold morning but found no ice formations.  Despite an abundance of clean rock my eyes were constantly shifting from the dry faces to the wet slimy gully’s as if my stare would cause them to freeze over.     

 

And on that day in early December, with the temperatures holding at around 35 degrees and the sun blocked by dense gray clouds, I climbed Teardrop Buttress (5.3) on lead with Barry.  Neither one of use had been on this route so we divided it into two pitches deciding to use a ledge conveniently found halfway up the route as our first belay.  I cruised up pitch one with very little run-out between gear.  Barry took on the blockier second pitch with sections of rotten rock and exposed dirt.  Rapping to our left we descended along Tears Are Falling (5.5, PG13) which is now on both of our tick lists.  Pro seems scarce along this 100 foot slabby route, so it’s likely we’ll do it on top-rope.  And just to the left of Tears Are Falling is the gully that forms the Minsi Curtain (WI2+/WI3).  Having Teardrop Buttress dialed gives me access to both of these routes from the top of the cliff. 

Teardrop Buttress route on right



 

Barry following



Topped out on Teardrop Buttress

Tears are Falling (Teardrop Buttress right edge)

 

On to Mid-December and I’m back at the Cold Air Cave pullout with John.  The sun is bright but the wind is painfully sharp.  We slowly scramble up the talus slope, passing a porcupine, wondering how much worse it will get once we’re on the rock and exposed.  But surprisingly the wind dies once we summit the trail and the sun is shining bright, pushing the temps into the low-to-mid 40s.  I’m on lead for the first climb, The Great Escape (5.4).  The Great Escape is an obvious chimney located on the appropriately named Grunge Wall.  The chimney itself is a bit mossy and wet (ice, please!) but the right edge was dry with plenty of placements and stances.  Just before the exiting the chimney through a notch into the unknown, I placed a rather dubious   size “0” C3 (the smallest cam on my rack) in less than stellar crack.  I wasn’t too happy about the placement but sometimes you got to take what you can get.  Luckily pulling through the opening was effortless and I was on solid ground.  Only problem, I had 20 feet of unprotected 4^th class scrambling over loose dirt and waist-high blocks before I’d reach the safety of a rappel tree.  The thought of taking short fall on my last placement was spooky enough.  And now I couldn’t afford slipping along this run out section since it could lead to a near or possible ground fall.  Keeping a cool head I calmly and deliberately moved over the blocks, often on my belly and knees, until reaching a rap cord.  The terrain wasn’t terrible or particularly difficult, but without protection and being so far off the ground it’s a little unnerving to move so I was abundantly cautious along every piece of ground I covered. 

 

Lower Section of The Great Escape

 

The next climb, Crackpot (5.4) is right in between where the Grunge Wall and Land of the Giants Wall meet.  Here the rock becomes clean (clean for the Gap) and white and the ground below steeply slopes giving incredible views of the Delaware River.  Crackpot has several bolts, so John opted to get on the sharp end and make it his first lead – congratulations!  Before reaching a rappel tree, John clipped 3 or 4 bolts and placed two cams.  We were later told that just past the rap tree there is a bolted anchor.  Crackpot’s bolts mostly follows an arête but while cleaning gear I moved out right onto the face and found it to be a fantastic variation of the route (I might have been climbing sections of Frigid Dare, 5.5).  Crackpot was an excellent climb and that particular section of rock is definitely worth visiting again as there are several worthwhile listed routes within that small area.

 

Crackpot

Face to the right of Crackpot