The Nears

Since my last post I’ve only managed to climb one day - a short, but physical day of climbing at the local crag with partners August and Kyle.  Time is a big issue.  Whether it be having the time to climb, having to be back in time, or timing with partners.  And time isn’t on my side with my wife only a few weeks away from giving birth to our second child.  And after that, there will be less time for time spent climbing. Time is fleeting.  Time is the ultimate commodity. 

I feel a strong urgency to climb while I still can.  But not wanting a pedestrian sort of day at repeatedly climbed nearby cliffs with partners of limited skill and ability (no offence to either) I decided to bite the bullet and enlist the help of a professional in order to scale some big walls.  I’ve climbed nothing but ice with Alpine Endeavors Guide Alan Kline.  We’ve discussed climbing in the Gunks, which he insists is one of the best places to climb in the country (and he’s a well-traveled climber) but like me, he prefers the quieter secluded cliffs.  He’s more likely to tell you about his favorite climbs in the Gunks that aren’t found in The Trapps.  Having already climbed a handful of classics in The Trapps, and knowing that weekends in The Trapps are as crowded as a movie theatre on a rainy weekend, I messaged Alan about going off the beaten path.  We met on a warm blue-sky morning at the intersection of 299 - 44/55, and after admiring my new truck he raised an eyebrow and said “Nears”?

The Near Trapps, or Nears, is the second-most popular cliff after The Trapps in the Gunks.  While not as remote or adventurous as Millbrook, or as secretive as some of the other crags which I won’t mention by name, it’s certainly far less traveled.  Fourth of July weekend is one of the busiest times for the Gunks, as well as the Hudson Valley Region (which I later discovered while sitting in traffic).  Parking lots were near capacity when we arrived just before 9am.  But The Nears were relatively quiet.  I saw several parties of climbers, including a very nice group of Canadians who retrieved and left behind for us a stuck stopper.  But it wasn’t crowded by any stretch of the word.  We were all comfortably dispersed.  The only wait we had was a brief moment of convenience and actually a chance to rest and leisurely rack gear and flake out a rope while a climber rapped off of a route we were looking to climb.  Unlike the busier Trapps, were you can easily find yourself on a weekend waiting in a line for a route, The Nears is usually a safer bet for climbers looking to keep busy.

The first route we climbed was Gelsa, 5.4.  We did this route in 3 pitches with the first two being short due to the traversing.  Pitch 1 was very easy.  Pitch 2 was slabby and thin, with very few options for gear placement. I wouldn’t say this section is sandbagged, but it’s definitely not a pitch of climbing I recommend a new leader to onsight without any beta on gear placements.  Pitch 3 was the money pitch.  From a roofed corner, the climb traverses a short distance to the right and follows a blocky but overhanging corner system.  I was a bit surprised by how steep and exposed the rock was as I climbed with my back fully arched, but the amount of bomber jugs and large holds kept the route well within 5.4 difficulty.

Slab on Pitch 2

View from Pitch 2 Belay

Jug-fest on Pitch 3



 

After Gelsa, we hiked for some time down the cliff to a short wall densely packed with interesting routes.  King of P, a 5.3 splitter crack.  Miss Mantle, a 5.9 with an infamous mantle move that immediately puts you on a slopping face, requiring quick action and poise to prevent from skidding off.  Whatever, a 5.10a that starts with a tricky boulder problem and finishes with a blank section of sandpaper-featured rock that demands dug-in toes and Yogi-like balance to ascend through.  And Across from the Fruitstand, a fun 5.4.

Looking up King of P.

Looking up Whatever. Alan, to the left, attempts to clean some of the organic matter. Route ends on ledge just past the bright sun glare.

View of Hudson Valley from ledge above. Despite the wall being short, we're already at elevation and can see out to the horizon.



 

After completing that series of routes, we hiked back to where we started to climb a long 5.6 route called Grease Gun Groove.  The route starts with a serious boulder problem and follows thin splitter cracks to an inside corner and then edges and ledges before reaching a rappel tree. I really enjoyed this route and would definitely like to repeat it.  Alan put in extra work and climbed the route a second time only to move left instead of right to a 5.8 roof variation which he explosively and acrobatically shot through.

This is me, Top-Roping Grease Gun Groove. Route ends at large tree.



 

I decided to end the day there and head back on home.  On my way back I stopped at Rock and Snow to pick up the Dick Williams guidebook for the Nears and Millbrook.  Alan and I discussed meeting up in the fall for either Millbrook or an undocumented crag that contains mostly 1 pitch routes.  Between now and then, I’m hoping for at least one more day of climbing before my next child, a daughter, is born.