Gripping the Gunks

I just got back from a remarkable trip to the Gunks! The brief synopsis is that we successfully climbed life-changing routes and shared many memorable moments of boisterous laughter and fear-conquering. By we I mean myself, my best bud from college, Wesley John-Alder, his girlfriend Ariana, and our buddy Dan Herr, also from Oberlin College. So, here are the goods, starting with The Dangler, 5.9+To get to The Dangler, Wes led a route aptly called Something Interesting, 5.7+, a great warm-up for The Dangler, which I couldn't help but lead twice. Here's Wes mastering his way up Something Interesting!And here's a video of me loving the great feelings revealed by indulging the dangle:Day Two, we're onto the next wonder route. This time, CCK. Pitch one is chill. Pitch two clearly is the business. The hard part for me was route-finding. Wes again let me lead this awesomely-exposed climb since he had already done so on a previous trip. I'm so glad I did it. It has awesome, memorable moves with commitment. Here I am traversing:And here I am on the flake, one of the more interesting parts:There were also two good nights, held around a campfire and our tents. Nothing makes climbing better than sharing it with people you care about.And who have hair as wild as yours.Let the training continue! Just over 2 months until The Monster Trip.