Jaedyn vs the Giant

Don't worry, the giant was sleeping. Jaedyn and I went hiking at Sleeping Giant state park in Hamden ,CT today. I wanted to scout out a couple of climbing routes from the top of the chin so we decided to take the blue trail up the back side of the cliff. It posed to be quite a challenging hike, but Jaedyn wasn't going to let that giant get the best of her. She was determined to get to the top, she even showed up a couple other hikers who were struggling to scramble up the rocks. Once we reached the giants chin we took some pictures, climbed on rocks and even spotted a rabbit. Jaedyn actually spotted the rabbit first, she getting to be quite the little animal watcher. As we hike she's always telling me to walk quietly so I don't scare away the animals. Hopefully I'll be able to get back to the Giant latter in the season to climb "Wiessner's Rib," another route on my to-do list...

Whoa baby its hot!!!

We've been going through a heat wave the last couple of days and I'm not sure when its going to end. When I say heat wave I'm talking about highs of about 99 / 100 degrees and lows of 86 / 87. I'm doing any thing and every thing to keep near the water and that's exactly what Jaedyn and I did today.
We got all of our gear to take the kayak out, life jackets, water (tons of it) and of course snacks. With out snacks what would I use to keep Jaedyn's hands from dragging in the water and slowing us down. She loves to drag both of her arms in the water as deep as she can get them, thus making it more difficult for daddy to paddle.

We set off from one of our more popular spots, the Saugatuck river boat ramp, due to the easy access. Only this time we set off down river towards the mouth of the Saugatuck and out into the sound. A couple of days earlier (Saturday) we paddled down stream as well, paddling along the shore and out to Sherwood Island. Since there were so many boaters and jet skis out that day we didn't go too far from the coast and played it safe. Today being a Tuesday I was a little more apt to explore. So once we reached the mouth of the river we headed south to a small private island in Norwalk. Know one seemed to mind having Jaedyn and I there as she played in the water, climbed on the rocks and shared a sandwich with me.



After Lunch we headed off to our next destination which was another island. This one was more a product of low tide. None the less, we stopped and Jaedyn posed with her N.S. Tiger and hopped from rock to rock. We also were treated to a show from a local kite surfer, although he wouldn't come close enough for me to get a good picture.

Well, Jaedyn and I enjoyed another fun filled trip. My only hope is I can get Autumn to join us next time. I promise that I'll make the first time memorable...

More Crazy in the Gunks

Well, after a goods nights sleep under the stars I was ready to take James and Meghan up Middle Earth. The one climb that I have yet to lead in its entirety, until today. It ended up being the first and only route we did that day. By far the longest I've taken to complete a three pitch route (five hours, whoa!). Anyway, I cruised up the first pitch with one rope trailing. When I finished the first pitch I set up my anchor and ATC guide to belay the two of them at the same time. James started up the route first with Meghan close behind.

It seems that James didn't learn his lesson the first time because once again his knees and legs took a beating, and he left some bloody rental shoes behind to prove it. After completing the first pitch, I set off for pitch number two, which was a 5.2 that I almost didn't place any gear. I did eventually clip into a tri-cam that was welded into a crack and slung one tree. That was it for 50 ft. James and Meghan didn't have any problems with it either. Now pitch three.... That was a little different story. It was a short pitch as well, except 15 feet up was a roof that you have to reach over and pull yourself through. By far the section the two of them struggled with the most. James made an attempt at the roof first with no luck. Meghan told him to take a break and regain some of your strength while I try it. She tried and conquered. So while James made another go at it Meghan was off exploring the top of the cliff. Taking pictures of inch worms and caterpillar nests and nature stuff.

In the words of an unknown climber, "if you don't drop a couple F bombs your not really climbing." Than all I have to say is James was the hardest climber at the crag that day, and everyone knew it.

Kayaking on the Sagatuck

I couldn't be happier that Jaedyn enjoys kayaking as much as she does. Just the fact that I've introduced her to something that we can share and explore together warms my heart. Today she was more interested than ever, asking questions about the water level, tides and of course the animals we came upon.

Lets see... we came across some mallard ducks, beautiful swans, and what I believe was a woodchuck or ground hog swimming. I'd never actually seen a groundhog myself so I was pretty enthused to follow him/her around the river for a while. We made a couple stops along the way for a snack break and to get a couple pictures with her tiger.

Now, to get a little background on the tiger...

While Jaedyn, Autumn and myself were at her new school, that she'll be attending next fall, they gave all the parents a 8 X 11 logo of her school. Their / our project for the Summer was to take a picture of our child with the logo or a stuffed tiger, the mascot, and in the fall they would put together a collage of the pictures submitted. Autumn and Jaedyn went to Bush Gardens while they were in Florida and picked up a stuffed tiger that I am determined to give the coolest adventures of the summer with Jaedyn.

Rain at the Gunks

Well, I had planned on camping and climbing at the Gunks Wednesday threw Friday But it seems mother nature had other plans. Wednesday night was perfect sitting by the fire with a couple beers some cheese and crackers and relaxing with a good book. It was warm, the bugs stayed away and other campers in the park weren't obnoxious or loud. I was very much at peace. Now it did rain a little over night, approx. three to five in the morning, but most things seemed dry by ten o'clock. The sky was blue the sun was out and Jeff was pulling into the West Trapps parking lot to meet up with me. I though for sure we had threaded the proverbial needle.

Now Jeff had never been to the Gunks and the first climb we approached that struck my fancy was "Horseman." I started clipping gear to my harness when Jeff asked if he could take the lead on this one. I told him to have at it and I'm kind of glad he did, because the traverse around the block was a little heady even on top rope. Next on my to-do list was Middle Earth, because I still haven't lead the first pitch, but of course another group was on it. So we decided to do "Minty," a nice little 5.3. I figured it would be an easy onsight and kill some time until M.E. was available. Well, it turns out that Minty also intersects with another climb, "Tipsy Trees" that is also a 5.3. To make a long story short, we climbed the first pitch of minty, kind of, and the second and third pitch on "Tipsy Trees." It doesn't really matter because it was a fun climb either way, and thats all that matters in my book.
So, back to "Middle Earth" we go. So as I'm climbing I feel a little sprinkling of rain. I don't think anything of it because most of the day at one point or another it sprinkled a little bit. So I keep climbing and the sky just opens up and lets loose. In the words of Jeff, "the wrath of God." I've never been caught in a flash flood, but I imagine this was pretty close. Now at this point I had about four pieces of gear in and was about thirty feet of the ground. I made the decision to traverse to a near by tree and have Jeff lower me down instead of continue up the route. Jeff then cleaned the route and rappelled from the tree. We quickly packed up our gear and headed back to the parking lot. As if the rain didn't piss me off enough, the sun started to come out as we got back to the parking lot. At that point everything was soaked and we had already made the decision to leave. There is something about the first pitch of "Middle Earth." I swear there is a force that is constantly preventing me from leading it. The last time I was at the Gunks it was another group doing mock leads, and today it was another group plus the flash flood. Next time I visit the Gunks it WILL be lead, come hell or high water.