2009 Southern Adirondack Rockclimbers' Festival

SAdkRF 2009 has come and gone. What a show it was! I can't describe the elation felt, watching dozens of people discover and enjoy several crags on "my" mountain. While the Adirondacks in general, and this region specifically, are out of the loop when it comes to modern climbing trends, the Festival shone a light momentarily on one of many excellent climbing locations "inside the Blue Line" of this huge state park. Crane Mountain offers up everything from multipitch trad lines in remote settings to short, pumpy sport routes and a maze of bouldering minutes from the car. This one weekend, a lot of people got a chance to sample them.

Friday's Opening Ceremony

The week slipped by in a rush and tangle of last-minute details, minor dilemmas, and eleventh-hour accomplishments. Volunteers emailing and calling to go over plans, weather, changes. A flurry of trips to our new crag to polish up the trail and slip in one or two more sends. By Thursday, Todd Paris had a tent set up in Crane Mountain's new group campsite, the volunteer list was pretty solid, the itinerary firmly roughed-out, and we had even managed a last-ditch, successful attempt on Parallel Passage, after one twelve-foot fall. Everything we could control was in place, all the other things were - well, out of our control.

Friday's weather gradually melted from sunny skies to overcast to steady drizzle over the course of the day, but folks came just as steadily in to the trailhead parking lot. A few early arrivals were able to ride a TR or two on the Measles Wall. Todd Paris took time out of his development work there and coaxed me into sending the sport project I am Lesion, giving others the opportunity to play on it and get a fair grade estimate. Kevin walked out to the Black Arches Wall and gave it a look-see before heading back, riding a couple TRs, and manning the registration tasks with Val. Jeff, the long-distance champion of the festival, arrived from Maryland early enough to hitch several belays.

The forecast had deteriorated as the week went on. By Friday, I was pretty certain that Saturday would be a wash. With that in mind, I didn't expect a big turnout. Yet by nightfall, 9 people had arrived in time to preview the climbing menu. Crane's new group campsite was filled, and several more people pulled in to the parking lot during the night, overflowing the campsite and pitching tents in niches nearby.

---

Defying the Elements

Saturday dawned under gloomy skies, and the forecast was even less reassuring than the night before. Still, it wasn't raining yet, so we headed up to headquarters at the group campsite.

The parking lot was half full of cars, and those new tents sprinkled through the woods were a welcome sight. Gary and Wendy had pulled in from Peru, NY, Alex & Bill, "locals" from Massachusetts, and Mike & Igor, from Brooklyn, had found their way to the trailhead and eventually (sorry, Mike!) to the campsite area. While we prepared for the morning's activities, a group of four from the Rochester area pulled in. The turnout was much better than I had anticipated, given the weather outlook.

Bruce, Todd, and I discussed the forecast in relation to the day's plans. The schedule called for a trip to the Black Arches Wall, but with its daunting array of mostly 5.8 to 5.10 route options, that didn't seem feasible in the rain. In hopes of circumventing, or at least diminishing the blow that rain would have on the festival and its participants, we chose to hike up to the summit cliffs. The rock there is coarse, naturally pretty clean, and easy to set up for top roping. The route selection is predominantly easy to moderate. The cliffs there dry off quickly, so if it did rain on our parade, we might still have a chance.

Sixteen people trooped up the mile and a half, steep trail. The weather held until we were almost on the summit, when the rain began. Oh boy, it did rain, at times a steady, almost hard drizzle. The worst came early and held pretty steady for about an hour. Bruce heroically clambered over the brink and set a TR on Cornerstone, Todd anchored himself at the top of Rock of Ages. I took Alex and Bill over to Thank You, Cindy, where they opted wisely to TR rather than attempt a lead. Though a few folks decided to hike, most of the climbers commenced lowering and ascending the three routes available. Alex and Bill even set a TR on Gunga Din Chin after awhile, though the thoroughly drenching rain precluded much progress on that route.

I shuttled back and forth for a couple hours between the Firecamp area and the Prows, directing, advising, and chatting with various groups as they passed by. By mid-afternoon, most everyone had climbed Thank You, Cindy, so we broke that belay down and shifted everyone remaining to the Prows. Bill and Alex were the diehards of the day, and with slightly improved weather, they took on Toiling Men among the other choices there. Wendy and Gary were packing up to descend, but each snuck a lap on a route before heading down, Wendy on Foretaste, Gary on Lost in the Crowd.

I was stationed at the Cornerstone belay when someone popped over the top of the Big Prow and shouted hello to me. My physical therapist, Amanda Carpenter, had made the journey up Crane with her brother Ed and friends, Kyle & Brittany (plus their dog 'Biner), to see the action. Their arrival accompanied the best weather of the day, a short break when we could see some of the view this crag is famous for. Kyle, an accomplished climber, jumped at a chance to rope up, and quickly ran through the menu, racing up Lost in the Crowd, then the direct start variation of Cornerstone almost faster than I could reel in rope. I offered him the last course possible, Stoned in a Crowded Corner, a delicate 5.10a face climb still streaming with moisture, and he unhesitatingly gave it a go. Though it did slow him down a bit, it didn't stop him; wet as it was he climbed through that forty foot slopey crimp-fest sans falls. Impressive.

After borrowing a harness, it didn't take much persuasion to get Ed tied in, and he took the last turn of the day, climbing up Cornerstone as the weather closed back in on us. With another onset of rain, it was time to head down to base camp. Everyone needed a warm drink and dry clothes.