Climbing at the Gunks

Mike climbing "pebbles." Pebbles is a route on a rock that is separate from the main mountain, so I was able to walk up to the top of this rock to get a good angle for a photo. Only one second before taking this shot Mike was looking right at me, either he's camera shy or he had to concentrate, I'm not sure. Below on the left is Leslie climbing the main higher mountain. Below on the right she is starting to climb "pebbles." I'm not sure of the names of the routes, it's hard to tell from the guide books, but I know that one of the routes on this rock is called pebbles!

Mike on "pebbles."

Mike climbing - someone from another group is up a little higher and to the right. Since there aren't an abundance of places to climb, when the weather is good popular places can get pretty crowded!

Routes are rated in difficulty according to number of handholds/footholds and how vertical the rock is. Pebbles is 5.10 I think (difficult) but if you use a crack in the rock near that route you are no longer on "pebbles" but some easier route. I don't try to follow routes, I just go whatever way I think I can. I'm not sure what the routes we are climbing in these other pictures are called or rated.

The only picture of me. As the camera owner there aren't any pictures of me climbing! Sadie is very good at hiking and she can climb up some rocks. Obviously there are some places she can't get to but for a four legged beast she does well. The chances of her ever getting in a harness and climbing with the ropes are 0!

Mike Holmes' car is a station wagon and he drove to the Gunks. Sadie always entered his car from the rear door. When we got to our car and were packing the trunk with our gear she insisted on jumping in the trunk of my civic and wouldn't get out. I guess she thought if she wasn't in the trunk she wasn't going home with us. I don't think she would have been happy if we let her ride there!