On Saturday I joined Chris and Jon at the Precipice climbing area. My shoulder was still hurting, but I figured I could try climbing an easy route with one arm. I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get on the rock here at least once.
This was my third climbing trip in Acadia. I love climbing here – the rock is clean and sticky, there’s a good variety of routes, there are no large crowds or lineups, and the view from the top pitches is gorgeous.
We decided to climb an easy classic – “Story of O”. It’s a sweet two pitch climb with some fun jamming and stemming. I managed to get up the climb without using my right arm too much. It made for some interesting body positioning which I thought was a lot of fun.
Once we rappelled down, we were joined by our friends Fred and Cara and their kids Marie-France and Maxime. After his parents finished the classic climb “Old Town,” they set up a top rope nearby . Maxime, 3, harnessed up and put on his cute tiny Sportiva climbing shoes. With a little bit of help from his dad, he was able to get a good way up the cliff . You can see him in the picture below chalking up for his next big move. With huge smiles his parents watched him go. For a pair of climbing parents, this is a big step.
Chris and Jon climbed a handful more routes that day including Chris’s lead of “Connecticut Crack” – a tricky 5.11 with delicate footwork and thin cracks.
They finished the day with a very cold ascent of “Green Mountain Breakdown.” With the wind starting to pick up I was very happy that Jon was there to climb this with Chris instead of me. I tend to get a bit spooked out on exposed climbs when it’s super windy.
Earlier in the afternoon, Jon Tierney, the owner of Acadia Mountain Guides was out taking pictures of the cliffs for a new guidebook for the area. He mentioned that there will be a climbers’ festival the weekend of May 26 and 27 with movies, talks, demos, crag clean up, and all-around fun. If you haven’t climbed in Acadia before, it would be a good time to go check it out.
What a great weekend in Acadia National Park!
marcelledanielle 