On our first day in Red River Gorge, we drove to a nearby “roadside crag”. After a brief walk in, we encountered this magnificent block covered in 10a+ routes.
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Beautiful block from day one
Photos
More spectacular shots from the plane
As I mentioned earlier, the first flight left before dawn provided an extended (because flying westward) pre-dawn and sunrise show. When I fly, I always try to look for optical phenomenon and this flight was the most spectacular I have ever seen.
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Final, random shots of Paris
We only had a few days to catch a glimpse of Paris… I suspect we will return some day.
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Arc de Triomphe
Yes!
What do you at 1am when you’re on the way to the airport for a 6am flight?? …got off the highway at the airport exit and BAM!!
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Third route
Once we had our top rope up, we spent the rest of our daylight here. Staright up, dihedral with a 5.8 finger jam crack. Paste your feet on the right and bury your hands… four attempts, but I couldn’t quite pull this one off.
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…then
Straight up the middle of this. Blank and mossy until you get to this unique feature mid-face.
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Second route
Then we moved a bit left on that same wall. This was crazy hard to make the first move to get up onto the wall.
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Straight up
This wall was just a few degrees from vertical. Standing on tiny features like edge of a nickel. The upper lip is about 200 feet, and roofed out at least forty feet. Route started with this sheer, wet, mossy wall with a fist-jam crack (insert entire hand, make fist so it can’t come out and the walk up the wall :) Spent all day climbing all over this wall, and then one other route.
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Gorge-ous!
Rained all night and all morning… finally cleared up and now this terrible drive thru some lousy national forest or something… #whereAreTheRocks !
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Photos from the Louvre
Montmartre
First up
Cook breakfast and get ready for day two!
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Few shots from Friday
If you ask me, this was a pretty sweet place to start climbing! Super easy warm up… before we moved onto some much harder stuff. I can just barely climb the “easy” climbs here. Lots of insane over-hanging stuff that is way beyond me.
I did about 6 climbs in the afternoon before I was totally “burnt”. A couple of them were a grade or more above my best climbs the last time Mike and I were on the rocks. Really happy about that; Means my general “get in shape” continues to yield broad (health, life, parkour, climbing) benefits without my having to hyper-focus on specific sports.
Still a member of the Vertical Club… YES!
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You sure about this Mike?
First day at Red River Gorge. Mike picked me up at the airport and after a few provisioning stops… A short hike, hot and humid… but the grip on these rocks is awesome!
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Multipurpose
The Puffin doubles as a leg rest when lounging awaiting a ride! Hello Kentucky! I am in you. #whereisthepuffin
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Orsay museum
Inconceivable!
Two pano’s squeezed out the window. Diff exposures, no filters. Some distortion from jet bumps and window etc. Looking south. On far right you can see the ‘wedge’ of the Earth’s shadow projected up onto the lower edge of the sky. On the left you can see the southern side of the sunrise. From this altitude, you clearly get the sense of how this color “show” rotates around that south point in the middle of the photo; Like a two panel beach ball, with these spectacular colors where the two hemispheres meet. Of course, the sky and sun aren’t moving… ;) Flying westward this show lasted so much longer than when you are standing still.
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Optical phenomenon
WOW! Westward flight left pre-dawn and I was treated to the most spectacular sunrise and Belt of Venus (wikipedia it!) I have even seen! These are two photos of diff exposures. No filters. I’ve never seen GREEN like this. More to come! Also: GOOD MORNING CHICAGO (just for a layover tho’)
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The Eiffel tower
Quitessential Paris (or total tourist kitsch) depending on who you ask. :P
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