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 →
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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