The Incredible Hulk July 2026 with Mike

View of The Incredible Hulk from our campsite in the evening

Tuesday July 7, 2026

I flew to Reno where met Mike me. We made the drive past Bridgeport, CA to the Twin Lakes campground where we parked our car. The hike to the base of Incredible Hulk was approximately 4.5 miles with 2,500 feet of elevation gain. We completed the approach in just under three hours, placing us at our campsite around 7:30 PM with about an hour of daylight left to set up our tents and cook a quick dinner.

The following morning we awoke early but got off to a later start than desired, because I was having some stomach issues. Finally we departed camp around 6:40 AM, hiked to the base, and started on our way up The Red Dihedral (5.10b). Some low 5th-class scrambling led to the proper start. Our plan from the beginning was for me to lead the odd pitches and Mike the even ones. Mike got us to the base of the dihedral proper, and I started on up. This was a sustained corner for 100+ feet, but I felt strong, energetic, and confident. Unfortunately my foot slipped about two-thirds of the way up (the hands are good, but the feet are largely just smears at times) and I took a short fall onto a solid cam. Oh well, so much for the clean send! At the top of the corner I reached a welcome rest with a big jug to hang on and decent feet. After gathering my strength, I made a final move up and right through a bulge with thin handholds – I honestly felt this move was, although technical, over very quickly and not as challenging as the long corner which led up to it.

Mike took us on some easier climbing which led to the "splitter crack". I took the lead on this as well; the SuperTopo guide listed it as 5.9, but I have to say I felt it was firmly in 5.10 territory (and Mountain Project concurs). The crack was thin, and the feet were sparse in places. But this one I made it up without a fall.

Above the splitter crack was generally easier climbing, with one or two 5.9 moves thrown in. The most memorable part was of course tunneling through the "Keyhole" at the very top. I was trailing my pack for this entire chimney pitch with a double-length (120 cm) sling, and although I had no trouble getting through the keyhole with my body, the pack got stuck in a v-shaped groove. There was just enough slack in the sling for me to turn around, reach way down, extend the first tether with another 120 cm sling, and pull the bag around the sticking point. Mike met me at the top, and we celebrated!

Mike celebrates at the top of Red Dihedral

The descent made me nervous but was straightforward. There was a long section of 4th/low 5th class scrambling to the south along a ridge. Near the end of the ridge we peeled off to the left towards a solid pair of bolts for a long rappel. This placed us in the descent gully, which we followed back to the campsite. There was a short section of very steep terrain halfway down, which now has two bolts making it easy to rappel instead of downclimb. The bottom of the gully consists of some pretty unpleasant scree. I moved slowly and carefully.

Our plan was to spend the next day (Thursday) resting, hoping perhaps to tackle another long climb on Friday. But Mike's wrist/hand had started hurting badly on The Dihedral, and it wasn't doing any better when we woke up the next morning. Not wanting to hurt himself even more, we decided we would rest on our laurels hike out that day instead. Before we did that, however, we walked up to the base of Tradewinds (5.11). I thought I would give the first pitch a go, since it was short enough that I could lower off the first set of anchors. Well, even this first pitch slapped me down. Powerful moves with only finger jams in many sections and no feet to speak of except a few poor smears. After hanging on gear maybe three or four times, I pulled my way up to the first bolt, sacrificed a carabiner to the mountain gods, and lowered myself back down. If I want to try this again, I'll need to return with someone stronger than myself to set up a top rope!

We hastily made our way back to camp, broke down our tents, bags, and other gear, and begin the trek back to our car. My feet were very sore and tired by now, and the pack felt very heavy. I went slowly, picking my way carefully over boulders and talus, not wanting to twist an ankle on this hike with the top-heavy pack pulling my body in strange directions. I believe it still took us over two and a half hours to make it back to the parking lot. I was exhausted, but it was another successful trip into the wilderness.

Eldorado Canyon June 2026 with Kishen and Heather

Kenton starts up pitch 2 of The Naked Edge

June 25, 2026

Eldorado Canyon - there was rain overnight with more rain in the forecast, so we were looking for a spot that would stay dry. We ended up on the West Ridge and on the Redgarden Wall and did three climbs, all of which managed to stay completely dry.

Kloof (5.11a) - A boulder problem for the first 10 feet. Then decent holds on very overhung rock until a big reach out left from a layback stance to a jug over a notch. Easier terrain leads back right to the top. Almost felt "gym-like".

Darkness 'til Dawn (5.10a) - Textbook hand and fist jams. A full 35m open book. Some fingers here and there, with lots of stemming. No obvious crux. A truly wonderful climb.

Grandmother's Challenge (5.10c) - An easy crack leads to a fist crack leads to an overhanging wide fist crack. It widens even more near the roof which yields underclings. Above the roof the climbing eases to 5.8 and ends at a tree. Done as one very long pitch.

June 26, 2026

Today I made another attempt at climbing The Naked Edge (5.11b). I led pitches 2 and 4, with Heather leading pitch 1 and Kishen pitches 3 and 5. It was really close this time, closer than I've ever been, with a single foot slip below the bombay chimney denying me the satisfaction of a clean ascent. After that one foot slip, I grunted my way into the chimney and finished the pitch without incident. Key was to get into chimney position sooner rather than later. After the chimney, the next clutch hold is high above the roof and out right. It's a big reach, but I was able to get there with my right hand, then match on it (need to save energy for this, the hold isn't huge!).

Perhaps even more exciting than this lead of pitch 4 was my clean follow of pitch 5! At the boulder-problem start of this pitch, I first tried to follow Kishen's path, a more direct line upwards and slightly to the right. However, I found this challenging, and after coming back to the belay, I instead traversed far right off the belay to the chalked-up larger holds. From here I had an easier time moving back up and left along the rail to the vertical crack. Above this point, I was able to get some solid hand and fist jams, and I gradually worked my way up with these until I could layback the corner. This I did until the climbing eased up. Also key to my success, I believe, was conserving energy for this final pitch.

Of note on pitch 2 - the #1 camalot placed after moving around the corner is key, but there is very little gear to be had above it. There is however a very solid micronut placement maybe 6 feet above the cam which adds some great reassurance.

I will be back again but am very pleased with how the route went this time.

Linville Gorge April 2026 with Wes

April 20, 2026

Hidden area in Linville Gorge with Wes

Hole in the Wall Gang (5.10c) - Face holds moving between solid jams. Climbing was not too difficult, but the rock was very friable - pebbles were coming off in my hands in the cracks. I moved between holds and placed gear very carefully. Starts wider, gets narrower, then traverses out right onto easier terrain at the top.

Wes reaches the summit of Hole in the Wall Gang

A great view through the hole in the wall at the top of Hole in the Wall Gang

King of Goats (5.11-) - (top rope) V1 boulder problem for the start. Biggish moves between solid holds, one crux in the middle with slightly smaller holds.

Geritol (5.11c) - Similar style to King of Goats, and shares its boulder start. Wes led. Thin holds to a bolted section (2 bolts) with even thinner holds and some hard pulls to get to the top. 

The Climb With No Name (5.9) - A beautiful, wide open book. Hands and fingers in the corner, then easier 5.7 climbing out right, then back into the corner for a 5.8/5.9 roof finish.

Starting my way up The Climb With No Name

April 21, 2026

After a very solid night's rest in the Morganton, NC Hampton Inn, I felt ready to head back out. I met Wes again at the Wolf Pit Trailhead, Parking area for the Shortoff Mountain approach. I had been to Shortoff one time before, with Malcolm in 2022. We had done Maginot Line that day. Today I was back and prepared to climb some harder stuff. 

After scurrying down the approach gully and making a final 30m rappel (almost exactly!) to the gorge floor, we approached the base of Dopey Duck to skiers right of the rappel. This was a fantastic two pitches of climbing followed by a ho-hum short pitch of 5.6. We actually did the first pitch of Toxic Shock rather than the first pitch of Dopey Duck, apparently a common variation.

Dopey Duck (5.9)

P1 - Thinnish holds up a very open corner. Pro near the start and for the first 20 feet was very sparse. After that there was plenty of gear when I needed it.

P2 - Wes led this. Huge jugs with a mild overhang. I really enjoyed this pitch, probably even more so than the first.

P3 - 5.6 to the top.

Looking down Dopey Duck

Then we hiked along the rim until we reached a faint trail which Wes led me down. He built an anchor and lowered me over the edge to try the top pitch of Built to Tilt (5.10a/b) on top rope. This was a spectacular, if short, pitch consisting of a juggy arete followed by an even juggier roof. The roof is huge but has equally massive holds, making it relatively easy but at the same time super exciting to climb. It was basically a sequence of one full-hand plate after another.

Coming back up, we hiked just a bit farther along. Heading down another faint trail a short ways, Wes set up a rappel anchor, we rapped down 100 feet, he set up another rappel anchor, we rapped down another 100 feet, and we found ourselves at the top of the first pitch of Straight and Narrow (5.10a). I led this pitch, Wes led the next one, and I led the 5.6 to the top.

Leading up Straight and Narrow

P2 - My lead. Reasonable climbing, with a thin crux heading right around an arete. The crux is short though and lands you at some huge holds. I managed to drop the carabiner full of nuts. Ugh. Luckily many of them were in our rappel anchors, so I ended up losing only five in total.

P3 - Wes's lead. A tricky 5.9+ section ten feet above the belay leads to more casual climbing to the top.

April 22, 2026

We climbed at Sunken Treasure. The wind was howling all night, and the idea of climbing up at Ship Rock on top of Grandfather Mountain seemed crazy. It kept howling all morning until finally dissipating around lunch time. We did three routes, keeping the day's effort light.

Peg Leg (5.10b/c). My lead. Large holds up a series of tiered roofs. Pro consisted of three or four bolts, with two pieces of gear, so it was almost a sport climb, but not quite.

Jolly Roger (5.10a). Wes led. More tiered roofs with big holds and a delicate stemming section. The final roof is big, but the holds are all there. Wes cut open his hand on one of the sharp jugs.

Powder Keg (5.10b). I led this and then cleaned it on top rope, as Wes was having some aches and pains and wanted to take it easy. Maybe my favorite climb of the day: big holds lead to a sloping ledge. Then follows an exciting traverse right, under the tiered roofs, to move around the arete, plugging gear in the horizontal along the way. The traverse is capped off by a nice heel hook. Short but sweet.

April 23, 2026

The weather was almost perfect today, with much less wind, clear skies, and temperatures in the 70s. We climbed at Ship Rock. I was finally feeling fully on my game. 

Linn Cove Lullaby (5.10a) - P1 is wandering, blocky 5.9, with an Eldo feel but with bulletproof quartzite. Wes led this. I led P2, which has a short bouldery crux 10 feet above the belay, followed by easy climbing to the top.

B. O. G. Man (5.11a)

P1 - Wes's lead, a series of hard moves through a bolted face and two roofs. Very exciting! 

P2 - My lead, solid hands and thinner feet move through a short but very overhung seam in a roof. Easy climbing above the roof traverses horizontals to an anchor on the right.

Contemplating the roof at the top of B.O.G. Man

Harpoon (5.10a) - My lead. Consistent thin finger crack until halfway. The crack is interspersed with solid hand holds, but feet are rather sparse in places. Then a 5.9 roof gets you to the rings. Felt harder than 10a to me.

Anguish of Captain Bligh (5.11) - I did this on top rope. It has big moves between decent crimps, with some very high stepping. From the crimps/finger crack it moves up and left around the arete, until you reach the same horizontal reached when Harpoon eases up. A 5.9 finish to the same anchors as Harpoon. The route felt very challenging - gear placements would be scary, with a run out not far off the ground.

Boardwalk (5.8) - My lead. A blocky but very easy start with minimal to no good protection. After reaching a roof, traverse right through horizontals to a hand sized vertical crack. Follow this only a short way, then peel off left and run it out onto the slab (no protection, but 5.6). Gain good holds again near the top left of the slab, pull a bulge/roof, and transition right over to a bolted anchor. Celebrate with a few pull-ups on the huge fin to your left. Good done as one pitch with appropriate rope management. Spectacular climb!

April 24, 2026

After camping in the Hawksbill parking lot, we hiked in early this morning to the main wall at Hawksbill. We spent the day at Hawksbill in Linville Gorge. The approach was short, maybe 1.5 miles.

Lost in Space (5.10b)

P1 - Wes led this. It starts with a shallow corner and some slab. Then it traverses right and moves into a lieback right-facing corner. After some grunting you reach the first belay.

P2 - I led this. After traversing 10 feet under a roof, I placed a cam in the base of the roof with a 120 cm sling extension. Reaching up high for a jug over the lip of the roof, I placed a marginal green Totem next to the jug hold. I reached high right hand for an intermediate hold, worked the feet up with a heel hook on the left, and reached even higher for a huge horizontal crack. Then I worked the feet up more, even using my knees at one point (I wasn't winning on style points!!!), and placed another green Totem. From here the route continued on 5.8+ terrain to the top. I slung a tree for an anchor and extended it back over the lip of the wall with the rope to ensure good communication with Wes. This was a super exciting pitch!

Preparing to fire the roof on Lost in Space

The Fat Lady (5.11a)

P1 - Wes led this one, too. It has a steep start into a tight chimney system. Step out of the chimney onto a large ledge, move left, and belay.

P2 - My lead, it follows a thin crack for protection but uses large jugs on the face for feet and hands the whole way. A few harder moves were there, but they always left you on a great hold to recover. The route finishes up through a steep but juggy notch in a roof. It is overhung the whole way, but the protection is great. Honestly this felt somewhat casual, easier even than Lost in Space.

Chilling out on The Fat Lady

Red River Gorge April 2026 with Dave

On Saturday April 11, 2026 we went to Long Wall at the Red River Gorge. We did three trad climbs and a sport route.

Autumn (5.9) - A beautiful hand crack the entire way in a shallow corner. The crux comes when it kicks back and you're forced to use foot jams.

Rock Wars (5.10a) - Quite a few hard moves between good stances in a shallow corner. Fingers to small hands in this crack. A good bit of smearing. Overall an awesome climb!

The Gift (5.12a/b) - A sport climb, I followed on top rope. Very hard moves on thin holds. The most memorable crux is where the wall kicks back. I had to step as high as I could while holding onto underclings, then reach high high high above my head to a decent hold with the left hand. After matching on this hold, I moved left to a bigger jug. I didn't fall at this move, but after making it I was almost hanging on the rope after every move from there to the top, simply because I was getting so gassed. By the time I had reached the top, my right index finger was bleeding again.

Vector Trouble (5.10a) - Easy hand crack moving into a harder finger crack. The finger crack is wider than it looks in places from the bottom. The climb is capped off by a mini chimney. Lots of fun!

Kenton works his way through the crux on Rock Wars

Hidden Cliff April 2026 with Dave

I drove up from Atlanta to Kentucky on April 11, 2026 to climb with Dave. We climbed at a very tall sandstone wall. The wall was pleasantly shaded the whole day.

11a - Crimps with good feet

11c - Similar style to the first, but with a short section of much smaller crimps.

12b - Very big moves between good stances. I hung twice and fell once on my way to the top of this one.

13a/b - I just hung all over this thing (on top rope). Small holds, small feet, big moves. Stopped halfway when my finger started to bleed.

12c - More flailing on top rope. I decided I was too tired to really finish this and lowered after I had reached the two thirds mark.

Sand Rock March 2026 with Malcolm

Drove with Malcolm to Sand Rock March 28, 2026 for our first adventure together in a while.

Backdraft (5.9) - Starts right, moves up through center, finishes out left

Apple Jams (5.10-) - Casual until two thirds of the way up, then a hard crux with thin hands

Captain Ron (5.8) - A pleasant romp up an arete

Groundhog (5.11b/c) - The thin crux near the start shut me down completely. I pulled on gear to get past it and meandered to the top.

Bird in Hand (5.8) - A very fun trip up an overhung but very juggy route.

My Dog has Fleas (5.9-) - Very similar to Bird in Hand but with one slopey section.

Epinephrine 2026

Mike T. and I climbed Epinephrine (5.9) on February 27, 2026. This was my second time climbing it and Mike's first. My personal objective was to climb it clean (I hung once or twice on gear during my first ascent) and to climb it more efficiently. Both objectives were accomplished. We left the parking lot around 6:30 AM and were back at the car by about 6:30 PM, roughly 12 hours car-to-car. For comparison, the climbing alone on my first trip took about 12 hours, and car-to-car it was 15. Also, I didn't hang on gear at all during this second ascent.

We left the parking lot around 6:30 AM and were climbing probably around 7:30 AM. We were using double ropes and each had a smaller pack. I had 3 liters of water and drank them all.

I led pitches 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10. Mike led pitches 1, 3, 6, 8, 11 and the final scramble to the top.

Impressions: the chimney pitches were scarier than I remembered. They are both the physical and the mental crux of the climb. We were both climbing with small packs, and leading the chimneys with a pack, even when trailing it, was no walk in the park. If I did this again, it would probably be best to bring a single pack for both climbers. And, it would be even better to haul the pack rather than forcing the second to trail it beneath him.

Pitch 1 - Slabby climbing with some delicate moves between bolts. Watch out for rope drag.

Pitch 2 - Ends with a mild chimney to preview what is coming next.

Pitch 3 - Both chimney and crack climbing finishing with a traverse out right.

Pitch 4 - Solid chimney almost the whole way. It may be easier to stick to chimney technique rather than working farther back towards the crack.

Pitch 5 - Kinda got squeezed in the back low down trying to place gear before moving back out and working with the featured left face. Run out at the top, but much more solid holds.

Kenton rests up for the final push out of the chimneys!!!

Pitch 6 - Anchor is on top of the Elephant Trunk (in conflict with the Handren guide, but in agreement with the SuperTopo map). Chill pitch.

Pitch 7-9 - We followed a crack for these two pitches, fun and well protected.

Mike enjoys the good holds and great protection in the climbing above the Elephant Trunk

Pitch 10 - Some easier climbing to a 5.7R face followed by easy 5.9 roof/bulge.

Pitch 11 - Very easy climbing, but at the top to avoid rope drag it makes sense to move to the anchor on the left. We did not do this - instead Mike moved up and right into easier terrain, but this made the rope drag very bad.

After this we reduced our setup to a single rope and shortened it to about 100 ft. to make a final push to the top, reaching the end of the ramp around 4:30 PM.

The descent was long but straightforward following a GPX I had downloaded from Mountain Project. We reached the car just after 6 PM.

Savoring our victory at the top of Epinephrine on Black Velvet Peak