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| Rachel getting ready to climb at T-Wall |
I went to T-Wall on Sunday, December 10 with Rachel. This was only two days after the storm which had blanketed Atlanta in a few inches of snow. However, there had been no precipitation more than an hour's drive north of the city, and T-Wall was plenty dry. The day was cold but still plenty warm with appropriate clothing when we were climbing in the full sun of this crag's southern exposure.
First up was Nappy (5.7) for a warmup.
Next was Art (5.8), a super-fun climb. I was wearing my Mythos that day instead of my Miuras, which I had sent off to be resoled. Near the start of this climb my foot slipped, but I managed to hold on tightly to the wall with my right hand. That was lucky; a fall from this low probably would have put me completely on top of Rachel at best. Higher up I tried to smear at one point, but my foot completely slipped (I think there was too much dust on the soles of my shoes), and I took a big, unexpected whipper. I had just placed a very solid #2 camalot, so the fall was safely caught, but it definitely shook me up, and I pulled Rachel several feet into the air. At this point I was quickly losing confidence in my abilities.
I followed that up with Shivas Last Dance (5.9). This one actually felt pretty easy. Continuing in my klutzy spirit, however, I dropped a 0.5 cam halfway up and almost clocked Rachel on the head (she had forgotten to bring her helmet with her, too).
To the left of Shivas we top-roped Don't Tell A Soul (5.10d). I climbed it cleanly, but after working all the moves I was plenty happy that I hadn't tried to lead it. This one was a lot of fun.
Feeling more confident, I decided to hop onto Day's Work (5.10-). This climb starts in a chimney with a crack in the back. Proving that I had not learned my lesson last month, I tried to crack climb this one instead of using the chimney. That didn't work out so well, and I was forced to retreat, leaving a #1 camalot (which I had overcammed) behind in the process. Ugh. I'll need to head back to try this one again, along with Finger Lockin' Good.
For our final climb, we did Crash Position (5.9). The guidebook assured me that there would be plenty of "gear depots" along the way for protection, but I quickly discovered that these were few and that several were marginal at best. The climb was fun, but I was nervous the entire time about the gear placements until I got very near the top of the climb. I don't think I would climb it again.
The sun set around 5:30 PM ET, ending a short but fun day out.
