Zimmerman is here bringing the Psych!

Our double rest day was mostly uneventful, trips into Stanton for food a little jogging. It did at times feel like we were waiting around for Luke to Show up. Friday night we drove into Lexington in the early evening to catch the Canucks game at one of the local sport bars. I would feel like I didn't really get to see Kentucky without a bit of mingling with the locals.

The sports bar we researched as the place to watch the game didn't have it but they made some phone calls for us to track down a bar that did. Soon we found ourselves at a sports bar that definitely looked like the local college hang out. Brightly lite, lots of LCD and TV screens, bar and lots of younger looking people milling around, horrendously greasy menu with items replete with meat. I usually make it a rule to avoid seafood in land-locked states and provinces but I made the exception as the alternative didn't look too good at this pub.

By the time the game was done we headed over to the Airport picked up Luke and headed back to our cabin at Lil' Abner's in Slade.

We used the same introduction technique as we had been given to the Red for look. First day was Drive-By crag. Pete and Luke warmed up together while James and I once again teamed up.

James and I warmed up repeating Make A Wish and Breakfast Burrito. Follows closely by on-sighting Yadda Yadda Yadda, a three and a half star 11b. This climb was awesome, fun moves up an arete to a fun barn door tension move to a great pocket then continued good holds on steep terrain on the arete to a finish. My only complaint about the route was that it was so much fun it was over too quick.

I decided to red point Spirit Fingers, 5.11c, which I had started working on the second day we climb at Drive-By. The previous attempts had me stumped on how to clip the second to last draw. I moved up through the on the nice plates and side-pull jugs. I felt much more comfortable on the steep terrain, almost like a climbing. This time I made it to my intended clipping positions but while I had ample strength available I was only able to get the clip into the bolt. I climbed up to the next set of holds hoping to get a better position to clip from but it was to no avail, I pumped out grabbed the draw and dumped the rope in.

While sitting on the rope I worked out that my stance I had for the first time attempt on the route was the correct place to clip. With this new beta I climbed to the crux clip, made it and moved quickly up through the rest of the crimpy crux to the romp up jugs at the top. An amazing route and my first 11c at the red. I was happy with the ascent as the style is definitely not my strong point.

I rounded the the day retrieving the draws from Hakuna Matata, 12a which James had ticked earlier that day.

Draws down we packed up and headed back to the cabin.

For Luke's second day out a the Red we introduced him to the Motherlode. We got up and out the door at our regular time getting us to the Warm Up wall at the Lode at around 9:30 AM.

Injured Reserve, the 5.11a warm up, had a group on it so Pete graciously offered to climb the adjacent 5.11c with the camera to take pictures of us climb from the top on this sunny morning. I still hadn't red pointed Injured Reserve, so I headed up first to hang the draws. I climbed up the crux feeling really heavy. I force myself not to think of the lactic acid building up in my forearms causing my hands to get weaker with each move. I kicked my right foot up high, weighted it, release my right hand and move to side pull pinch. Latching it but my strength failing I rocked my hips up and over my right foot and rolled my shoulder up underneath to the get my left hand on the jugs above. After several shakes and more jugs I clipped the anchor with only a minor flash pump.