Cragmama.com Website Review

What do you do when climbing season goes straight from summer to winter?  Give up on the New River Gorge and follow the sun!  After yet another forecast of cold drizzle in Fayetteville, WV a couple of weekends ago, I got the green light from CragDaddy to make my own climbing plans.  A lot going on for him at work plus a minor knee injury meant his motivation was pretty low.  To take full advantage of flying solo, I decided to put out some feelers to see if anyone would be up for joining me at an area that is impossible to take the kids to – Hanging Chain at Rumbling Bald.  The hike is long, with the last half being a steep bushwhack straight up the side of the mountain, and the base is rocky with no good kid-hangout spots.  There are plenty of rocks and slabs to scramble around on, with fall potentials that ricochet back and forth down the gully and into the valley.  Needless to say, not the most kid-friendly combo.   So anyway, I actually got multiple takers, one for each day.  Our objective was SPRY LOOK, an old Porter Jarrard sandbag that would see far more action if it wasn’t guarded by such an obnoxious approach to a south-facing crag that is only climbable during the winter (and subsequently the shortest amount of daylight.)  The Day 1 strategy was for a dawn patrol start, so we could be at the parking lot right when it opened.  Amazingly enough, we torched the hike in just under an hour.  However, all minutes saved on the hike were made up for The first 40 feet is sort of an approach pitch to the real action – easy (5.7?) and protected by gear and a bolt.  The only crux of this opening bit is treading lightly around a giant hollow flake.  After the bolt you will arrive at a pedestal on which you can stand and place a bomber cam under a bulge.  Pulling the bulge will bring you to a stance at the base of a seam leading into a sea of endless bolts Here’s where the fun begins.  The rest of the climbing feels like a giant V3 (perhaps sprinkled with a side of V4?) boulder problem that