Black Hills Photos From Women Who Were Near The Edge

 

Summit in the Cathedral Spires.

(Link to photos.)

 

 

 

This is how a rap group gets started.

Relax, It's a Climbing Song

This song was playing in my head all weekend. You might think I was missing my man as it seems like a sexy love song but, it's a song about climbing in the Black Hillsby Andy Kim. Andy Kim??? I thought it was Neal Diamond. I guess he sang it too. It's still stuck in my head, leftovers from a great weekend!

Ain't it good Ain't it right That you are with me here tonight

The music playing Our bodies swayin' in time In time, in time, in time

Touching you so warm and tender Lord, I feel such a sweet surrender Beautiful is the dream that makes you mine Mmm

Rock me gently Rock me slowly Take it easy Don't you know That I have never been loved like this before

Baby, baby

Rock me gently Rock me slowly Take it easy Don't you know That I have never been loved like this before Oh my darling Oh my baby You got the moves that drive me crazy And on your face I see a trace of love Of love, of love, of love

Come hold me close Don't let me go I need you, honey I love you so You were made for me by the stars above

Oh, rock me gently Rock me slowly Take it easy Don't you know That I have never been loved like this before.

Leap Of Faith

That's what the WRers did today on Spire 4 in the Cathedral Spires. I think this is a photo of the big step across to the summit.

 

 

They also climbed Station 13 which is a long chimney. Details and photos of their climbs to follow.

Report From Black Hills

Lisa reported they climbed today in the South Seas area of Rushmore. Here are some of the climbs they did:

"All Tuckered Out," "Nutrasweet," "Boxcars and Airplanes" and many others I didn't write down.

Tomorrow it's onto the Cathedral Spires.

Little Devils Tower

 

Just got a call from Lisa and they are all on top of Little Devils Tower just outside Sylvan Lake. They've already talked to Mike and Ward and are going back to Custer for dinner.

 

If You Have The Inclination & The Time

Check this climb out called Sandberg Peak which is right at the trailhead to Cathedral Spires.

Early Climbing In The Needles

Here's an excerpt from Bouldering History that mentions gear, technique and an early version of chalk for climbing in the Needles. The Conns have first ascents on over 200 routes in the Black Hills.

"In the Needles of South Dakota, starting in 1949, Jan and Herb Conn practiced long ground-level traverses when not making first ascents of spires. They wore cheap, low-top tennis shoes, tightly fitted and with the smooth rubber soles scored with a knife, and dried their hands with dry forest duff and pinecone powder. Herb and Jan usually climbed on a 60' rope, prefering the shorter length since it encouraged down-climbing, an important facet of the climbing experience as they saw it."

Hiking Around The Black Hills

Because I've had several questions about footwear for the Needles area, I decided to show you what I used when I was out there in August.

 

For the approach march, I used a low heeled, casual shoe like this.

 

 

 

When I walked around town, I went with something more formal but still comfortable.

 

 

 

 

Although, this seems like a good idea because it protects your toes, it can cause you to put a hole in the climbing rope. So I would not recommend them.

 

 

 

If it'll be hot, this little number allows the foot to breathe. 

 

 

Whichever way you go, be sure to match your belt with your shoes. This is my favorite belt for out there.

But you might prefer this one: 

Maybe This Would Be Better On A Mountain Than In Minnesota

"On 6/08 American climber Dean Potter carried out the first FreeBASE ascent of Deep Blue Sea (Eiger, 5.12+/7b+), climbing without a rope but with a parachute."

 

You can try this at Red Wing or Taylors Falls, but I don't think the chute would help.

Here's Something You Can Do With Your Free Time

They're looking for a volunteer.

"The Matrix Shackleton Centenary Expedition will recreate history by crossing Antarctica precisely 100 years after Shackleton attempted the same feat. The journey saw Shackleton fall short of the Pole by 97 miles, at which point he turned back to preserve the lives of his men."

And, living where we do, we train for this every winter:

"The successful candidate will need to be prepared to endure -35°C temperatures and 50mph headwind."

This could be a picture from Lisa's dogsled trip:

Climbing Mt Rainier

Pretty good story of this guy's climb up Mt Rainier. He says,

"At Camp Muir we slept side by side in a shack. We went to bed around 6 p.m. I was utterly exhausted when I climbed in my bag and, though quite uncomfortable lying on a thin pad that was laid on an uneven wood surface, I quickly fell asleep."

Believe me, there's no sleeping jammed into a hot, noisy, smelly hut with a bunch of anxious climbers. I think the sleepless, partial night in that hut, was the hardest part of the climb for me.

You've Just About Done Everything

When these items are on your tick list and you're looking forward to autogyroing over the Namib Desert.

Two More Headers

How about #1?

or #2?

Survival Gear

To me, survival depends on my Visa card. Others put more thought into what a person should bring for survival. Here are 3 experts opining on what to carry.

(BTW, I also believe light packing consists of putting your charge card in your pocket. Because, almost wherever you're going, someone will be there to sell you what you need.)

Hash House Harriers

We saw one of these clubs "hashing" at the Rushmore climbing area in May. A guy came running past us throwing handfuls of flour. A few minutes later, some other runners passed us trying to find the flour trail.

They are a "drinking club with a running problem." Sounds like a fun way to get drunk exercise.