Something Dark

Photo: Kyle Adams - Prepping for a big move

Last Saturday was the DRG comp which always pulls a big crowd and many strong competitors in the open category.  This year was no different.  Fellow 5.10 team member Josh Larson came down from Boston to compete.  The field was stacked and as always, the problems were great.  Mid comp I got a phone call from a sir Mathew Bosley about heading to Tumbling Run the following day to check out some of the areas best..  The weather looked good for climbing and my decision to join him was easy!

I finished the comp in 4th after falling off the finish hold on the first problem but I was having a great time climbing and was psyched about going to Tumbling Run the following day.

Photo: Kyle Adams - Two crystal pinches

Years go by sometimes without revisiting local areas.  I say it often, PA has so many small bouldering areas separated by only a short 30min drive sometimes, that its hard to know exactly how much you have at your disposal.  Many years ago, I believe it was 2008 ish, Travis Gault (Central PA myth) put up a hard line on the bank robber boulder called Dark Crystal and it goes somewhere around v10ish.  Legends surround the area regarding the bank robber boulder.  The story goes, Long ago in a town not far from the Micheaux State forest a bank was robbed by an armed gunman.  The bandit escaped capture and made his way into the forest.  He buried the treasure somewhere in the forest.  He was later captured but the money was never found.  Many people have searched for the treasure but none have been successful, unless of course you consider finding a kick a$$ boulder with an awesome line successful.  In which case Travis was successful.

Photo Kyle Adams

Photo: Kyle Adams

I had gone to try Dark Crystal when Travis (aka Rabbi) first put it up and got my face kicked in on a few moves.  4 years have passed since, naturally I was anxious to get back on it and see how it felt.  I was sore from the comp the previous morning but very, very psyched that the weather was perfect and was able to hang with my friends Matt Bosley, Kyle Adams and Patrick Andrews.  Its hard to put into a blog post the kind of day that I had on Sunday.  It will be one of the days I remember for the rest of my life.  Not because my climbing was outstanding, in fact I progressively got more sore through the day but the way everything came together.  The weather was crisp but not cold, fall was in full swing the rock was dry and everyone was just having fun.  It was another day that reminded me why I climb and with temps getting better, I hope to have more adventures like that soon.

Photo: Kyle Adams - Matt finishing the cruxy last moves of Dark Crystal