Finding your correct line on the drop in is eminent unless you can climb at a high level, and I don’t mean strength. Strength doesn’t seem to benefit you much here. In my exuberance I dropped us down a 7b+ or 5.12c for our first climb. The faces are minimally featured and as I lowered, "I think this is going to be one hell of a 5.11." Whitney and Brian found the name of the climb painted above my rappel and dropped in bringing the news, that the climb we were on was a number and letter grade harder. It didn’t matter and we roshamboed to see who would get to take the first lead out.

Generally, I'm a real champion at this game, but I lost miserably and resolved to top-rope out. After hanging for what seemed like forever I decided that I would like to lead my first climb in the gorge, this meant that someone was going to have to drop back in. The rock was pristine and the climb was full value. It was technical, thin, reachy, and extremely challenging, just what I look for in a good climb. Before entering the crux I pulled from a jug crimp to a dual pocket feature with neither pocket being bigger or deeper than the top of a #2 pencil with polished non-existent feet. I knew immediately this place would take a little getting used to, and some climbs might be limit me with a height handicap.