For the fourth of July weekend we headed to my parents house to spend some time with them. Unfortunately, we weren't able to get out climbing on the fourth itself, but we did make it to American Fork Canyon on the 5th and 6th. On the 5th of July we decided to head to The Membrane. It was a beautiful day and we just wanted to get a couple of routes in since it was Danny's birthday so we needed to go celebrate that as well.
We decided to start on a really fun 5.11a called On There. The route is fairly continuous although it is quite short. I lead the route having to hang once since it had been a long time since I've climbed it and I couldn't see my next hold or remember where it was. After I lowered off, Amy TR'd the route and did extremely well considering that it was a 5.11.
Next up, I wanted to hop on a 5.12a called 26. I had climbed this route once before and it is quite easy for a 5.12a since really there is only one hard move and the rest of the route is like 5.9, so I wanted to figure it out so that I can get the redpoint. I did have to hang at the crux while I figured out the best sequence to get through it, but I think I will now be ready to redpoint it next time I hop on it. Amy didn't really want to try the route, but Danny and Emily wanted to swing, so we harnessed them up and let them swing around on the route a bit for some fun.
For the last route of the day Amy wanted to do something easier, so we decided to jump on the easiest route on the wall, a 5.9 called Bad Faith. Now this might not have been the best idea due to the fact that Bad Faith is extremely polished and Amy hates polished limestone. I ran up the route and set up the TR, then Amy headed up, but unfortunately, she didn't have a very good time because of how polished it was.
At this point, Amy was just mad because she had done so poorly on a 5.9, so we just packed up and headed out for the day.
The next day (Saturday 6, July) I decided that we needed to head up AF again to show Amy that not all limestone is the same. She had been complaining that limestone is always sharp so that it hurts your fingers, but at the same time is polished so that your feet won't stick. Now I happen to love climbing on limestone, so I wanted her to see that limestone can be very different. I decided to take her to Beer Can Alley since I know that it is neither polished nor sharp.
We started out with the easiest route on the wall, a 5.9 called Hornets Nest. This route is pretty fun with some interesting stemming moves getting over the initial roof, then it's just an easy jug haul to the chains. I don't know that it's really 5.9, it's probably more like 5.8, but it's a fun route anyway. I ran up it getting the redpoint, then Amy TR'd the route. She wasn't a big fan of the initial moves, but enjoyed the juggy upper portion of the route.
Next we jumped on a fun 5.10b called O'Doul's. This route is just easy moves up to a roof that you pull over on good positive crimps. Once again, I ran up the route getting the redpoint, then Amy TR'd the route. This time, Amy really enjoyed the route and was able to see that limestone can be fun to climb. Danny wanted to try climbing as well, so we harnessed him up and he climbed the first 15 feet of the route before he decided that he was done.
Danny on O'doul's
For our final route of the day, we decided to climb a 5.10d called Sam Adams. Sam Adams is really just a harder version of O'Doul's. It starts out just a little bit steeper and thinner, then pulls the roof where it's just a bit bigger, and uses holds that are just slightly less positive to get over the roof. If it was just a bit longer and more sustained it would be a totally classic route. As usual, I ran up the route and got the redpoint, then Danny wanted to climb again, so he ran up the first 15 feet, then Amy TR'd the route and really enjoyed it.
Danny on Sam Adams
After that the kids were tired, so we packed up and headed home so that they could have their naps.
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