Taken at Monticello, 2006.

Taken in the Gunks, New York, May 2006. For the story behind this photo, read my post in Musings, Gunks Climbing – Update.

Taken in the Gunks, New York, May 2006.

May 31st, 2005, 1 pm: Dun Laoghaire, Ireland

Overcast, flirting with a fine mist of drizzle. The day is a blur of travel; the previous night was spent in Kilkenny, swaying with a glass of Guinness to a fantastic bar band until 4 am. Three hours of sleep led to a frantic dash to the rail, then a smear of lush green scenery slipping past the train window as we churned onwards from Kilkenny to Dublin; a bus to another rail, and finally the harbor itself to wait for the ferry. The ferry would cross the channel and deposit us in Hollyhead, where we’d rent a car and drive another 2 hours to Manchester, catch a few hours of sleep, and start work the next day.

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Taken in Peterskill, New York

This picture is available for sale: 8″ x 10″ B&W Print, $50.00

September 6, 2005, 11 am: Peterskill, New York Cool morning breeze in the shade of leafy trees, wind rustling branches. A patchwork of sunlight has turned everything into camoflouge. Sitting atop a large rock, I munch merrily on a granola bar, then look over and scratch the ears of Roxy. She wags her tail happily. 35 feet above, Craig and Theresa are hovering on a rocky perch. Outdoor rock climbing, in this case toproping, involves setting up anchors to attach your rope to. Unlike the movies, you don’t hammer spikes into the rock – instead you wedge metal shapes and cams into rocky cracks, and clip your rope into their attached carribeaners. If everything is working as designed, and you should happen to fall while climbing, you’ll feel the abrupt jerk of the rope taking your weight, you’ll dangle aimlessly for a moment, dust yourself off, and get back on course. If not, you and the ground will become acquainted with each other quickly and intimately. Since uncontrolled, rapid descents to the ground are not desirable, it’s a good thing to take extra time when setting up your (literal) lifeline; hence toproping is 45 minutes of preparation for a 5 minute climb. Also, getting to the top before a rope is anchored involves taking the scenic, non-vertical route (hiking the long way around). This did give me plenty of time to point my camera, though, and, from my somewhat mossy rock seat I zoomed in and snapped Theresa as she was trying to free a stuck anchor.

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Taken in Powerscourt, Dublin

Taken in Dublin, Ireland