The last couple of months have allowed a lot more time for climbing; something that I missed over the summer months when I was traveling too much to get a constant rhythm going. Now that school has locked me into a more regular schedule I have been able to make climbing a more routine thing. Over the last month Adam and I have made two trips to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas. The sandstone is beautiful and grippy and Adam has been working on some pretty incredible problems. In our first trip he sent Grand Dragon (V7) in only a handful of attempts. The problem follows a beautiful and distinct line up the slightly overhung face of a tall boulder. Tired but psyched, he began to work the next problem on his tick list, Glass Bowl, a V10 that was within his reach but he wasn't able to send.
Last weekend we came back to HCR, this time with our friend Duke Goulden. The plan this time was to work the hardest problem in Arkansas, Paying The Rent (5.14a). The route (which was originally known as The Prophet) was first sent by Chris Sharma and both Duke and Adam had been eager to project it together. After a while on the wall, Duke and Adam had worked through each section and were able to pull off all the moves. Now they just need to link them. The next day they worked Glass Bowl together, but as with Paying The Rent they were able to get all the moves but never linked the whole problem. It feels like it will only be a matter of time before they send both of these, so we plan to go back again soon before the cold hits.
