A taste of Miso Soup

Climbers:
Scott, Katie, Tony, Brad, Sophie, + day 2: Yoli, Christian, Craig, Tara, Calvin, + day 3: Meghan and Mary Kate.... and Chivo and Mia our fav canines!

3 days-WE and a near perfect forecast for Southern IL. Why drive 6 hours towards KY, when the great bluffs of the Falls have yet plenty of challenges awaiting?
Brad, a good ol' friend of Tony was coming along for the ride, and actually driving Tony and I in style in his roomy Buick SUV. Sitting on the back seat, the middle one removed to accomodate the gear and Brad's giganticus "camping chairs" (yes these would not have fit in my car...) I had the feeling to be in a limo ordering the chauffeurs around for coffee, or even some karaoke songs with which they indulged me with brio! Oh yeah there was a duo!

Scott and Katie caravaned with their dogs Chivo and Mia. Not a cloud in the sky. On for a good WE.
After setting camp, Brad picked up his guitar. A campfire and some good ol' tunes. It does not get any better than that. "I wish you were here" was the last song for the night, and it would pretty much stick in my head for the rest of the WE, as I caught myself humming it several times at the crag.


Friday, day 1:
Beautiful day, a bit warm which allowed the ticks to have a party with everyone's blood. Yum! The downside of the great outdoors....
The Gallery to start a good warm up on the usual "misfits" and other Therapy routes. I could climb these over and over. Here is the great Psychotherapy.

The dogs were exploring around which for Mia meant bringing back the biggest logs she could put in her jaws on. Here she is...blending in.

By mid-day we had hit the moderate routes facing the Battle Axe Tower area and on towards the Beaver wall where Tony and Scott got on Who needs friends, this beautiful 12a overhanging crack line in the middle of the wall which has now permanent draws! Tony sent it in Tony style, finding his rests... check it out:
And Scott followed suit:


Brad, great sport, had slipped on Tony's "3-size-down" shoes and scaled some rock, but by that time of the day he probably thought we were all insane to subject our feet to such torture in order to monkey up some cliffs! "Where are my golf clubs?"
We finished the day on a SCARY route just before the Railroad Rock, Frigid Digit a 10b line which could be fantastic if one did not need to garden and till as one goes up, which Tony did and almost called for his mommy at the top (I felt like calling mine on TR!!!!!!). A new concept for Sand Bag, the literal meaning of it!
The clouds were rolling in. A little thunder in the distance. By the time we were about to eat rain came. Scott finished his grilling in the back of his car when the campfire finally died. He does look pretty comfy though.

Calvin, Craig and and Tara arrived right as the storm was moving away. The forecast was for a perfect WE.

Saturday, day 2: Yoli and Christian had made it late at night. Team Saucisson was growing by the day.
After rain wets the Falls where do you go climb the following day? The area one is sure to find some dry stunning faces: The Promised land.


As its name would have you believe it, The Promised Land is another world. And really it is. On the other side of the railroad, one has to have the will to go there. The walk is bit longer, the poison ivy fiercer, the ticks... well still blood thirsty but hey Calvin was there to attract them. Yet this land has a Promise: sheer steep faces of amber sandstone offering some of the greatest and most challenging climbing around.
First stop at the X Block for a series of warm-ups which in this Land of Promises means cranking some mid-tens/eleven right away. But I have to admit the classics XOXO and Generator X are great way to start a day of climbing. Craig is already flexing hard as you can see.... (on XOXO, 10b)


Brad is pondering. Could I try this in my golf shoes? The spikes might help.


Tony reverted to sign language... but what's up with the Gri-gri?


Yoli is getting her blood flowing on XOXO.


By the time we were moving on from that wall, it was obvious that Chivo who had disappeared as we were hiking from the Falls, was not going to make there, crossing a stream and a railroad. Scott and Katie went back to look for him, not really worried as their 2 year old puppy had done it before. The little "kid" looking for his own path. They would come back a few hours later. Good Chivo had made it back to...camp! A long day of hiking for them!
While our friends were battling the ivy and ticks, we headed down to the main wall towards a route Christian and Tony had worked a few days prior, a new line (probably a mid-12) right of Congo Spray, sharing its start.
It was on Wednesday: "Miso soup bowl!" Christian was ecstatic as he had put his hand on this hidden THANKYOU jug up on the face the first time he had climb it. The reward after a very powerful crux involving a knee-bar/sidepull change over to an extended cross-over move on a -yes of course- very steep face. Christian had unlocked the tricky sequence, a beautiful thing to see when he had worked it the first time hanging the draws. I had watched, humbled, as in a team effort he and Tony had relentlessly worked the line, lookign forward to a full bowl of Miso Soup.
Today, this line was to be the project for the guys ready to have a few spoon-full of delectable steep sandstone. Here are some of the boys in their playpen:




In the meanwhile Yoli was playing with her new "photo seat" made by her dearest Chritian. There will be more much more beautiful picts. coming from her soon, no doubt.


By mid-afternoon, Scott, Katie and Chivo had made it back. Not much climbing for these guys, but nevertheless both crushed Fashionably late, a beautiful 11a, right after they slipped on their shoes -naturals they are-! Brad, wearing the much more comfortable Scott's Mythos, got on it as well and had some crazy lay-back action going on. Golf does make you flexible! ;)

And while Craig took Brad and Tara to climb a little more moderate route, Christian was at his 3rd or 4th burn on Miso Soup. He had it dialed. "kssss" "kssss" The grunts started to come out as he reached the second part of the climb. One more move to the Miso Bowl. 5 more feet... He was going to send.
And his foot toed in the wrong spot.
There it went.
The bowl had spilled again.
Oh so close.
Achh agonizing. His face tells it all:

Great work Christian, there will be a next time.

"I'm pretty wiped, it might be ugly...." Tony was about to launch his 4th or 5th run on it. And he finally put his lips to the bowl and drunk it all. In pure Tony style shaking endlessly before the last bolt, he finally sent the line.
"A team effort" he said looking at Christian.
Inspiring.

And inspired I was. I had been eyeing Team Honda (12a) all day trying to find the right motivation for it and really needing someone to work it with me. Yoli had descended from her perch and even top roped Miso-Soup (impressive...I did not make it past the first bolt!).
She was my girl!
I had been on the route a few days before and knew there was a stopper move for me after the 4th bolt, one of these reachy spans I was not able to unlock. Team Honda is a long line which gets steeper as it goes, and ends on a totally horizontal roof. It always had intimidated me so it was good to break through the fears and insecurities.
I unlocked the stopper move by using a tiny little pebble-knob. I pray this thing will stay there! But higher up the steepness spitted me out. "go for it it's a jug!" I hear my good friend Calvin say as I go for a rounded ledge under the 5th bolt and wipe out! That's no jug! I had not much left so after trying a few times came down, and let Yoli play for a while. She did great, and got stopped by that reachy move which had been my nemesis. Craig hopped on it and finished it with strong work. I offered to clean it since the route has such an overhang. Of course what I feared happened: I fell under the roof which means my only way to get back up was to "batman" my way up the rope which reached the anchor through two 90º angles! This was an epic: 4 guys hanging on the rope helping Tony pull me up including Christian hanging upside down on an ascender. Lots of grunting (on my part) and a definite group effort. I am afraid Yoli has it on film.....A pretty entertaining way to end a great day of climbing among great people.
More picts of the first two days here.

Sunday, day 3
Another beautiful day with a very cool morning. Meghan and Mary Kate had made it late afternoon to join Team Saucisson for one day.
We headed back to the Beaver Wall hoping for a couple of new routes which were in the works a couple of days earlier. Indeed they were. Russell had just finished a new 11c a few days before and flashed the FA, and another line was being bolted to the right of Everybody needs friends.
Meghan had her sights on Flingin Hog and sent it second go. Great job Meghan. First 11a outside, and on a great line!
Christian flashed Everybody needs friends (12a) and Craig crushed Who needs friends (12a) while Tony and Calvin went to play on a 12b Echolocation (I think that is the one) at Mr Jimmy's wall.
We all played on the 9 and 10 around the corner from Everybody needs friends, and Yoli and I ended up working the new 11c Russel had put up, Cougar's Love. A great challenging line to which I cannot wait to come back.
Calvin squeezed in a climb on the new arete line which he fired beautifully till the top out where his body language became, should I say, entertaining!
Back to the Lou with more great memories, and an ever-growing Team Saucisson.