65 Birthday Challenge Summary

Goal - 65 challenges in 65 days.
This is just a summary of the more significant of the challenges I did. The full calendar version was a bit hard to digest.

Red Rock Climbing Center
June 6th - day 1 of 65 -  65 routes in one hour 33 minutes.   Only 5.10s and 5.11s.  All on autobelays for an average of 1:26 per route.

June 8th - 65 chins with 65 pounds added in 65 minutes

HCR - Horseshoe Canyon Ranch
June 27 - 9 routes   5.11a and 5.10c
June 28 - 18 routes
June 29 - 26 routes
June 30 - 12 routes
 Total - 65 unique routes in 4 days.  

July 28 - 650 chin ups in 89 sets in 90 minutes averaging about 7 chins/set

Sender One Climbing Gym
July 30 -  42 toprope flashes-  all >= 10a  - 12 x 5.11's - 1 x 11c - 6.5 hours
July 31 -  3 lead flashes, 3 tr flashes, 8 leads of previous tr, 9 tr repeats - 4.5 hours
Total - 65 total routes

Red Rock Climbing Center
Aug 3 - 65 V points 11 x V3, 7 x V4, 1 x V5 nothing less than V3.

Red Rock

Aug 7 - First day of my 65 pitches in 65 hours.   Temps ended up around 96 degrees when we finished.   We started at the Gallery and lead 5 laps each on 5.8, 5.9, 5.10a, 5.10b, and 5.10c.   I took a fall on one of the laps of the 10b.

Ready to start my final challenge

Natalie ready for 8 hours of dedicated belaying.   I love her!

After the 10c, the sun was creeping in on us so we raced to Hunter Thompson and got 5 laps each on two 5.8s and a 5.10a.     The sun hit full as we headed to the Black Corridor so we took a break for lunch to wait for the shade.   Then I did 5 laps each on a 5.9+ and two other 5.9's.   Total for the days work was 55 pitches lead on 11 different routes with a total vertical of a bit over 3,000 feet (more than half a mile).   After 8 and a half hours we were running low on water and my feet were cramping.  So, we decided to do my final 10 leads the next day.   

55 pitches in and done for the day.

Since I was not as familiar with the Red Rock routes as I was with HCR routes, my route selection ended up being much harder on my finger tips and feet.  The routes were longer, had multiple cruxes, and were more powerful and crimpy.  The result was very tender tips and cramping feet near the end of the day.

Aug 8 - Time to finish up the last challenge.   We decided to make it a family affair and brought Munchkin with us to the Black Corridor for my final 10 pitches.  hmmmmm.   The corridor was packed with top ropes hanging from most of the routes I had wanted to use.  So I started out on a 10a and found it was probably the longest route in the corridor and it finished in the sun (not good if you are trying to do laps on a day forecast to be over 100).   After one lap I decided to move to one of the open 5.9s.   Well, come to find out is was a sandbagged 5.9+ with sketchy bolting and multiple hard cruxes.   So, again after one lap I decided to move again!   Only one other 9 was available so we jumped on it.   After one lap I found out why it was free.  The guys on the route next to us said "We skipped that one since it is probably the hardest 5.9 ever and the first bolt is way too high".   Fortunately, they were finishing up on their 5.9 so I finally got on a route that was suitable for multiple laps.   With single laps on my first 3 routes I finally got on a route more suited to my throbbing fingers and desire to stay out of the sun, if possible.  Since we were winding down, Natalie also lead a lap on this one.   Munchkin kept trying to climb up the wall and actually was jumping in an attempt to get on a sloppy narrow ledge at the bottom that was way too tiny.

As I finished my 5th lap, the next route over became available (a 5.9+PG route) so I got in my final 2 laps and Natalie got one more lead in.   DONE!     Tally for day 2: 1 x 5.10a, 2 x 5.9+, 7 x 5.9 on 6 different routes.

Totals: 65 leads on 17 different routes for about 3,900 feet of climbing.

 5 x 5.10c,, 5 x 5.10b, 11 x 5.10a, 7 x 5.9+, 22 x 5.9, 15 x 5.8 s