We came up with a pretty wild idea while in the car back from the Buzzards’ Bay triathlon. Some combination of endorphins and too much saltwater made us think that biking nearly fifty miles to Rumney, New Hampshire (a world-famous sport climbing crag) and climbing as much as possible in one day sounded like a good challenge.
Two weeks later, early in the morning, we were pulling out of Collis with Dom, another convert, to embark on our adventure. To be honest, Russell was surprised that nobody had backed out yet. The morning was cold and foggy, we might have pushed the bike a bit much. We averaged nearly twenty miles per hour across the whole ride. (Catherine, for her part, was glad that Dom and Russell were too stubborn to give up pulling the entire way.) As we rode further north, the leaves slowly shifted from off-green near Hanover to deeper and deeper yellows and oranges. After twenty-five miles, after cresting a 1900-foot hill, we could see the whole Baker Valley in front of us, with Rattlesnake Mountain, our target, on the horizon. It was a satisfying downhill to the crag. Team captain Carly, on her way to a hike with friends, buzzed us in her outing club van and cheered us on.
We pulled into the crag just as our chauffeurs mountaineering club friends leading a beginner trip arrived with our climbing gear. The freshmen beginners’ eyes grew wide as they realized that we had biked instead of taking a hour-long van ride. Unfortunately, Russell and Dom packed light. They spent the entire day climbing in their biking bibs. After spending the morning further impressing the 22s by setting up their top ropes (and some 5.11s for good measure), we headed to spend the afternoon at Bonsai, a crag notorious for its steepness and requisite shoulder strength.
We woke up the next morning to that sort of proud, physical exhaustion. And a severe calorie deficit. (Russell managed to go through an entire package of Kind bars in under two days, and Catherine ate six separate meals on Sunday.) Everyone was so grateful to belong to a team so focused on overcoming challenges as a community.
About the Authors
Catherine Rocchi is a tri team ’19 studying Environmental Studies and Anthropology. She’s passionate about climate justice, fossil fuel divestment, and Lou’s sweet potato hash.
Russell Stewart is a ’20 on the team studying Chemical/Biochemical Engineering and Spanish. When he’s not TRI-ing or on related outdoor adventures, he loves to cook, read, and volunteer in combatting food deserts.
