Knapsack II: Knapsack on Lead

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Action Report - Lover's Leap, Knapsack on HogsbackTwin Bridges, California
October 19, 2008

Amber on knapsack

We finally headed up north to climb Knapsack again! I promised myself that I would never climb it again, but of course I became a better climber, so off we went! I had a lot of fun on this climb, but Eric was a little stressed because he had to lead the climb. This was Eric's first big lead, and he did a great job. I think the only drawback was that Sean (Squishy) had to pee the whole time, and Eric slipped a little once, nearly falling. This climb is easy, but it's high off the ground so leading it can be stressful.

Eric belaying at his best

I found that my climbing ability had improved greatly, and I didn't almost cry, like the first time. Knapsack is a great place to learn multi-pitch climbing, and I highly recommend this climb to any new climber. After the climb we enjoyed some lunch and waited for Kenneth and Topher to come back from climbing Bear's Reach. I can't wait to try some other climbs on hogsback, or somewhere else at Lover's Leap.

Sean (Squishy) climbing knapsack

Eric's Thoughts:
Knapsack is pretty easy climb, but leading is really tough, especially when you're new to it. I had to balance making safe and effective placements with making sure I didn't "sew it up". Otherwise you could run out of gear. There were a couple moments where I was more stressed than usual, but all in all it was a fun climb and it was nice to be in charge. Seeing how much easier it had become for Amber since our first time, and doing most of the "work" between the two of us really made my day.

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