Yesterday was a classic example of how October makes for PERFECT climbing conditions at Devils Lake. The weather forecast called for a high of 55, so I bundled up and prepared for a chilly day. But with sunny skies and no wind, it was downright balmy out there, and we were climbing in t-shirts most of the day. I'll take 55 degrees over 95 any day.

Frank and Brad were super interested in anchor setting, so we did a hybrid day of anchor work and climbing. Engineers tend to catch on to anchor building theory quickly, and these guys were building their own anchor for Orgasm (under a watchful eye) by noon. After setting up anchors on Orgasm and Second Coming, we scampered down to try out the routes.

This was the first day on real rock for both of these gentlemen, and I think they really enjoyed the contrast from the gym. Brad kept saying, "This is certainly educational, I'm learning a lot here" as he figured out how the slippery quartzite "footholds" work and don't work. Like many gym climbers, Frank and Brad found Lake ratings much stiffer than those in the gym, but still had great success on the trio of routes they scaled.