Granite City Climbing

Climbing season is in full swing in Greater Boston and I’ve been psyched to get out to Quincy Quarries with Luke, Mickey, and the Ski Patrol Guys several times over the last few weeks. Getting back on real rock has been fantastic after a winter in the gym, and Luke’s captured the transition perfectly with the camera. Here's my favorites of his recent climbing pics, along with my description.  

Pooped: My first outdoor climb in recent memory and it showed. I sent the route, but it felt hard and my movement wasn’t fluid. Note to self: don’t top-rope solo Ladder Line, a sandbagged QQ 5.10, as your first outdoor route next year.

Extra Dark Man: Spent about 30 minutes bouldering this new-to-me route on the far left corner of P Wall, where the Granite Rail Quarry joins Swingle’s Quarry, as Worm Moon rose overhead. A challenging climb and an even more challenging photograph.

Dual Sporter: Mickey Spades has been showing up to all the climbing sessions on his dual sport. His get-up is so colorful, so much so that he almost blends right in with the graffiti. Wouldn’t surprise me if this Luke-Foley special ends up as his dating app profile pic.

The Ridge Line: Luke was so pissed at Mickey while he was snapping this pic. The light was perfect, the rock looked cool, and I was in a pretty good position. The only problem—Luke also had to belay me while shooting because the intended belayer (Mickey) was still at the last climb, 100 yards away, gabbing with my ski patrol buddies about his dual sport. Next time, Bug, get your ass in gear so Luke can take some pics (and I’m not effectively soloing)!

Knight’s Face: A classic shot on a classic spring climb. I love climbing on this wall, and it is a great place to climb in early Spring because the ground is dry and the movement is moderate. Here, Luke got a stellar shot of Nick post-crux, just as he responds to some commentary from the gallery.

Words by Doug Martland
Photos by Luke Foley