It was awhile ago that I heard from Mike Williams about his plans to write a new guidebook to the New River Gorge in scenic West Virginia, and that he was looking for photographs to include. In 2004, Eric Hörst and I collaborated on a guidebook to Bubba City at the New following several years of new route development. In 2006 we published an updated version to the guide, which incorporated the more the 150 new climbs that we established. Since that time, new route activity at the New and nearby Meadow, as well as other cliffs, has intensified. The New was relatively dormant for a long time, and Bubba seemed to kick it off again. Very cool, and now the need for a comprehensive guide. Enter Mike...
I just received my advanced copy of Mike's New River Gorge Rock Climbs in the mail yesterday and I have to say, this book is a work of art. Exceptionally well done. And I am not just biased because a half dozen of my photos grace the pages. Many guides to the New have been written, but Mike's is something special. It's on par, and maybe exceeds, Rick Thompson's last edition of New River Rock published in 1997 -- which was THE New River tome! My only criticism is that I would have loved to see a local climber grace the cover, not a CA visitor... but it's a dramatic photo (not mine)...
So, I was excited to receive a copy of the book. Below are a few images I snapped on the dining room table. All told, I believe there are six of my images featured. Not too shabby for a New Hampshire boy!
This last image is a personal favorite of mine. Good friend Charles from TN is featured climbing a route that Eric Hörst and I established called The Decameron 5.10b. At the time of this photo Chaz was almost 70 years old. He and his wife Cindy are fixtures at Bubba City and continue to inspire me!
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