This is a guest post from Erin Yakim, who leads a lot of Songer’s climbing trips for Hard Rock Climbing
My guests weren’t from around here. That much was evident. They showed up a little before their trip time to sign their waivers and try on climbing shoes, and I knew right off it was going to be a special day. Because they talked funny.
Ireland, or WV? Hmmmmm....
I detected an accent that was not West Virginian, Ohioan, or even Michigander. So where were they from? Lewisburg, WV, by way of Ireland.
Patrick and Andrea are the owners of Irish Pub On Washington Street there in the ‘burg, and if you haven’t been, go. It is a beautiful little place that has good food, a fine selection of adult beverages, and, of course, live music.
What more could you ask for? Patrick’s originally from Ireland. So is his sister, Mary, who had done some bouldering in Ireland and was psyched to climb in WV. Andrea’s originally from NY.
Not to kill the suspense, but the long and short of it is that we had a great day. It was Andrea’s birthday, and she had never climbed before. She thought it would be a great present to herself to try something new. You’ve got to like someone that’s willing to give themselves the gift of climbing.
They were able to climb three routes successfully and two rappels. And remember, they had never done this before. Everyone climbed absolutely beautifully! The weather cooperated, and we finished with the day with an amazing view of the New River Gorge Bridge. I was so proud of them.
A couple weeks later I was able to visit them at the pub. Down there in Lewisburg, they have some kind of event called “First Fridays” where all the shops stay open until 9. Everyone strolls around the streets from store to store, enjoying appetizers and samples of wine. Sound fabulous? It is!
When I dropped in to say hello, the pub was packed. I was only able to share a quick word with Andrea as she ran by with a tray of food in her hands. She promised that they would be back in a couple of weeks to do it all again, which I’m looking forward to even as I write this. Mary was also extremely busy, but gave me a quick smile as she flew by. Patrick was on stage singing traditional Irish songs (beautifully, I might add). Great atmosphere.
I look forward to sharing another day with these fine folks from (way) back east. I think I had as much fun as they did. Plus, it was nice to have a little piece of Ireland right here in the New River Gorge.
Tags: Adventure Vacations, New River Gorge, rock climbing, Songer Whitewater
Really good mate. Also I