I had a master plan that worked perfectly: Ecstasy (5.7) is the first route you get to on the approach and the dirt road you walk in on is within sight of the whole climb. Eric and Jay were told to be nice to each other for a while and Marti and I hopped on the climb. This is way classic - sort of like High E with super exposure and big jugs. I had a hard time finding the easiest line at the crux but the pro was good and I eventually figured it out. Absolutely classic. Eric and Jay were even well behaved the whole time.
After that, Eric and I were thinking of Ecstasy Junior (a 5.4) while Marti and Jay want down but I couldn't resist a harder climb: The Burn (5.8). This is on the wall just left of Ecstacy. Eric did a really good job belaying me but at the overhang it started to rain. I kept at it but placed lots of gear. After I finished the pitch, the sun came out and it warmed up again. Eric followed with only one hang and a slip near the top where he absolutely refuses to do an honest hand jam. It's getting cold (this is November) and we decide to call it a day.
The next day was cold and gray but we went for the gusto and put our kayaks in on the Shenandoah Staircase, just above Harpers Ferry. Marti decided to sit this one out since it was so cold so it was Eric and I again. This would have been perfect except for 3 miles of flatwater at the start. Once the rapids start it's great, though. The hardest rapid is a ledge about 3 feet high with various chutes pouring through it. We scouted and chose a simple one (#4, counting from river left) and had no problems. After this, the staircase starts: lots and lots of small ledges, 1 - 2 feet high. The current is not strong and there's lots of time to set up for each one. Eric has a blast and leads most of this. He's doing better and better at reading the river now. The last bit is on the Potomac and there's some big waves at the end.
So far a perfect trip. Time to screw it up. Eric wants to go back to Great Falls. Marti hasn't boated yet. Seems obvious - we head on down. It's late. It's cold. The water is higher (3.8). A guy in the parking lot tells us he thinks it's a grade harder than at 3.0. We should have listened. Eric and Marti put in at a big swirly eddy with a strong eddy line. Eric is nervous crossing the eddy line and immediately dumps. Another yakker tows Eric back to where he started; his boat and paddle head on down. Marti and another boater get the boat out; poor Marti gets lectured for taking Eric into the river. The paddle is gone. Eric is unperturbed. We load up the boats and head back to Wallingford.
Cool place, although most of the rock sits at about a 10 degree angle and is covered with Boy Scouts. Started by checking out some big boulders on the south side. Immediately struck by a 30' hand crack, slightly overhung. Neat! Unfortunately I don't have any high tech solo gear and nobody is around. I set the rope and start jammin. The first half is easy as you can stem out to another boulder. After that I commit but can't move my harness knot while hanging by one hand and back off.
Take two: I put a camalot on a sling on my harness. Climb 3 - 4 feet, hang off the camalot, and move up the knot on the toprope. Sort of like toproping with lots of hangs. Not ethical but it works. Later I find the route is `Top Choice', 5.10.
Next I'm off to the main dome. Don't see any potential partners: everyone is gathered around topropes with large groups at the base. I could probably bum a ride but not without lots of waiting. A fierce, growling baby keeps me away from one of the areas (actually the little fella was really cute except he made these bizarre growling sounds!).
I move up to an area without topropers. There's a short (20') handcrack in a less that vertical wall. This time I dispense with the rope and climb with a couple of cams tied to my harness. There are stances to move the cams so no ethical violations occur. The route is Zig Zag, 5.7+. Now I'm up on top of the dome and don't know how to get back to the climbing area except to walk down the touristo side and hike around. But wait! Two way cool boulders, about 20' high, are perched on the slab. These turn out to be `Lunar Rocks' and I do the easiest route on each, 5.9 and 5.7. Big fun. Sort of like the Buttermilks. On the hike down, it rains. Hard. Crap - gotta retreat. It's rainy and cold the rest of my time in Texas.
So Enchanted Rocks was OK - better than anything else I've done in central Texas :-) - but it's not that big. Nothing over a single pitch. Very course granite. Reminded me Phoenix a little. Beats Sandrock, though!