I have an inkling
Of how difficult this 5.14b thing is going to be.
On Tuesday I went out with Paul. He’s a sport climber, strictly in it for the physical satisfaction, the longer the route the better, so we started on Morning Glory before anyone else got to the park. I was done climbing quicker than I’ve ever been done.
After warming up on 9 Gallon Buckets and Overboard, Paul walked his 70m cord to the base of Churning and squirreled up Churning Sky, as smoothly as if he were running laps. He probably has. My mistake was to watch him and compare. As Chris (another Bend newbie and no slouch of a climber himself) filled me in, the locals have probably done these routes 50 times, and Brian the Scotsman (definition of local is this ragged friend, willing to put up about anything and complement it with blow by blow beta) says he has been to the park three to four thousand times.
E Gads.
I don’t repeat routes. I hardly project. My last proj was an onsight for cryin out loud!
I gotta come up with a system so I don’t get sick of the optimist. I’ll work To Bolt to get myself ready, then head out to the marsups for some serious tries.
I struggled up Churning in the Wake then Kings of Rap, and finally Darkness at Noon before the hamburger that used to be my fingertips took control of my senses. It was hardly two o’clock and I couldn’t climb anymore.
I struggled. I panted. I sweated. I felt like cursing. I tried really hard. Paul only gave me beta when I hung out a long time. Part of that was the lack of fitness, stamina, endurance.
None of the moves on Churning or Darkness were that hard. They just kept coming, that’s all. Same with Kings, except it had better rests. I spent more time hanging than on the wall than climbing, and lost count of the number of times I peeled off. Linking…sounds too painful right now. I need time to think about these routes, feel out if I really want to do them. As my climbing level increases, these will feel more mainstream, not so much of a stretch to add to my circuit.
Like the locals have.But I don’t want to become one of the high school crowd.
Paul joked to Chris that they should have a scale at the base of the trail to determine if you were allowed to climb or not. Chris is fit, and solidly built. He’s been pulling holds off classic routes left and right since he arrived at Smith in November. Brian nicknamed him The Quarryman. He takes the ribbing well. He has a lot of respect for the locals. The locals have no respect for the rock. Jaded, Esther called it. Critical, it sounds like
The thing is, I love having a ropegun to put up the hard lines I’ve never been on before. Churning and Kings and Darkness gave me a taste of the struggle to come, left me with throbbing souvenirs at the ends of my fingers, an ache in my muscles reminiscent of Crux bouldering sessions, and an inkling of my potential.
2 comments:
I think that you are an amazing gal. How many people realize so young that your own nature determines who you are? You can’t be “High School” if you’re not “High School” anyway. Ever watch a little kid play dress up & mimic the grown-ups?
Isn’t everything like that? You are who you are (and WHAT you are) already, and anything else is just costume & 5-cent rouge.
It’s all just stripping away the layers of sediment, gradually exposing the solid bedrock beneath. You’re under there somewhere! :o)
---
Pretty women wonder where my secret lies.
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them,
They think I'm telling lies.
I say,
It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or
Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes,
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing in my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them
They say they still can't see.
I say,
It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
the palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman
Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.
so It sounds like you hang out with assholes. these guys who have climbed these routes before and who are , no offense, more skilled climbers at this point instead of supporting you and seeing how you are growing just cut you down as "just another girl climber" who can't climb as well as they can. They aren't like all guys , theyare just jerks , there are nice guys who don't have to put people down to feel good about them selves.
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