April 8th...it's been exactly 130 days since I set sail on an open road. I've exhausted my mind and my body too many times to count since then...chasing after something that isn't really there outside of my personal motivation.
I trudged up the steep hillside, trying to avoid the patches of snow that threatened to take my feet out from under me. The goal was to check out a new problem the famed Griffin Whiteside had established last fall in the Left Fork of Joe's Valley. Griffin named the climb #tall... As I approached the base of the problem, I stared long and hard in an attempt to soak up the first impression left by the towering black and tan streaked face in front of me; I knew instantly this was a special one. The rock, the holds, the movement, the line, the situation...every aspect was perfect and beautiful to me.
If pictures could only do it justice...#tall looking like a dream
Big boulder problems tend to be more inspiring than the average rock climb. A friend of mine once said, 'the beauty of a line often outweighs the consequence'. I can't exactly pinpoint why, but I tend to agree; there really is something incredible about the aesthetics of a grand line that's difficult to resist. The level of commitment they often require, the idea that failure is not an option beyond a certain point, and the way the nerves feel when I'm contemplating such a climb keep me searching for the next 'good one' that screams 'BEAUTY' and makes me tingle inside. When I find a climb that 'takes me there' it grabs ahold of me until I've completed the circle and sent the problem...most climbers have hopefully experienced this 'pull' and would probably agree that it's a force that can defy gravity.
EMA, fighting gravity moments before he got psyched enough to overcome it!
Beautiful desert hiking in Pine Creek Canyon
Pine Creek Canyon is found at the end of the scenic loop drive in Red Rocks, Nevada and twists and turns deep into seemingly endless mountains of sandstone. It's quite impressive and somewhat extra special that such a serene and alternate world can be found just a few miles outside of the insanity that flows forever within the city limits of Las Vegas. The sound of the stream is calming as the hike continues below beautiful red rock walls towering hundreds of feet above both sides of the narrow canyon floor. Eventually, a giant boulder of the highest quality sandstone sits perched on an embankment along the right side of the canyon. Ariana beams with beauty...the kind I can't look past.
Several different views of 'Ariana'
I was even more nervous after rappelling the line and rehersing the crux move a number of times behind the safety of the rope. This problem was different than anything else I'd pursued. The boulder itself sits at the bottom of a gentle slab and the landing only extends from the base of the problem for a mere seven feet or so. At this point the landing drops down another ten plus feet into a chasm of rocks. Ariana stands approximately 30 feet tall if you were to measure from the ground to the point of security...missing the small landing pad is not an option from high on the climb, but I was pretty certain it would be possible to fall from the crux move and still land in a safe place... 'Safe' meaning facing the possibility of a plunge from above twelve feet. If I did stick the crux move, I figured I could not fall safely above it so I tried to rule that out as a possibility. The mental battle presented itself. My finger tips were sweating. Kona whimpered and paced, letting me know she did not approve of the anxiety she must have sensed...
I left the ground and floated through the type of moment I spend so much time searching for. Nothing went through my mind and it was as if my surroundings disappeared. All of the built up emotion and desire faded away and I was climbing. I scampered up the slab on top of the boulder smiling. Ariana was the most committing boulder problem I'd ever tried...it ended exactly as I'd hoped it would and the experience qualified as one of those 'moments in climbing I'll always cherish'.
Sending shot...photo: Jake Novotany
I chalked up at the base of #tall. As I climbed through the first crux and headed higher I felt the same rush I've grown familiar with. Every move and hold felt as it should and my confidence grew as I approached the final difficult reach maneuver...In my mind I was executing the move and soon to be topping out when my left foot slipped off it's hold and I plumetted to the pad from too high up. I walked away that night, battered, fatigued and fueled with excitement to return the next morning for another attempt. I awoke the following day to find my name scribed on the injured list. My knee ached and I couldn't straighten it all the way. Something was also wrong with my left hand. Making a fist was extremely painful in the center of my palm...I figured I must have tweaked it on the odd gaston pocket grip at the crux...I wondered how badly I was hurt and how long it might take for me to heal. All I can do now is wait. I'll fill the days on the bench with icing, reading and lots of fluids to hopefully speed the healing process. I can tell I'm on the mend, waiting patiently to return healthy enough for another attempt.
My view from icing my limbs in the frigid river water...#tall sits up on the hillside just to the left of the center of this photo
Scott's AMAZING new problem 'Lonesome Animals'...SUPER PSYCHED!!
Drew going 'Beyond Life' in front of a small Spring Break! audience
'Trent's Mom'...one of the greats!
Shannon Joslin crushing on 'Resident Evil'
Ian McIntosh climbing 'BMOS' on the new-ish Smile Boulder
Tired spaniel #desertdog
New problem Colby and I put up called 'First Impression' on the Nerf Wall. How can pockets that cool even exist?!?
Best. Pad. Ever!
Thankfully there is no shortage of fun to be had here and great friends to explore and climb around with while I'm mending! Orangeville happens to be one of the more relaxing places to hang, camp and climb that I've visited. Recovering from injury can be a bit maddening while on a climbing trip but I believe it's a message from my body telling me to be more careful and perhaps slow down a bit every once in a while...
