I know I should and I do most of the time but a few of the crack climbs are relentless and some climbs only have good gear within the crux. I've become a chicken when it comes to sticking my neck out lately, that's probably why my spray list is less than half of what I have climbed in the gorge. I think I lose the head game a lot in trad and make it harder than it is. That is why they feel harder to me than they actually are. I usually top rope the ones that give me problems and easily fire to the top and they always feel the rated grade on top-rope. I once had the head game in control and did some amazing things.
When it's good it's oh so good when it's gone it's gone
-Ben Harper
Traddy losers spray even more then sporties. Because not only do they talk about numbers, that have to tell everyone how badass they are for placing thier own gear, like it is some kind of elven magic. "Dude, you should have seen me, I only had two pieces at my waist, and that 5.8 crux was so hard, I thought I was going to die. I even saw a bright light and heard the voices of those that have past".
Yeah, it's almost as bad as "Man, I was on this sick hard highball, slipping from the sick sloper I'd just dyno'd to, but shit man, I just held on... I don't know what came over me... I just knew I couldn't fall because I didn't have a rope to catch me - you know, like those free-climbing pussies - so I just found my inner POWER and threw to the next sloper and then pulled over the lip for the topout. Damn... boulderererering is SO COOL!"
"I snatched defeat from the jaws of victory." --Paul
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(Emails > PMs)
So on my way to the gorge I saw a jeep cherokee on the side of the road. The muffler was hanging down to the ground and a woman was bent over the front of the jeep as I passed. I stopped and went back. I wrestled the muffler from the jeep. Threw it in the back for her. She looked into my eyes and said "thanks". I drove on to the gorge and climbed that weekend, though I honestly can't tell you what. I do remember the woman in the jeep though.
So, I have ticked some kinda hard routes in the last year or so. Some routes that were nice to send because of the peer respect that followed and it was nice to put up some numbers. But sometimes, the higher numbers or even harder routes aren't the ones you are the most proud of. Like today, I ticked a route that is one of the proudest sends of my climbing career, but it was *just* a 5.8, muscle shoals. And while 5.8 is cool if you are a 5.8 climber, I have sent 5.11 trad. So, why would a 5.8 be such a proud thing? Because I had to work mentally and physically harder then I have on many routes that are rated much higher. So, while this route won't really stand out in my tick list, it means so much more to me then most of the higher rated ones. There is more to being a proud send then just being rated hard.