Lived to tell
getting burned by lightning. we were at the base of a 50ft cliff. we should have left when the storm first started, but the third person with us wanted one more climb and i wanted to clean the gear (my first experience with trad gear - it's amazing how quickly you can learn to clean nuts when it's thundering and hailing and the rain is going up!). i had just been lowered to the ground when lightning struck the top of the cliff. my belayer was unclipping and got a shock through the wet rope. i was leaning against the cliff untieing; i got a shock and a small 1st/2nd degree burn via the gear on my hip. seeing, hearing and feeling the lightning/thunder all at the same time is pretty scary.
the scariest part was watching a 1000 pound chunk of limestone break loose from the wall - it missed my belayer's head by 5 or 6 feet.
the scariest part was watching a 1000 pound chunk of limestone break loose from the wall - it missed my belayer's head by 5 or 6 feet.
Muao Dib and I had an epic once on a 700 ft route in Mexico (El Potrero Chico - Snot Girls). We were swapping leads the whole way up until the last pitch. It was mine and I was just darn too spent to climb it so she took the lead. She quickly topped out, I followed, and we enjoyed the moment and view from above for just a short time, given the sun quickly setting in the distance.
Just as we started to rap down, this crazy insance wind storm started. MD threw the ropes down, started the rap down, and almost an hour later she was still making her way, fighting knotted ropes and a fierce wind throwing her to the complete opposite side of the wall than where she wanted to be. She finally made it to an anchor and then I rappelled into the calming wind. When I reached her, we realized that she missed an anchor on her way down and rapped two pitches instead of one. This was fine until we pulled the ropes and they got stuck. We pulled and pulled but nothing would work. The knot tieing the two ropes together didn't even pull the lip of the topout (big lesson learned that day...).
I looked at MD questioningly. She looked back at me with the last remaining light of day showing the fear in her eyes. I quickly decided to climb to the top, using my GriGri as an ascender (lesson two learned that day). I couldn't believe how fast I climbed having been so tired and tips blown just shortly before. Long story short, I got to the top of the route, fixed the ropes, and we successfully made it to the ground. We didn't have headlamps with us (lesson three learned that day) but fortunately MD had a mini mag which I held for dear life in my mouth as we rapped down the last several hundred feet.
A group at Humero's (the Miguel's of EP) went out looking for us so we had company cheering us on the last few pitches. It was very reassuring knowing that folks were aware that we were missing. What was also cool was the MD left her shoes at the base of the route that night and some locals mailed 'em back to us in Georgia!
It was an epic but there were many lessons learned and good memories made.
Just as we started to rap down, this crazy insance wind storm started. MD threw the ropes down, started the rap down, and almost an hour later she was still making her way, fighting knotted ropes and a fierce wind throwing her to the complete opposite side of the wall than where she wanted to be. She finally made it to an anchor and then I rappelled into the calming wind. When I reached her, we realized that she missed an anchor on her way down and rapped two pitches instead of one. This was fine until we pulled the ropes and they got stuck. We pulled and pulled but nothing would work. The knot tieing the two ropes together didn't even pull the lip of the topout (big lesson learned that day...).
I looked at MD questioningly. She looked back at me with the last remaining light of day showing the fear in her eyes. I quickly decided to climb to the top, using my GriGri as an ascender (lesson two learned that day). I couldn't believe how fast I climbed having been so tired and tips blown just shortly before. Long story short, I got to the top of the route, fixed the ropes, and we successfully made it to the ground. We didn't have headlamps with us (lesson three learned that day) but fortunately MD had a mini mag which I held for dear life in my mouth as we rapped down the last several hundred feet.
A group at Humero's (the Miguel's of EP) went out looking for us so we had company cheering us on the last few pitches. It was very reassuring knowing that folks were aware that we were missing. What was also cool was the MD left her shoes at the base of the route that night and some locals mailed 'em back to us in Georgia!
It was an epic but there were many lessons learned and good memories made.
Does he have a strange bear claw like appendage protruding from his neck? He kep petting it.
Wow...that is awesome. I'm often taken back by how the climbing community is at each others throat's one minute but never hesitant to be there in a crisis. And they mailed her shoes back...nice!It was very reassuring knowing that folks were aware that we were missing.
These are great stories...I'm glad y'all are around to share them.
Holding onto anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. - Buddha
My first trip outside climbing (fresh out of the gym). At Hueco Tanks, I started to lead a 100 foot route with one 50 meter rope. Got freaked out around the third bolt so I clipped into the bolt, untied and threaded the rope through the square hanger and lowered. The rope was flattened completely. Some dude came up and asked us how we expected to get down if we made it to the top. I had no idea what he was talking about. Remember we only had one 50 meter rope. Gumbies we were.
Yo Ray jack dynomite! Listen to my beat box! Bew ch ch pff BEW ch ch pfff! Sweet!
-Horatio
-Horatio
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marathonmedic
- Posts: 1557
- Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2004 3:01 am
I've always been amazed how everyone seems to make it home after a day out climbing without anyone knowing where they went. How many groups go out to some obscure crag every weekend with only two people and nobody knows they're there? If both get hurt (unlikely, but possible on multipitch) how long do you think they'd lay there until someone found them?Artsay wrote:A group at Humero's (the Miguel's of EP) went out looking for us so we had company cheering us on the last few pitches. It was very reassuring knowing that folks were aware that we were missing. What was also cool was the MD left her shoes at the base of the route that night and some locals mailed 'em back to us in Georgia!
Ticking is gym climbing outdoors.
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usccabum1985
- Posts: 111
- Joined: Mon Jan 05, 2004 9:46 pm
Last winter I lived in Califonia. Sometime in early Jan of last year I was Visiting frinds and famely outside of LA. The weather had been nice for the last week or so temps in the mid 70's sunny with a lite wind. I was fully aware of a bad storm lurking off the coast. All of the computer modals I ran showed the storm coming in sometime after midnight. That morning when we decided to take advantage of what looked to be the last nice day in LA, we went climbing. The forcast : sunny high upper 70's turnig cloudy late with rain and mountain snow
We chose to go to WIllimson Rock off of the 2. We decided to climb Being there. The route gets a 5.7 rating but has an optinal 2nd pitch that is 5.9, and after that there is a nice long 2 bolt protected slab to the top, 5.2 acording to others who climbed the route. all and all a fun day.
We had the hardest time geting to the climb. We got lost on the "Trail" down into the valley. 700ft of lose scree that still had patches of snow. We got to the base of the climb around noon, after a near death scrable. I decided to give my cousen the first pitch, knowing he was not a strong lead climber. I would take the second, and final pitch. Almost imiditly my cousen had difficultys. It took him over and hour and a half to finish. I fallowed and reached the ledge that was the start of P2. We ate and I smoked a cig. I started up. after 45min or so I was close to the anchors. I looked behind me and almost died. I saw green and black clouds pouring into the valley. I yelled for my cousen to lower me, giving me time to get the draws below me.( I baled right then and there leaving my draw on the bolt)
By the time I got back to the ledge the wind had picked up, and I was scared. The first time I went to throw the rope it just dangeld like a wet noodle. the second time I tried to weight it down, it only got tangled in some bushes. I spent over an hour in the driving rain trying to set up a repel and keep it from geting tangeld. I faled. sometime around five in the afternoon I got out my windbreaker and tucked my self under it, my cousen did the same. sometime after 2 in the mornign it started to snow.
By sun up the wind had died down enough so we could rap off of the route. It wasnt untill we were on the ground that I thought I was about to die. The shaking was getting so bad that I was having trouble walking. ( becaus of the nice weather I had gone out in shorts, tee, and sandals.) It took us sevral hours to get back to the car. All I could realy think about was sliding down that scree slope. I ended up slinging trees just incase one of us fell, which we both did.
We got back to the car and we were bad. I couldnt get my key in the lock to open my car. my cousen had stoped shaking. we hadnt been back at the car for more that five minutes before a ranger showed up.
My cousen and I were both medivaced out of the mountans half and hour later. we were both treated for hypothermia and I for laserations on my feet. We were both lucky. Iv been told how stupid I was, I would not like to hear that anymore. I fucked up, Im alive, end of story
We chose to go to WIllimson Rock off of the 2. We decided to climb Being there. The route gets a 5.7 rating but has an optinal 2nd pitch that is 5.9, and after that there is a nice long 2 bolt protected slab to the top, 5.2 acording to others who climbed the route. all and all a fun day.
We had the hardest time geting to the climb. We got lost on the "Trail" down into the valley. 700ft of lose scree that still had patches of snow. We got to the base of the climb around noon, after a near death scrable. I decided to give my cousen the first pitch, knowing he was not a strong lead climber. I would take the second, and final pitch. Almost imiditly my cousen had difficultys. It took him over and hour and a half to finish. I fallowed and reached the ledge that was the start of P2. We ate and I smoked a cig. I started up. after 45min or so I was close to the anchors. I looked behind me and almost died. I saw green and black clouds pouring into the valley. I yelled for my cousen to lower me, giving me time to get the draws below me.( I baled right then and there leaving my draw on the bolt)
By the time I got back to the ledge the wind had picked up, and I was scared. The first time I went to throw the rope it just dangeld like a wet noodle. the second time I tried to weight it down, it only got tangled in some bushes. I spent over an hour in the driving rain trying to set up a repel and keep it from geting tangeld. I faled. sometime around five in the afternoon I got out my windbreaker and tucked my self under it, my cousen did the same. sometime after 2 in the mornign it started to snow.
By sun up the wind had died down enough so we could rap off of the route. It wasnt untill we were on the ground that I thought I was about to die. The shaking was getting so bad that I was having trouble walking. ( becaus of the nice weather I had gone out in shorts, tee, and sandals.) It took us sevral hours to get back to the car. All I could realy think about was sliding down that scree slope. I ended up slinging trees just incase one of us fell, which we both did.
We got back to the car and we were bad. I couldnt get my key in the lock to open my car. my cousen had stoped shaking. we hadnt been back at the car for more that five minutes before a ranger showed up.
My cousen and I were both medivaced out of the mountans half and hour later. we were both treated for hypothermia and I for laserations on my feet. We were both lucky. Iv been told how stupid I was, I would not like to hear that anymore. I fucked up, Im alive, end of story
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