RRC Archives

Okay, gotta say it! For me, sometimes, the approach is what it's all about.

I remember climbing Diamond in the Crack, and it being a great rush till I fell off the back side (hee, hee), but what I really remember about that day was the approach. Ynot, Ben, and I actually had to push our hands into the dirt and grab tree roots to get up. (Yeah, we missed the actual trail) At one point, we thought we were going to have to belay Ben up. I have a picture of his little face sticking up between the weeds--too funny. We waded through the river, first with shoes off--ow, ow, ooh, eeeh--then on the way back, we just jumped in with our boots on, and we almost had heart attacks when a chained dog jumped out at us. I can't remember laughing so hard in my life.

I've had to run up trails to keep up with Mark W.; gone through woods so thick, I was bleeding before I got to the crag; fell on my back once and couldn't get up because my pack was too heavy; and slipped on ice and landed on my tushy right after telling Ynot, "I'm fine, thanks." I've been bitten by a brown recluse, and I had Lyme disease this summer. But you know what, I get to climb rocks. I've had the best partmer in the world who loves to bushwhack, and kids half my age don't mind me tagging along. I think I would crawl on my belly if I could get on a rock. Oh yeah, I've done that.

Now, go outside and play.

You're beautiful, dipsi doodle!

Hell yeah, Dipsi!

The other night, climbing at RQ, I noticed that I was actually more sketched out leading indoors than I've ever felt leading outside. I guess part of it is that at the moment I'm more used to leading outside (and the only leading I regularly do indoors is on the roof at Miami, which I'm really used to by now), but I think a big part of it is that no matter how busy the crag is where I'm climbing, I can always take a breath and look around over all the trees and sky and relax before going on. You don't get that inside.

Dippy, is that fact on the Recluse bite and lime or yust a guess! I'd like more detail, please. Thanks.

Well, I work in a hospital, so I have the advantage of curbside consultation and catching things early. I had necrosis post bite last summer, and a nice big bullseye rash, fatigue, and sore joints this summer. We treated the s/s without documentation, so I suppose guess could be appropriate here. I do know that I still have a small hole in my leg, and I've been wiped out all summer. And, it's Dipsi!

I love polls. I like trad climbing, sport climbing,bouldering in that order. I go to the gym to continue the neverending battle to try to be in good enough shape to climb outside and not have a heart attack on all those "easy" approach hikes. I don't want to complicate other climbers lives by biting it on the trail and present them with the karmic challenge of climb vs rescue.

pigsteak wrote:There is only about 2 ounces of "adventure" at any sport crag at the Red. And that adventure is watching the grocery line of 5.7 climbers on Mr Bungle....lol

Give us "newbies" a break. I've seen grocery lines over at Motherlode too

zoe,

lol..sorry, that was not intended for just the newbies...it includes all of the major crags at the Red..the lode included.

Climbing 5.12a is no longer some major feat...any reasonable athlete that climbs at a gym and is serious about climbing can attain this level...esp with the hyper bolted routes that we all enjoy so much....

like I have said before, any place where a domestic dog can go and have his water bowl from home waiting is not "wilderness". anyplace we go and find stick clips, radios, crazy creeks, 2 changes of clothes, fixed draws en masse,etc is hardly wilderness....but again, just my opinion...

i used to climb for the women and glory. when that didn't work i tried to stop. but i couldn't. i realized that i had an addiction. i am not in denial but i also don't want to do anything about it. i just want to climb. cracks, crimps, bolts, cams, pads, whatever.

though i think i like the outside. i definately don't dislike it. but bugs do get on my nerves and being wet and cold is no too much fun. i guess i am fair weather climber who just follows the fair weather.

Merrick, you DID get all the women, what you bitchin' about?