Climbing Continued

I have been meaning to put up some kind of climbing imitates life imitates climbing post and how the theme of this year is going to be Finally Conquering Shit You're Sure You Can't Do, but I don't have the time or imagination space right now. But we have two rock days under our, um, harnesses so I figured I should at least post an update on that.

Rock Day #1: Castlewood Canyon

Getting to the King Sooper's was really the worst part for me. When I popped out of bed, grabbed my coffee and jumped into my little blue marvel the roads were slushy but more wet than ice, and I thought--yay!--since I'm a little late already. I wasn't too far south before the wet slush became frozen slush and bonafide ice, and oh, what fun that was. I even got to go for a little slip and slide myself--I've never been so happy I bought an AWD car AND that I paid attention the day they taught us you steer into a skid to get out of it.

We sorted ourselves into the higher clearance vehicles and headed down to Castlewood, and the doubletrack of snow got deeper and deeper. We rubbed our eyes in disbelief when Frank, who was leading, stopped up at the entrance station and got out to put $6 in the little yellow envelope for the fee. Would rangers seriously be checking today? But I guess that's how we roll at CMC--we do the right thing.

Once we found our spot, Frank and Chris headed up to the top to set anchors and throw ropes while Deb helped up put up a tarp for shelter against the constant, wet melty snow and we burrito-wrapped our packs in more tarps since we couldn't all cram under there. Once the anchors were set, we paired up and practiced our fallen climber tie-offs. This involves (once the climber manages to get far enough up the rope to fall on it, a challenge since the rock was so crumbly and wet Frank said he was sure it was just a fossilized dinosaur turd) putting in a big mule knot with safety, then fixing that line to the anchor so you can take yourself and your belay device out of the system, then figuring out how to reverse the whole process with a minimum of dropping or lowering your climber.

Once we had taken turns through that a few times and were thoroughly soaked, it was time to clamber up to the anchors for some raps. The route was super short (maybe 15 feet?) but enough to give you the idea--the worst part of any rap is hanging your ass out into space over the edge and getting started anyway, right? A couple of double rope laps and a fake simul-rap on singles, and it was time to pack it in and call it a day. Blessedly it never got colder than 36º and the wind never came.

Rock Day #2: Castlewood Canyon Redux

This time we were racing other groups to get out to the wall and snake the best routes, so the meetup was considerably earlier. But, no snow or rain or wind--I'll take it! There was one group that beat us there, but we still got 4 ropes up in decent placements. Lots and lots of BFT anchors. Somehow I kept ending up on rope #4 which had not one but two little overhangs and ledges that made getting the prussik slings past them...interesting, on the way back up.

The first rap was straightforward. Then, on with the prussiks and back up we went--again, straightforward until I got to the second overhang/ledge at the top. Prussik slings are nifty little loops of cord that you wrap and knot around the climbing rope so that when you hang your weight off of it, the knot tensions and holds you on the rope, but when you unweight it you can easily loosen it to slide it up or down on the rope, depending on what you are doing. You use two--one hooked to you at your waist, and another tied onto the rope for your foot, and you sort of inchworm yourself up or down the rope. Which is simple enough when the rope is not stretched taut against the rock. When it is, like at the end of a route, somehow you have to kick your body and the weighted rope away from the rock long enough to slide your chest prussik up a few inches before it slaps back down against the rock. This is harder to do when there the ledge is an overhang, i.e. the rock for your non-prussik leg to brace against while kicking your body away is further away. Plus you are wearing clunky mountaineering boots that aren't really smearing for shit. It was tough, but I figured it out and clambered inelegantly over the ledge to clip my safety into the anchor and take a deep breath. Oh, but the fun was just beginning!

Next was a 2-fer of rapping down on your off-hand while wearing your pack (and by extension chest harness, just for kicks and giggles!). It was a little more cumbersome, but not too bad. The worse part was having to prussik back up with the pack and chest harness on. I tried, but I'm so short-waisted that my foot prussik could only be moved up about 4 inches at a time before it ran into the biner of my chest harness. I decided instead to try Frank's suggestion of lashing a sling to my pack and dangling it from my harness and hauling it up that way. This worked much better until I got to that same damn 2nd overhang, and while I finally managed to get up and over to the top, I kept tugging on the pack but it wasn't budging. Turns out it was a little snagged under the lip of the overhand, but since it wasn't a big one I was able to haul it up eventually, even with my weak girly arms.

The most awesome exercise of all was passing the knot. If you're not wearing a bunch of crap, it's not a big deal--just a lot of procedures that have to be done in the right sequence so you stay tied into the system and are safe at all times. Frank made a deal with us--go down with your packs on and you only have to do it once. Of course everyone went for that!

I started down, stopped above the knot to let my autoblock hold me, and lo--a traffic jam of epic proportions bristled at my waist. Between the chest harness/biner, big biner and belay device, double rope rap AND safety belay line all in super fatty-fat-fat 11-mil rope, I couldn't see a damn thing, let alone figure out how to get what out of where. My 2nd locker was too small to get around my loaded harness, then it was a bitch getting both rap lines out of the device in all that mess, I clipped my safety knot on the wrong side of me which made management even more of a headache (but not in that order!) etc. I was pretty exhausted but thought I finally had it, and I was prussiking down to load up the autoblock, take off the safeties and finish the damn exercise when... I realized I forgot my chest harness! It was sitting on the knot, I couldn't go anywhere but back up a bit to try to get it off and back in below the knot. Which was really, REALLY hard for me because I'm weak to begin with, plus now I'm fatigued, plus the stupid pack is constantly pulling me backwards and loading the chest biner against the rope. I figured out how to wrap my straight left arm around the rap line and step up long enough to undo the chest biner with my right hand, but it took at least 6 tries, each one costing precious muscle strength. Once that was done, I STILL had to stand up and get the chest prussiks down to load the autoblock, which took another 5 or 6 attempts before my shaking, sweating, exhausted, cursing body finally got it. All I can say is if I needed motivation to keep going to Crossfit, well...

Then Frank surprised us all by making us go again so we got the practice, but he relented and let us go without packs/chest harnesses. It was a totally different ride--smooth, easy, fast--took about half the time without all that additional crap getting in the way.

The rest of the day was spent simulating multi-pitch climbs, which will be our next rock day in 2 weeks out at Seal Rock, which I'm told sports a rappel of 200 feet or so. I remember the rap at Balance Bar 2001 was close to 300 feet, but the start was so gradual it didn't seem that gnarly or scary, 'cuz you couldn't see the bottom anyway. I am getting a little less fraidy of being up though, and it feels like everything is coming together. Which is a good thing since I have to go leave for our final!

Ciao. Someday I'll take pictures, I swear.

The Miles, They Pass Quickly, and the Days Seem to Be Hours

Wow! Tomorrow turned into a week and a couple of days! Holy crap, how does that happen?

How does one spend a week in New York and have no energy to do anything? By not only shifting the time 2 hours forward by by also shifting that an additional 2 hours forward by requiring one to be in clinic ready to put needles in people's ears at 7:30 AM sharp, which means getting up at 6:30AM which is really 4:30AM to me which is really, really rude since I don't have to be in clinic before 9 or 10, normally.

I did go to MOMA, only they close early and there wasn't much time. Brian and I then roamed around Times Square area, then headed over to Greenwich Village and wandered around some more before he had to leave me for a bit to meet a friend for a business dinner thingey and I ate some grubby Japanese and amused myself in the bookstore across the street until it was time to meet back up an go for gelato and grappa. Nice.

Thursday was beautiful and I did manage to drag myself out for the obligatory jog around the inner perimeter of Central Park. Can I just say that running at sea level is awesome? Jeez, I felt fucking invincible, and I am most definitely NOT (as I found out when I got back to town and had my first Crossfit workout session--oy!) New York was interesting, and a fun place to visit, but I could never ever live there. I was happy to come home after only a week! People are not only tightly wound but strangely wound. Again, crazy and enjoyable, but not my tasse de thé at all. That being said, staying with Brian was absolutely great--super cool guy, very funny, interesting, smart, kind, etc. plus adorable kitties. I can never thank him enough, really, but I'll try!

I got back to grey and drizzle, which is pretty much what I left, except for Thursday! The week was a little mellower, and yesterday it rained, which was nice. Then today--boom! All hell breaks loose and we have almost a foot of snow on the ground by the time it's quittin' time at work. Everyone had been saying what a nightmare the roads were, that the 25 was closed south of Lincoln (I live one exit south of there) etc. It was slow moving, but only because most people were being cautious on account of how slushy and snowy it was. Flakes the size of toonies, I tell you!

It is nearly one, and even though our climbing exercise outing was amended to meet much, much closer to town and at a much, much more civilized hour I still have to get up in about 6 hours in order to pack and make it down there in time. So, I will sum up the rest: 2 patients this week (yay!), awesome biz coach continues, joined BNI and really like them, started Crossfit and totally abjectly LOVE them even as they push me so hard I puke (I really did, the first day!), and signed up for a 4-week aerial dance class starting next week.

Wish me luck climbing out in Castlewood tomorrow, and rejoice with me that it is not Stoney Pass instead!

New York Fuggin' City

I've been here since Sunday afternoon. I kind of wish I had had more time to plan stuff, on the other hand I feel so tired because clinic starts at 7:30AM here, which is 5:30AM my time and let's just say that other than Saturday for BMS I haven't gotten up at 5:30 in a long, long time.

I'm staying in Harlem at the northeast corner of Central Park, where my former stepbrother Brian has been kind enough to put me up for the week with his two awesome kitties Jax and Cleo. I am happy that it is at least a quick easy train ride into the Bronx at the recovery center where we are being trained and certified in the NADA protocol. I didn't realize it at the time but apparently Michael Smith, who runs the program at Lincoln was one of the originators of NADA? Anyway, I'm loving being able to take trains wherever I want to go, as I always do. They make commuting SO much nicer than driving. And handier when you're from out of town and don't want to bother renting a car.

So far it's all pretty mellow, except for the Trader Joe's here, where I shopped today to get groceries for the week. The place is a complete zoo, longest lines I've ever seen, overcrowded, etc. Why there is only one open in NY I can't figure out. I did discover, by the by, that they open stores based on where they have warehouses, and so until they open a warehouse more accessible to Denver/Colorado, we ain't gettin' any, no matter how friendly the booze laws get. Ha!

Rosa Reyes runs the acupuncture clinic/program, and she is as good an example you will ever see of how to be gentle and generous and filled with lovingkindess but not get taken advantage of for a minute. I kind of wish I were able to stay next week and do my 2nd week of training and get it overwith, but oh well. It will give me a chance to do New York a little more right as a tourist, I guess. Hopefully I will see some museums with Brian tomorrow, and maybe finally get over to the trapeze school and/or a run around the park before I go home.

More tomorrow, totally knackered now.

Navigation Macht Spaß

Regretfully I don't have any pictures for this one. Yes, I brought the camera, no I didn't feel like taking it out and taking pictures, since at least half the time we were out I was on point with my partner. I will try with words, then.

Up at 4AM, out the door at 4:30 to make it over icy roads to the park n' ride by 5:15 to meet the BMS crew for our nav party up at Stoney Pass. Made it, got my map plots verified by Deb, aka one of the most awesome instructors evah, and piled into a 4x4 with some teammates and we caravanned in the dark up to Bailey and then for several miles up a snowy dirt road to the drop-off point. I won the packweight contest at 47lbs--I swear to Maude Frank said our packs should weigh 45lbs with all our crap, and that 10 essentials should be at least 25. They told me to go and take out all but my 10 essentials after that, and in retrospect I was happy with that decision. Tim and I were tapped to lead us to the first point, and as we headed away from the cars in the quickly falling snow none of us had any idea we wouldn't be seeing them again for nearly 11 hours.

The deal was we were not allowed to use altimeters--just map and compass. Which is difficult on a clear day but when you can't see for shit the features around you because they are all socked in by clouds and blowing snow, well, it ups the challenge factor considerably. Oh, and add to that no roads or trails--which would have been covered in snow and unidentifiable anyway, so wev I guess.

Frank avowed once we finally found the first point nearly 2 hours later that point #1 was the hardest. He was totally lying, we found out later, when I was tapped along with Cindy to nav from point#2 to point#6. Point#1 was only the second hardest to find! But we finally did get it, and it was nice to hand off the reins to someone else for a while and just follow. The weather acted like it was going to cooperate a few times, but it never really did--just kept snowing. I am grateful we were enough in the trees that it was not too windy!

Getting to point#6 was tough--it was at least 3 miles from our start point, with no straight lines to follow and only one feature to line up with to keep yourself on point to follow the due south bearing to the final location. We conferred with our teachers and decided to follow a course of contouring, or following the sidehill around and around until we could see a knoll and a saddle from which we would head south, cross a creek and continue into a wide open meadow. The travel was arduous--snow up to the knees in spots, and all off-trail so we were slipping and sliding on rocks and logs and deadfall thick enough that you had to weave a complicated path in and out of it to get past. At a spot where we thought we were close to the saddle, we stopped for lunch, and I discovered my water bottles were at least half slush--surprising since it didn't seem that cold, but then we were pretty much on the move the whole time.

Frank, who could find his way aound with his eyes closed he's done the course so many times, tipped us off that we actually stayed so high that we passed above and beyond the saddle when the clouds completely obscured the knoll we were looking for. It was nice to know we had traveled further than thought, but frustrating because now we didn't know exactly where we were, and other than knowing we needed to go generally south it felt like every move was potentially multiplying errors. I have been doing this long enough to know how easy it is to do and it was tough to stay focused. Lunch helped considerably though. Frank helped guide us the last 1/4 mile by "breaking trail", and once in the meadow it was obvious. I know that technology can fail, devices can be lost/forgotten, etc. but it underscores how important it is when in unfamiliar [winter!] terrain to have your altimeter and your GPS. I calibrated my altimeter on leaving home, but because of the wonky weather it was about 300 ft off by the end of the day!

We got back to the cars around 6PM, and from there it was another 2.5 hours until I got home. We saw a couple of cars that had gone completely off the road from all the snow and ice. The slow trip was ok.

The next day Frank was kind enough to send out the GPS track of where we actually wandered so we could see how off course we got, and we actually did pretty well all things considered. Our route-finding and high peak trips are going to be outings to be reckoned with, however. Just remember to increase however long you think it will take by a factor of at least two, maybe three!