After a stormy Sunday, it was nice to wake up on Monday to a windy and cool but clear and beautiful morning. What a differene than our usual Monday morning routine!
The four of us packed up the camp and loaded everything up in our vehicles. We headed down the road to the same spot we climbed on Saturday, where we spent the whole day in one last day of adventure before driving back south to Colorado.
I hadn't yet gotten a chance to try my hands and feet at climbing and everyone was eager to get me up on the rock.
First, Alejandro belayed...
...while Jon scrambled up the rock.
Then Jon belayed while Charmian, the dogs, Danny and I...
...watched Alejandro climb the face, which we learned, is much different than climbing a crack!
Then it was my turn!
Apparently the right climbing shoes - which I had and which Alejandro did not - give you an unfair advantage, because I scrambled up the face in under 5 minutes!
When I got back down, Jon said, "So, what'd you think?"
I said, "Yeah, I don't think I really enjoyed that."
"Um, WHAT!?"
"Yeah, that was kinda' scary."
"Um, well, you're going to have to do it again. We didn't get any pictures, because Danny needed a diaper change right when you started and, well, we didn't exactly expect you to run up the rock! Did you breathe at all?"
"Uh... no."
Here I am coming down the face:
So I took a breath, while Alejandro climbed the crack and I psyched myself up to get back up on the huge scary, very high up thing, in order to get a picture. Because, darn-it, I did not get all the way up there to miss getting a picture of it.
Then it was my turn again. Jon coached me on how to jam my hand or fingers into the crack to get a good hold and where to put my feet as I made my way up. He told me not to climb above the red caribiner.
Me: "So, when I tag the red caribiner, I win and the rock loses, right?"
Jon: "Um, yes."
I studied the rock for a minute.
And then I started on up.
The crack was much more of a challenge, and I definitely enjoyed it more.
At one point I hollered, "Take!" which means, "Hold me up for a minute, while I figure out where to put my feet and hands." Ok, well, that's what I meant in that moment. And I felt very cool for knowing the lingo in the middle of my second climb.
At the top, I tagged the red caribiner and hollered, "I WIN!!"
This is my "I won" face.
Yep, I decided I like rock-climbing after that.
Then it was Danny's turn.
Just kidding!
Then we ate lunch and packed up to head home. What an amazing weekend! Thanks, Jon and Charmian, for teachin' us the ropes! (Pun totally intended.) We cherish ya'll's friendship and we can't wait to hang out again soon!
