To Kill A Two-Headed Muscle

Patti and I decided to go rock climbing at 1 today since last Saturday it was crowded in the a.m. then thinned out around lunch time. It was still super crowded. Plus, there were some classes going on and, once again, my comfort routes were roped off or otherwise occupied.

I climbed the following routes:

5.6, Truxton or Bust
5.6, 5x
5.7, Sol (twice)
5.8, Bright Idea
5.8, JW
5.8, Face Plant
5.8b, And You're Ready Now? (About five attempts but no cigar)

I should rename And You're Ready Now? the biceps killer because it had the biceps in my right arm smarting for three days and there's new throbbing going on now. As I approached the route, I had butterflies similar to the ones that appeared when I was taking swimming lessons and my teacher wanted me to swim the length of the pool doing the front crawl. It's so frustrating because I know I have plenty of power in my legs but I just couldn't get my feet on these two holds that I needed to get over the arête.

When I approached my longtime nemesis Face Plant, Patti told me to just keep climbing, to not slow down and to have fun. I surprised myself by marching up Face Plant. I don't know how much fun I had though.

When I was headed up JW, I was waiting until a kid who was using the auto-belay got up to a certain point.

Patti: I think you'll be okay.

Me: Have you seen the way I climb all over (i.e. rainbow climbing) this route?

Patti: Yes, I belay for you. I've seen how you climb all over the route.

Ha, ha...

I headed up and managed not to collide with the kid.

As we were waiting for a 5.9 to clear for Patti, she said that she wished she had started climbing as a kid.

Me: I wish that I had learned to swim as a kid.

Me: I wish that I had taken Spanish classes more seriously...

As we were leaving, this pre-teen told me: I saw you rock climbing, you're good. That was so sweet of her to tell me.

Sometimes I forget about the kids up in the balcony area until I smell pizza or see balloons. I hope that the pre-teen will climb for many years to come at Upper Limits or at some other rock climbing joint.

Here's a father teaching his kid how to do a drop knee maneuver. If lil' shorty can do a drop knee, I should be able to do one too. Shouldn't I?

Climbing Out Of My Comfort Zone

Rock climbing is the only activity that I do that requires a little quiet time before I head out the door as I find myself trying to get centered before the main event.

I checked in and asked for a harness and shoes and the guy told me that I might want to consider buying a harness. Yeah, the thought did cross my mind especially since I seemed to have been bitten by the rock climbing bug. I also need some shoes. I'm good on the carabiner and ATC device. As long as Kam (reddish shirt) stays on his climbing hiatus, I'm going to keep his C & ATC.

Kam, thanks for the loaners.

For the last two Saturdays, there have been rock climbing classes which mean that some of the easier routes are roped off and I have been forced to climb out of my comfort zone.

It was kind of cold in Upper Limits but things quickly heated up. Patti (#21) suggested that I try a 5.8 which I had previously faltered on since I could not get over the hump. She pointed out all of the foot holds that you need to get up and over the little overhang. I think 80% is psychological she said. So, I tried it but really fell off the wall.
Patti told me that I had actually approached the route in the hardest manner and gave me more advice and, hot damn, I was able to make it up the Face Plant route. I left parts of fingernails but that's okay. And thanks to Patti for literally talking me up that route.

And guess what I wanted to do after the route? Plant my face in one of the bouldering mattresses. Good God, I was tuckered out!

So, what's a girl to do after finishing a 5.8? She tries to climb another one. I have to take my hat off to Patti who would not let me quit on the route. I was about three holds away from the top when I was, like, take; lower please. That route took just about everything that I had in me and I lost my grip and swung several times. I was confused for some time afterwards. Delirium, maybe, from all of that swinging.

Something had been puzzling Patti and she finally figured out what was going on when I was being lowered. She said that I was supposed to take my hand off the wall. Really now? Take means take your hands off the wall?

Yes, climbing is psychological because I had a hard time taking my hand of the wall to be lowered. It just seems safer to be able to, at least, have one hand, if not two, in contact with the wall.

I wasn't the only one having contact issues. One of the Rock Climbing 101 instructors asked this teenager to take his hand off the wall and the young climber wanted to know why. I was cracking up.

Here's some more climbing humor.

Adult to child: Do you know what ATC stands for?

Child: No Comment

Adult: Adam The Climber

Everybody wants to be a comedian.