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ec
climber
ca
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Jul 22, 2018 - 06:34pm PT
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So, I draw the short straw (matchstick) between two of the three of us. The third had dropped one shoe from grey ledges in the early AM. There had been a heated discussion for the two of us with shoes to press on. Back then it was important; the first clean ascent of the Shield (waaay before it actually got done). Ed Sampson insisted that Richard Leversee bail solo, rappelling with our extra ropes. Richard created a ‘nerf’ (robo) boot for himself outta ensolite and duct tape. I felt sorta bad voting Richard off of the island, so we ofted for all to retreat.
Back to the short straw. Well, we had fixed to the Shield Roof from Grey. I ‘won’ the honor to retrieve the ropes by bailing down the Dorn Direct. Hey, this stuff is all procedure, no sweat.
I rappel from the roof and I’m hanging out there looking at the anchor; choked with old-ass rotten webbing. Hell, no. I GOTTA put one of my own slings in there.
So there I was, hanging Way the Hell up on the Captain; rappel ropes tight like piano wire. ‘Me with a damn knife in one hand...now all of a sudden, feelin’ EXPOSED!
What’s WRONG with this picture?! I’m thinking!
edit: getting reeled in to Grey was pretty funky too...
 ec
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ec
climber
ca
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Jul 22, 2018 - 06:38pm PT
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or not...
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neebee
Social climber
calif/texas
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Jul 22, 2018 - 06:59pm PT
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hey there, say, ATG... as to your quote...
:O
It was ten feet tall and two feet in diameter at the top; clinging as I was to the cliff. The hum was the thriving bee hive ten feet to the left of the crack my fingers and toes were wedged in to. I could not turn back. I climbed super slow and did not slap at them when the guards bumped my face and back. I eventually reached the anchors and lowered myself off. The rare feeling of being alive after what FEELS like a near death experience makes the sunshine a little more golden and the smell of sage and cactus in the desert like perfume. The deep quench of intense thirst after a hard rock climb is like a breath of life itself.
and then, this, to zero in on it:
The rare feeling of being alive after what FEELS like a near death experience makes the sunshine a little more golden and the smell of sage and cactus in the desert like perfume.
and, as to L:
:O oh my!
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jul 22, 2018 - 07:02pm PT
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Nearly rapping off the end of my ropes did it for me.
I was coming down off Magical Mystery Tour at Tahquitz, the normal thing to do. Enjoy the good pitches and screw the garbage to the top. We were using double 8.5's, and deliberately chose not to tie the ends because it was breezy and those light cords could blow all over the place and get hung.
So there I was sliding down the ropes as happy as a dead pig in the sunshine, and I got distracted talking to a friend I hadn't seen in a while climbing an adjacent route. Maybe Edgehogs. Then I realized I had passed my anchors, all this on a clean face with no significant ledges. I stopped, looked down, and I had about two feet of rope left. I batman'd and jugged on my rap device up to the anchor and clipped in.
"Off Rappel!"
Larry came down. "What was going on? The ropes were jumping all around."
One or two raps to the base. I walked around the backside of the nearest big tree and barfed my guts out.
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ec
climber
ca
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Jul 22, 2018 - 07:03pm PT
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Sorry for the low res...
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Mark Force
Trad climber
Ashland, Oregon
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Jul 23, 2018 - 05:55am PT
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DMT, Been there....that’s freaky.
Maybe not the worst sensation, but not fun...way led out on offwidth, still a ways from the belay, and feeling like yer gonna puke.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 23, 2018 - 06:19am PT
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4 ‘Whoomphs’ that went. I’m a gud swimmer. meh 😉
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L
climber
Just livin' the dream
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Jul 23, 2018 - 08:44am PT
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I walked around the backside of the nearest big tree and barfed my guts out.
Kris, your quote reminded me of climbing out of the toilet once after 3 sweet-n-vicious martinis (vodka just ain't my friend).
It's a sensation I've been trying to forget for 4 years now.
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EdwardT
Trad climber
Retired
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Jul 23, 2018 - 09:22am PT
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Watching the sun set as we're looking for unfamiliar rap anchors, knowing that once we make it to the ground, we'll have a nasty pitch-black scramble back to your packs... and then stumble down the trail (in the dark).
I had told my wife I would call her around 6:00 or 6:30. I finally reached her after 11:00.
That Christmas, my mother-in-law gave me a lovely, lightweight headlamp.
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Gnome Ofthe Diabase
climber
Out Of Bed
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Jul 23, 2018 - 09:26am PT
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the minute or so when everyone is looking at you, after the shadow has past, the sounds of falling have stopped & the "whoomp" sound of the body hitting the ground happens, in that moment -when you know- but when the other climbers you are with all have much less experience, so don't get what just went down, is worse than being at the base next to the carnage of a fatal ground fall.
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fgw
climber
portland, or
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Jul 23, 2018 - 09:35am PT
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That sound of rock fall 500’ feet above your hanging belay…and then you realize it’s a falling body only when it screams by 20’ feet in front of your face and is then crushed by the approach slabs below.
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NutAgain!
Trad climber
South Pasadena, CA
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Jul 23, 2018 - 09:42am PT
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I hope I never have to experience the falling body impact scenarios... awful stuff there. For some mild entertainment:
Being scared on lead, and having that sudden strong urge to evacuate the bowels
Being on lead after too much exertion with too little food, and the hand curls into a lobster claw and won't make any other position
Being run out, knowing that piece you just placed won't hold a fall, and knowing your energy won't hold until you can make it better, and just going for it and hoping it gets better
Yanking a rope on rap, sticking at the point of clearing the rap rings... yank yank, set up 3:1 and yank yank, and commit to ascending it when you don't know what's up there.... getting up to see just a few twists of rope friction
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 23, 2018 - 09:55am PT
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One guy on Prodigal Sun had a female touron fall past him about 10m away replete with terrified eye contact.
Biffed a half second later. He lost his stoke and rapped off.
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Ksolem
Trad climber
Monrovia, California
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Jul 23, 2018 - 01:42pm PT
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I want to be like AntiChrist. I'd be one happy guy if my worst climbing sensation ever was a flapper ;-)
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skywalker1
Trad climber
co
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Jul 23, 2018 - 03:49pm PT
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When you lean back on the anchors and you are now falling at 9.8 m/s2? It still haunts me.
S...
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