Me In The Making: September 23, 2007 My First Outdoor Top Rope Experience

"It's not the size of the player in the game. It's the size of the game in the player!"

So...I have been climbing indoor now off and on this summer. Just a few times, nothing hard-core.

And...I have been scrambling and bouldering before.

I've just never climbed outside on a real face/wall before! Well...that is, until Saturday, 9/22. :)

My friend and (climbing friend I met at the gym), Karen, and I went up to Rumbling Bald in North Carolina. It's near Chimney Rock. This was my first outdoor top-rope experience. It was her 5th or 6th. We had a guide with Fox Mountain Guides take us. His name was Billy Day, and he was an awesome guide, instructor, etc. We both learned how to belay. He taught us a lot! I probably won't remember a whole lot until I really start climbing a lot outside and indoors, but I finally caught a glimpse of what it is like! AND I LOVED IT!!!

We climbed at The Cereal Wall and Cereal Buttress up at Rumbling Bald. The walls we climbed there were Fruit Loops and Granola, and we also climbed at The Comatose Wall in a different buttress area.

This is the first route we climbed called Fruit Loops:

It's a 5.7 (for those of you out there who don't climb...the ratings are 5 to 5.15 from easy to the hardest being the 5.15. These ratings are set according to the decimal scale by Yosemite...other than that, I don't know b/c I need to start reading a bunch of books now! haha)

Here's me tying in for my first time outside:

Funny story:

I was so excited that I forgot to fasten my helmet! lol Guess what else? Before my climb, I got to learn how to lead belay. I also carried a huge, heavy rope on my back up to the face! (Practicing for my backpacking trip in October haha) So, as i was lead belaying, I kept my approach shoes on. I actually started walking towards the face, and was like, "Oh crap! I need my climbing shoes! Sorry Billy!" lol

Cool! Rope! LOL!!! (I'm such a dork!)

Beginning my very first outdoor climb:

The harness just doesn't make a girl's ass that attractive sometimes!!! On a guy, totally different story! haha

As I'm climbing, I'm thinking..."I wonder why there wasn't a cereal called Crack Flakes?" That should be the name of this wall. But then again, I am climbing it, so I must be pretty fruity!!! My fortune cookie the other day read, "Your labors will bare sweet fruit." Hmmm...

I just learned what a "flake" is!

I really did not have very good technique until I got closer to the top.

I have to admit...I tried to look around and see a view or enjoy the moment. But honestly, I was scared out of my freakin' gore! 1. It hurts when you slip and fall. 2. I was out of breath! 3. My endurance is weak. 4. I was so glad to be at the top resting and thanking God I made it up there! Therefore, I sat there and looked down (wasn't afraid of the height) but I was so glad to be off the wall. The height wasn't bad only 75 feet up, I think. I'm used to being up 40 feet in the gym.

When I was ready, I was lowered.

Whew!!!

Jeez...the adrenaline was pumping! lol

The next climb was called Granola. It was 5.8.

I lost my handhold on the undercling and slipped and fell. I landed on the flake's ledge. I was so pissed. I put my hands up over my head and just rested my face onto the wall. Billy kept asking if I was ok. All I could do is put up my hand and keep looking the other way. I couldn't talk. I was shaken up. I felt tears starting to form. Quickly I brushed them aside and then I felt anger. I was so angry for losing that hand hold. Damn it! I felt so defeated. (I like problems. I may end up liking bouldering better) It makes me mad when I can't solve the problem so I keep on trying until I get it. I would've tried that day, but we hired a guide and we still had other climbs to do and other stuff to learn. And I was skaken up and tired. Now, I want to try it again though. Billy said I did great considering that was my first time doing anything like that. I still felt defeated. I will be back there.

We moved along over to The Comatose Wall (5.8). The approach was worse than getting to the cereal areas. Next time I'm out, I'm taking pics of the approaches. I get worn out on the approach! Brian at the gym said the approaches out west are so much better then the ones we have here in NC...I have heard different though...like hour long ones at Red Rocks! These approaches, you could easily break your ankle just on the damn approach if you're not careful. And you've got some weight on your back! You're pulling yourself up on tree roots and climbing up huge boulders...it is no longer a trail anymore...it's called a scramble.

A pic of part of our approach:

Once you're close to the wall like this, it's not as bad. It's still up hill though, and you're just so tired from the hard hike up the mountain in the woods! (with tons of poison ivy, oak and sumac...which so far in my 32 years, I've never had a reaction to the stuff)

Here is a pic of battle scars from the day:

Haha I just think it's kinda funny. I never thought that I would like battle wounds...

I wish I could transfer my joint pain into this blog!!! lol

Karen did awesome at Comatose! She climbed all the way up. 100 feet. I learned how to belay her. Billy said I was a good belayer. Yay! :)

Here's a pic of Karen:

She started the wall a different way than I did. I was so tired, I think from belaying, that I just gave in. I need to start climbing more at the gym and going on more outdoor trips now and lift weights! I've got to get a better upper body.

That's Karen climbing above the flake that I fell from. She was awesome up there! I really wish I could've made this climb! But just like Billy said, "Sue, that wall will always be there."

Here's me starting my climb on Comatose. I started on the flake part. I seem to like those for some reason. At the gym, my favorite wall has a lie back on it. Again, I like problems. I feel more accomplished when I solve them, however much more defeated if not and frustrated!

That bush is in the way, but if you look closely, you can see how the flake starts.

My hands are actually under the flake, palms up and fingers are in the crack. I'm trying to basically walk up the wall by pushing up with my hands...does that make sense? I think my butt was too far up in the air though. I should've bent my knees more. Or maybe kept my legs and feet where they were and tried to get my arms higher. It's hard though...

I also need to learn how to cross over with my arms, etc. I was just too afraid. Then I fell:

When I fell, I swung over to right a good bit. It scared the shit of me! My feet slipped and I fell onto the flake. I hit my chin on the flake part. So half of me was on the flake and the other was sliding over to other part of the wall. Billy yells out, "are you ok?" and all of a sudden, I go swinging!

I was so scared. It was as if I wasn't going to stop swinging. The rope got caught at the top and I had no slack. Then I got stuck.

(I always thought that life vests and helmets stunk b/c they were in the river. NOT! Our helmets stunk out here too. It's just called sweat!)

Trying to get back over to the flakiness:

I had Elvis Legs hard-core at this point. I was ready to be lowered...so tired. :(

Sorry guys!

I also learned that you can belay someone from above. I didn't learn how to do it, but I learned that it exists. I never knew that until this day! It's done when a leader leads a route and a second comes up behind him and cleans. The leader belays the 2nd from above.

My chin: