As usual, or as has become usual, I got up at 0445 hrs to get ready for my alpine start at the climbing gym this morning. I packed up my medication, my dried mangoes, my unsalted almonds, my climbing gear, and my iPad after I got dressed and took my morning meds. I was ready within a half an hour. I bade my husband farewell and out the door I went with my water bottle, climbing pack, and keys in hand. The sunrise this morning was beautiful and I saw it in my rearview mirror as I drove over to SteepWorld. Once I’d parked, I ate half of my almonds and mango pieces while I waited for the gym to open.
McKenzie opened this morning, which I was excited about because she could tell me how the 80’s party went last Friday night! Brian pulled in beside me about five minutes before 0600 hrs and it turns out that he won the 80’s costume competition!!! He went all out, haha! There’s a photo of him on the SteepWorld Climbing and Fitness Facebook page in the comments section, and it’s a great one! His comment was that he wasn’t going to lose the 80’s costume comp to a 4-year-old just because she was playing the “cute” part. Hahaha! Brian. What a guy!!! He gave the 4-year-old a couple of his prizes just so she didn’t feel like she totally lost.
I got my harness on this morning and got on the auto-belay for the blue route on the main roped routes wall. Over 40 feet tall, I went for it, and sent it!!! Onsighted “Blueberry Streusel”!!! McKenzie came up with the name because we were talking about pancakes and waffles and syrup before I made my attempt and consequent send. I attempted the yellow route on the next auto-belay lane over and let go again at the same place on the route that I did last Friday. That one’s a project now. How to make that big move… It felt good to have onsighted the blue route, though. Not only did I make it to the top of the wall again, but I did it without knowing anything about how I was going to go about doing it except the knowledge that I was indeed going to onsight it!!! There was no doubt in my mind that I was going straight to the top of that route and the wall. I wouldn’t allow anything but success because I had failed at it on the yellow route on Friday. I got a double high-five from McKenzie at the base of the wall upon returning to the earth. “You did it!!!” She massaged my incredibly pumped forearms for me, which felt soooo good. I only rested once, and very briefly, on the way up the route. It took the pump a long time to go away, haha! It was worth it! So I got the day started off right!!!
CLIMBING 4 THE REST OF US 