My coworker Rebecca invited me to go "top-roping" with her today in Big Cottonwood Canyon. I agreed, even though I wasn't totally sure what it was. I don't know jack about climbing, have never touched a harness before, don't really know what it means to rappel. The main reason for this is I am pretty fearful of heights and totally paranoid about falling. When I told Simon I was going to go, he said, "But, you're afraid of falling, even when there's no chance you will!" However, Becca was a climbing instructor when she was in college, and promised me she had seen a sufficient number of meltdowns; she figured she could manage me.
The day worked out in such a way that my daughter Sara was with us for part of the time. She took some of the pictures.
Becca is explaining the climbing shoes to me. I guess they need to be incredibly tight to work properly. They hold your toes in this sort of forced curl, which I will admit is handy for clinging desperately to the rock face... 
You can't see Becca, but she's at the top. This cliff's top is accessible via a trail, so she walked up there and secured the rope. Then she shouted, "ROPE!" and threw the ends down. Yes, I see that. This stating of the obvious is a safety measure designed to keep me from being clobbered on the head.
Here I go. Too bad that pictures of climbers from below aren't more flattering! My butt is really not that big! I did not get to the top. Each time, I ran out of toeholds and nerve. However, each time, I did manage to climb higher than the time before. I was petrified the first time, after I got about 15 feet up or so; but by the last try, I was maybe 25 feet up by the time I stopped. To get down, I had to lean out from the cliff in the harness and walk down with my legs out perpendicular from my body.
There were some other climbers messing around on the same cliff, and one of the m offered to belay Becca, so she went up. Like a monkey, totally slam dunking the climb in less than 2 minutes.
Here' she is at the top! Isn't she incredible? I was so lucky that she asked me to come along. Thanks, Becca.
8 comments:
Cool! Way to go... couldn't get ME up there.
Brave girl Kate! Though I like flying, I don't particularly enjoy hights. I get the "Humpty Dumpty" song going over and over in my head!
Kate, I'm with you. Heights scare the bejesus out of me. But I think I'd enjoy the climb. Not rappelling down, however. Think I'll try a climbing wall...a small one, first.
Good Times! I have got to do this one day. Ah, when one day comes around it's going to be quite busy.
By the way, don't worry, you look about as big as a Playmobil doll in that pic. :)
You are one brave woman. Rock climbing is one of those things that I would only consider doing if my plane crashed in a gully and I had to climb to safety or die.
Oh what a brave one you are Kate! That is so awesome that your daughter was able to tag along to see her momma do something she knew you were terrfiied of...what a great example you're setting!
Brave Kate, trusting fate and rope and a friend. Good for you!
And thanks for putting me on your blogroll! Back at ya!
wow you are some ladies!
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