the New Normal

26 July 2017

I went rock climbing with dear friend Mark Strege this morning in Chopping Block, a climbing area behind Mount Rushmore.  This is the first time I have been climbing in about a year.  Last year in August I tore a rotator cuff in my shoulder and had to take a break for it to heal and then in January got slapped by cancer.  Finally decided it had been too long.

I got to the Wrinkled Rock Climbing Area early and a young man from Wisconsin stopped by and asked if I was a local and I said yes.  He and some friends had been on a two week long climbing trip that included Devil's Tower, Ten Sleep and the Big Horns.  He wanted to know if there were some frictiony, slabby 5.11s in the area.  I told him I was sure that there were some but 5.11 was out of my range but that my friend Mark climbed in that range and would be able to help him and his friends.  I told him to come back when Mark had arrived.

Mark arrived a few minutes later and the young man came back and Mark gave him some good beta on half a dozen great climbs in the 5.11 range of difficulty.

Then Mark and I strapped on our packs and made our way across the highway and up the path to a rock called North Park.  I should mention for those who are not familiar, that this climbing area is right behind  Mount Rushmore, we are about a mile away from the faces.

Mark was walking slowly, turning around to visit every few feet and I was coughing up a storm and breathing hard.  Last year this would have been a walk in the park, I have lost a lot of conditioning, I am guessing that I am about 25% of what I was a year ago.  Truth to be told, it sucks, but as my dear wife Carol reminds me, it is the NEW NORMAL.  Thank goodness it was a short hike and we were at our destination in about 5 minutes and I was breathing like a steam locomotive.

Happy to not have to hike another step I took off my pack, and still breathing hard, started to sort through the pack for the essentials: harness, chalk bag and shoes.  It took me 10 minutes to catch my breath.

Mark lead the first climb, Beyond Beauty, a 5.6 degree of difficulty.  This degree of difficulty is where we start beginners.  So it was a nice and easy climb, still pretty much vertical <grin> but easy.  Mark got easily to the top, I belayed from the bottom, and Mark came down on a single rope rapel.   This left the quick draws hanging from the bolts, so it was my job, climbing second to remove the quick draws and carry them to the top of the climb.

I got my shoes on and the rope tied to my harness and Mark got the other end of the rope attached to his belay device, which was attached to his harness.  Mark said, "on belay" and I said, "climbing" and I was off on another mad adventure on the rock.  I had lead this climb many times so it wasn't particularly difficult, except for the noticeable lack of "wind", I was breathing heavy after only a few feet... that "new normal" again.  By the time I made it to the top of the rock I was breathing hard and fast, completely out of breath but happy once again to be back on the rock.

I came down on a two rope rapel and we set up an adjacent climb that uses the same anchors at the top of the rock.  This climb, "Balls and Braun", is a 5.7, just a bit more difficult than the previous climb and it was unbolted, so it has been climbed much less, and best of all, I had not ever climbed it before.  As it was unbolted, we would have to climb it using a technique called "top rope", where the rope runs up to the anchors, it is also the safest way to climb rock.  There is an interesting bulge about midway up the rock, I suppose about 30 feet off the ground, that we have to go over.  Of course, Mark makes it look easy.

Then it was my turn, I put my climbing shoes back on and got tied in, Mark and I said the appropriate words, "on belay" and "climbing" and I was off on another mad adventure up the rock.  This section of rock was a bit more vertical and in my face but the hand holds and footwork were good.  By the time I got to the bulge I was breathing like a steam locomotive again so I hung on the rope for a few minutes to catch my breath.  When you have the bulge in front of you, you are pushed backwards over your feet, it is an odd feeling, but there are a couple of good holds in the rock, one in a large crack and the other, up and to the left is a big knob.  I moved my feet up and pushed my body away from the rock with my left foot, giving me enough room to place my right foot on the rock at hip height, then a pull of the hands and my body rotated around my right foot and up I went.  From there the climb was much easier and in a few minutes I was at the anchors at the top of the rock.

It was a great morning!!!!  Thanks Mark Strege.