The rock


Scott posted about his rock climbing days and it reminded me of one interesting day
many years ago.
I used to go to enchanted rock state park quite a bit. Its a series of 3 pink granite lava domes that just poke out of the ground in an unexpected place.
My friends and I would walk up the side of the dome and up there were caves, interesting plants, streams and shady places to rest.
One day I was there with my friend Paul and his brother Chip. We had hiked up and down the domes and had a pretty good day. The sun was starting to set so we decided to head down and get to the car.
Hiking in this place can be grueling but the climbing isn't difficult. It seems steep when looking down but walking up is not hard at all and only the serious guys bring rock climbing gear to have a go at the cliff sides.
Paul said, "lets go down this way" pointing to an area I was unfamiliar with, I briefly protested but since my sense of direction sucks I went ahead and followed them.
They started jogging down the steep slope, the granite was crumbly and slick and we couldn't see the drop off because the slope was too severe.
I'm not as crazy as my two friends so I approached slowly. I saw them skidding toward a cliffs edge and I noticed the climb down was getting more and more treacherous.
It got to a point of no return. I could try to scramble back up and find another way down or I could sit down and scoot on my butt and try to give myself some more traction on the rock face.
Paul and Chip kept going so I continued to follow them.
I felt as if I was laying on a vertical wall.
I turned around and there was no way to go but down- way down at least a hundred feet or more. My friends were concerned about me because I wasn't very agile and had never been in a situation like this. Hell, I was concerned too. I felt panic creeping in. My palms got sweaty and my heart began to race. I've never wigged out before and I knew this wasn't the place for a first time. I swallowed hard and continued on.
I spotted a crack in the side of the granite where there was a tree growing . It had a flat spot so I could sit for a minute, rest and plan my next move.
Past this point the drop off was almost vertical but there was a small ledge that I could get to if I used a tree branch to swing myself around to it.
It was risky but I could see no other way. Paul and Chip took a running leap to the ledge and landed on it like a couple of cats. I don't have that kind of skill or confidence and those bastards didn't give a shit about themselves and rarely thought out a situation before jumping in.
I grabbed the tree limb, it was about as big around as a shovel handle, I lowered myself to the ledge and pushed off the cliff face. I was suspended in mid air over a place where the rock face had separated from the main mountain and all I saw down inside the crevice was darkness. Falling into that wedge between the rocks would not be healthy.
I managed to swing myself over to the place where my friends were sitting and drop myself onto the precipice with a hard thump. They were shaking their heads at me like I was the crazy one.
From this point, the large piece of the mountain that had split away left a gap 4 or 5 feet wide. It looked like someone had sliced off part of the mountain but it was still attached at the bottom. Over to our right about 40 feet way was a rocky area where the climbing would be much less treacherous.
To get over there we had to find a way to climb over or around this place where the mountain had split apart. I dropped a rock down into the crevice and it took about 4 0r 5 seconds for it to hit bottom.
Paul and Chip climbed into the crevice, put their legs against wall and their backs against the mountain and crab crawled backwards and sideways to the right.
There was no way I was going to do that. No fucking way. I could just see them slip and fall 70 feet into the crack. They were beckoning me to follow them as it was almost dark at this point.
I had an idea. I had long arms and I could reach past the crevice and hang from my arm pits on the other side of the split. I kind of grabbed it and half jumped. This rock was sharp and it scraped the hell out of my biceps and arm pits but I was there. I walked myself to the right using my upper body to scoot. My legs were dangling into the chasm. I ripped myself up pretty good on the kife sharp edge of the split off rock but I finally inched my way to the safety of a semi flat area.
From here the climb down was cake and we made it to the bottom very easily. I had a major endorphin high and was feeling no pain whatsoever. I was also feeling pretty damn good for getting out of the situation even with being the big clumsy doofus that I am. It was then I noticed that the back of my pants were gone and I had scraped a flat spot on my gold wedding band. Small price to pay for being alive I guess.
Paul and Chip acted as if it was no big deal. They could be real assholes sometimes.
18 Comments:
I was once offered the opportunity of rock climbing... didn't take it though, the cliff face scared the hell outta me!
not a doofus when your body is not made to move like a gazelle.
Good pics!
I think Scott is crazier than you... amazing he is still alive!
p.s. just read your post about your 4 yr old making you a sandwich... one of the sweetest things I've ever read!
I know the place you are talking about but I’ve never been there. It seems like every time the opportunity has come up, the plans were revised for some reason or another.
Crazy??????
Growing up along the coast of California taught me to climb on steep terrain from the first grade. Most of the best beaches (no people, lots of tide pools and wild life) are found at the bottom of the steepest cliffs.
You were lucky, in a way, Hammer. Lots of these types of stories end badly. Pooey on your friends for not taking the situation more seriously.
There is a HUGE difference between hanging your nut out when you are safely roped, verses learning to climb while in peril by trial and error...
Well, you obviously made it safely back home to eat another microwaved concoction from your addorable son...
That's a good thing.
Nie shots! Where I live in Southern Ontario, there aren't too many opportunities to come across rock structures that you have described... Rocks like that do have that certain look of beauty to them.
jingoistic: Yeah I wasn't planning to go rock climbing either ;)
editor: I'm more of a wildebeast ;)
thanks for visiting :)
jean: I'm not really into extreme sports. Folks that do that kind of stuff must have to cart their balls around in a wheelbarrow ;)
ScottL I've always had a debilitating fear of heights, I get extreme vertigo when even looking over the second story railing at the mall. I've been able to mostly overcome it. That day was a true test of my resolve. Paul and Chip were daredevils and lived their lives on the edge without thought of consequences. It made them both fun yet unnerving.
slaghammer: Its a nice place but it's best to call ahead and make sure they haven't closed it for hunts or due to capacity.
Dave: it's a gorgeous place. I'm going to dig up some different pics.
man that sounds so like me and some of my adventures. I was the only female chaperone at a youth group retreat, and everyone wanted to climb "cathedral Mountain" When we came back down it was so steep and real gravely, I fell each spot and slid on my butt. Well then all the girls did the same and ran into me. I noticed the seat of my pants was gone about half way down the mountain, and I tied my jacket around my backside. Then when I got to the bottom I dumped about 50lbs of gravel out of my jacket pockets. hehehehe
I've always liked to hike but climbing is not my thing at all. Rock is so unforgiving.
Yeah, My Pops is like that. When we kids wanted to get away from him, all we had to do was climb into the rafters in the garage...
My, my, but you got off lucky for sure. EEEEEEEK, I thought as I read.
ouch..Hammer. Good you came out of it in one piece.
Cheeze Whiz, just reading that made my heart speed up. I'd still be up there stuck, unless they could hook me to a helicopter or something.
Flipping scary. They were totally irrepsonsible.
VERY glad you made it out okay.
Grrrrr. Men on testosterone endanger lives !
There's nothing like not being able to go back that makes you go forward!!! Thankfully it ended well, but things we fear and 'conquer' usually DO!
Loved the descriptive post - I was right there!! :)
Don't you just want to shovel the little stones out from under the big rock and see what happens??
kat: You're not kidding, I've got the scars to prove it :)
Scott: Yeah but you had to come down to eat eventually ;)
jocelyn: I was very lucky indeed.
Kirsten: I left some of my clothing and bits of flesh up on that rock but most of me came down ok,
JAM: I was kind of thinking about the helicopter would have to come get me but I think being on the 6Oclock news for being a dumbass would be a fate worse than death ;)
annie: these guys were insane. Suidical but definately not boring.
Yeah it's like jumping out of a plane, no turning back :)
Phosgene I briefly considered it but I didn't care to be featured in the darwin awards ;)
Saved by the skin on your ass! ouch.
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