Alternatively, do some multipitch climbing together - tied into the same rope, relying on the other. Last August, I visited my gal in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho. There, we naively lugged my 10.3mm x 70m rope into the back country to climb on Super Slab (across the valley from notorious Elephant's Perch, which was too committing and too hard for us). True to it's name, the Super Slab is a large slab - lower angle at the bottom with some cracks up top. So . . . we just scurried (and by scurrying I mean uncomfortably free soloing up ~5.7 unprotected slab). The second pitch (or first roped pitch) was awkward, and like the party before us, we bailed (off unsettling slings and pitons, at that). In two pitches, we got to see how each of us responds to stress.
All of this is to say how important ADVENTURE is to our relationship. It is awesome to be with someone who values it as much as I do both in the outdoors and life (we are both going to teach after graduating with economics and engineering degrees).
This weekend, we explored some new climbing and hiking in the Chattanooga area. Rather than going to the classic areas of Tennessee Wall or Sunset Park, she and I decided to go to the roadside local crag called LEDA. It was all we could have asked for too - convenient, sport, trad, and lots of easy routes. I led five routes, four of which she followed - 4, 5.7 sport climbs and 1 trad route. The last sport climb, "Speedway Boogie" and the trad line were great! The bottom of the 7 was a sweet finger crack leading to some fun face climbing. The 8 had a steep, bouldery start and then followed a cool hang crack to some ledges above. It was exactly the confidence booster I needed coming off of last week's disappointing day at TWall. I felt great about my gear! My cam choices and placements were quick and correct. I also experimented with keeping my slings on my harness rather than slung on the shoulder. It was a lightbulb going off in my head, making all the clips fast and easy rather than fumbling with slings and extra biners.
After a solid day of climbing, we headed to the Great Stone Door of the South Cumberland State Park to camp and hike. Dinner, mm mm mmmm, was delicious! The gf prepared marinated chicken and steak for fajitas - YEAH! We had some chips, Trader Joe's pineapple salsa, and guac to go with it. Breakfast was just as satisfying with some egg and cheese sandwiches.
Seeing the Stone Door was quite nostalgic for me. I had not been back since Aug of 2006, where my climbing (and outdoor adventure) began with WilSkills orientation program. It was pretty cool to reminisce of those first frustrating climbing moves. We did an 7 or 8 mile loop around the park among the barren trees of the park. Ever since this summer's stay in CO, I cannot help but see the similarities between the east and the west. Talus, mountains, river gorges all look very similar except for rock types and vegetation. The glory of God's creation is really pretty incredible! I am ever-grateful for the opportunity to share the joy and adventure of it with a partner.
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