I was anxious to return to Mount Yonah, realizing that the first time I had been had been somewhat wasted on someone so ignorant about rock climbing. When we pulled into the parking lot, I bounded ahead, leading the charge up the mountain. I still don't understand why I like this particular hike so much, nor why I find it so easy compared to other people's perceptions, especially since I tend to be an average speed hiker. Regardless, I sprinted to the top, waiting several times for the group behind me to catch up. The weather was nice, cold with a slight wind. I decided to forgo the tent and slept outside with my sleeping pad, sleeping bag, and new fleece liner. The liner was fantastic and I slept like a baby both nights.
The next morning, I headed for the climbing wall and was one of the first to climb. I tried a few different routes, most of them easy and below my usual climbing grade but on average it's hard for me to find something at my perfect level. Typically outdoor routes seem to be either really easy or really difficult, at least at Mount Yonah and for my level of climbing experience. I enjoyed the views and the company, watching much better climbers than me impressively tackle some very hard routes. I was pleased to actually have my own shoes, unlike the last trip to Yonah when I had used the worn out club shoes. I also actually understood the route gradings and could better assess my own skill level comparable to the routes, which made it much more fun for me than just blindly climbing without any idea of what I was doing.
The next day, we headed down to the lowers, which has several climbing walls. We went to a different wall than I had been to the year before and it seemed to be hard to me, especially since everyone was taking turns leading two 5.10+ routes. Someone set up a top rope on both of these, and I tried them. It took a lot of encouragement and time, but I managed to reach the top of both and also of a route nearby that was chossy and mossy at the top, increasing the difficulty of the route and increasing my struggles. By the end of the day, I was sore and tired but I felt accomplished and returned to the rock gym with more confidence and finesse.
Events occurred: November 2-4, 2012
When I decided to go to Mount Yonah, I was (once again) in over my head. I had been rock climbing inside a few times but outdoors was an entirely new concept to me. Advertised as a beginner rock climbing trip, I decided that this was as good a time as ever to go for it. At this point, I didn't have any of my own rock climbing gear, but the club has harnesses and even a pair of women's climbing shoes that just so happened to be my size. They also just so happened to have a giant hole in the toe of one of the shoes, so I sacrificed a sock that weekend for the sake of climbing. We arrived at the parking lot around 2 AM or so but that wasn't the end of the night. We had to hike about two miles uphill, almost to the top of the mountain. A novice climber and hiker, I thought nothing of two miles and hiked the entire thing in flip flops, carrying a foam armory that I had purchased for the trip from the dollar section at Target in addition to the rest of my gear. Somehow, I aced the hike and was the first of my group to arrive at the top by a long shot. When I returned to Mount Yonah this past semester, I found myself sprinting ahead again with unlikely energy.
The campsite was just a short hike away from the climbing wall. I was up and ready to go, so I followed Jeff and some of the other more experienced climbers toward the wall. What I didn't realize was that they were heading to the top to set up the ropes and rappelling down to the bottom of the climbing wall. I had no idea what a rappel was or how to do it, so when Jeff offered the rope to me, I backed away and headed back down to camp. I found another group of climbers from OAR and we headed to the bottom of the wall together. Though the views were spectacular, I was terrified of where we had set up. To get to the climbing, we had to scramble up several large boulders and hold on to a metal cable for support. We saw some Boy Scouts in the area who had clipped in to the metal cable for extra safety. We did not do that. Yet, I still headed up with everyone else, carrying foam swords and axes with the intention of having sword fights on the climbing wall while suspended from ropes.
I knew nothing about the ratings of different rock climbing routes, which start around 5.4/5.5 and increase by 0.1 with difficulty, culminating in 5.15b. I think I was climbing 5.6s at this point but I didn't even know that. I just tied myself in and climbed. The adrenaline rush, mostly fueled by fear, was incredible. I loved it. I wanted to learn everything about rock climbing and I was asking questions about routes, gear, etc... I also liked the wall and sitting in the sun with my new friends. I hiked around the area briefly, taking in all the views.
The next day, we hiked down to a lower wall and climbed some more difficult routes. Perhaps I should specify: other people climbed harder routes, I mostly watched in awe. They also set up a rappel at the top that you could hike up to. It looked like fun but also terrifying. I had never rappelled before unless you count being lowered by my belayer after climbing, which I don't consider rappelling since someone else is in control of your actions. I finally garnered the courage to rappel. Carolanne helped me set up my harness and rappel device and encouraged me to step over the edge once she made sure I had doubled back all the straps, which I had not. This took a lot of convincing but once I was on rappel, I realized how safe I felt and how much fun I was having hanging on a rope several feet above the ground. I actually liked the control and the ability to go as quickly or as slowly as I wanted. Since then, I have rappelled over a 100 times and I still feel fear and adrenaline pulse through my body every time I step over the edge.
Events occurred: October 7-9, 2011
I knew nothing about the ratings of different rock climbing routes, which start around 5.4/5.5 and increase by 0.1 with difficulty, culminating in 5.15b. I think I was climbing 5.6s at this point but I didn't even know that. I just tied myself in and climbed. The adrenaline rush, mostly fueled by fear, was incredible. I loved it. I wanted to learn everything about rock climbing and I was asking questions about routes, gear, etc... I also liked the wall and sitting in the sun with my new friends. I hiked around the area briefly, taking in all the views.
