I hope I sleep tonight
Sunday, August 28, 2005
I start teaching tomorrow. My first group of young minds that I get to stand in front of, hopefully not make an ass of myself and help them learn something as well. I know I’ll be fine as soon as I start but I’m a ball of nerves right now. I think I’m prepared, I guess I’ll find out. The rest of my evening will be spent double checking all my notes so when they ask questions I might have a clue how to answer them. I hope they ask questions. I really don’t want to talk at them for an hour fifteen, nor do I want to have to pose their questions for them.
In other news the weekend was quite lovely. Yesterday’s led primary was stiff but pleasant. I felt like I had taken about a month off instead of just Friday. After practice I took the Blonde Lady out for her first outdoor climbing. She did beautifully. After waiting a little while for a family of climbers to get off the route we wanted to try, we set up a top-rope and started up. I think she was more nervous about belaying me than climbing. The route we were on was Boston and it was about a fifty foot 5-5 which was a great place for her to learn some rope work and get used to getting up in the air. Her technique was actually quite good for a novice climber (she had only climbed indoor once before) and she was doing foot jams, and laybacks her first time up. There is a small roof on the route that stumped her the first two times she tried it but the last time up she kept working it until she got over it. I was truly impressed. The belay lessons were fun for me, too. After tying the Blonde Lady to a tree (and doing a little practice belaying first) I got to climb up about twenty feet and then jump off and hope I didn’t hit the ground. I was watching her the first time I stepped off and it was kind of funny to see her eyes get really big as my fall lifted her right off the ground. She picked up the belaying quickly and it was nice to be able to climb without worrying (too much) that I would hit the ground. After climbing Boston myself a couple of times to get used to being up in the air (it’s been about a year) I scooted over to the route next to Boston which was a 5-10 and surprisingly I made it up that. I may have gotten slightly off route and taken a couple of moves of the 5-8 to the right but I know I got the crux of the 5-10. It felt so good to get up and moving. Bouldering is nice but I like climbing up.
After climbing I took the Blonde Lady out for dinner to celebrate her first excursion and then, unfortunately, she was hit with a migraine. It was a little scary because it was screwing with her vision. So needless to say the rest of the evening was not very active. Practice this morning was fun. It was a full room so there’s that extra boost of energy from being packed in. The series was interesting in that Michael pulled from the first three series but the focus seemed to be largely on back bends with some hip openers for warm up. I was actually able to bind on one side in Bharadvajasana and I’ve never been able to reach my foot in any of the seated lotus poses before. We also did Raja Kapotasana, which I had never done before and Michael gave me an assist by pulling my feet toward my head and my shoulders back toward my feet. It really felt great to open up the chest like that. I’m not sure how he did it because it felt like 4 hands…
After practice on a rainy morning- homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch and then a lazy afternoon of lying in bed and talking before taking her back to the train station.
posted by Chris at 7:00 PM Permalink
8 Comments:
Must have felt great to get up....and a 5'10 no less....I can really reliably "look" at a 5'10 and then go "no f-cking way" with a huge amount of confidence and technique! When you are happy with Blonde Lady's Belaying...go find "Yellow Ridge" on the Near Trapps.....5'7, classic, two real pitches and then one last shortie, more hand-over-foot, scrambley stuff from memory, of course you'll have to lead them all and let her follow but Craig never complained too much about not swapping leads (and considering my mock lead, I'd say I have a long way to go)....Anyway, it is a really gorgeous climb not too tricky and I think the exposure is okay (I freak with High Exposure), although the view of course is a dream.
And beleive me...I do not need much sweet talking to make sure we cruise through New Paltz on our journey home next year :).
Cheers...SMN
8/28/2005 7:14 PM
Yeah, I was pretty pleased with the 5'10 myself. Granted it was top-roped. I think the year I worked at the climbing gym (it was actually just a bouldering gym) paid off. I just kept trying to climb what all the "Cool" kids were climbing and of course it was the harder stuff.
I'll definitely check out Yellow Ridge, You kind of piqued my interest when you posted it on REW. I need to get a Near Trapps guide, I only have the Trapps. What are the belays like on that? Ledges or hanging? Seing as the Blonde Lady just did her first 50' climb, I think that leaving her hanging at 120' might be just a bit much :)
And I really need to work on placing pro (and get used to falling on it. I don't trust it AT ALL yet)
8/29/2005 6:50 AM
wow! that sounds absolutely amazing...
i had no clue you could do top rope outside. i thought that was only an indoors technique. chris, is the boston route relatively easy to find? that sounds like one i'd be able to do my first time out (although i have no clue what foot jams or laybacks are).
8/29/2005 8:45 AM
Yeah, It's really easy to find and it's a pretty simple scramble to get above it to set up the top rope. There are a ton of good routes for any level so if it's busy you can easily find another. This route is in the Trapps just past the area with the rescue gear called the Uber Falls. It's not far down the trail at all.
8/29/2005 8:58 AM
Belays are all good on YR (from memory...eek)....hangin belays cause me to totally freak....so I am pretty sure I would not have such a wonderful memory of the climb if there was one....but just double check with the locals. I would say it is a very popluar climb though....so hit it early. Once Blonde Lady is happy with coming off and cleaning pro, give it a shot. There are lots of great 5'7-5'8 climbs that I did (as a follower) in my first season out there....I'll have a hunt for our guide...I could always send it along as a loaner if I can find it....but I have a sneaking suspicion we have already loaned it out.
I will try to remember some of the names of a few other nice climbs that we did. We tended to spend one weekend in the gunks and the next at Catherdal Ledge in Conway NH (check it out for a road trip!)....anyway sometimes I think back and am not sure what was where.
For Rew....Foot Jam....it is what it sounds like....generally you place your foot in crack sort of sideways then rotate it slightly so that you can stand up on it. Laying back is when you there is something like a corner and you grip the corner with hands, lay the body back away, off to the side generally and then walk your feet up....imagine trying to walk up a door jam.....it is a lovely feeling!
As for placing pro.....probably the best thing to do is to get in with someone who can check your placements, set up some mock leads on a top rope, if you can drag a rop from behind, belay on both so you can take a fall on the pro but with good faith in the top rope, abit complicated for belay person....do you have a good rack yet? I know it costs mucho bucks. Too bad most of our gear is in Vancouver right now.... :).
I hope your class goes well (today)....I am sure you'll be great once you get used to hearing your own voice!!!! Slow and clear, breath, sip water....do not be afraid to take a few moments to collect your thoughts when you need to. Lecturing is not easy....I only give one lecture a year (Cancer Bio class)....but it takes a while to get into a good groove!
Cheers...SMN
8/29/2005 5:49 PM
Oh, yeah, REW. About foot jambs and laybacks... What she said. :)
Sorry my mind was elswhere this morning.
8/29/2005 8:57 PM
okay, laybacks sound physically impossible (unless you were on the moon or other gravity-less place).
8/30/2005 8:44 AM
Laybacks sound harder than they are. It largely depends on what you have to put your feet on.
8/30/2005 11:02 AM
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