It's quite possible that I'm the only person to ever bivy on that approach.

Brutal, it is. Brutal. Especially so if you have to park in the lower parking lot.

What, four, five posts to belabor the same point? I must be particularly thick, as I'm not getting exactly why this needs to be hammered home so hard. I already know I had a lousy day. The fact that it was an easy approach tells me... what exactly?

Yes, it's cragging. Zero approach, low commitment.

What, four, five posts to belabor the same point? I must be particularly thick, as I'm not getting exactly why this needs to be hammered home so hard. I already know I had a lousy day. The fact that it was an easy approach tells me... what exactly?

Angry, I'm glad you're "getting in shape". Here's your cookie. Happy now?

To everyone who shared their stories about their own bad days, thanks. My take-away from the day is that I'll just dial it down a notch, grow a pair, and get back on the horse.

GO

Don't take it so hard-- it was just teasing.

Does this mean you're not really selling yr rack?

pranayama

Didn't you just do a trip to Moab recently? I assume you sent hard that trip?

Chin up dude !! There is a constant ebb and flow in life.


....and you know this, MANNNN !

Yeah, you guessed right, it went well. I guess it just goes to show that I'm best at crack, and suck shit at unprotectable face climbing (even when it's "easy"). Something to work on, I guess.

Finally after weeks of monsoon, the forecast is perfect. You've researched the climb you want to do, and it's well within your ability, but should provide quite enough of that special something to keep your attention focused.

And yet... you have a hard time dragging your sorry ass out of bed. Perhaps you've slept poorly? Or something is just off somehow? You drag your feet getting going, and once at the crag, you feel slightly uneasy. You make some excuse like "why is it so quiet here? Yesterday there were tons of people. Is there something bad going to happen? Did I misread the weather forecast?"

Arriving at your objective (in this case, the West Buttress of the Bastille) you set down your stuff, size up the line, look at the guidebook, and... whoa - that looks harder than I thought! Nevertheless, you rack up, set an anchor for your belayer lest you rip both of off you off for a very unpleasant ride, and up you go.

Only to come back down. I climbed up only 10 feet, set gear for the traverse, and chickened out. Three times. Each time fiddling with the gear before the traverse, feeling the moves, thinking about the sequence. Then back down to the ground, walk around, scope out the traverse from the ground. Go back up.

And finally I admitted it. I don't have it in me today. Tail between my legs, I slink away to look for something more my speed.

Well, how about 5.8 instead of 5.9? Just 100 yards away is a "starred" 5.8 in the guidebook. After 1/2 hour of considering it, I decide I don't like the looks of it either.

And further cementing the undeniable truth that I have no balls at all, there's a climber on the 5.11 next to the 5.8 I'm looking at, who has 40 feet of runout between pieces.

Fortunately, my gf saved the day - "Hey, she said, there's a climb on Wind Tower I've been wanting to do. I could do the first pitch at 5.6, and you could do the 5.7 second pitch."

So off we went. It was fairly easy, but that didn't keep me from going the wrong way at the end, missing the bolted rap station. So next we did several hundred feet of sideways sketchy 5.5 simulclimbing - because I was convinced we were on the walkoff ledge that was, in fact, 30 feet below us. I kept thinking that at any minute we'd find ourselves on that broad ledge.

Sigh...

Am I actually a solid 5.10 or 11 trad climber? No way. In fact, I can't climb 5.7 without screwing the pooch!

Maybe it was a "one off", just "one of those days." Maybe next time I go out I'll remember how to climb. Otherwise, anyone want to buy a used rack?

GO

Don't take it so hard-- it was just teasing.

Does this mean you're not really selling yr rack?

WTF would you do with a rack? When was the last time you even bothered with a rope?

Curt

now every trad lead, regardless of how easy, starts with some mental prep to get my head right and deep breathing.

Yeah, you guessed right, it went well. I guess it just goes to show that I'm best at crack, and suck shit at unprotectable face climbing (even when it's "easy"). Something to work on, I guess.

GO

I've had a lot of those days lately. Rough times at work. An eight-month pregnant wife. A rebelious 3 year old who doesn't want a little sister. And my car just blew up. I'm getting it from all directions.

I so look forward to the rare days I get to go climbing, but when I get there I don't perform like I'm accustomed to. I can't pretend the stress and lack of sleep aren't taking their toll.

I'm in a funk. But even so, I'm fortunate to be able to do what I do, even if I suck at it right now.

tits to you!!