Rochambeau, Desert-Style
Loading ...Warm desert wind tickled my ears and the sun beat intensely on my back. My internal thermometer was still programmed to regulate the winter climate of the Pacific Northwest so the day seemed hotter than its recorded 70degrees. Despite a bead of sweat that trickled down my back, a shiver sent goose bumps dancing across my arms. With a nervous glance to the side, the exposure of the ragged arête threatened to pull me out into the void of the huge blue sky with no where to go but down. With a peek below, my out-of-shape eyes judged the distance between me, the stopper at my heels, and the ground to be precariously dangerous. Am I too high above that last piece I wedged into the uneven sandstone? Is it even good enough to hold a fall, despite setting it into place with a few vigorous yanks that could’ve pulled my arm out off!?!? The ground where my partner provided a patient belay – as well as high-quality heckling – seemed too close for comfort. Sending a plea for help to my muscles and tendons, I employed the stretch of go-go Gadget arms, the lightness of a butterfly, and the sticky feet of a tree frog…and I stepped with a little jump and reached. And then…Bam! What had looked like a teensy crimper was actually a massive pocket. Still unaccustomed to climbing outside after a winter of cold and wet, I seemed to have shrunken holds to a fraction of their actual size by the time the info went from eyeball-to-brain. Remembering to breathe before my face turned the color of the red rock I climbed, channeling my inner rock superhero, and finessed, balanced, and shimmied my way up to the top.
As I set the anchor for my partner – who continued to heckle mercilessly, by the way – I looked out at the vast backdrop to my adventure. Below bright blue sky, the rock – striped, speckled, lined, and flaked – exploded! out of the desert as far as the eye could see (at least, as far as the eye gazed before hitting the “Wonder of the World of Vegas” pyramid, aka the Luxor Hotel). The happy tweeting of birds bounced off the rock mingling with the laughter of other climbers in the valley. That long-since-felt, but still familiar burn in my forearms and calves reminded me how good it feels to find out just how far it can push my mind and body. With the season’s first lead under my belt, the fun has only just begun.
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laOR just returned from having a very fun time participating in the Red Rock Rendezvous. It was a great event this year – thanks to all the attendees, athletes, event producers, and all the other sponsors who helped make this event a rockin’ good time. See you there next year!
