she's got a project

she has a project!

there's a problem here that i've fallen in love with.

it's mulletino, strangely enough it's just around the corner and on the same boulder as last year's project - the lowdown.
i tried mulletino last year but could only do the first few moves. this year i tried it with some boys, all of whom were much taller than me, and i couldn't even get to the crux.

sit start with hands in crack/ledge directly above in roof. throw a right heel hook also into the crack further down the roof where it's a bit bigger and the crack splits into a ledge. from there, work hand over hand down the crack/ledge until into place to reach a left hand very far left for a small hold (out left). the cool stuff begins. there's a far left toe hook/foot jam far left on the lip of the overhang. all of this takes place on a roof that is true horizontal, by the way. throw your foot very far and reach straight ahead for an okay hold, and bump to a jug. at this point i feel like a starfish clamped to the underside of the rock, what with my toe jammed up above my head. when i tried this problem a few days ago, i couldn't manage to reach the far jug, hit a crimper a bit closer and couldn't commit to the next move: letting go with your right hand (which has been comfortably and reliably in place for the past 7 or so moves). anyway, the move there is to let go with your right and cut loose, but not the fun feet-off-cutting-loose, but with your left foot still jammed over on the lip of the roof. i couldn't do it.

i thought about that move for two nights in a row.... it makes perfect sense and it's perfectly fine to let go with that right hand and swing out. i had to at least try it, i mean, i usually like overhangs, right?

yesterday paul and josie-anne arrived. they basically parked the car, got out, and got their climbing stuff ready to hit the boulders. we had a brief session just before sunset with them, showing them around a bit before dinner and new year's eve. today was a great, long session where we worked on a lot of really great problems - really trying to introduce them to all that hp40 has to offer, but nothing really scary (yet).

after breaking for lunch, the boys went over to see the lowdown and i rested for mulletino. i was obsessed with that move... can i really cut loose with my foot jammed, and complete the move by controlling my swing out and grabbing the undercling? i tried and failed, over and over again. my improvement was that i could now reach the most positive part of the jug, which was a move that i had convinced myself that was impossible

sometimes it's tough to believe that you can follow the beta of a bunch of six foot tall boys.

i tried the move and couldn't commit. i could see that this was just like sport climbing for me, i had to try the move since it was such a safe fall. if i didn't try, i wouldn't fall, of course and i really was just curious to see if i was even capable of the move at my height.

i decided to try just one more time, promising paul and jo that i was going to cut loose and see what happened. i move through the opening moves and reached for the jug with my left hand - hit it! tried to focus on how great and positive it felt. now it's time to let go and see what happens! i couldn't do it and i held on like the little starfish i am. paul was standing right there spotting me, and i could just see him in my pererferal(sp?) vision. he was saying he's got me covered, and i believed him. i willed my right hand to let go and it wouldn't. i slowly started pulling my hand out of the hold, slowly so slowly until finally i cut loose and let out a scream of pure fear which quickly turned into a shriek of surprise as i caught my swing with the undercling and then completed the next move, still in complete shock.

i dropped down as happy as ever. i can't wait to do that move again, it was the most fun i've had climbing in a long time. actually, i can't think of a time that i have had this much fun climbing. committing to moves you've never done before can be a lot of fun. i am now beginning to fully realize that this trip is all about moments like this. i hope to fall in love with other problems, adopt them as projects, and learn a little more about this thing we call climbing.