Yesterday was a hell of a day. To begin with, an 8 am Contemporary Issues class. This was pre-empted by breakfast and If I recall correctly, followed by a second breakfast and possible rest. Anyway, by midday I was at the shoreline of the Winooski River beneath Lime Kiln Road. A really beautiful place. I had with myself a backpack and large climbing pad. I wanted to climb a steeply overhanging rock ledge that I'd spotted while crossing the bridge over the river.I descended into the river gorge and found myself on a tiny, muddy little shore. I took a look at my prospect.
The rock jutting from the left of the picture is the one I have in mind, and it extends about 1oo yards or so down the river until it reconnects with the shore. The plan is to traverse the underhang and climb my way downriver, without falling into the water of course. Realizing that my climbing pad and backpack will actually be of no use for this project, I decided to climb above the ledge (with them strapped to my back) and stash them there (I had an expensive camera in there along with cash and wallet etc).
This turned out to be a bad idea.
While climbing up the rock to stash my gear, my hiking boots fell from my hand (yeah I was even trying to do this one-handed), and splashed into the MOVING water beneath me.
So I panic.
I hop off, drop my bag and pad, and remove my precious climbing shoes (wisely) but fail to take my cell phone of my pocket (unwisely) and wade bravely into the cold waters of the Winooski River for my hiking boots that are slowly floating downstream.
And here's how I come out.
Amidst this foolish mayhem, a pair of unidentified small mammals came over to appreciate the spectacle unbeknownst to me - their presence betrayed by a series of seconds-old tiny footprints in the muddy shore. At least my antics did not go unappreciated.
So after saving my boots I immediately plunge a hand into my soggy pocket and frantically pull out my dripping cell phone and furiously dry it with my shirt. I follow the standard wet cell phone procedure of removing battery, opening phone and praying for the best. And I enter the realm of cell-phone limbo.
Demoralized but determined to do some climbing I set out to estalish a route, anyway. I'll take my chances with my gear. Whatever.
After 30 minutes of desperately trying to decode this absurd overhang, I give up. Sometimes the rock just does that to you. Humbles you like that. Getting you wet and killing your cell phone and having small mammals mock you. But you move on.
And that's what I did. Got the hell out of there!
The rock jutting from the left of the picture is the one I have in mind, and it extends about 1oo yards or so down the river until it reconnects with the shore. The plan is to traverse the underhang and climb my way downriver, without falling into the water of course. Realizing that my climbing pad and backpack will actually be of no use for this project, I decided to climb above the ledge (with them strapped to my back) and stash them there (I had an expensive camera in there along with cash and wallet etc).
This turned out to be a bad idea.
While climbing up the rock to stash my gear, my hiking boots fell from my hand (yeah I was even trying to do this one-handed), and splashed into the MOVING water beneath me.
So I panic.
I hop off, drop my bag and pad, and remove my precious climbing shoes (wisely) but fail to take my cell phone of my pocket (unwisely) and wade bravely into the cold waters of the Winooski River for my hiking boots that are slowly floating downstream.
And here's how I come out.
Amidst this foolish mayhem, a pair of unidentified small mammals came over to appreciate the spectacle unbeknownst to me - their presence betrayed by a series of seconds-old tiny footprints in the muddy shore. At least my antics did not go unappreciated.
So after saving my boots I immediately plunge a hand into my soggy pocket and frantically pull out my dripping cell phone and furiously dry it with my shirt. I follow the standard wet cell phone procedure of removing battery, opening phone and praying for the best. And I enter the realm of cell-phone limbo.
Demoralized but determined to do some climbing I set out to estalish a route, anyway. I'll take my chances with my gear. Whatever.
After 30 minutes of desperately trying to decode this absurd overhang, I give up. Sometimes the rock just does that to you. Humbles you like that. Getting you wet and killing your cell phone and having small mammals mock you. But you move on.
And that's what I did. Got the hell out of there!
1 comment:
I wish I did more active things like this! After an 8 am class all I want to do is sleep the rest of the day, not good since I have two days of 8 sm's next semester with 4 other classes on one of the days! Sorry about your cell phone...that's always rough.
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