Climbing

Dangling, suspended 100 feet above bits of broken rock and a mountain slope plunging into the valley below. We’re there, clinging to the rocks, carefully making our way upward. “I’ve got a good hold.” “Grab my hand, I’ve got nothing.” We’re edging along ledges, wiggling up crevices, doing our best to push ourselves almost to the limit. Almost… but no farther. We’re getting higher, it’s at the place where a slip would be deadly, but we don’t slip. We take things slowly and carefully.

Finally we’re getting close to the top. One last push, then Shane reaches his hand up over the edge, finds a crack, and pulls himself up. From where I am part way up the face I hear a shout, “HOLY [Explicative Deleted]!!! You free climbed that?” Up on the top of the cliff is a group of people who hiked up a trail that goes around the back of the mountain and comes out where Shane had just climbed over. Lots of people hike up there, it’s an amazing view of the Appalachians and the leaves were at their peak. There was a group of people up there who had been filming some sort documentary. Now their jaws just hung open as they stared in disbelief. As I come up over another part of the cliff their eyes popped open in shock. “You didn’t, um… come from down there did you? You didn’t… climb up that?” People were crawling to the edge and looking down, stunned. We shrugged, and walked away… and did it again.

Ps. We are actually very safe and careful people.