EEEH! My first day of actual climbing!
After ranting about my new-found love of bouldering at work last night, a co-worker suggested that we go out and climb over at Bozeman Pass today. She said her boyfriend had all the gear and that they would be willing to show me the ropes. Score! They picked me up this morning and we headed east on I-90 out of Bozeman into Bozeman Pass, a portion of highway cutting through a chunky spot in the Bridger Mountains connecting Bozeman to the eastern half of the state. At Exit 316 you pull off on the north side of the exit and hike about a mile in to the designated climbing area. The walk was quick but muddy from the melting snow layer that had undoubtedly disintegrated during the previously sunny days but before you knew it we were at the bottom of some sweet looking stone.
We were meeting another group of people, 3 guys and a girl, who were already roped in and climbing at Practice Wall. My group of 3 decided to scramble over to the next section of wall that offered some easier routes that were mostly rated 5.8 & 5.9 with some easy 5.10s. The rock climbing scale for sport climbing is on a 5-point system with 1 & 2 being walking on flat or inclined ground and 3 & 4 encompassing scrambling and light cimbing sections where a rope is not required. From there the scale moves into the 5 category ranging from 5.0-5.15 . The 5-point climbs define bolted-in routes including everything from the easy stuff you mastered at Girl Scout Camp to the super intense Yosemite-type climbs you see online. Today I climbed 4 routes that were in the 5.8-5.9 category with confidence and decent speed!
Since it was my first time climbing with new folks I honestly had no idea what to expect. I wasn't sure if they were going to be sending insanely technical routes that were way out of my league or if they were going to try and find some more simple stuff. I had not been roped in to anything since traversing the high ropes course when I worked for the Girl Scouts in college and that certainly seemed to be a whole other ball game from sport climbing. Not to mention I had already spent every day this week at the bouldering rocks in town so my arms were definitely feeling the strain of pushing my muscles to the limit. Much to my excitement, however, my trips to the bouldering rocks payed off in spades. All four routes that we chose were at a perfect level for a beginner of my level: I haven't climbed much but I am in solid physical condition which sets a great foundation for this type of climbing.
Wendy & Jordan showed me the basic knots, how to clip in and belay up & down, how to set up a rappel from the top. They clued me in to climbing terms like "beta" and "heel hold", "crux" and "send". I was amazed throughout the entire day at my heightened level of confidence, my seemingly nonexistent fear of heights, and my willingness to trust the ropes and the people belaying me. Not once did I look down and get scared, not once did I reach a point where I thought, "Oh boy, I am in over my head" or "I can't do this". All day long was a continuous flow of "You can do it" and "Yes I can". With every tiny grip or disappearing foothold I just clung harder to the rock and found the energy to pull myself up to the top. When the clouds passed over the sun and the wind blew in hard from the west my fingertips turned to little blocks of ice clutching onto frozen rocks but the intensity pushed me through and I found that next ledge to cling on or that final bump to prop my foot on. When the clouds blew past and the sun came out I leaned into the warm rock and soaked in the energy of the sun and the earth and felt so connected to my surrounding landscape. At the top of every climb I leaned back and up to see the beauty of everything around me that had been momentarily put out of mind while focusing on the climb. At the top you get to have that moment all to yourself to take in the beauty of the mountains and cliffs around you, see the world from a birds eye view, and maybe if you're lucky, see a bald eagle soaring overhead. After all, it is Montana.
~Mary Lane~
Bozeman, MT 3.29.13
For a more detailed description of the Climbing Scale and Rating System check out these links:
Link 1
Link 2
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