as a great spot for my hook. I quickly pulled out the hook with an attached rope and tied all three ropes together, giving me some added length. Tying one end around my waist and securing the bag as well, I started to swing the hook-end of the rope around.
Building momentum I eventually released my grip as the hook flew towards the crack.
With a clang clang clang it bounced harmlessly off the rock face and fell back down to the floor beneath.
Repeating the process four more times until I finally heard a chink instead, I tugged and found the hook had secured itself.
What took a minute would save me at least five.
Testing the rope I found it had been excellently wedged in place and felt I could safely ascend with it. Grabbing the rope with both hands outstretched I quickly pulled myself up using the muscles of the back and then let the rope hang between my legs. Using one foot to bring the rope up and the other to step on the rope between the insets of my boot, I created a hold I could slide with or rest with.
If I was in a hurry I would simply use my back and pull myself up with my arms alone, but this was an endurance race and not a sprint. So, instead I used the brake and squat method of climbing rope, by raising my knees to my chest and then squatting up, standing on the rope as it was locked between my feet.
It was a simple method and an effective one that could be done quite rapidly and without any real effort once you had some experience with it. A few seconds later I had reached the crevice where my hook was wedged, thirty some feet had been scaled in a matter of moments.
I loved ropes.
I missed climbing them.
As the day progressed I had ended up doing a mixture of rope climbs and free climbs along the varying 70-80 degree walls, with the occasional 85-90 degree or worse walls with overhangs. But, by the time the sun had started to set nearly four hours after I began, I had managed to climb roughly five-hundred and fifty feet and stood at least 1,350 or so feet above the base. I was getting closer, inch by inch to the top.
With darkness settling in, it was now time for my much needed break.
Once I had finished the log out process I soon found myself using the restroom, getting a glass of water, and then looking for food. It had become an oddly habitual recurrence that wasn't anywhere close to a normal schedule.
I was still playing with my four-hours on, four-hours off schedule and was sleeping in three blocks of roughly three hours each. It was a shitty schedule, but I wanted to make sure I did everything properly for the "Event."
There would only be six real-world days left after tonight, so I needed to be careful and I needed to continue to push. Carefully pushing the tempo isn't something that should be said together, but it was a necessary necessity.
Attempting to heed my own words, I ended up skipping the third day cycle to get some solid sleep. I had been noticing slight performance declines over the past few weeks as my sleep had become more sporadic and less frequent. The last thing I needed was a clouded mind and sloppy judgment when I was over a third of the way up the mountain.
Yeah, it was bed time for me.
Staring at the bed in front of me I plopped down and closed my eyes with my face buried in the pillow. I couldn't help but think about the blind girl that I had met at the meeting.
I was unusually attracted to her; infatuation would probably be the better word for it really. I mean, she had everything I looked for in a girl… tall, intelligent, confident, pretty.
Shame it went the way it did.
Oh well.
Things don't always work out the way you want them to anyhow.
They rarely do.
Well, maybe I can at least find some comfort in my dreams.
Opening my eyes and glancing out the window I could see that the sun was nearing mid-day. It seemed I overslept considerably.
In truth, I had woken up hours prior but was in the middle of a rather enjoyable dream with a beautiful brunette, so I
Building momentum I eventually released my grip as the hook flew towards the crack.
With a clang clang clang it bounced harmlessly off the rock face and fell back down to the floor beneath.
Repeating the process four more times until I finally heard a chink instead, I tugged and found the hook had secured itself.
What took a minute would save me at least five.
Testing the rope I found it had been excellently wedged in place and felt I could safely ascend with it. Grabbing the rope with both hands outstretched I quickly pulled myself up using the muscles of the back and then let the rope hang between my legs. Using one foot to bring the rope up and the other to step on the rope between the insets of my boot, I created a hold I could slide with or rest with.
If I was in a hurry I would simply use my back and pull myself up with my arms alone, but this was an endurance race and not a sprint. So, instead I used the brake and squat method of climbing rope, by raising my knees to my chest and then squatting up, standing on the rope as it was locked between my feet.
It was a simple method and an effective one that could be done quite rapidly and without any real effort once you had some experience with it. A few seconds later I had reached the crevice where my hook was wedged, thirty some feet had been scaled in a matter of moments.
I loved ropes.
I missed climbing them.
As the day progressed I had ended up doing a mixture of rope climbs and free climbs along the varying 70-80 degree walls, with the occasional 85-90 degree or worse walls with overhangs. But, by the time the sun had started to set nearly four hours after I began, I had managed to climb roughly five-hundred and fifty feet and stood at least 1,350 or so feet above the base. I was getting closer, inch by inch to the top.
With darkness settling in, it was now time for my much needed break.
Once I had finished the log out process I soon found myself using the restroom, getting a glass of water, and then looking for food. It had become an oddly habitual recurrence that wasn't anywhere close to a normal schedule.
I was still playing with my four-hours on, four-hours off schedule and was sleeping in three blocks of roughly three hours each. It was a shitty schedule, but I wanted to make sure I did everything properly for the "Event."
There would only be six real-world days left after tonight, so I needed to be careful and I needed to continue to push. Carefully pushing the tempo isn't something that should be said together, but it was a necessary necessity.
Attempting to heed my own words, I ended up skipping the third day cycle to get some solid sleep. I had been noticing slight performance declines over the past few weeks as my sleep had become more sporadic and less frequent. The last thing I needed was a clouded mind and sloppy judgment when I was over a third of the way up the mountain.
Yeah, it was bed time for me.
Staring at the bed in front of me I plopped down and closed my eyes with my face buried in the pillow. I couldn't help but think about the blind girl that I had met at the meeting.
I was unusually attracted to her; infatuation would probably be the better word for it really. I mean, she had everything I looked for in a girl… tall, intelligent, confident, pretty.
Shame it went the way it did.
Oh well.
Things don't always work out the way you want them to anyhow.
They rarely do.
Well, maybe I can at least find some comfort in my dreams.
Opening my eyes and glancing out the window I could see that the sun was nearing mid-day. It seemed I overslept considerably.
In truth, I had woken up hours prior but was in the middle of a rather enjoyable dream with a beautiful brunette, so I
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