said.
"Belay on ."
I nodded and began climbing.
And then I got stuck. Brooke let me try to work it out for a while, but I had nowhere to go.
"Find a place to anchor," she yelled up to me. "You may need to descend a little."
I had to come down nearly ten feet before I was happy with my choices. I anchored in and waited for Brooke to join me.
"Dead end," I said.
"Yep," she said.
"There are no handholds for at least five feet," I said.
"More like eight," she said.
"There's another route there," I said, pointing to my right. "But I can't get there."
I watched as Brooke added more anchors around her. "How sure are you about your anchor at the top?"
"Pretty sure," I said.
"Willing to risk your life on it?"
"I-" I paused. "I don't know."
"You've been putting these anchors in, which we're both depending upon, but you're not sure you trust them?" she asked.
"I-" I said. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"This is the point we make Casey turn around," she said. "This is why Daniel didn't want you climbing."
"Not the overhang?"
"No. That's easy. You won't have the slightest problem with it."
"So, going to hint?"
She tightened the rope that led from her harness, through several of the anchors I had placed, through the top set of anchors, and then directly down to my harness. She pulled until it was not quite snug, then said, "Belay on."
"What am I doing?" I asked.
"Unhook from the wall," she said. "And lower yourself into my belay."
"You mean, fall?"
"I prefer you climb down until I am supporting you."
It took me a minute to do what she wanted. Soon I was hanging from the wall, the rope stretc hed tightly between us. If I let go, due to the shape of the wall, I would hang a foot or two from the rock.
"Let go," she said.
"Oh god," I said. I let go of the wall, dropping a few more feet before the rope finished stretching. I swung lightly back and forth.
"Now," she said. " This is a swing. It's a rare maneuver. This is the only nearby wall that requires one, and it's a small one."
" A swing?"
"Yep. You need to get over there. Swing."
I grabbed a corner of the rock to my left and pulled myself in that direction, then thrust off with my feet, swinging towards the right and trying to run sideways along the wall. There was nothing to grab on that side, but I swung off with my feet. After that, each swing got a little wider until suddenly, far to my right, I was able to grab onto the rock and hang on.
"Good," she said. "Start climbing. Don't put in any anchors yet.
I was on the new path. I began climbing. Brooke kept the rope taut until I was nearly even with her, then let me have some slack.
"If you fall now, it will be a bad fall, Michaela," she said. "Be very careful of every hold."
"When do I start to anchor?"
"Not yet. Climb up ten feet, then you can come back towards the left. There's a nice ledge there you can slip right across."
I did that. It wasn't particularly difficult. She had me begin placing anchors. I climbed twenty feet, setting anchors, then I looked down at her. "Brooke, you're going to have to do the same thing, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"It wasn't me doing it that had Daniel nervous, was it? It was me anchoring you."
"Yes," she said. "I trust you, Michaela."
I kept climbing until Brooke yelled up to me to set extra anchors. I anchored myself in thoroughly, using my every last anchor. Brooke's chuckles rose up to me.
"Is twelve enough?" I asked.
"I normally use thirty five, but if twelve is all you have, I guess it will have to do. On belay."
I tightened the rope as much as I could, checked everything over and over, then said, "Belay on."
It took Brooke only a few swings until she had reached the new path. She climbed quickly after that. "Good job," she said when she had caught up to me. She started handing me more anchors, and I put them, one at a time, into my bag.
"What now?"
"Climb up to the overhang. Put in extra anchors. Then see if you can figure it out. Michaela, you do not
"Belay on ."
I nodded and began climbing.
And then I got stuck. Brooke let me try to work it out for a while, but I had nowhere to go.
"Find a place to anchor," she yelled up to me. "You may need to descend a little."
I had to come down nearly ten feet before I was happy with my choices. I anchored in and waited for Brooke to join me.
"Dead end," I said.
"Yep," she said.
"There are no handholds for at least five feet," I said.
"More like eight," she said.
"There's another route there," I said, pointing to my right. "But I can't get there."
I watched as Brooke added more anchors around her. "How sure are you about your anchor at the top?"
"Pretty sure," I said.
"Willing to risk your life on it?"
"I-" I paused. "I don't know."
"You've been putting these anchors in, which we're both depending upon, but you're not sure you trust them?" she asked.
"I-" I said. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"
"This is the point we make Casey turn around," she said. "This is why Daniel didn't want you climbing."
"Not the overhang?"
"No. That's easy. You won't have the slightest problem with it."
"So, going to hint?"
She tightened the rope that led from her harness, through several of the anchors I had placed, through the top set of anchors, and then directly down to my harness. She pulled until it was not quite snug, then said, "Belay on."
"What am I doing?" I asked.
"Unhook from the wall," she said. "And lower yourself into my belay."
"You mean, fall?"
"I prefer you climb down until I am supporting you."
It took me a minute to do what she wanted. Soon I was hanging from the wall, the rope stretc hed tightly between us. If I let go, due to the shape of the wall, I would hang a foot or two from the rock.
"Let go," she said.
"Oh god," I said. I let go of the wall, dropping a few more feet before the rope finished stretching. I swung lightly back and forth.
"Now," she said. " This is a swing. It's a rare maneuver. This is the only nearby wall that requires one, and it's a small one."
" A swing?"
"Yep. You need to get over there. Swing."
I grabbed a corner of the rock to my left and pulled myself in that direction, then thrust off with my feet, swinging towards the right and trying to run sideways along the wall. There was nothing to grab on that side, but I swung off with my feet. After that, each swing got a little wider until suddenly, far to my right, I was able to grab onto the rock and hang on.
"Good," she said. "Start climbing. Don't put in any anchors yet.
I was on the new path. I began climbing. Brooke kept the rope taut until I was nearly even with her, then let me have some slack.
"If you fall now, it will be a bad fall, Michaela," she said. "Be very careful of every hold."
"When do I start to anchor?"
"Not yet. Climb up ten feet, then you can come back towards the left. There's a nice ledge there you can slip right across."
I did that. It wasn't particularly difficult. She had me begin placing anchors. I climbed twenty feet, setting anchors, then I looked down at her. "Brooke, you're going to have to do the same thing, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"It wasn't me doing it that had Daniel nervous, was it? It was me anchoring you."
"Yes," she said. "I trust you, Michaela."
I kept climbing until Brooke yelled up to me to set extra anchors. I anchored myself in thoroughly, using my every last anchor. Brooke's chuckles rose up to me.
"Is twelve enough?" I asked.
"I normally use thirty five, but if twelve is all you have, I guess it will have to do. On belay."
I tightened the rope as much as I could, checked everything over and over, then said, "Belay on."
It took Brooke only a few swings until she had reached the new path. She climbed quickly after that. "Good job," she said when she had caught up to me. She started handing me more anchors, and I put them, one at a time, into my bag.
"What now?"
"Climb up to the overhang. Put in extra anchors. Then see if you can figure it out. Michaela, you do not
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