Today is beautiful - clear blue sky, little humidity. And, like a crack addict standing two feet from someone holding a pipe, I developed a nervous tick and foamed at the mouth when I walked out of the garage and realized I would have to enjoy this glorious day with both feet planted firmly on the ground due to household obligations (which have, unfortunately, also been keeping me from this site more than I would like!!).
I'm quite sure the word "addiction" is often associated with climbing - primarily by those who know themselves to be addicts. This notion was confirmed a few days ago when I took my kids to the climbing gym for the afternoon. Generally I assume I might be lucky enough to run a few bouldering problems while there, but I also assume I'll spend a good bit of time corralling youthful human exuberance in an effort to protect said minions and spare the sanity of others at the gym. The recent visit was not unusual in that regard. However, when another climber I knew came in and offered to belay, I smiled and said You Sure?? He kindly confirmed his offer and I smiled, telling my daughter to get ready to climb. At that point the guy looked at me and said, No - I Meant You. ME??? I get to run up a route -- on a rope??? My God Gomer!! I responded like a raving idiot - - I was absolutely thrilled at the prospect of running just one route! I chuckled and mentioned my addiction - - and that a mix of traveling spouse and absent sitter had left me climb-less for the week. His response? Any Activity Involving White Powder is Definitely Suspect.
And so I ran a route and botched a few bouldering problems that day. But hey - -at least I got to take one hit. As I prepared to leave the gym, that nervous tick reappeared, and i started to drool a bit I think..... And walking by the guy who'd fed my habit once that day, I said, Ugh - Have To Go Home. Want To Climb. He responded by telling me he was a cop for the City of Charlotte. AWESOME!!! This addiction is legal.
Now......today I have to figure out how to get my next hit!
woodchuck07 says:
yaaaaahhh, Ladianne gets 'hit on' at the gym and loves it! Are we all to be so lucky some days? I agree with the 'addiction' the 'jones for the feel, the need. Got my chance this past weekend to go out on some new climbs. Found myself stopped mid route on one, just carressing the rock in the sunlight, telling myself I needed this more than anything else in the world right now. That feel, the touch, the heat of the rock at 11AM, the grit of lichens under the toe of the shoe....it was all there and I was flying higher than ever. Had so much energy I coulda pumped anything, any difficulty tossed at me at that moment. It's what we live for, yes it is.
Glad to see you back up and posting today.
Ladianne says:
You're funny - - hit on at the gym, huh?? Well, the second the guy's climbing partner walked in, he dropped me like a hot potato!! At least I wasn't 20 feet off the ground at that point! God I want to get outside again so badly. Was asked to go to the New River Gorge a couple of weeks ago - -had to decline as my husband was about to go on a business trip, so I stuck around the ranch to spend time w/family. But geez.....my mind was on the rock for sure!! Summer's just really hard with the kids out of school. And my sitter is out of town this week. So.....i shall have dreams of rock. And perhaps I'll go back to the gym with the kids just to get a bit of a fix.
woodchuck07 says:
That's funny, yet sad and desperate isn't it? Got all that summer free time yet all the roadblocks to finding time to climb. Well the gym is the answer at the least. As for that guy who left you, hmmm, can you spell G A Y ??? His loss, for we here at the site know who has the best rack posted up so far.!
Ladianne says:
Chuck, truly, you flatter me (and my rack) with all of your commentary! Oh - -but the GOOD NEWS for today is this: An article about rock climbing that I wrote for SouthPark Magazine came out today!!! YAHOOO! That photo of Jessica, my fav climbing partner, and this monkey girl sitting in a cave on "The Womb" at Looking Glass was in the article. So - -although I can see rock, think rock, and even dream rock......I can't get to rock. But I can sure write about it!!
Ladianne says:
Oh - -and the words 'funny', 'sad', and 'desperate' could definitely be the titles of the three whole chapters it would take to write about my life!! :)
woodchuck07 says:
Hey nice work! Link us up to the article if it's online. Sound great!
Ladianne says:
This is when i wish their website was up to date. I'm going to ask my editor to send the adobe version of the article. Maybe Trash can help me figure out how to post it after that.
Ladianne says:
There's a great shot in there of Jessica at the top of one of the climbs at Rumbling Bald. She's frogged at the top of a really great piece of rock setting the anchor. Also got her now-husband clawing his way up a really bald piece of granite.
climbingtrash says:
Hey Ladianne, good to see you on the site. You got an article published? That's great. You should just be able to upload it like a picture and then we could all see it. (I can hardly wait)
Ladianne says:
Well, CT, to be fair, I write for the magazine nearly every month. But when I get the article on .PDF I'll put it up there.
climbingtrash says:
That's cool anyway. I wish I could write good enough to do that. Still can't wait to read it.
Ladianne says:
Looked for an e-mail address on your site - -would love to send it to you-- I'm excited for you to read it. It was just fun to get to write about climbing even if I'm not some great climber.
climbingtrash says:
climbingtrash@aol.com But of course!
Ladianne says:
e-mailed you copy of article. it was a version just before final editing - - hopefully i'll receive the final version as was printed in the mag. But what i sent will do for now.
woodchuck07 says:
Love to write, hard to get published though. And I almost got out to Rumbling B' when on my road trip last month. Looks much like rock at Looking Glass too.
Ladianne says:
Yes. On both comments. Rumbling B/LG are similar in some ways - - except that at Looking Glass you get bunches of little quartz crystals embedded in the rock - -and they can occasionally look like chalk marks. But when you try to use them, you discover they're not chalk....and that they're slick. As to writing - yes, it can be a very tricky proposition to say the least. I've learned to appreciate the rejection slips in my mailbox -- if I'm not getting them then I must not be sending out enough manuscripts. So sayeth the hopeful.
Post new comment