MeganM's blog

The first time I climbed Blue Gramma, I toproped the route with hopes of leading at some point. The guidebook describes Blue Gramma as a highly recommended 90 ft. 5.11 with a “slabby start to fingers in a beautiful varnished left-facing corner.” I convinced my rope-gun to set up a TR since I was too nervous to give it a go myself. The bottom bit of climbing was easy, but I soon found myself at the base of a dark, steep, and slightly oblique corner. I started up the corner and immediately felt insecure. And along with the insecurity, I felt nervous… really nervous. “Relax,” I scolded myself “you’re on TR!” I kept fighting my way up the strange lieback, but I couldn’t calm my nerves; something about this climb was giving me the jitters. My legs shook, my breathing halted, and I clung to the rock with an inefficient desperation. The higher I climbed, the worse I felt. I scraped my way up to the anchor, letting out a small shudder as I clipped in. Returning safely to the ground, I breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note: avoid Blue Gramma in the future. I knew my fear had been illogical and uncalled for, but I still couldn’t shake my feeling of unease.

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Ralph can’t afford a rope, shoes, a harness, or even a chalk bag. And it isn’t his young age or lack of a job that prevent him from acquiring the necessary equipment to climb; his parents can’t afford the gear either. They rent out a small trailer, where Ralph sleeps on the living room floor, wondering if "your apartment gets really cold at night too.”

Despite Ralph’s lack of climbing gear, he does possess some “goods” that come in handy for rock climbing. The first is a shocking amount of natural talent and intuition about how to move his body up a route. His first time on a rope, he cruised up a 5.10 crack with relative ease. He mantels, heel hooks, switches feet on small edges and lays back cracks with little to no instruction. Last week he clawed his way up a 5.12 face route doing whatever necessary (including grabbing a bolt hanger) to gain the anchor. Ralph sloppily races up any route with no hesitation and complete trust in a safety system he has yet to understand. When we leave some slack in the system so his 70-pound frame can actually feel the consequence of a fall, he slows down and climbs more carefully.

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I know some in this community might call me a heretic, but I have never been very fond of the climbing in Red Rocks. For all the hype it got from my friends and fellow climbers, Red Rocks never even graced my list of top five climbing destinations. But with nagging injuries and a mere seven-hour drive from our home, my partner and I decided it was probably the best option for our spring break getaway. We figured the long, five star classics ranging in the 5.7 to 5.8 range would be perfect for our health circumstances – we could take it easy, get out of town, explore some new rock, and get some height.

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In the last couple of years, I have read many books on the plight of women in Afghanistan. I was astonished to find out about the severe abuse that all Afghans suffered since the start of the communist invasion back in the 1970s to the eventual rule of the Taliban. It is difficult to read about a humanitarian crisis and not want to do something so I was psyched when I found out about the Central Asia Institute (CAI) in a recent issue of Climbing Magazine.

The Central Asia Institute is a non-profit organization with the following mission statement: To promote and provide community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Central Asia. Since its inception in 1996, the CAI has built over 50 schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, providing education to 24,000 students.

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On December 16th I enjoyed a beautiful winter day at Indian Creek. My partner Dan and I were the only people at the crag and though we weren’t warm, we weren’t freezing either. I sent a stellar line called Rock Lobster that I had fallen off of earlier in the season. I also gave a go on a short offwidth (I have been avoiding these monster cracks since we moved to Moab, but have recently decided the time has come – let the learning process begin). The day was fun, relaxing, and mellow. On the drive home, I enjoyed the serenity of the high desert and smiled at my good fortune; an amazing partner and a home near some of the best climbing in the country. I was damn lucky, I knew it, and I was enjoying it.

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