As we headed down to Smith the excitement was overwhelming, my girlfriend Deni and I had plans to climb, ski, camp out under the stars, and have an absolutely amazing weekend void of homework, responsibility and the incessant buzzing of smartphones.
Our first sight of Smith's famous walls Saturday morning sent us buzzing around camp with excitement, preparing for a big day of climbing. Our goal was to climb Zebra/Zion, a big four pitch trad and sport route on Morning Glory Wall.
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| Hello Smith Rocks |
Soon we were at the base of the route, looking up I was slightly intimidated having not been on real rock since October I knew I would be a little rusty and didn't know what to expect from the 5.10a/b crux pitch.
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| Morning glory wall |
Deni quickly dispatched the first pitch, a 5.10b sport climb called Gumby. I followed up the tiny crimps and edges into huge huecos and then joined her at the hanging belay.
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| At the Belay |
After a brief visit :) I racked up and climbed up to the crux, plugged in a few cams and powered through the crux, then the subsequent steep hand crack to a perfect belay ledge.
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| Look no hands! |
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| Steps from the top! |
"following the paths others have laid, puts you in same destination as all those before you". This thought surfaced in my mind as I floated along the airy traverse of Zebra/Zion. A fragment of a novel or something I read at some point in the past. I cautiously settled into the first holds of the traverse, my left hand found a small pocket to put two fingers in and my right hand crimped onto a sharp end of rock. I looked down in search of foot holds to support my weight on, finally I found a pair of tiny edges just big enough for the soft rubber of my shoes to stick on. Between my feet tiny people milled around two hundred feet below, getting ready to climb or taking pictures of the incredible rock features, undoubtedly I was nothing but a small speck. Secretly I hoped somebody was watching with awe and fear, cheering me on and finding inspiration in my bravery.
A few minutes later I was through the traverse and climbing quickly up a beautifully featured slab to the next belay station. Leaving the security of a beautiful crack for the unprotected traverse was terrifying and awesome, falling would have been sketch, but years of climbing and experienced urged me to satisfy my craving for adventure in the high places of the world. Long ago I choose a path, dedicating myself to climbing and the mountains, this epic traverse was part of that path.
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| Good bye Smith Rocks....until another day |
