Dusting Off the Cobwebs

#1 Grease Gun Groove, Tulip Mussel Garden

Well, it's been a little while, hasn't it?

First day out climbing in 2016, a mild and hazy day early in March. No leaves on any of the trees, little patches of snow and ice hanging out in the shadows. I've been saying for quite a while that I want this year to be the year I get back into climbing: let's have at it!

I was climbing with my friend Chris, who was one of my partners "back in the day". He's been out of climbing at least as long as me, but this spring he got a bug up his butt, and has been out several times already.

We schlepped into the Nears, and he led Grease Gun Groove, a sweet little 6 that I haven't done in forever. It has one of those very classic Gunks "Keep the Riff-Raff Off" opening moves, way harder than it looks like it should be, and I'm pretty sure I made it way harder than it needed to be. Smooth and graceful, I was not. But it did feel great to be moving on rock again.

Moved the rope over, and top-roped Tulips Mussel Garden (5.10d). Both Chris and I had onsighted this one back in our mis-spent not-very youthful youth. Chris made it up with a fall or two, I was reduced to dogging up the rope.

We were both pretty ballsy back in the day.

It's not often that I get such a clear-cut display of where I was versus where I am now. On the one hand, how the mighty have fallen; on the other, the longest journey begins with a single step.

Some observations: I feel like I haven't been climbing in a long time. My hands are raw, my feet are tender in the cramped climbing shoes. I definitely feel the lack of upper body strength. Also the flexibility, I just can't get my feet up as high as I want/need them to go. I feel like my footwork is as good as it ever was, and that I am climbing in a relaxed manner. I'm almost certainly lighter than I was back at the height of my powers (been running a lot).

It felt really good to be out on the rock again.