Book Two

I finished the Bean Trees yesterday, but the internet connection has been bad, so I couldn't post. This book has been sitting on my shelf for two or three years, gathering that haze that unread books on your shelf do. You think when you get it that maybe you would like it, then put off reading it, and every time you look back at the bookcase, it gets less noticable, as your eyes get more used ignoring it. I originially bought it from Goodwill, as the 1.99 pricetag reminded me. Barbara Kingsolver. This book is amazing. If you haven't read her before, read something of hers post-haste. Her writing is effortless in the way that only the best writing is, and she has a great sense of humor. I think saying anything about the plot woudl be a disservice, so I will let you go in blind. Her characters are the kind of characters that are irresistably likable.

I finsihed the book yesterday, so I'll talk about what I did yesterday. I'm hopeflly taking two rest days starting tomorrow, so I can then write about the book I'll finish tonight, as well as what I did today. I started yesterday with a trip to the Idahos, a boulder field just uphill from the cabin. My finger was sore from doing the mono on Glass Bowl, so I decided to just go and try to do a bunch of problems that I hadn't done before. It turns out, unfortunately, that I hadn't done them for a reason: they are justifiably unpopular, unchalked, dirty, and often awkward. I think one of the most important things as a climber, however, is to put yourself on as many problems as possible. Sometimes, the problems that are the least attractive are exactly the problems you should be trying, if you want to improve. What isn't attractive is probably more about your weaknesses than it is about quality.
So I did a couple of ugly v4s, a v2 arete, another v2 arete, and found them dirty and unpleasant. The v4s were the toughest kind: much harder than you want a v4 to be, and really awkward, so you are worried that someone will come around the corner and see you screaming and wildly thrashing on a v4 that looks like a piece of shit anyway. Even though no one saw, I felt kind of dirty after those.
After, I went back to the Dig Dug boulder, and gave the last three problems on that face a try: Tree Left, v4, Tree Right, v3, and A Long Road Home, a v7. I did the first two in a couple of tries, and Tree Left, with its high crux, was particularly exciting. The v7 I managed on my first try, which was cool. I had been on all the problems on the face, and had the chance to carefully look over what I was about to do beforehand, so I wouldn't assign any kind of climbing lingo to it. But it's really nice to do something quickly.
After that, I decided that Cowell would be the place to go, and Mom wanted to come along, so we packed the Honda, and headed south. After a couple of wrong turns, we made it to Fountain Red, where I wanted to try Le Beak, v4, and Center Splooge, v10. So I got on Le Beak, and tried, and managed to onsight that, and it's such a great problem (maybe the most beautiful v4 and under problem I've ever seen). And then I went up to the other one. I had heard and read that the crimps at the top were really brutal, and that it was easy to get up to them, and very hard to go the last five feet. The problem is tall, but I brought all four pads over, and set them up so the fifteen foot drops were relatively comfortable. I had seen a video online of someone doing it with some crazy beta with high steps on the right, so I gave that a shot, and manged to do it in maybe four or five tries. I got to the top, got excited that I was pulling over the jugs, and then, once I was on the other side and walking down, I started to think. Crap, that felt like v6 or v7, not at all v10, which I'd say is pretty near my limit.
I came down, and walked around the crag a bit, and found this guy and girl that I had talked to before. I asked them about the problem, "Did I grab something I wasn't supposed to?" They were both obviously the sort of people you'd want to hang out with, and the guy was a phd student in orthopedics and kinesiology. He said, "Well, I think do whatever, and who cares about rules or whatever, but, yeah, there's some controversy over what is the proper line."
I was glad I could tell the difference between a v7 and v10, and glad that I hadn't gone home and sprayed all over the place that, "I'd done my first v10 and it was easy." So he and I went over, and, over the course of a few minutes, he careully explained what holds were on, and which were off.
I was increasingly disappointed by the whole thing. I don't know about you, but I think we should do whatever we want, and climb things how we choose. If someone finds an easier way to do something, say a v7 method rather than a v10 method, then the problem is v7. You can still tell people, "If you don't use those holds over there, then it's v10" But then it's a bullshit eliminate. And I think eliminates are bullshit (repeat). So it's a really classic v7, with the crux moves all the way at the top, and satisfying jugs to finish. Why ruin it? Why say it's a v10 when it just isn't? I mean, I don't climb this hard, but it'd be like walking up to the Mandala, and eliminating a couple of holds, and doing it, and claiming that the problem is a "sick v16". I'm all for pushing yourself, and if you want to take some holds off of a v7, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for doing something really hard, but don't claim that it's then a four star v10. Gag, Gross.
So anyway, I climbed this great thing called Center Splooge, which was a really fun v7. Then we went over to Fred's Cave, and got on My Space, v8, and was shut down pretty hard. I got to thinking, "I can't do this v8, so maybe I'll go work on the v11 over there." Which I promptly did. Fred's Roof is completely stunning. It's the rightmost line in the cave, and straight up, and has all of these huge, powerful moves to crimps the whole way up. Beautiful. I started working on it with this guy Isaac, and he was doing pretty well. We got to talking, and it turns out it was Isaac Caldiero and his girlfriend that me and mom were hanging out with at Fred's Cave (a professional climber, and strong fellow). It's always nice to meet someone you've heard of doing hard things. Turns out he's friendly, soft-spoken, and unassuming. And fun to climb with. The guy is just a beta machine. I think I can sometimes see beta from looking at rock, but this was something else. We climbed and chatted for a while, and then, when I was not making any progress whatsover, and felt vaugely undead, I decided it was time to go home, and we wished them well.
I guess I did what I went to do, Le Beak and Center Splooge (A V7!).
The book I started last night is great. I can't wait to tell yopu about it. Happy Sean's Birthday week.