The boulder

The name is misleading as it is not really a boulder. It is a mini cliff or crag. It's not very high, 20 feet at best. But the height is also misleading. You'd think something that short would be easy to climb. True enough if you didn't look for hard ways to get to the top. There are several of those and one that may never be done. There are two strands or climbing rope attached to a piton that is driven into a crack that is backed up by 2 bolts above it. The ropes are tied in with follow-through figure 8 knots. If you know about figure 8 knots, you know the more pressure put on them the tighter they get. If you don't - now you do. A little light hearted humor for you all. It is very secure. Secure enough for me to have complete faith in this anchor/rope system. It took time to get it to the secure point it is now, but well worth the effort. The rope anchor system has several variations to climb. A variation is just another way up a particular climbing line or route. If you count the variations that I currently call "in," there are 6 of them. if you count all variations that could be climbed from the rope, then there are any miber of combinations as any hold could be used to climb. That is all, nothing, or any combination of them. That could potentially alot. But as far as it is concerned currently there are 6 lines that I call. There was these 6, but until recently there were only 5. I added one variation recntly. These 6 variations make up one session. That is that when I go there I climb all 6 of them, then can call it a day. When I am tired or pressed for time then I just climb the 6 of them. That is they are climbing in almost back to back sequence until completed like doing laps on a track. That is what I did today - all 6 of them. It wasn;t hard, but I had to lift weights after and wanted to save energy for that. A week ago Monday I did 20 laps. I did the 1st variation 10 times thendid the 2nd variation 10 ten times. That was enough. When I do 20 or more laps I don't have to lift weights (on a scheduled lifting day). Last was a hard training week. I did no less than 10 laps until Friday.The first lap today was the toughest. It usually is. It has a "no hand," start to it and no hands can be used until I reach the crossroads (or middle), hold. The problem is that if I miss my grip on on the hold when I jump up by as little as 2 inches then I slip and my hands "pop," off. it takes total concentration and focus. Today was like that a slip and pop on the first try. The second I jumped up for the hold I knew right off I was goping to miss my mark. Sure enough - off I went. On the second attempt I corrected by error and got my hand in exactly the right position and i stayed on. That is called "sticking it." Just like you think sticking to it much like how super glue sticks to your hands. if someone out c;limbing dsays "Stick it." They are speaking words of encouragement not what it could mean if said in some other slang vernacular. The middle part or in this case the first hold is mcuh easier. Move your feet up, put hands on the same hold (that is called matching), and throw (much like throwing your hand or hands up in the air) for the shelf. The shelf is a big (called a jug or bucket), but in this case more of a sloper (an angled hold that you use much of your hand and it not a very good hold). I am used to this hold as I have climbed on it many many times. Then get your feet up and out to the arete (the corner of the rock), and reach for the top hold. then you are at the anchor point. This is where the rope is tied into either webbing, a sling, or rope on something like a tree or bolts drilled into the rock. in this case the rope is tied into a piton with the use of a carbiner. A carabiner is a hook designed for climbing and is very strong. They can holds loads of 5000 pounds or more. They al lopen and close on a spring device. Some of them have a locking piece and are caleld lockers. Some locking carabiners have screw locking devices and some have auto-locking devices. The auto-locking ones are harder to handle when you get more adept at climbing, but are safer as they lock without additional input from anyone. I don't like auto-locking biners (short for carabiners) at all. if they close automatically when I want them open then it just adds frustration to the day and that is not something I want when there is some much at stake. There is a quick draw in the anchor. This is 2 opposing non-locking carabiners atteched with a short piece of webbing. I use this as support when I get to the anchor so I can change over. By change over I mean changing from the Shunt (a clamp designed for holding rope) to the belay/rappell device. A belay is when you hold the rope with the device for another climber. A rappell is when you descend the rope yourself. A belay is done when the climber ascends and descends or is just hanging (not on the rock). Shunt is the actual name the device that is clamped onto the rope. It's design is such that it allows free (there is still some rope drag - but it it minimal) rope flow climbing and holds when weighted. After changing over I descend and begin the next variation of the session. I do this until all 6 variations are completed without fall. Last year I did only 2 variations and then called it day. At one time I would spend 6 to 8 hours climbing and do only 4 or 5 lines. I would do 20 laps at Coos Canyon last summe than when done I would have to rest the erst of the day. Not anymore. The times they are a changin'.