Chapter Thirteen: Prime Time!
4h00. I wake up in my bunk bed at the Crashpad. I think of how I have to wait until 7 am to grab breakfast at Niedlovs. So I try to keep myself busy and begin writing this blog. I think of how similar (and yet how dissimilar) it is to the time(s) I waited for breakfast at the Red, waiting on Miguel’s to open.
And before I dive into a comparison of these two places, which are both near and dear to my heart, I guess I should probably introduce The Crashpad to this blog, like I did with Miguel’s pizza, in my second blog post. I should also mention that these two places are incomparable, though I do have a preference, and it is a point of contention in the CTR (Generally, that means that just involves a back-and-forth between Wally and me).
As I’m here at the Crashpad this March 13th 2021, I think of the very first time I ever stayed here, exactly 1 year and a month ago. I think of the first time I caved with Elliot, and the first time I ever met Joceline, otherwise known as “another CRT member (name not know)”.
Joceline on the Far Right
Wally had met Elliot before on one of his previous stays at the Crashpad. As you know, Bomber T has never met a stranger. On some previous trip to T Wall(y), someone called out his name. I talked to Elliot for a little bit about some random stuff at T Wall. Wally invited me up to cave and I have no clue how he convinced me to join. Caving had been brought up before when I was a part of the UGA climbing wall and I’d always refused to go because in my mind… I DON’T HAVE A DEATH WISH. God dammit Wally. I mean if I go and get bit by a bat, is it like Spiderman getting bit by a spider? Am I gonna turn into a billionaire with cool weapons? At least that way I would be able to afford the rabies shot at the hospital.
Yes, I know I’m quite a pessimist. And while I didn’t have that exact line of thinking, you get the gist. I’ve never even had the desire to enter a cave. More so fear of going into the dark and unknown. But Elliot was there with his Dad, who’d caved for as long as my Dad has been a pilot. And I know to trust my Dad’s experience, even if it’s in a field like aviation. At the age of 8, I was comforting people of all ages whenever we went on a flight, as there are many who are scared of flying. Even though I was unable to comprehend the initial drive that got Elliot’s dad to cave for all these years, I understood the power of experience and expertise. And little did I know that Elliot was just as accomplished. For someone who enjoys closed spaces and tight squeezes, I think that what he enjoys about Wally, my main squeeze (lol) and me, is that we are quite open and straightforward. There’s no need for politics nor games. We all just tell it how it is.
And I’m learning the importance of this quality, especially when you try to teach someone. There’s a tendency for people to tend to bullshit themselves, when it comes to dealing with the unknown. How do you let that fear consume you? Do you allow it to eat away at others too? I remember talking to Steven about the CTR’s mission, to take gym climbers outdoors. He’d tell me that more often than not, someone would say that they are interested in climbing, only for him to hike 3 miles and get to the crag and have to rope gun and get turned down, when the climber eventually decides not to climb. I mean what is the point of even calling yourself a climber, if you don’t climb? Except maybe Wally-bud who just plays a climber on T.V. I digress.
It’s all a question of trust. We go into these inherently dangerous situations for the sake of sport. So if something goes down, do you trust your partners? It’s hard to know how someone will act, especially when the going gets tough. I once remember reading something about Harakiri (Japanese suicide by self-embowelment). It was said that the only way to show your guts, when it came time to accept your wrongdoing, is to literally cut your abdomen open. But that’s why I wear my heart on my sleeve instead. Harakiri sounds too painful.
So anyway, I guess we trusted each other. I’m certainly glad Elliot took us into the cave that day, as he always has caving requests from people all over the world. Yet, I was invited. It took some time for me to realize that. And in the same way that Wally saved me from the gym, Elliot saved Wally from the flash flood of gumbies that attack our crags today. This is the first article I’ve written since the COVID-19 new year, we are now past the one-year mark of this pandemic. And the crags are busier than ever before! So it’s nice to do something that most people don’t get to do, and to diversify my outdoors portfolio.
Before getting to the Drop In
Now, for the actual caving story. We were right next to the highway, somewhere near the confluence of the TAG (Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia). We went to a culvert and at first I thought.. This isn’t the cave is it?
This is a cave, innit?
It was a very relaxed introduction to drop-in caves. The only time I ever felt I had to work to make progress, was when I used the progress capture device to ascend back up the rope. It was my first time ever using one of those systems, as Elliot quickly went through the instructions with me before he rapidly ascended the rope and exited the cave.
Right before this happened, Elliot’s dad showed up without Wally. He said he thought Wally was with us, only for Elliot to respond with the same sentiment. Somehow Wally had gotten lost in the cave. The cave that only had one way out.
Elliot’s dad returns for Wally, and I watch Elliot jumar out of the cave. As I rig myself in, I wait a little bit for Wally and Elliot’s dad. I ask if my system looks alright. One might think that I was waiting on my good bud Wally-bud. But while I wasn’t a natural caver to begin with, I naturally got this: There’s no team in caving. You fall behind you get left behind Lol.
Definitely a Cave
In all seriousness, I waited on the two, making sure it was alright to ascend and that I was alright to ascend. As in, is my system going to kill me? Elliot’s dad mentions some adjustments for comfort but I respond that I’m only concerned with the safety portion of my setup. I wasn’t entirely sure whether I’d memorized all of the instructions, but it seemed like I was ok to go. So I ascended up the rope. The first time returning to the surface, I felt relieved. I don’t think I had any doubt during the entire trip that I would resurface. In fact, I cleared my mind of all my doubts when I was down there. It wasn’t until I was back up that I realized my fears of the unknown were slowly being lifted. I had done the damn thing.
Chapter 14: Trailblazer
I always prefer to have someone else write for me because when I do write (and the same applies for when I talk), I tend to drone on and on and on. The movie never ends. Before I let Joceline have the floor, I wanted to quickly (because I’m very quick when I write/talk!) give my first impressions of her. As I was sitting listening to Wally go on endlessly about how caving was awesome and he had always been told to never go in a cave because his county has the most… whatever he always says about White county and caves. Sometimes I forget that the name “Bomber T” isn’t derived from the endless barrage of words that come out of his mouth. Sorry, back to Joceline. I remember looking around in the lobby of the Crashpad, interested by my new surroundings and trying to get a feel for the place. Meanwhile, Joceline was sitting with us with a notebook, writing intently while occasionally breaking her gaze to look up and listen to what Wally was saying, quietly observing this homeless looking dude as he raved about caves. I didn’t say very much so she wondered what everyone who ever sees Wally and I wonders… What an odd duo. And if it’s ever mentioned, we correct them. Trio. Chossy Trio Renegades. 4 Life. No but all jokes aside, odd couple, innit?
I later told Joceline that I had a hard time getting a read on her. I thought maybe she was an artist (only missing the beret) focusing intently on her artwork. Or perhaps an architect. It’s harder to get a gauge on age with women in general. But I definitely thought she had a mature vibe to her that was hard to understand. I only recently mentioned my first impression to her and she got a good kick out of it. But never mind what I thought! I leave it to Joceline to explain, what she was doing that day and why she felt she could trust the odd couple to climb ropes (What were you thinking, Joceline? Lol!)