Chapter 3*2: The Chrises
Three. What an odd number. As we rack up to do the Trifecta, Chris asks me to hand him an extra sling, so as to have an even amount of them. But as I looked to my left, I saw our third member who we picked up in the parking lot. If odd numbers aren’t lucky, we’re screwed! Then again, maybe it’s like how two negatives make a positive. We are about to climb 3 multipitch routes in a day: The Daddy, The Mummy, and the Prow. Whatever, I’m not one for superstitions. Mathdog!
I think I’m getting ahead of myself. Let me backtrack, as I’ve had to do for the last couple blog posts.
We are now in present time. Well… By the time you’ll have read this, it’ll be the past for you. Nevermind the semantics, time is not linear on this blog. In my first blog post, I discussed Linville Gorge. I mentioned the Carolina climbers that I was supposed to meet with, that I also saw again at the Red River Gorge. There’s Chris Adams from North Carolina and Chris Hall from South Carolina. The Carolinian Chrises!
Chris Adams always shows up physically prepared, ready to haul some logs to start up a bonfire, smoke up some butts and smoke up some cigs, as he casually outpaces any of the younger climbers hiking along with him. Smokey! And yes, if you remember from my first post, Wally said that the Linville approach is a bear of a hike. Quite fitting, for a buddy Smokey.
Chris Hall always shows up mentally prepared, having researched as much as possible about the target crag. When the Chrises came to Georgia and Tennessee to visit, I was meant to be the guide. But I ended up learning more from Chris than he learned from me. He makes it his business to know what he’s getting himself into. Chall!
The presence of these two very different Chrises induces a duality, not unlike that of Wally and me. Still, I will never forget how equally kind they were to me, from the moment I met them at Table Rock parking lot. Offering me food and water so that I could potentially stay another night, after the original Linville adventure. Or maybe, when I was freezing cold in Wally’s summer tent because it was 17 degrees (Fahrenheit, for my international Renegades) at the Red River Gorge… I remember they each offered for me to sleep in their cars. I gladly accepted. Chall told me to bring earplugs because Smokey snores. I would like to keep the bear theme going, but it sounded more like a mix of a beaver clattering his teeth and an arborist cutting down a tree with his chainsaw. He was kidding about the earplugs. Either way, it beat suffering outside in the cold. And here I thought we were back in present day… I digress.
I actually make it to Table Rock with the Chrises and other members of the group this time. Good start. We run into some strangers in the parking lot, who ask for beta on Linville Gorge. I stay silent because it’s not my territory and because I don’t want to take on the responsibility of caring for someone I hardly know, especially outside my backyard. This one guy, Joe, wants to tag along on the hike. He asks if there are bolts out where we are going. I think I know where this is gonna go…
Chall ended up going to the Chimney’s, where there are some top rope routes. I’m supposed to follow Smokey and potentially get my first trad lead on a multipitch. He tells me we are supposed to have some other followers, but the plan changed so much that I don’t know who is meant to come along anymore. I just overhear him talking to Joe, telling him he can show him around but he’s kind of maxed out on followers. Joe says he doesn’t wanna be a burden, that he doesn’t have the gear for “Big Stuff” and that he can go elsewhere, so as to avoid imposing. I forget what Smokey says but whatever it was, Joe ended up tagging along.
We eventually get to talking. I ask him where he’s from and funnily enough, he’s from Ohio. Just like that couple in Linville who helped me out, Steven and Kathryn. Funny coincidence, no? I tell him that if he does manage to get on the wall somehow, it’ll change his life, like it did mine. I tell him a little bit about my experience, which you can read about in the first blog. Never did I think we’d be the ones to take him up there.
Three. What an odd number. Chris starts climbing the Daddy. I look to my left, where Joe is standing. He has a million questions. He’s really as green as they come. Not in a bad way. I mean, I was in the same boat as him, only 7 months ago when I first came to Linville. Now, when I did my first multipitch, we got the Mummy. When I topped it out, I felt like I was on top of the world. Joe got to do the Trifecta: The Mummy, the Daddy, and the Prow. All in one day!! I can’t even begin to understand how he felt. I know he said he had a little bit of vertigo, when we were on the first couple belay pitches. I tried my best to give him pointers on what to do and talk to him. I’m quiet around people I don’t usually know and I was focused on belaying but I tried my best to answer his questions. I’d occasionally give him instructions, to which he’d immediately say: “OH!! Sorry, yes I’ll do it, thank you.” He was almost overly polite. He was a little odd. Like when Chris asked him to pass up some draws before he climbed up and he said I’ll just throw them ok? And before either of us can answer he throws them. I had to tell him: No throwing, that’s not a good call on a multipitch. But Joe was just so antsy and reactive that it was hard for me to give my answer in time. I couldn’t help but laugh. He had this slightly awkward demeanor, but in a nice way. He was extremely apologetic about it, to which I never really said anything. I just thought, dude we’re friends already. And you’re not supposed to know any of this until you learn it, I don’t expect you to be sorry for something you haven’t thought about yet. I’m just there to teach. But he couldn’t but be him. And I like Joe a lot. That day, he’d always offer to help people as much as he could. He kept asking what he could do, no matter who we came across. He even offered to haul my gear out for me near the end, which I refused because I felt he had already done enough.
The three of us completed the Mummy and the Daddy. The Prow was the last on our list. It gets you back to the rack rock, where you can leave gear and extra provisions. Smokey said we were short on time, so I was probably not going to lead. At some point, we met up with the rest of Smokey’s friends and the parking lot people we met. One of Smokey’s friends, Mike, had just finished leading the Daddy. He topped out at the same time as we topped out on the Mummy. Mike asked if his brother could take my spot on Smokey’s team, so that I could lead the Prow. I felt somewhat unsure. Smokey offered to build the anchors so I would know where to go. Eventually, Mike and Smokey convinced me to lead it and I led all 3 pitches of the Prow. While it was pretty easy climbing, I definitely felt scared at certain points. I’d only led on trad 4 times prior to this. 2 of those leads were the same route, the other 2 were routes that I bailed off of. But I had practiced so much of the theory that I felt comfortable executing it, especially on this easy of a climb.
As I get to the end, I see this tricky traverse. I’m a little scared. All of a sudden, I see this orange pouch roll off the cliff. I figure there’s only 3 people up there. Smokey and Joe pop their heads out. I later find out that was Joe’s Eno hammock. I told you, Joe! No throwing. Again, I can’t help but laugh. Smokey starts telling me to come over to the left. I feared as much. I eventually find the guts to do this boulder problem as I try my best not to fall, getting across this gap in the wall. I top out, feeling a huge relief. But it ain’t over ‘til it’s over. I have so much rope drag that I ask Joe to come over and help me. Smokey joins in. It takes 3 people to haul up the rope and get Mike on belay. Eventually, Mike climbs with a bunch of slack in the rope, knowing he can get rid of the rope drag eventually and that I’ll take up more of the rope once I’m capable. As he tops out, I finally sit down and take off my shoes. I take a small break, knowing that I still have a mile of tough hiking left after all of this. My legs are shot and I’m getting dehydrated. It takes us some time to pack things up. Smokey and Joe have already left and gave us instructions to get back. After some figuring out, we find them at the rack rock. We pack up our gear and head on back, on the trail that never ends.