Some of these days I actually find the time to write a blog post, not for a general lack of time but rather related to the fact that I chose to spend my free time in a different manner, that is either climbing or hiking in my new home, the Frankenjura region of Germany. This night brought generally miserable sleep and a cold, so instead of being in school teaching I´m sitting at my desk, drinking coffee, pondering chicken noodle soup and busying myself about school I have some time on my hands.
Go back in time a little more than a week. A friend of mine was planning to celebrate his birthday and since he´s a good friend, I decided to make the drive, despite being not psyched to drive at all. I had something on my mind besides just attending a birthday party, something that I had invested some time into during the summer.
Go back in time a notch further. This spring, my landlady died of cancer after battleing it for a long time, died at an age where death is unfathomable and even more tragic than it usually is. Around that time, I showed a line that to a friend that had broken and hence deemed not climbable anymore by me. Considering that Tom climbs 8A/V12 on a regular basis, things would maybe look different from his point of view. Tom climbed the line, pulling the small holds and making the desperately long reach after a couple of tries the exact number I have forgotten, stepping into the upper wall section and making the FA of the problem since the breakage. In memoriam of my landlady, who was one of the most modest and honest people I´ve known, we renamed the problem to Honesty in Death.
Honesty in Death originally is a Paradise Lost song. The song came out this spring and would soon become my song, actually became my song of the year 2012, since it helped me and sort of emotionally channeled me in a year that was - retrospecting from this morning´s point of view - to be a year of death, redefinition and preservation of core values I have chosen to hold on to and will more aggressively hold on to in the future.
I tried the line for about three days in summer, coming close on my third day but ripping a huge hole in my finger. Since the line´s holds are really sharp and aggressive, particularly the starting crimper and the left hand pocket you stab to, I also didn´t have a lot of goes each sesssion. Frankly speaking, I also was overpacing things. I really wanted it. I gave it too many attempts in too short a time, always splitting my right hand tip in the end. Then I moved. Did a lot of bouldering in the Frankenjura, sent some hard stuff, found out how to improve after close to 12 years of climbing and vowed to return.
I hiked up two pads. Gave it too many goes in too short a time. Saw myself walking home without the problem again. Had a Rockstar energy. Chalked up, pulled on - had it but slipped, this time without ripping my finger. Chalked up again, hit the pocket exactly right and climbed it. Done. In amidst the anguish, my only prayers are to myself...
To me, Honesty in Death is the epitome of bouldering and one of the best lines, if not the best line, in the area. It would be classic in every area I´ve visited so far - and I´ve seen some. The line starts with both hands matched on a crimper, busts out a hard move to an intermediate glassy crimp which allows to gather what core strength there is and then stabs for a good three finger pocket. After that, you have to hold the swing and then negotiate the best BRCM topout. To glory. To relief. To whatever.
It´s a proud line, it was demanding for me in particular because of its crimpy nature and a psychological process as well. I´ll return for pics. It won´t matter much but I just want some.
Tom has climbed it about 40 times for training purposes. Some of Tom´s friends from Innsbruck have done it and all put it at the grade now known. I don´t know if I did the 5th, the 7t or maybe the 4th ascent. I don´t care. I wanted to climb it and did it.
There are a few lines up there I really want to do. The BRCM were my playground from 2007-2011 and a part of me lives and stays up there. I´ll return.
Peace!
