[TR] First Timer @ Eugene Columns - Easy Double Crack 7/19/2007

[rmncwrtr]

Trip: First Timer @ Eugene Columns - Easy Double Crack

 

Date: 7/19/2007

 

Trip Report:

This trip report is for newbies. I couldn't figure out how to post a TR in the Newbie forum so if a moderator would like to move it, please feel free.

 

After gym climbing and doing traverses at Rocky Butte, I thought it was time for this newbie to see what it was like to climb outside. Muffy offered to take me to the Columns in Eugene where she learned to climb.

 

I drove down to Muffy's place where she asked to see my gear. The only things on my harness were two belay cards from the gyms where I climb so she patiently showed me what all the other stuff in my pack was for and how to use it. We piled into the Muffster cruise-mobile and headed to the Columns. It looked like rain, but soon the gray clouds disappeared and we had blue skies overhead.

 

First step: learning to set an anchor. This was by far the scariest thing of the entire outing because I'm afraid of heights. Even though I was locked in with my personal anchor system, I kept trying to scoot back as far as I could. Still I learned how to set an anchor, then got a lesson on how to rappel, but decided to walk down instead. No sense pushing it too much the first time out

 

Second step: learning how to climb cracks. Outside climbing is nothing like gym climbing. I'd figured that out doing the traverses at Rocky Butte, but this was even more different. The little toe down footing felt counter-intuitive and simply wrong to me. The handholds also felt weird. Watching Muffy do it helped, but it still felt unnatural.

 

Third step: learning how to belay. I'd only used a gri-gri during gym climbing so Muffy taught me how to use the ATC-guide I'd won at the PMR Telluride Film Fest months ago.

 

Fourth step: fall and fall again. I managed to get partway up the crack, but kept getting stuck where you move your right foot from the right crack and only use the left crack. Each time I got stuck at the same place, would struggle, fall, try again, fall some more and ask to come down.

 

 

Muffy climbed once more, talking me through her steps so I could see how to do it.

 

 

While I got ready to try again, Muffy chatted with one of the two climbers on the column next to us, offering her wisdom to his eager young ears.

 

 

As I headed up once more, Muffy told me that she wasn't going to let me down until I made it to the top. I thought she was kidding so I climbed on. I reached the spot where I always fell before and struggled. No way was I going to make it past this, but Muffy wouldn't let me come down this time. She said she knew I could do it so just take my time. All I knew was that I would keep falling, but I kept trying and finally made it past that point. Of course, it just kept getting harder after that, but Muffy helped me and I kept going up.

 

I stopped to catch my breath after I'd gotten past the crack and before the final push to the top. The sun was beating down. All I wanted to do was take off my shirt, but I wasn't sure of climbing etiquette and whether you could yell, "shirt" the way you do "rope" when you toss it down so I left it on. I reached the top and all I could think about was the bell you ring when you reach the top of the easy routes at Firstenburg Center. I tapped the anchor and said, "ding," reaffirming the validity of Pavlov's theory in 2007.

 

By the time I reached the bottom, our ropegun, Badvodoo, had arrived. While he set up a toprope on the fat crack route, Muffy showed me how to lead-belay.

 

 

Muffy cleaned the route, and then it was my turn to try the fat crack. I didn't make it to the top, but Badvodoo worked with me on a whole lot of things I needed to learn.

 

 

When we'd all had enough climbing, it was off to dinner at the East 19th Street Cafe. I hit the road for the long drive home and rolled in after midnight with bruises on my legs, goobies on my hands and a big smile on my face. I can't wait to climb again!

 

Gear Notes:

1) Patient belayer who made newbie dig deeper and reach higher than she thought possible

2) Ropegun with full rack

 

Approach Notes:

Muffster's Cruiser

[skyclimb]

Good to see some great company enjoying some great cracks!

Cheers to all three of you.

[Cobra_Commander]

Excellent. This site needs more of this!

[olyclimber]

SOLID!

[sk]

Good to see some great company enjoying some great cracks!

Cheers to all three of you.

 

awww brings back memories huh??

 

xoxoxoxo

 

it was a great time climbing with fun people.

[G-spotter]

 

more climbin TRs should have pics of hawt girls in sport tops!

[PickleJuice]

Great report! Sounds like you had a blast, and thanks for helping start my day out right: smiling and laughing all the way through the read...loved the bell/Pavlov reference. Nice job!

[sk]

 

more climbin TRs should have pics of hawt girls in sport tops!

 

more cute boys should climb with hot chicks and take more pictures

 

I'm just saying

[kevbone]

What a great outing! Thanks so much for sharing. Great pics!

[Otto]

Really fun TR, way to go!

[billcoe]

Great read! Thanks for sharing - brings back memories of the columns and just hanging out with friends.

[Stefan]

awesome to see some newbie stuff! thanks for sharing!

[TrogdortheBurninator]

:tup:

[ken4ord]

Congrats on your first outing, good stuff!!!!

 

As for shirt taking off etiquette, you can be rest assured no one will mind a shirt coming off.

[rmncwrtr]

Thanks all. It was so much fun and the company was the best! I'm climbing at Exit 38 tomorrow and hope it goes as well.

 

Thanks for the shirt etiquette, Ken, and you're right. I ended up taking off my shirt when I got back down and no one seemed to mind that I only had on a sports bra Must add sport tanks to my need-to-buy list!

[111]

(Dont mean to rag on you) but I am always surprised to hear how many climbers are afraid of heights. I know several who keep coming back to it after swearing off climbing in the middle of each previous outing. Funny phenomenon.

[sk]

i think often people confuse fear with respect. my adrenalin is always pumping when i get up past a certin point, but it also sharpens my senses and make me feel totaly alive. i used to associate that feeling with fear, but now i associate it with being thrilled and hyper aware of what i am doing.

 

perhaps much of what people fear is a matter of percpective.

[rmncwrtr]

Well, 111, not sure what to say except I am afraid of heights which kept me from reaching the top of a wall at Club Sport and rappelling at the Columns. I've been hoping learning to climb would help with the fear of heights. Thursday I was at Exit 38 and had a couple of "uh-oh" moments when I looked down and had to grab hold of anything I could get my fingers on. The scariest part was actually climbing over this log to get to the belay spot since it was a log way down. But this time the height thing didn't keep me from learning how to rappel. Did a multipitch rappel, too.

[high_on_rock]

It took me about 4 years to get my brother to be able to top on on 80ft pitches due to his extreme fear. He had an imaginary line at about 45 feet that he could not cross. Year 5 I got him up 1500 on Solar Slab in Vegas. It is just a matter of continuing to push th limit, without really crossing it. Try to never climb to the point of fear, but alwasy push the comfort zone.

[111]

my fiancee gave up climbing for 4 years after I tried teaching her rapping at columns, so you arent alone in that.

 

And yea, I agree that that adrenaline shot can certainly be confused as fear.

 

rmncwrtr: try to focus on your "8 foot bubble" while climbing. nothing else aside from the rock exists outside of that bubble while you are climbing.

[rmncwrtr]

I like the "8 foot bubble", 111 I'll try that at Smith next week. Thanks!