A wild hair part 3

Now I have taken the picture of the rock up close so it was time to take one from the trail above me. You Know up at the base of the cliff. So I walked (climb over rocks and boulders) toward the trail..... but as I neared the "Trail" I realised it wasn't at the base of the cliff, it was in fact on top of the cliff! I stopped and went through my options. A. I could try to make my way across this steep place to the trail I came (slid) down. B. Go back down to the bottom and make my way back to the trail that way. Or C. I could climb this 75 foot cliff with no ropes or a partner and shoes that have no tread left on them. So which one do you think I chose? Yep C all the way. I planed my path from where I was standing. I would get to the top on the left side of that big rock in the picture above. I was wrong! Now I have done this sort of climbing before but I was much younger and I hadn't taken a bad spill on my bike just days before. But hey I'm not that old yet ... right?. So I start up the cliff knowing that I need to make sure I don't get my self in a place that I can no longer go up, or down. This happens a lot with climbers and I was keeping that in mind as I went up. I made it oh about as high as as the second floor of a house when I realized "hey I can't make it up here" But there was this cool plant right in front of me, so I was hanging on with one hand and taking not one but three pictures of this plant. I then went almost all the way down before seeing another way up.

So I started up that way......... I got almost as far when it was clear that wasn't going to work either. So I went all the way down to the bottom of the cliff. Now I had been at this for at least 30 minutes by now and I'm still at the bottom. (I'm making good head way here!) So this time I looked a little harder and I seen what looked like a good spot, there was one part I wasn't sure of but I would know more as I got closer. Well as I got closer I realised that there was no way in hell I would get up and over that part, not without having a rope hanging down from above. (which there wasn't) So I started moving to my right a bit and I came to this one spot where I was up against this rock on my right hand side that was sticking out about 2 feet. I was about 35 or 40 feet up in the air. But as I looked around said rock I could see a way up. And this one looked really good. Not easy but do able. All I had to do was get around this damn rock. Now I know this sound wrong but it was the way it had to be done, I reached over and got a good grip with my left hand on the rock that was on my right. Then reached around the rock with my right and got a good grip with it. I had my feet on spots that seemed good so I let go with my left hand to swing around. As soon as my left hand let go so did my feet. I was hanging on in mid air by my right arm that was still hurting from my bike ordeal a few days before. Now I had also separated it about 4 years ago so that is what was giving me the real trouble. (yes I'm old) But damn it I'm not that old, just beat up some what. Anyway I'm hanging on by my sore arm for what seemed like for ever trying to get my footing are some place for my left hand to grab on to. Anything to relieve my right. It was really only 4 or 5 minutes but it sure felt like longer. I at one point reached for my phone, I have GPS location when I dial 911. So if I needed it they would be able to find me.... I was wrong again. I had no signal... DUH, I was in a canyon. I did get my footing and made it around this effing rock. I then started making good time up the rest of the cliff. I was just a few feet from the top when I hit one more obstacle. I had to just move about ten feet to the left and grab some brush and hoist myself up and over the top and I was there. I had mastered the cliff. I really felt good about making it up to the top. (the alternative kind of sucked ya know) But I got there and I looked down and snapped the picture below.

Then I snapped this picture of the rock in the river just as planed. It s at full zoom 12x baby so now you know how far it was! And now you know why I will never stop at a planters nut factory!

I snapped a few shots of the mountains that I will post on "Ken's blog" in a day or so, that turned out rather nice.

But here is the kicker! As T urned to walk back to my bike I looked down and not more than 15 feet from the bottom of the cliff there was a trail that ran straight back to the trail I used to come down the damn thing. And as I looked down this trial I seen the one I had gone down was only 200 yards from where I was standing! (Its okay I have laughed over this many times and am laughing now!) Anyway, The next time I get a wild hair, I'm pulling down my pants and cutting that sucker off right then and there!

D/S