So today at about 7:00am, I woke just enough to take a glance at David before realizing that my world was spinning and then it was lights out again. My allergies have been just drowning me in a world of misery yet not a moment has happened where I let it get to me. But after discussing with David last night, we agreed that it was best for me to restore my energy and rest for a long night and weekend ahead.
At about 11:00am, I finally did wake up fully and was stoked when I realized that my sinuses were feeling WAY better aside from the headache I had. So I got up, threw my laundry in, made some breakfast, and immediately following breakfast began on a mission to clean the kitchen for my brothers of the house. I'm so thankful that they've taken me in and David has been an amazing host for me so it was the least I could do for them.
After I finished cleaning, I realized I had a few hours before David made it home. I decided that it was way too beautiful outside to stay in so I made a trek down the hill to the town of Port Angeles. The walk was beyond beautiful and the sun was keeping me warm the whole time. I couldn't take my eyes off of the Puget Sound or the sight of Canada which was directly across from where I'm at. It really began to dawn on me that this journey to Washington was going to become the most amazing journey of my life between the spiritual growth with Jesus Christ and the adventures I would embark on with David and the crew all over the northwest.
After my walk around the town, I made my way back to the house knowing that David would be arriving home soon and we were set to take off to Elwah Rock Wall. I was too stoked to think about the fact that I was about to go rock climbing for the first time in over 8 years. Yet nothing could have prepared me mentally for the awesomeness of the adventure out to the rock wall. Casey, described in an earlier post as a crazy driver gave us round two as we hopped into his rodeo and sped off to the rock wall. I think I was tripping after lacking sleep for 24 hours the other night because Casey was actually a really good driver. Either way it didn't matter.
Upon pulling into the park where Elwah rock wall is, I was sitting there motionless, stunned, my jaw hitting the floor, because the view before my eyes was absolutely beautiful. The one way winding road that took us there lacked guard rails which made the 300ft drop into the gorge below even more of a thrill. The walls of the gorge were blanketed with trees that were so green it felt like I was in a rainforest. The 400 yard hike to the rock wall was on a very narrow path we walked after we crossed over a dam that was spilling water into the gorge below sounding like a freight train below us. The whole view was just stunning.
My arrival at the rock wall had me in complete disbelief. It ran up for easily a hundred feet and for a second I was thinking we were going to be trying to scale the whole wall. I was then enlightened to the fact that our ascent would not even come close to the top but quite a ways up. Stoked, the whole idea of climbing this wall was very surreal to the point I was actually feeling the butterflies. I felt like a little kid going surfing for the first time. David led our group and honestly made the climb look WAY too easy. When it was my turn, I couldn't wait, I almost threw my $700 phone at Casey to take pictures. The actual ascent was much harder than I anticipated and nothing could have prepared me for what I was about to feel.
In surfing, there's a feeling every single surfer knows, it's the feeling of drowning, where you feel as if you're not going to make it to the top. Then, like magic, or a blessing from God, you find yourself at the surface, gasping for air, thanking the Lord for saving your life. In rock climbing, being that it was the first time I had ever scaled a rock wall of this proportion, I was extremely petrified of falling. I didn't trust the rope, didn't turst the saddle, and ultimately didn't trust the idea that I would be ok. So as I began my ascent, I told myself, "absolutely no falling". I made it up the first 15 feet no problem. Then, I hit a wall, struggling to find a grip, I could feel my blood running hot through my head. I began to further myself up the wall before realizing that I was shaking from the pure fear and adrenaline overcoming my body. And that was it, I fell. My heart jumped into my mouth, my hands grabbed for anything, everything, only wishing I hadn't let go in the first place. Then relief flooded over me as I dangled 20 feet off the side of the wall realizing that I was indeed ok. Then came the absolute rush of stoke. I knew, just like my first wave in surfing, I was overcome by the love for this amazing feeling of thrill. I continued to climb a few more feet and getting rooted on by the guys before calling it a day. I had a blast and can't wait to do it again tomorrow. I've got the rope burn, scrapes on my arms, and the stiffness in my neck but none of that will keep me from trying to complete the ascent I began today. STOKED! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment