![\"Dave](\"https:\/\/danceonedge.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Granite-Mountain_climbing_Dave-Black.jpg\")
<\/a>Dave in his usual (Pre Anna) form.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like we\u2019re going to fall in love tonight, so we might as well go climbing,\u201d I remarked to my friend Dave Black, as the party we were attending in Flagstaff started to dwindle.<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds good. I\u2019ve got some food in my truck, and the climbing gear is always loaded,\u201d he replied, as we climbed into his old Dodge four-wheeler.<\/p>\n
We arrived at the Granite Mountain trailhead about three in the morning and quickly fell asleep in the parking lot.<\/p>\n
The summer sun was warm, and we awoke groggily at about eight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s for breakfast?\u201d I asked, as I crawled out of my sweaty down bag.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese sardines ain\u2019t bad, and we still have a few beers left,\u201d Dave replied, then quickly guzzled a warm Budweiser.<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess I\u2019ll try some sardines, if that\u2019s all we have. Which route do you want to do?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWanna try C. W. Hicks again? We almost got it last time, and I\u2019ve been thinking about it ever since,\u201d Dave replied. \u201cI have a new technique that I\u2019d like to try, so I\u2019ll lead the crux pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then he chugged another beer. \u201cAhh! That tasted great! Lets go.\u201d<\/p>\n
We quickly loaded the rack and rope into our rucksacks and ran up the trail to the crag.<\/p>\n
The first pitch felt quite easy, and I scrambled quickly to the top and set up a belay.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour turn Dave! Give it your best shot.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/a>John on CW Hicks ?<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
This was our third attempt at the crux pitch, and Dave was very eager to get to the top. He scrambled quickly up the 5.9 dihedral formation that we had more-or-less memorized and placed a couple of bomber stoppers along the way.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is where we fell off last time, so watch me close,\u201d he reminded me, as he inched his way up the 5.11 moves. \u201cI did this in my dream last night, and it felt easy,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Then his right leg started to shake like a sewing machine. \u201cDamn it! I hate it when that happens. Watch me!\u201d<\/p>\n
He struggled to gain his balance and lunged for a tiny finger hold at the end of his reach. \u201cFalling!\u201d<\/p>\n
The protection held, and my belay caught him after about a ten-foot fall. \u201cI think that I got about an inch higher than I did last time,\u201d he remarked with a chuckle, as he tried to regain his strength. \u201cThe trick is to balance on that one little foothold, but I couldn\u2019t seem to do it. Let me try again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLooking good, Dave,\u201d I yelled, as he scrambled back up to the point of his last fall. \u201cYou\u2019ll get it this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t get my damn leg to relax, and my arms are getting pumped,\u201d he said, while clinging to the steep cliff. He took another desperate lunge, this time managing to grasp the tiny hold that he had missed on the last attempt.<\/p>\n
\u201cTry to work one of your feet up to that next hold!\u201d I encouraged, as I got ready to catch another fall.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m trying, but my arms are pumped!\u201d he yelled, as he attempted another lunge. \u201cWatch me! I\u2019m falling.\u201d<\/p>\n
He had managed to gain another two feet of altitude, so he fell about four feet farther, but the protection held again. \u201cDamn it! I really want to get up this route,\u201d he said, as I lowered him back to the ledge while he examined the wound on his left knee.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour turn!\u201d he laughed.<\/p>\n
I quickly scrambled up to the stopper that was now welded into a small crack in the granite face.<\/p>\n
\u201cNice pro Dave! This piece looks bomber.\u201d<\/p>\n
My pace slowed to a crawl. There was another very small foothold close to the awkward one, and the combination allowed me to gain the small finger hold without a lunge. It was a very strenuous move, but I managed to find a larger foothold and tried to place another piece of protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cWatch me! I\u2019m barely hanging in here!\u201d I told Dave, as I struggled desperately to place the stopper.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease don\u2019t fall now,\u201d Dave replied. \u201cI don\u2019t want to make you nervous, but you are about ten feet above that last piece, and you\u2019ll probably hit this ledge if you fall. There is a better foothold about six inches to the right of your left foot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The new foothold created a much more balanced stance, and I managed to place another bomber anchor.<\/p>\n
\u201cThanks Dave. That really helped. But my arms are fried. I need some tension.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTension my ass! This is supposed to be a free climb. Summit or plummet,\u201d he replied with a hardy laugh. \u201cI\u2019m ready for another try.\u201d<\/p>\n
I wasn\u2019t ready to give up yet, so I tried to rest, holding still in my awkward stance.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt looks like there are only a couple more hard moves,\u201d I told Dave after I\u2019d regained some strength. \u201cBut my arms are pumped. Watch me! This is really thin.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next move required balancing most of my weight on a small foothold while I tried to extend upward to a reasonable hold in the thin crack. The hold was almost in reach, but I was a little too anxious to grasp it. The lunge upset my balance, but the stopper held, and the fall was only about four feet.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it my turn yet?\u201d Dave asked anxiously.<\/p>\n
\u201cOK,\u201d I answered, somewhat reluctantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure glad I brought these beers along,\u201d Dave said, as he chugged another Budweiser. \u201cAhh! That tasted great! I\u2019m ready to flash this now.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, we were standing on top of the crux pitch. \u201cNice lead Dave. We finally did it. Foss is having a big \u201cReggae\u201d party on Fountaine Street tonight with lots of wild woman. Lets go celebrate.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Dave on King Pin Old school 5.10<\/p><\/div>\n
\u201dMost of the fun things are dangerous and alcohol is definitely one of them, but Dave has reformed his evil ways and is happily married to a beautiful Peruvian woman.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf you aren\u2019t living on the edge, you\u2019re taking up too much space.\u201d \u2014 Extreme sports quote from the 1980s \u201cIt doesn\u2019t look like we\u2019re going to fall in love tonight, so we might as well go climbing,\u201d I … Continue reading