BUT, NOOOOOOOO!!!! Just heard via the "fambleen" grapevine that Tom got a dislocated shoulder belaying Tone at the Brickyard. Heard just a very few days ago the Tom fell about 15 feet and was saved (belayed) by Tony.
I am now about as athletic as a nightcrawler, but it is getting a bit nerve- wracking to keep hearing that someone you love is apparently getting closer and closer to a serious fall. Actually it " isn't the fall that kills you: it's the sudden stop at the end of the fall." Someone famous enough to be allowed quote marks around his sentences said that, but I don't remember who---or is it WHOM? Anyhoo, the dau of the belayer got on the horn to the sister-in-law of the belayer for aid in sorting out where to send the belayer hospital-wise and assistance in what to do next, because the belayer, (TOM) kept Tony from serious injury but dislocated his shoulder doing so. I wondered if it was the same shoulder which TOM hurt and got a fractured clavicle several years ago during a bike race accident.???
Some folks need the adrenalin and testerone, but I am really beginning to be concerned that it is starting to look like hormone-reining-in time in the ol' ranch-house. Of course, no person ever likes to hear that they should be a bit less active---I myself am wondering who I would have to shoot (This is just a metaphore and poetic license, folks!!!! I DO NOT need counseling or to be locked up)' if I could not drive without hitting the stray hog or getting lost in a one mile trip in town. This isn't exactly the same, but causes loved ones concern never-the- less.
I know others read my BLOG now and then and hope that this one is taken in the most respectful and kind way in which it is offered. Love can be soft and love can be tough, and sometimes it can be hard to sort out the various kinds, but the base and main fact is the LOVE> This has and will always be there ever since the line-up with the applause on meeting him the first time.
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I don't climb for adrenaline or testosterone, in fact I can do without those moments. I climb because it's a satisfying mix of mental, physical and emotional activity, often in an amazingly beautiful setting, which connects me in a deeper way to myself, to my partners and to the universe. To think that "climbing is dangerous" is an oversimplification of a system that ranges from very safe to very risky.
Everything we do involves risk, but it's not often that we need to make an honest assessment of that risk and weigh the rewards. People die in cars every day, but the rewards outweigh the risks for most people. Most of us continue to drive even after an accident because we consider driving essential to modern life. So we manage the risk by avoiding icy roads, keeping to safe speeds, signaling our turns, etc..
Climbing involves the same types of risk management in a recreational setting. The intuitive management of risk when driving now becomes a mandatory mechanism of playing a safe game. So here’s my analysis of our accident.
At the beginning of the day we hung ropes from the top of the climbing area and rappelled into the amphitheater. The steep part of the climb starts above a gentle icy slope that is easy to walk up with crampons, without needing a rope. A slip here would mean a low-speed slide of only a dozen feet. To set up our belay we walked up this slope and belayed at a flat spot where the steep ice begins. We took turns climbing with the protection of a top-rope, which allows very little risk of injury in the event of a fall. During our turns we practiced putting in ice screws while under the protection of the top rope.
Later we elected to pull the rope from the top anchor, and Tony climbed up unprotected to the first screw, which was reachable with our feet about 3-4 feet off the ground. He climbed a bit higher than that before clipping the rope into the protection; his feet were about at my shoulders or perhaps somewhat higher. He clipped the rope into the screw, and at that point he was “on belay.” He chose to take the rope back out of the protection, taking himself off belay, and then started to fall. He jumped back down to the flat spot, but landed with his crampon points on the coil of rope, which can damage the rope. So he tried to lighten the impact and ended up falling off of his feet and sliding down the slope below us. His slide knocked me off my feet when the rope came tight between us, and the impact dislocated my shoulder.
The critical mistake was unclipping the rope from the protection. This eliminated the benefits of a rope, which became a liability for me. To reduce this liability I could have built an anchor for myself before Tony ascended but that makes it hard to avoid falling ice, and the danger to me without the anchor wasn’t very great anyway. Fortunately we had enough backup safety (climbing within our abilities and having protection close to the ground) that the error resulted in an impact no greater than if I’d slipped while taking Perry for a walk.
The question of whether to continue climbing is an existential one. The things that give meaning to life are different for each of us, and we have to balance our personal needs with the needs of our loved ones. If we make too too much sacrifice we live an unsatisfying existence. If we make too little sacrifice we alienate your loved ones. If we’re lucky we can live a satisfying life and still maintain loving relationships. But we cannot hope to protect all of our loved ones from ever experiencing the pain of our own decisions.
I’ve never climbed in a style that puts me at great risk, and I plan to continue to climb only within my abilities. I don’t see that decision as being much different than choosing an elective surgery that can cause your loved ones pain if the known risks do occur. But I suspect our loved ones will continue to applaud us, even when they don’t applaud our every decision.
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