Page 67 of Hooked
“Yeah, you sound like you’re totally fine. Sure.” She started walking. “Just let me know if I need to kill someone.”
“See? This is the reason you’re my best friend.”
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Chapter Fifteen
Jeremy watchedfrom the base of the rock as Cary hooked another nut in the seam of cracked granite. The soft metal square stuck in the rock as Cary tugged on it. He clipped an extender into the metal loop and hooked the rope into the carabiner.
“There’s a bolt up here,” he called down, “but it’s old.”
Jeremy quickly made a notation in his climbing journal, keeping one hand on the belay rope. “Got it.”
Cary worked his way up the granite face. He was almost to the crux of the climb, a sheer, crumbly stretch of granite with very few holds. It was a good section to practice on, however. The rock wasn’t that high, but it was more challenging than what they’d done in the past.
“I’m glad we came up to check this out,” Cary yelled. “A lot of information on that website is old.”
“There’s been a lot of snow the past few seasons.”
“Yeah.”
Snow and ice led to widening cracks and rusted bolts. Rusted bolts could be deceiving. Jeremy glanced over his shoulder to see Ox arranging a rough camp stove with rocks and a folding metal grate Cary had brought. Tayla and Emmie were off near the creek, taking pictures of Tayla doing yoga.
“You with me down there?”
“Yeah.” Jeremy looked back up at Cary. “I’m here.”
“This stretch is deceiving. Lotta holds.”
“Crimps?”
“Mostly, but they’re decent.”
Jeremy made another note in his journal and watched Cary as he set the last two anchors before he reached the top. “Nice, man.”
Cary disappeared past the edge of the rock only to reappear a few moments later. “Safe! Nice permanent anchors up here.”
Jeremy kept the rope in his hands as Cary began to pull it up to set the belay for Jeremy to climb.
“Ready?”
“On belay?” He tugged on his harness and checked the knot for the third time.
“On belay. Climb when ready.”
“Climbing.” Jeremy turned his face to the cool granite, dusted his hands with chalk, and began to climb. Everything but the rock fell out of focus. There was only the mountain, the rope, his body pressed against the rock. His lead’s occasional direction as he pointed out anchors.
The stretch of every muscle came into sharp focus. The complete and utter awareness of the mountain, the rock, and his body. Balance and focus.
Reach, grip.
Shift, unclip. Clip.
Reach. Shift.
Hold by hold, Jeremy lifted himself off the ground and up the face of the rock, removing the anchors as methodically as Cary had placed them.
Nothing cleared his mind like climbing.
