Rock Instructor Exam Part 2

The day before the exam started, we had a meeting with the instructors to go over the logistics, risk management, and get to know each other.  We were given our route assignments and our partner for the first two days.  I was paired with Russel.  Our first day would be climbing at Hemingway Buttress with Silas. The next day we were to guide Angela on the Sentinel.  After the meeting, we hung out a bit, discussed our plan for the day then left to go get fueled up for the next day.  That night was the first night of not sleeping in a tent. I appreciated having a shower that night. Then I prepped some more that evening before falling asleep at 8:30.

The next morning I woke up at 5AM when I started to get a bit nervous. Apparently, I had started thinking about the exam while I was sleeping and then I couldn't get back to sleep once I had woken up. My route assignment that day was to lead White Lightning and something else after Russel led his route, Overseer.  We were the first ones to the crag that morning so we hopped right on White Lightning.  It is a 5.8 crack that goes all the way to the top.  About 3/4 of the way up there is a small nook in which you can set a belay if you want to break the route into two pitches.  I did just that and brought Silas and Russel up to me.  From there I did a short pitch to the top.  Getting off of Hemingway can be a bit of a challenge since there are only two rappel stations for the entire wall. Luckily, after topping out, I was close to the central rappel station and we quickly made it back down to the ground. Russel then took over and took us up Overseer.  It is a great route with a crux that will keep you on your toes.  From there we rappelled on the right side of the wall.  It was now my turn again.  I went up this exposed fin covered in patina plates.  The only downside to this route was the lack of adequate gear.  Still, I loved it. Once back on the ground, Russel took us up Feltonian Physics.  Another great route on Hemingway. After that route, we went to a pile of rocks near the base and refined some short roping techniques. That was our first day. By the end of the day, the nerves had finally settled.  Now time to get ready for day two.

On day two, Russel was assigned Fote Hog and I was assigned Western Saga both of which are on the Sentinel in Real Hidden Valley.  Fote Hog is a 5.6 that starts up a ramp, goes on to a face with a thin crack, then moves right to a juggy overhang.  From there it follows cracks and ledges to the top.  My route, Western Saga, is normally done as a single pitch but due to it having a huge ledge half way up the climb, I broke it up.  The first pitch is thin crack and stemming in a corner.  Above the ledge, you get a slightly overhung hand crack going up to a roof. The roof moves follow the crack and are a bit awkward.  After the roof, there is a flaring hand crack to a nice ledge.  After this, Russel chose to take us up Sail Away which is a beautiful 5.8 finger crack.  Over there I ran into some people I had met before from NC.  After Sail Away we went to Intersection Rock to climb Mike's Book. I only was able to do the first pitch due to time constraints.  It is a fun route with an awkward start leading to jugs in a corner.  We then came down and debriefed for the day.

 

Russel coming down off of Sail Away

Day three was the rescue drill and movement test day.  The rescue drill, is a 45 minutes exercise in which you must show your knowledge and application of certain rescue tools needed by a guide to safely get out of a situation if one were to arise.  It can be quite stressful having an examiner standing a few feet away watching your every move. In my rock instructor course, I had some issues that I needed to work on to get a good time on the drill.  Well I must have practiced enough because I was well within time.  After doing the rescue drill we did the knot pass. It is a 5 minute exercise in which we must lower a client past a knot in the rope. I had slight brain fart during the knot pass which I luckily caught before it hosed me.  This added time to the drill.  I still got through it in time. Next we did our movement test.  The first route was Pope's Crack. It is a 5.9+ thin hands crack that leads to a slightly downward traverse before going back up a fun lieback flake. The next route we did was Touch and Go 5.9.  It starts off in a corner with twin cracks. It them moves to a single dihedral crack with a juggy top out.

Looking up at the guys doing the rescue drill

Rodney and Russel hanging out during the rescue drill

Wes going down to Russel during the drill

Day four was the first day that I was able to do some of the longer routes in Joshua Tree. This day, Russel and I were with Tom Hargis.  The three of us went to Lost Horse Wall to do Dappled Mare and Bird on a Wire. Russel was up first on Dappled Mare. It has an interesting downward traverse which creates a somewhat unique guiding problem.  Russel negotiated it well and we were quickly through that part of the climb. He took us to the top then guided us down the walk off.  Next, I was up on Bird on a Wire.  It is a 5.10a that follows a sweeping crack line to the top. The second pitch is the money pitch.  It has a thin section that is protected by a bolt but you are able to get gear soon afterward in a finger crack.  The crack eventually opens up to a juggy crack that is a lot of fun.  You then cross Dappled Mare and continue on juggy cracks all the way to the top. We then did the descent back to the base.  We wrapped things up for the day.  Back at camp we had a good debrief in which Tom gave some great critiques on our day which helped me understand the use of certain tools better.

 

Tom on the second pitch of Bird on a Wire

Russel finishing up Bird on a Wire

The fifth and final day of being on the rock, Russel and I were once again with Silas. We were assigned to guide Walk on the Wild Side and Right On on Saddle Rock.  Walk on the Wild Side was the only route in the exam that I did not have to onsight since I had done it before the exam. We went up the three pitches then rappelled back to the base. This was one of the most straight forward assignments I had. We then hiked over to Right On. There was a party that was finishing what they thought was the first pitch.  So we had lunch and chilled.  Eventually, we were able to head up. We were continually having to wait at belays on this route due to the party ahead of us. At one point, we waited 30 minutes before Russel was able to begin leading the last pitch. Eventually, we made it to the top of Saddle Rock.  There we basked in the sun since we had been in the shade most of the day. We then did a double rope rappel to the ground and with a bit of rock hopping. After this day, we all went out for dinner at the Saloon. We were finally able to relax and just enjoy the evening.

 

Russel after taking us to the top of Right On

 

View from the top of Saddle Rock

The sixth day, we had our debrief as a group in the morning. Then individual debriefs went until about 2 in the afternoon. We were done. Wes and I just chilled out the rest of the day. He was leaving the next day and I was waiting for Jill to come into town. The next morning before Jill and I head to Utah, we did one last climb in Joshua Tree.  I chose Overhang Bypass since it is only 5.7 and is quickly accessed. I led up the first pitch to a cave like feature on Intersection Rock.  The route then goes to the right on a hand rail. It is quite exposed and then goes to a slabby face. When Jill got to the belay I could tell she was stressed by the exposure. We sat there for a little bit and then decided that we could do this.  Because she was stressed, I belayed her from the bottom of the slab so that she could see me as she did the exposed traverse. We eventually made it to the top.  There we relaxed in a water bowl feature soaking up the view and the sun.  We then rappelled down and started on our way to central Utah.

After a couple of restful days with my girlfriend, I made my way back to North Carolina.  It had been an amazing few weeks.  I had gotten the chance to climb at a new place that has amazing climbs, I learned a ton of stuff on my exam, I completed the exam, and I spent time with a beautiful woman. Now I was ready to get back home and begin working again. A week after getting back home, I received a manilla envelope in the mail. I opened it and found a certificate with my name saying that I am now a Certified Rock Instructor. I was psyched. I cannot take all of the credit though. I have had great mentors here at Fox Mountain Guides particularly from Ron. Also thank to Wes for joining me on this trip. It was nice to see the NC Mafia, a title we were given by another guy in the exam, crush the exam. And thank to Angela Hawse, Tom Hargis, and Silas Rossi for their great instruction and amazing work they do for the AMGA.

If you would like to see a Certified Rock Instructor at work you can find my contact information on my contact page on this blog. You can also find me and other great guides at Fox Mountain Guides.

Moving

As some of you may already know, I have moved to North Carolina.  It has been a long couple of weeks for me.  They have been great.  As you read about in my last post, I had a chance to climbing at a great destination (The Red) and with great people (Nate, Sarah, Calvin, and others.)  Once I got back from the red I was at home for less than 24 hours before moving out.  I then headed to Springfield, MO to relax, catch up on some writing, and hang out with some great friends.  Speaking of friends, I have to give a shout out to one of my best friends, David Olson.  This guy has been super generous to me over the years.  He even let me live with him before he got married.  It has seemed like his house in Springfield has been my second home over the past year.  Thanks for all you have done for me Dave.  Then last Friday I left Springfield, after some car problems, to go down to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas.  It is an amazing climbing destination.  I went down there to teach a trad climbing course with Jon Richards of Vertical Voyages.

Once I arrived at the Ranch I searched for Jon.  After a little while I was able to locate  him and we proceeded to do some scouting for our course.  I got the chance to climb a route I have never done before and to lead an existing sport route on gear.  That later route was Green Goblin (5.8).  I have led that route many times using the bolts as protection but leading it on gear adds another element to make it an even better climb.  That night it started to rain.  We knew that the forecast was bleak for the weekend but we remained hopeful.  That next morning we awoke to cloudy skies.  We went down to meet the participants in the course.  They all had rented a cabin.  This proved very beneficial because after about 30 minutes of sitting on the front porch getting to know each other and figure out what everyone wanted to get out of the course it started to rain.  We then moved the course inside the cabin.  Some how we were able to cover quite a bit in the cabin.  Then a little while after lunch the rain stopped just long enough for us to move outside and teach the placement of gear on real rock.  They got to practice placing gear and building anchors.  That night we all hung out in the cabin.

That night it stormed.  I also tried to start my Yukon.  It wouldn't start.  It was doing the same thing it did back in Springfield.  The next morning I woke up got ready then tried to start my car again.  No luck.  After going to the cabin to discuss what was going to happen with the participants, I went back up to the campground to work on my car.  I needed it to work so I would be able to get to North Carolina by Monday evening for a meeting.  I took some parts off and checked them out and everything seemed alright.  Then by some miracle, it started.  Now, I did send out some texts to a few friends to pray for me and my car.  Now if it was their prayers that helped my car start; I'm not sure.  But I do know that I have no clue as to how anything I did got it running again.  Once it was running, I met back up with the group in the barn.  We had decided that we would do some very basic self-rescue stuff so that they could learn something with the crappy weather.  I surprised myself and Jon as to how well I was able to teach some of this stuff.

The course was a great time.  Once the course had ended Jon, Gina, and I went to the Ozark Cafe to grab some dinner before I left.  If you ever go to HCR hit up the Ozark Cafe.  It has great food for a reasonable price and the people there are great.  After that I left and headed south to I-40.  Along the way I was able to get a few great pictures of a valley with some rain clouds in them.  Eventually I made it to I-40 and then turned left (east).  I managed to make it past Memphis before pulling off into a truck stop to sleep. Then the next day I drove across Tennessee and managed to make it to The Fox Mountain Guides office early.  Finally I was able to sit, relax, and kind of get my head around what all was about to happen in my life.  Then we had a meeting for all of the guides.  It was great to get to meet them all and figure out some of the different roles that everyone plays in the company.  After the meeting Adam showed me where I would be living.  Soon after moving a few things in I crashed.  I knew I would have a busy day the next day.

On Tuesday I woke up early and got ready to do the second day of The Rock Warrior's Way Clinic with Arno Ilgner that all of the other guides were taking.  One of the participants from the first day was unable to make it, so I was able to take his spot.  My first climb was the beginning of an aid route that goes at 5.8 called Remember Appomattox.  Next I was put on a 5.10c called Invisible Airwaves.  I managed to onsight that route.  Making it my hardest trad onsight yet.  Then I top roped a technical 5.12c called Waste Not Want Not.  It has some pumpy

A little while later I was told to try this 5.11c which takes the start of one route (Waverly Wasters) and then traverses into the finish of another (Creatures of Waste).  The beginning is easier climbing on less than vertical edges.  You then stand up on a ledge.  On the ledge you get some good gear in a crack.  You then traverse out right below the first bolt on Waverly Wasters.  Before you can clip the bolt you must make a committing move to a small edge directly below it.  Even before I probed into the move, I knew I wasn't going to like it.  If i would fall, I would swing or pendulum back to the left and may hit a ledge along the way.  After probing the move a few times and feeling very insecure I decided to take a few practice falls to get used to the pendulum motion.  The first three were shorter ones.  Then on the fourth, I took a practice fall from about where I would be if I were pulling the move.  I exhaled, let go, and started my downward ride.  On the way back left, my right foot scraped against the wall.  As it was doing so, my right heel impacted a hold on the wall.  At the time I didn't think much of it.  But after a few days I realized that I bruised my heel and also sprained a tendon.  Luckily this hasn't kept me from climbing.  After that fall I took another practice fall and then bailed on the route.  I just couldn't make that move comfortably.  After bailing I took a top rope run on the route and really enjoyed it.  We then discussed as a group things we had learned from the clinic.

The next day was my orientation.  It wasn't anything too exciting.  We just went over paperwork, bit of the manual, and how to enter things into the computer.  After that was the first time I was able to relax since I left Springfield.  Unfortunately, it only lasted a few hours.  One of my roommates, Michael, came home and asked if I wanted to go climbing.  Of course I couldn't resist.  At about 430 we finally left and headed back to the North Side at Looking Glass.  There we did a few routes.  I just followed all of them.  While he was on the last pitch, it started to pour.  I knew I wouldn't be able to run back to the car with my heel so I was preparing to just get wet even though I had a rain jacket.  Luckily Michael lent me his trekking poles.  They actually helped with my heel and I made good time back to the truck.

On Thursday, Adam Beck, one of the other guides who lives in Tennessee; Ron; and I went to the Nose area on Looking Glass to do some multipitch.  This was my first experience on the eyebrows of Looking Glass. We started on a 5.9+ route called Sensemilia Sunset.  It was tough.  It took almost the entire route to get used to the slab climbing and using the eyebrows.  We made it to the top, ate a bit of food, then we scrambled down to the anchors on Peregrine (5.9).  The anchor we were at was about 300 feet off the deck.  There Ron suggested that we top rope the route.  For those that don't know much about climbing, the longest common rope used in climbing is 70 meters or 230 feet.  Well this gave Ron a chance to show us how to pass a knot while lowering someone and how to belay past a knot since we tied two ropes together.  It was fun to continually climb on this terrain for that long.  After that, we rappelled back to the ground and did a variation to the Nose that hits a roof with a tricky move on it.  I was privileged to lead this pitch and boy was it fun.  We went up another pitch then called it a day.  We didn't do as much as we were hoping mostly because the routes challenged us more than expected.  We had a good time anyways.

Those were the past couple of days in my life.  They were very hectic but super fun.  There are some more stories that happened today which I will write about at a later time.  Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures to go with the stories.  Hopefully soon I will be able to get some pics up of the area so that you can see how marvelous this area is.