January 26th and 27th: Bee Sting and 7A
Day 105 and Day 106
My lovely belayer agreed to brave grilling under the sun so I could take a shot at a 7A climb described as a technical masterpiece. Sitting in 34 degrees of heat while I surveyed the route, Cher’s sweaty foot attracted a little sweat bee, which after taking a sip inexplicably became alarmed by her clumsy attempt to put on a pair of socks and left a stinger in her foot. Cher was nice enough to tough it out and belay me in the blistering sun with a stung foot, even though I said we could go. Cher knew she was allergic from previous experience, but her reaction that evening was frightening. She suffered a fever and an irregular heartbeat. Before the sunrise, her foot swelled and morphed from a dainty tack hammer into a crude caveman’s club. For two days her foot was burning hot and swelled even more.
On the second day, despite the fact that her foot would barely fit into her roomy crocks, she crammed her club into her snug climbing shoe and led a 6A. It’s moments like this that I know we were truly meant to be together.
