February 3rd: Chopper’s First 7a+
Day 113
Jira Homestay has 3 dog that have become quite attached to us. They are an excellent example of how naturally social dogs are. They spend their time split between playing a domestic role during the day, hanging about the bungalows, and begging for food, and freeing their innate wildness in the evening, baying at the moon, and running with the pack. Despite living a somewhat feral existence they respond to any human, in any language, in the most sensible way, apparently understanding whatever is said or gestured.
Today we witnessed some of the wildness as we were followed out of the home-stay by the 3 dogs. In order to avoid leading them across the highway, I did my best to communicate don’t follow by stamping and pointing at their home. This worked on the most timid dog, whom we’ve named Dumb Dumb. Foxy, the only male, also began to retreat but Blanco, the alpha female and Foxy’s dominant lover, took off running across the highway and Foxy followed. As we approached a peasant home near the crag I heard alarmed chickens and knew it was Blanco. A second later I saw her in maniacal joy darting down the hill with a chick in her mouth, which she dropped off still alive and limping, before flying back into the squawking clutch to steal more. I remarked that Blanco, the most wild and willful dog would probably not live long.
While climbing today we ran into friends from Hong Kong, Francis and Donna. Francis is responsible for bolting numerous routes at Crazy Horse Buttress, and he was on a bolting vacation. He’s bolted many of our favourite climbs in in Hong Kong and he bolted what today became my first 7A+, The Absent Minded Bolter. With his usual attention to detail, and safety consciousness his routes always offer excellent protection. In Hong Kong and Vietnam we thought that some of the grades were on the easier side but here we found them to be quite accurate. Grades aside, if you want to climb hard routes and take some whippers with confidence, we recommend any of Francis’ routes.
It’s going to be hard to leave Mae On. We still have multiple climbs that we haven’t even attempted, and we’re both developing the skills to climb harder grades. Cher has now lead several 6B’s and is more confidant and fluid every day. It helps that many of the routes have safe, regular bolting with very few run outs, allowing us the opportunity to work on the finer points with minimal fear of a ground fall. For the both of us the major impediment to harder grades is our heads. Over-gripping, improper breathing, sloppy feet, and loss of fluidity are all mental climbing problems we have begun to address and if mastered change climbing from a fearful bolt to bolt scramble into a joyous, smooth ascent. In the next 6 months we will spend more time cycling than climbing although we will lose a great deal of strength. However, we are confident that man of the mental gains we will stay with us for the long run.
