Yesterday I made it out to Beacon Rock. MJ Sneaks had to work, I was alone. I wanted to get on something I had never climbed before; I couldn’t track down a partner so I had to set up a fixed line. I soloed up the SE Corner (5.7) to gain access to the Grassy Ledges and I ended up picking the Route Ground Zero, 11+. It felt harder, but really fun. As I belayed myself up the 210 foot pitch the Columbia River swam behind me and the Gorges breath blew a line of chalk from my bag that paralleled the ground far below. A beautiful day, but down below it had gotten crowded and noisy. I decided to finish early, leave the annoyances behind, but I needed something else. The entire 600 feet of the SE Corner loomed above me as I hiked out. I dropped my pack and went. The rock stretched above me and swept below me, receding trees with every move. It’s like floating, well maybe. There’s nothing to understand about it. It’s like anything else in life. As long as you’re alive, living and moving, that’s what matters. I was alive. 25 minutes later I was back at my pack.
