Author Topic: Does mudworm post here?  (Read 1888 times)

Zay

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Does mudworm post here?
« on: February 13, 2020, 10:09:19 AM »
There was a supertopo poster by the username "mudworm" who posted a TR of the Twilight Zone.

I have a story for her, it has to do with reading said TR to a friend and deriving encouragement from it.

There are little lights in the corner of my brain, from long ago conversations, that tell me she is may be married to a certain Pinnacles Climber?

I would really love to share this story with her...

Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #1 on: February 13, 2020, 10:11:50 AM »
um... i dont know what just happened, but i did NOT type in "mudworm" ... i typed in the username of someone from supertopo... starts with an M... i think Mud'n'crud somehow just answered my question... artificial intelligence has been born... who would have thought prometheus would be HERE??

F4?

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #2 on: February 13, 2020, 10:27:13 AM »
Yes she used to, but maybe the Poop thread chased her away or she is too busy climbing.

Send a PM

The management here is a bit slow.
I'm not worthy.

Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2020, 11:36:55 AM »
Okay screw it, since I think I've found the answers I was looking for... I'll go ahead and share the story. Would rather I have posted on Supertopo (as its Yosemite Based) but you know how it goes... I'll try to make it brief...

A few months ago, I was wiping tables in the Hostel cafeteria, and Whitney from Front Desk barges in through the side door.

"Oh my god, Zay, you are going to love the new massage therapist." She fills up her coffee and disappears.

Five minutes later, our resident Spa Attendant Tellulah comes in for a glass of water. She turns to me with a smile,

"You're going to love the new massage therapist." She sips her water and leaves.

Five minutes later, Chef's British Girlfriend Anna strolls in for a cup of tea (no kidding),

"Dude, Zay, you're gunna love the new massage therapist." She sips her tea and strolls out for a smoke.

Ten minutes later, I met the new massage therapist.

"Hi, I'm E. I moved here from out of state to learn how to rock climb."

So I'm dating the massage therapist now...

After a few weeks of showing her around the Valley, and some trips to Tuolumne, we one day find ourselves at Highway Star. You know the one: 5.10a, steep, varied, and top-rope-able. By this point, 5.10 is still very hard for her, but she's coming along, and she's ready for a challenge.

Long story short, she can't get up it. With a few beta showers, she manages to get passed the Lieback, but is stymied by the following section ("The Overhang").

Over the course of the next few weeks, we make frequent visits to Highway Star. Gradually things improve, and by attempt #74 she's managed to get to the top with only several hangs.

Let me tell ya, we broke that thing down like The Allies planning to storm the beaches of Normandy. The Lieback, The Overhang, The Pod, The Hands, The Traverse.

Left foot high, lieback, grab the rail, left foot on the knob, switch feet and kick out left, hand in the diagonal, left hand to the flak jug... You get it.

So a few weeks ago, we show up for attempt #75.

She starts off, and blows the early lieback, and she's crushed. I lower her down to the rest stance, and tell her to just try again. After a few breaths, she starts over. She gets up past the The Pod and into The Hands, and all the while my normal spray fills the air. "Okay, now left foot on the flake..,!"

At The Traverse, she pumps out and peels. She's almost crying; she's put so much work into this and really thought she'd get it this time.

"I'll never be able to do this. Let's go climb something else."

I lower her down, and she's got that faraway look in her eyes.

Now, I can't claim to be a good motivational speaker, but I offer what I can.

"Don't hype yourself up on it. You've got every section dialed. You just gotta inch your way up there without putting anything on a pedestal. Just climb up a bit, relax, and say 'Ah, I see what to do here...' and make the move. Then you relax and say, 'Ah look how far I've gotten, how nice. Oh look, I recognize this move...'"

Then I say, "You got any service on your phone?"

She does.

"I wanna read you a story."

So we sit down on the dirt, and my thumbs attack the google bar.

{Splashless Leap Twilight Zone Supertopo}

By now, I'm assuming you know what I'm talking about.

So I read it to her. Start to finish, like a god damned bedtime story.

"...When you rest your forehead in a crack for balance, it tends to mess up your salon tended hairdo. But that's not important. This is what I wanted to show you: Inch by inch, I will get there."

"...There was no leap, and there will never be a leap. Anyone tells you different does not have your best interest in mind. Inching along forward or upward, and sometimes even downward and backward, is the only way to get you to where you want to go. Get moving!"

"The End." I handed her her phone back, and she has the eyes of a mesmerized seven-year-old.

"That was awesome," She smiles.

"Ready to try again?"

I'm not making any of this up.

She ties in, and I get comfy. She stands at the base of the flake, and doesn't even look up; she only breathes. Then she looks at me,

"Climbing."

I only nodded.

Cheesy, I know. But that's what happened. Believe it or not.

Up she goes, she gets to the lieback, and just as I am about to call out, "Remember, left foot super high," something hits me.

Shut the fuck up. Let her have this.

I say nothing.

She surmounts the lieback, and traverses over to The Overhang.

I open my mouth to say, 'Remember to switch feet on the..."

But I shut it right away.

I don't exist.

Nothing else does.

It's only her up there.

She passes The Overhang and takes a much-too-short shake-out break at The Pod, lifting a high-foot and committing to the Hand Jams, a sequence that had proven most cruxing for her in all her attempts.

By now, I'm feeling adrenaline.

Could she?

She get's to the top of The Hands, and reaches out right. This traverse has proved her other nemesis, and only recently has she been able to do the moves. Her feet skid, and I swear to god she nearly peeled off. But she didn't, with a shaking foot, she does that move that people do when their arms are pumping out: half-bent at the elbow, undulating up and down with failing pull ups....

But she sticks it. She gets up to the rest stance, and I desperately want to shout,

"That's it! You've got it! All you need to do is shake out and remember to go left foot high in the..."

Shut the **** up Zay.

My mouth is agape, my cheeks tight in a dumbfounded smile. She's gunna get it this time.

Hand jam, foot jam...

She tops out, in silence.

She looks at the anchor, I can see her smile from the ground. She looks at me with a look of almost confusion. No words were said until, after a minute,

"Got me?"

"I got you."

So that's the story. I hope you enjoyed it. I know, "You guys are top roping Highway Star, who the hell cares?" She does, I do. We all have those powerful moments in climbing, big or small, they are personal, and the memories are cherished. For us, that's one of them.

She broke her arm a week later at Badger Pass and has been in a cast since.




briham89

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2020, 11:51:36 AM »
Rad!

Brad Young

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2020, 12:04:50 PM »
Quote

...we broke that thing down like Marines planning to invade Normandy.


Sorry, Zay, you totally lost me right there. I try hard not to "count bullets" when I'm at the movies. I work to let most historical misstatements slide by. I even try to be nice most of the time.

BUT THE MARINES AT NORMANDY?

Might as well f$%&ing start a climbing story with "And I was watching John Salathe do the first ascent of The Nose...." I think I just threw up.


Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #6 on: February 13, 2020, 12:12:28 PM »
Were Marines not involved in the storming of Normandy?


Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #7 on: February 13, 2020, 12:17:17 PM »
I must admit, I definitely pulled that one out of the dirtier regions of my pants.

Honestly, I do appreciate the criticism, should I work on this story and post it elsewhere, I will alter that metaphor. I originally wrote something like "NFL coaches dissecting a playback," but didnt like it. I'm a passionate writer, but I never said I was a GOOD one!

Good to hear from you, Brad. When are you going to invite me for a guided tour of Sonora Pass? You're barely an hour away...

Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #8 on: February 13, 2020, 12:22:57 PM »
"The Marines played a comparatively minor role in the European theater. Nonetheless, they did continue to provide security detachments to U.S. embassies, and ships, contributed personnel to small, special ops teams dropped into Nazi-occupied Europe as part of Office of Strategic Services (OSS, precursor to the CIA) missions, and acted as staff planners, and trainers for U.S. Army amphibious operations, including the Normandy landings."
-Wikipedia

So maybe the term "invading" Normandy conveys a false impression? Axis invades France. Allies invade (storm, regain, retake) Axis-Controlled France.

THREAD DRIFT

Brad Young

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #9 on: February 13, 2020, 12:34:11 PM »

When are you going to invite me for a guided tour of Sonora Pass? You're barely an hour away...


When you show a good working knowledge of my second passion in life (military history).

Honestly, Zay it's a good story and it sounds like you displayed lots of patience. How about just changing it to "... like the Allies planning to invade Normandy." The Marines played no combat role in the European Theater of Operations during World War Two.


Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #10 on: February 13, 2020, 12:37:27 PM »
Okay I changed it :)

Can vee chust climb now?

Brad Young

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #11 on: February 13, 2020, 12:48:38 PM »

Can vee chust climb now?


Well, at least you know your climbing history  ;D


F4?

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #12 on: February 13, 2020, 12:52:10 PM »
Marines at Normandy?
 ???
I'm not worthy.

NOAL

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #13 on: February 13, 2020, 04:54:27 PM »
Is there a Reader's digest version?

F4?

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #14 on: February 13, 2020, 05:07:15 PM »
I prefer pictures, I have a gold fish memory and a simple mind.
I'm not worthy.

Zay

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #15 on: February 13, 2020, 06:00:21 PM »
Colorado transplant learns to climb, tries highway star a bunch. Nearly forfeiting, a story by Mudworm saves the day with poetic inspiration.

NOAL

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #16 on: February 13, 2020, 06:20:25 PM »
Cool. Thanks.

clink

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2020, 08:14:39 PM »
Quote
So that's the story. I hope you enjoyed it. I know, "You guys are top roping Highway Star, who the hell cares?" She does, I do. We all have those powerful moments in climbing, big or small, they are personal, and the memories are cherished. For us, that's one of them.

 Yes and thanks.
Causing trouble when not climbing.

clink

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #18 on: February 13, 2020, 09:04:22 PM »

 ... like marine biologists ramming Captain Ahab with the USS Greenpeace to save Moby.
Causing trouble when not climbing.

mynameismud

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Re: Does mudworm post here?
« Reply #19 on: March 05, 2020, 08:51:19 AM »
Yes on occasion.  Mostly lurks now.  I will tell mudworm to check the forum.
Here's to sweat in your eye