An Intensely Adventureous Day
Some days don't quite go as planned, but that's what makes it great.....
The day started off as planned - we headed down to Garapan to meet our dive instructors at the dive shop to rent our gear. We got there, got our stuff, and headed out. We had been told that our original dive site, Obyan, was gonna be too rough due to high tide, so we executed plan B and headed to LauLau Bay. With 12 tanks, all our gear and 5 people in the CRV, we were loaded down. With all the rain that we've had, the road was super muddy in places and really steep in others. We began to wonder how we'd make it back up the road after our dive. However, when we made it to the bottom, we found that due to high tide and all the storms we've been having, LauLau, too, had terrible conditions. Our options weren't too great, so we got back in our vehicles and started up the road. The first part wasn't too bad, but as we began to climb, the intensity increased...... we were moving at a snail's pace, there was bumping, scraping, grinding. It was a slow and painful agony - I began to pray, but it was a choppy, disjointed prayer almost matching our upward progress. Judith and I were huddled in the back with our eyes squeezed shut, awaiting our imminent death. Sean fiercely gripped the steering wheel, determined to drive us to safety. Finally, after several excruciating moments we got past the worst of it - it's hard to recreate the experience in words, but it's like nothing I'd ever experienced before!
The intense drive back up the hill.....
Since diving was canceled, our morning spanned open before us. Jessica, Judith and I decided to jump on the bikes and ride to a little shop that they've been wanting to visit. I got the privilege of riding Sean's bike, which previously belonged to Grant - I think I had the best ride of all the bikes! We enjoyed our ride down there, and then on the way back we decided to try and explore a little and find a different route home, but all our attempts ended in dead ends, so we ended up taking the usual way home!
Later that day, we all piled back into the CRV and headed up to Suicide Cliff - if the weather held out, we would get to go rock climbing. I was really excited about this because I wanted to use my new harness - a birthday gift from my mom and grandma....thanks! When we arrived, it was pouring, but we didn't let that stop us. We waited it out, and then hit the cliff - our patience was rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow arching over the flats below us.
After setting up a beginner, intermediate, and advanced route, I somehow ended up being nominated to be the first climber on the advanced route. I had climbed the other 2 routes already, so I was up for the challenge. And a challenge it was! I was on the northwest side of the cliff, entirely exposed. Not only that, I was being belayed from above, meaning I couldn't see my belayer or talk to him - we had to communicate through the rope: 1 tug - slack, 2 tugs - up rope, 3 tugs - on/off belay. From the beginning, the rope was a little bit caught on one part of the rock, but I was to fix it as I got there. As I began to climb, I realized that this was going to be unlike any other climb I'd ever done......but I continued on. One little move at a time, I slowly began to make progress up the wall. I finally found myself about 3/4 the way up the wall and in a little predicament - I needed to go to the right, but the rope was caught up on the left. After several attempts, we still couldn't get the rope uncaught, and if I continued on to the right, I risked the chance of a long fall since the rope was caught to the left, rather than straight above me. After one last attempt at something....anything, I had to be let down. It was a little discouraging because I had made it so close to the top, but I wasn't able to finish. My arms and legs were exhausted, almost jello-like, but I had nothing to account for it. But I am determined to finish that route before I leave this island - I will not leave it undone.
Me, right before embarking on the advanced climb
Sean, on his first-ever climb! He did great!
By the time I got off the wall, darkness had already began to set in. I had to wait my turn to be belayed up to the main level, and by the time that happened, it was pitch black. I had to tie into the rope, completely relying on what my hands were feeling and not what my eyes were seeing, and then the short climb began. The difficulty of the crevice had increased due to the darkness......I couldn't see anything. I finally made it up safely, but let's just say, I'm not a huge fan of night climbing.
We packed up our gear and hiked out - in complete darkness. But the cool thing was, that although we were stumbling around, trying to find the path, there were glowing fungi all over the jungle!!! I had no idea that fungi could glow!!
On our drive back down the mountain, we were weighing out our options. The original plan was to go running after climbing, because we wanted to start our up-hill training for the Turkey Trot coming up - but now it was pitch dark. We went back and forth - yes, let's run....no, let's do it tomorrow.... but somehow, by the time we got to the bottom we decided to pull the car over and start our run. We only did a short run, just to get a feel for what it would feel like to run to the top of Mt. Topachaou. But I liked it - there's something different about running in complete darkness......almost dreamlike, as Sean said. Since you can't see where you're going, you just keep going - you don't become discouraged about how far you still have to go. (I think that's why God doesn't tell us the future - we'd probably become discouraged and overwhelmed with all that was coming. But because we don't know, we just keep going and somehow we make it through each incline and each curve in the road.)
It truly was like a dream, especially the part when there's an on-coming car....and you feel like you're running towards the light! We hit one steep incline before turning around and coming back........I kept laughing as Sean was kinda weaving all over the place, occasionally running into me!
It was a rewarding day..........we did so much, it all felt so good! We ended the day with warm showers, good food, and a nice movie............
Some days don't quite go as planned, but that's what makes it great.....
The day started off as planned - we headed down to Garapan to meet our dive instructors at the dive shop to rent our gear. We got there, got our stuff, and headed out. We had been told that our original dive site, Obyan, was gonna be too rough due to high tide, so we executed plan B and headed to LauLau Bay. With 12 tanks, all our gear and 5 people in the CRV, we were loaded down. With all the rain that we've had, the road was super muddy in places and really steep in others. We began to wonder how we'd make it back up the road after our dive. However, when we made it to the bottom, we found that due to high tide and all the storms we've been having, LauLau, too, had terrible conditions. Our options weren't too great, so we got back in our vehicles and started up the road. The first part wasn't too bad, but as we began to climb, the intensity increased...... we were moving at a snail's pace, there was bumping, scraping, grinding. It was a slow and painful agony - I began to pray, but it was a choppy, disjointed prayer almost matching our upward progress. Judith and I were huddled in the back with our eyes squeezed shut, awaiting our imminent death. Sean fiercely gripped the steering wheel, determined to drive us to safety. Finally, after several excruciating moments we got past the worst of it - it's hard to recreate the experience in words, but it's like nothing I'd ever experienced before!
Checking out the water and deciding that it was too rough for diving
The intense drive back up the hill.....
Me, leading out on our biking adventure
Later that day, we all piled back into the CRV and headed up to Suicide Cliff - if the weather held out, we would get to go rock climbing. I was really excited about this because I wanted to use my new harness - a birthday gift from my mom and grandma....thanks! When we arrived, it was pouring, but we didn't let that stop us. We waited it out, and then hit the cliff - our patience was rewarded with a beautiful double rainbow arching over the flats below us.
After setting up a beginner, intermediate, and advanced route, I somehow ended up being nominated to be the first climber on the advanced route. I had climbed the other 2 routes already, so I was up for the challenge. And a challenge it was! I was on the northwest side of the cliff, entirely exposed. Not only that, I was being belayed from above, meaning I couldn't see my belayer or talk to him - we had to communicate through the rope: 1 tug - slack, 2 tugs - up rope, 3 tugs - on/off belay. From the beginning, the rope was a little bit caught on one part of the rock, but I was to fix it as I got there. As I began to climb, I realized that this was going to be unlike any other climb I'd ever done......but I continued on. One little move at a time, I slowly began to make progress up the wall. I finally found myself about 3/4 the way up the wall and in a little predicament - I needed to go to the right, but the rope was caught up on the left. After several attempts, we still couldn't get the rope uncaught, and if I continued on to the right, I risked the chance of a long fall since the rope was caught to the left, rather than straight above me. After one last attempt at something....anything, I had to be let down. It was a little discouraging because I had made it so close to the top, but I wasn't able to finish. My arms and legs were exhausted, almost jello-like, but I had nothing to account for it. But I am determined to finish that route before I leave this island - I will not leave it undone.
Judith and I modeling our new gear!
Me, right before embarking on the advanced climb
Sean, on his first-ever climb! He did great!
We packed up our gear and hiked out - in complete darkness. But the cool thing was, that although we were stumbling around, trying to find the path, there were glowing fungi all over the jungle!!! I had no idea that fungi could glow!!
On our drive back down the mountain, we were weighing out our options. The original plan was to go running after climbing, because we wanted to start our up-hill training for the Turkey Trot coming up - but now it was pitch dark. We went back and forth - yes, let's run....no, let's do it tomorrow.... but somehow, by the time we got to the bottom we decided to pull the car over and start our run. We only did a short run, just to get a feel for what it would feel like to run to the top of Mt. Topachaou. But I liked it - there's something different about running in complete darkness......almost dreamlike, as Sean said. Since you can't see where you're going, you just keep going - you don't become discouraged about how far you still have to go. (I think that's why God doesn't tell us the future - we'd probably become discouraged and overwhelmed with all that was coming. But because we don't know, we just keep going and somehow we make it through each incline and each curve in the road.)
It truly was like a dream, especially the part when there's an on-coming car....and you feel like you're running towards the light! We hit one steep incline before turning around and coming back........I kept laughing as Sean was kinda weaving all over the place, occasionally running into me!
It was a rewarding day..........we did so much, it all felt so good! We ended the day with warm showers, good food, and a nice movie............
Some days don't quite go as planned, but that's what makes it great.....
Comments
Sorry about the weaving and running into you. That's the inner "flailer" in me coming out.