Climbing the manure pile

I did a climb over the weekend that was like none I've done before. It's called Manure Pile Buttress. Yes, you can laugh at the name. I did.

So my friend, D, and I, got a rip roaring start. And by that I mean we started climbing at 2 p.m. We did it in five pitches and it took us five hours. I've never done anything beyond a two-pitch climb before, so I won't downplay it, it was sort of an epic feat for me. (For those of you who don't climb, a pitch is basically a length of rope. One climbs up to a ledge or good stopping place. The other follows, Then the first one goes again.)


It wasn't as scary as I thought it might be. I did worry slightly beforehand that I would get up there and have a melt down. When I started getting freaked out, I would just sing the song, "Please Lord Give Me Peace." Most of the time it was just a good challenge though.

I can see how people get addicted to this.

Lesson learned: Expect bruises.