"Rock On"

"BUT I DONT WANT TO LET GO OFF THE HOOK ", I said.

"Arun, we have a safety rope on you, and u can use your hands for the brake, its perfectly safe. You can let go when u r ready ", Chester said.

"I AM NOT READY TO", I sat more comfortably , holding the hook, as if my life depended on it.

"What the hell am i doing on top a rock, 30 feet from the "ground" , attached to a hook by means of a eeny-weeny piece of metal? "

The peak was over looking a valley. The "ground " itself happened to be 50 ft from the actual valley ground level. The valley was filled with lush green trees, the scenery was very beautiful.
Once more i tried, but i just did not want to let go off the hook.

A voice screamed in my head, "Why this? Weekends are to be wasted lazing around.. Not climbing rock mountains....."

On Friday afternoon , Micheal and I were going to lunch.
"Micheal, Why do we have to take the stairs each time. Why can't we take the lift ?"
"You know Arun, that's the reason India has got one medal in the olympics"
"Three.." I said
"A little exercise wont hurt you"
But you are not making the optimal use of the existing resources, that's why YOU took 3 days to solve a infinite series sum."

We met Chester at the Mensa.
I asked him "What are you doing this weekend?"
"Climbing rocks. I do that every weekend" He said.
"I will join you this weekend."
"Fine".
Later after the lunch at our lab, i asked Micheal, "Have you been to climbing rocks with Chester?"
He goes to a place is called Sächsische Schweiz. There is a lift there. I take it. I dont climb the rocks." he replied.

In the evening Chester called.
"Do u have a belt?"
"Belt???"
"Do u have shoes ?"
"Think so"
"Have you climbed before?"
"Nope"
"Then why do you have the shoes?"
"Becoz i intend to climb."
"Haika will get you a belt.."
"Belt??"
"See you tomorrow at Neustadt Bahnhof at 8".
"Ok.."


On Saturday morning, I met Chester and Stephanie at the Neustadt bahnhof. We boarded the train and met up with the rest of the group. Group leader was Haika - a woman in her late forties with 30 years of rock climbing experience. With her were Gero - guy in his late forties and Gabriella - a woman in her late fifties.. .. We got down at Schona and took a bus to reach to the decided place.. We got down at the bus stop. We started to walk towards the valley.

" Are u a sporty person?"Chester asked .
"I think of sports."
"So u dont like much of outdoor activity?"
"The thought of climbing rocks is in itself an activity."

We reached Sächsische Schweiz (Saxony Switzerland). The walk from the bus stand till the valley was scenic. Stretch of green grass on gently sloping land and then tall trees after the grass patch. The view was spectacular. Once we reached the valley the land started sloping upwards. We started walking along a narrow trail and reached a place about 50 ft from the valley. That place was littered with rock slabs . Some were as high as about 60-70 ft, black and vertical with only few crevices visible.

Haika stopped in front of one of the rock slabs.
She said "Are you afraid of heights?"
I said "Yup. "
Chester said " Then this is going to be fun for you."

Chester said "You and me, we go up the simpler way, called the Old way. The way Haika has taken is difficult one, we climb the other rock that is close by because its simple and then near the top.. there.... we will move from this smaller rock to the larger one."

I said " But at the top, how we go from the smaller rock to the larger one, there is no connection."

Chester started climbing. Since he was going first there was no safety rope for him. He would climb for some height, tie a rope there and then attach himself to the rope, so that if he falls he doesn't fall all the way down.

He reached the top and said "You can start climbing."
I thought, "Me , climb??"

I had a harness around my waist, through which there was a rope, the other end of which was tied to the top of the mountain. As i started climbing, chester started pulling the rope, so that if i lose grip ,i dont go all the way down.
I stood on a safe ledge, searced for a handhold, caught the handhold, searched for a higher foothold. Handhold-foothold-climb-handhold-foothold climb.
After some climbing, i looked down.
"YOU, IDIOT. Are u going up or down.. Then why the hell r u looking down..DONOT LOOK DOWN."
"Just think UP,UP,UP,UP."
The mountain is a part of me. It said, "cling to me and you wont fall".

I kept climbing. I was now very close to the top, about 10 ft..
But the "top" was a different rock , not the one that i was climbing.
I stood on top of the rock that i climbed. I stood at the edge. The other rock was 3 feet away and the place where i could put my foot was waist high . There was a metal hook , about as far as my right hand could reach where the rope was fastened.
I stretched and caught hold of the hook.

Chester said " Aha.. You shall not use the hook or your knees.. these are the rules"
I said " Get lost. Shut up"

I lifted my right leg, put my right knee on the ledge, and pulled hard with my right hand. I left the rock on which i was standing and reached the top.

The view was breathtaking. I was literally taking big breaths.
Chester said "BERG HAIL. It means victory on the mountain. There is a book on top of each rock. YOu write the way by which you came and also who came first. Write your name in the book".

I wrote my name on the book. I said "Climbing was not too tough. I only had to use my arms."
I sat at the top with chester, Haika and Stephanie and started whistling "fist full of dollars".
Some one who was climbing a near by rock responded with the same tune.

After some time Chester said " Lets now go down. The technique is rappelling."
"Since this is your first time, we have a safety rope on you. now use this 8 shaped metal, hold on to the rope with your strong hand and control the speed"

"Ok. But how do i start?"

"Stand up, lean back and start going down"

"Are u kidding me? You want me to trust my LIFE on this rope???" .. The whole idea sounded stupid to me..

I held on to the hook and felt safe.. "I AM NOT GOING DOWN."
"Why did i have to come here? why?"

"Let me do it the old way. I go down the way i came up."

I caught hold of the hook and sat down and searched for the rock from which i came here, It was a good 5 ft down.
"I cant go down on my feet. I need to stand to feel safe.. ON MY FEET"
Only way down safely, was rappelling..
"Hold the rope in your hands, Dont let go of it. You are safe." Chester said.
"YEAH. My life hangs by a rope.Like i am going down."
"OK"
Haika was saying something, but i was happily oblivious to it, since she was talking in german.
I said to Chester ," I know i am being stupid, but how do i just lean of the edge of the rock and jump back, trusting that the rope will hold."
"You can trust the rope."
"GRRRRRR.."
There was only one way do it..
I sat on the edge of the rock,facing the rock, with my back to the ground. I held the rope with my right hand.
I went a bit back. My butt was hanging in mid air.
"DONT do this" . I went back a bit more.
"Anytime you are going to fall"
I close my eyes. Gave a small push, I was hanging in mid air, by the rope attached to my harness and the other rope in my hands.
"The rope actually holds.I am alive."
I closed my eyes again, used my right hand to pull some rope, i went down a bit.
I pulled some more rope, my bare foot struck the rock, I was too close to the rock and it scratched my leg.
"Stay perpendicular to the rock and away from it."
"I AM NOT GOING TO FALL, UNLESS I WANT TO ."
Pulled some more rope, kept going down and eventually reached the GROUND.
"Now i definitely wont fall."
Chester said , "You did it.. man"
I asked "HOw tough was this?"
He said "Level 2"
I started removing my harness. He said "Dont u want to climb more rocks?"
I looked at him. "Are you crazy?" I am hungry", I said
Chester said "After lunch, we could try out the way which Haika took. Its level 4."
"@#$%%^^" "Lets see", I said.

Eventually I climbed the level 4 way and one more level 2 rock.
If i had been a lizard, my clan would have been proud of me....