Far Away

We're in Lehmann, China, here in this little town that we start walking through and it's like we're clearly the foreigners here. Clearly we are totally out of line. This trip is a big step out of the ordinary for me because I have never traveled internationally before. Jenny and I set out on this trip with the idea of ​​exploring Li Ming and getting a feel for it here on the first day climbing a couple of routes to get a feel for the rock and what the cure feels like and how the routes climb well Jenny and I We have joined as partners because we really like climbing bottle racks that you like.

We've been climbing a few together but haven't had a super established partnership. My goal for the trip was to make a first descent. and also build a similar partnership and collaboration with a strong climber, giving her the opportunity to take a step into the first world of climbing. This brat has two names, a third research project, don't be an oh I see, calling me a compliment either. Look what I can do Kat has about 12 or 13 years of climbing experience. She has made 43 first ascents at Indian Creek and I have made one when she comes to China.

It's the first time she's attempted a first ascent anywhere. otherwise it will be like a fun challenge, dingus, this guest dingus today Jenny and I went to this area where we don't expect to do much climbing, we just expect to walk and find time to hold on for what we wanted. to go see what has been developed and what hasn't, there is a lot here to explore so we spent the day just looking for climbing. It was an interesting experience. Wow, those are tough spikes if you fall on them. I'm going to go up, it's definitely different than Indian Creek, it's not a desert, there's a lot of vegetation, there's so much plant life it's very hard to see, so we've been walking along the edge of the cliff and now there's a crime that This is a nice chassis at first but then it looks like a really dividing crack after that, yeah that's why I always thought about this creature while climbing.

I thought, are you sure you have this? You don't have any protection, how are you? we like it, but I just like it, I trust when someone says they have it to let them get it and she got to the top and she was completely stuck, okay, no, I'll go grab her. I'll be back in a minute, thanks. you for asking me you're amazing Jenny and I definitely had some bumps in the road all we were like oh that could go

away

it has chains on the top you need to get lost developed areas there's no one calling us and if one of those things called us and we published it, yes, I know that everything they call me already has anchors, so I feel like a very distant movie, so we decided to go to the distant buttress, it was said that there was a lot of potential.

The unplucked lines are still being developed there, the far buttress which is the buttress furthest from where we stayed actually took a car ride initially and he had to push the car out because it was too steep for him. We up there, should we go to the tip here and take a look? Yes, sure. I think there are a couple here. There is a background that is incredible. We find the line as at the end of our rope. At the end of the trip you could see this as an incredible crack, we didn't even have an argument when we both saw the line, did you say yes this is the line?

We decided that I should be the one to put it on. above because I'm Jenny Hadden she has a lot of experience doing first descents or involving it's like the cleanest, most beautiful line we've seen so far example we built up let's go get it we did a little cleaning on the bottom I basically cleaned with my body, my feet and my hands and then it was what I brushed that I dragged there which sounds annoying, our first attempt was quite humiliating and took a lot longer than I expected because they didn't know Rock well enough to trust what I could and in what I could fall and in what I could move crazy.

It was like hot balls in the sun and I'm breathing like a cat. I had an experience like the burl party it was, maybe that's what it was. Five hours of playing I broke records. I don't think I've ever played for five hours before reaching the top after an epically long rally and a bullet, the crack was a lot dirtier than we thought it was going to be. loose flakes there is a large plant in the background and progress is slow. I think so, Jenny and I went up again and again to be able to hold on in the second Bowl, together we put in these monstrous four and a half inch screws that are just huge, so you turned to me and said: Don't you think that's what long enough?

And I said: If you put that bull there and the hangers and stick it to the wall, you're going to want to cry because those bolts aren't going to come out. and you'll have to drill another hole and she started hammering much harder than she had hammered before the boys knew we were Jillian. The plan today is to get on the route and give it a few attempts at progress and I don't do it. I know what to expect. I'm pretty sure the rack weighs between 20 and 25 pounds and hangs directly from my shoulders. It's not ideal.

They are pulling very steep. Our fingers move very fast. We realized how steep it was. The first crux stuck out of the hands of sin on our first attempt. It was quite humiliating. I decided to continue working on all the crucial points. Wow, we didn't pick an easy one, we picked an easy one. The second crucial point is being drawn from an awkward grip on a ratalie fist. Ah, the cat starts to grind and do it with this other completely beastly and screaming side of her, just as it takes over and the final crux of the route is to enjoy it.

I'm still working on it, there's not a lot of team in the second half at all the right times, giving us a run. for our money get a crack someone will get crushed in the next cracks okay we knew this wasn't going to be easy but now we know it's really super legit it's not easy it's going to take a little time to put things together and figure it out. where the team goes and where your body goes to send it, so we went up again the next day and fought together, here, here, it's hard, it's brutal, it hurts, so we wrapped it up again, we went down, we came back the next day and then to the next. day and the next day and every day they came back the next day the next day the next day they learn the next day when it just goes and goes and goes I feel like I have to go through this platform it's heavy, I knew it It was going to put pressure on both of us , but I didn't think it was going to be what consumed the rest of our trip.

We ran out of time for the day. We got back to town and I started thinking, what if we can? Do not do this. I thought of Lee Mina as being on its own and it's not like Lehman is actually some kind of hub for all the other small communities around it, it's a really small town and on market day it just explodes with people. twice a month they all sound like all their products and sell them on this really means it's not adorable, we'd both been around the crux long enough to feel comfortable with how we figured it out, we both had a plan. for our rack, we were both really ready to send her the possibility of her making it or you could feel that she went through the first few cracks and then just made it through this squeeze, there's still like 50 feet of route left to climb, that's the hard part. the part is on my left foot it's on like a little flake and just that flake came off oh so close at that moment sure sect I was really ready to do it I was ready not to climb again there I was ready not to climb the The whole bottom section again I think I was hoping it would happen that day.

I told you this climb has problems. You have to love you. I hate you. Things. I love you. Come climb me. I hate you. I'm definitely going to make your life miserable. My nerves are a little bothered because I had a back injury that happened the same way about a year ago. My ankle at the elbow could definitely serve as a break tomorrow if that's what feels good to your body. Yeah, why don't we plan it? a day off tomorrow comes back our last day that's not our last day it's ah god I hate it why it's weird like the importance of sending this thing put a lot of work and a lot of heart into this upload you want to see it Come on I was meaning to pick something , it's very difficult, so here I am, I'm like I'm the hardest side of the world in a time crunch, so China had us in store, we have a few more days to see where it takes us.

Yes get that foot from the day we arrived, some people asked us if we had big gear and everyone who asked for the big year was a group of girls, some of them really wanted to try this canceled climb with research. project that requires nine or older siblings and it turns out that Jenny and I have both, our time here is very limited and I really want to enjoy this place and enjoy this experience and Kat and I decided that we would just take a break from the project and let's go to climb the pillars and begin the research project.

You can use my knee pad and elbow pad if you want. That's a lot of chicken wings. Wow, this is super exhausting. My favorite thing in the world is. So seeing people just get along or maybe start to like you. I'm not sure many of them have really started to like a little kit. It is a much better way to brighten the facial club. Well, yes, that's easier. girls this girl named Patricia guy she says I don't know if I should lead him or she should top rope a head like I don't even know how to use bro cat showed him how to place the older brothers and I gave him Gave him a rundown about how to use camera number 9 and tied it up and just crushed it, preparing Patricia for that climb.

It kind of made me think about the important part of mentoring: it's not just showing someone how to do something that they're supporting through. The whole climbing process, you know, there's daytime stuff, it was a nice break from this kind of monster route that's coming up, so I woke up this morning feeling like Aaliyah was rested and ready to go and be like, "Oh, I have this". today is the day a flood is coming you will be stuck here what he is suggesting is we know you are staying for a week or sir yes there will be a flood and we have to evacuate today otherwise we may stay caught up.

Here up to two weeks. I don't feel like I was ready to leave on any level because I think it's one of those beautiful places in the world that just steals your heart. I just have a lot of gratitude for the whole experience. and a lot of gratitude for the Kraken okay okay that I didn't ship it doesn't mean I didn't go to China and I had it at that time and I went on an adventure the shipping no no make or break a so yeah it's definitely okay with that