Falling in Hell

A Wild Ride

I love climbing! It is my favorite thing to do! Right when I got back from my mission I got right back into the sport I loved. We went to a spot up the beautiful American Fork Canyon. It was late spring and the wildflowers were just coming out and everything was turning green again. We were going to a place that I had never climbed before called Hell’s Wall. The name of the wall worried me but didn't stop me from trying the climb. As I started up I felt good. It was nice to be climbing again. It didn't seem so bad, my muscles were working fine and I was moving up the face of the rock. I came to a much harder part of the climb and I made a huge mistake. I ended up falling about 25 feet! I came really close to hitting the ground. I was frustrated with myself for not being able to do the climb and it haunted me for days. I would have dreams of me falling on that climb. I decided I needed to conquer it so a couple of days later I went back to do it again. This time I did it! I conquered my fear!

Falling in Hell

A few months back I was climbing up American Fork Canyon. My sister Katie, her buddy Jacob, and I were climbing at a face called Hell’s Wall. On the wall, which is about 40 feet high, there are two climbs one that is fairly easy and another that is much more difficult. The peer pressure from Jacob came to try the harder climb. You see, this wasn't any old top rope climbing like you would see at Boondocks. We were sport climbing, a style of climbing that involves hooking a piece of equipment onto a bolt that is previously placed on the wall and then stringing your rope through the piece of equipment. [Definition] This type of climbing is much more fun than Boondocks but is also much more dangerous. As you climb above your equipment, the distance of a fall grows exponentially. At 2 feet above your equipment your fall is 4 feet (plus about a foot of rope stretch), at 4 feet above your equipment your fall is 8 feet. You get the point.

My Left Hand after the fall

As usual, I gave into the peer pressure and started up the climb. It was me and the wall. [Division] I climbed up the first 18 feet like a monkey [Simile] then came the most difficult part of the climb, a move that required a throw of your body upwards while you are hanging upside down. As soon as you stick the move it was important to put in your piece of equipment and string your rope through because at this point you are about 7 feet above your last piece. Well I nailed the crux and started up the climb about 5 feet, but as I looked back,I realized I had forgot to place my piece of equipment! [Climax] I panicked! [Hyperbole] I did my best to climb back down just a little in order to place my piece of equipment. I finally got into position with my left hand holding on tight to the face of the rock and my right hand reaching down to find my rope and string it into my equipment. As I pulled out slack in the rope, my left hand slipped off the face of the rock! I was falling! Before I knew it my harness tightened along with the rope that was attached to and my fall stopped. I looked over and my sister was asking, screaming if I was okay. [Apposition] Jacob, my belayer, was above my head attached to the other end of the rope. I finally looked down and I was inches from the canyon floor. I had fallen 25 feet.  As I stared up Hell’s wall, I instantly felt frustration surge through my body and I screamed, “I can't believe I didn't make it! I HAD it! I can't believe I fell!” [Contradiction]