What I've Learned
During one of my first visits to Chattanooga, it had been raining severely for days and I was waiting for Human Chew Toy (5.11d) to dry out. Finally, realizing that the conditions were never going to be perfect, we decided to attempt it anyway. Chattanooga local Ron Nance said to me: “Some folks shy away from poor conditions. I guess the upside is that any storm should be short-lived. Welcome to the southeast! We have some serious humidity at times."
Photograph courtesy of Ron Nance
And so, I drove up to Soddy Daisy and soon began navigating the boulder field, wondering if I had enough mojo to send the rig this time. When I tried it for the first time last July, an awkward fall made me nervous and I’d backed down. Kirk Brode, one of Human Chew Toy’s first ascensionists, told me that he couldn't remember the time of the year they’d tried it. It might have been during the summer months as well because he recalled Jeff and some others doing Celestial Mechanics (V7) around that time. He said that usually, the fall is dry in comparison, but even though it was early December, the base of the climb was wet.
It was also extremely wet on this day. My first piece went in way up high in the bombay chimney. Kirk later laughed and said that he and the guys had placed a bro near the beginning. “Can’t remember why, though—maybe because we thought we might fall."
Something felt different about climbing Human Chew Toy this time. It was almost instinctive when I threw in my shoulder to give it a proper chicken wing and I slowly dropped myself upside down. Unlike my first attempt, inverting felt smooth. I moved quickly to the edge of the lip. It was a perfect corner that I could make one sit-up move into. Further up near the end, the dampness of the rock and exhaustion almost spit me out, but I had wanted it so badly. I had driven all the way from Denver to send this rig! I began to reach up for a good jug when my feet accidentally slipped, but I held on. I didn't fall and Danny yelled out, “Goddamn hell yeah dixie rebel yell yip!” as I breathlessly clipped into an anchor at the top.
Excited to tell Kirk that I’d finally redpointed the beast, he was kind enough to confirm that Human Chew Toy had never seen a female ascent. I was the first. That fact sat with me and knowing that few people of either gender had climbed it, I was proud to be in the small club of those who had. At this point, I don’t really onsight things anymore. My first year learning how to trad climb in the Gunks was littered with proud onsights, and that really helped build confidence in myself and my abilities. But once I started taking falls, it really gave me a chance to come back and see what kind of progress I was making. In all honesty, I’m so glad that this was a redpoint and not an onsight, allowing me to see how far I’ve come since last summer. Starting from the beginning, ground up, is just as important as accomplishing the goal.