Day 6 - Rock School

Well, it’s nice to wake up later today, only just in time for the 7am breakfast horn. I haven't really talked about breakfasts yet and now seems as good a time as any. It begins with your choice of oatmeal or cereal, coffee, tea, juice, followed by some other treats that vary each day: things like bacon, muffins, boiled eggs, and french toast. More than enough to get you going.

Anyhow, we leave camp at about 9am heading east to the slopes below Rice Brook. The going is flat and easy for the most part, except for a section where we have to battle our way through thickets of Alders.

Cyril takes the first hour to teach us some rock-rescue skills as well as give some pointers on belaying from above, while Lars goes to work setting up four top-roped climbing routes on the rock face.

When Cyril finishes, we move to climbing and, after watching a few people make attempts, I decide to give one route a go. I finish in fine fashion, but my heart isn’t into it.

I can climb anytime. I want to learn.

I ask Cyril if I can practice some trad placements using his rack.

I go to work placing some nuts and cams at ground level. I know the theory behind good placements from reading some of John Long’s books, but I have never actually done any for real.

It feels great.

I call Lars over to check some of my work. He says they look good and that I should try to make a full anchor by using two or three placements.

I make two of them. The first uses two cams. The second has two nuts and a cam, with the middle placement connected using a clove hitch. I feel pretty confident with them and when he checks them over he says they are good. I’m happy.

Time flies, and it is 3pm before I know it. Time to head back to camp.

Dinner is turkey mushroom soup, greek salad, spanakopita, ham, sweet
mustard, rice, with cheesecake for dessert.

Trip options for tomorrow are Coral, Whiterose Traverse, and Osprey.

The Whiterose Traverse was the favorite of the camp when it was first held here in 1998, so I figure it would be a great way to finish off the week and sign up for that.

I’m really enjoying camp so far. I’m learning lots, the food is great, and the people are all fantastic. But I still feel somewhat affected by the circumstances surrounding why I’m here. It seems so wrong that something so great for me has come out of something so awful for someone else. It just doesn’t seem fair. To me it’s an amazing experience, but delivered upon the heavily weighted shoulders of someone I don’t even know. An incredible gift, sealed inside of dark-black wrapping paper.

I’m really not sure how to put things right in my head.

Someone has adorned their tent with a string of Tibetan prayer flags to keep themselves safe during the trip.

People attempting one of the climbing routes at Rock School.

Everybody has a photo of Mt. Bryce. I want one that is unique... hhhmmm... I'll bet no one has a photo of Bryce from inside of the shower stall.

A portion of the Whiterose traverse awaits our attempt tomorrow.