Barbara Z. – Manalmon Rain (Part 2)

Barbara Z. – Manalmon Rain (Part 2)

Skin and slopers and chalk and dust, it’s the story so far on Barbara Z.  It’s our second visit to the boulder this year.

April 13, 2008.  It’s been weeks since Me and Miel had our last encounter with this ominous boulder problem.  Maybe I just imagined too much of the enigma so linked with the problem.  I couldn’t get the thought off my mind of getting to latch the crimps only to falter on the dyno for an impossible sloper.  It’s as if I’m already preparing myself to fail.  Hopefully this changes. 

Below the boulder, now with Kristian, we again start cleaning up the problem which remain to draw us with it’s long standing history.  With the dry spell cast on Manalmon a few more crimpers show up.  A few brush strokes then suddenly Barbara Z. looked different.  Warming up to the moves on the problem took a while.  Each attempt took us one move further at a time.  Crimpers began to bite down and every try at the problem became more painful than the last.   With each unlocking of a sequence came more of the puzzles that kept coming.

It was certain that this problem would consume us.  It was a race with what our minds and bodies were willing to give against the rate at which the boulder would be eating us up. Kristian stuck the dyno to the sloper! The crimp that looked key came next!  Everyone got on their feet to transfer some energy … then blank.  The sequence to the sloper got clear but the pain on our finger tips crawled up to our brains simply shutting us down.  We tried the new efficient sequence again and again but it was becoming more and more difficult to let go of the pain and just climb.  Sure, the problem felt better.  We packed up knowing we’re one step closer to realizing a puzzle.