Day 5 - Friday May 11 - The Slips

Jer and I went up Big Cottonwood Canyon this morning for some good ol' fashioned climbing. We headed up to the Salt Lake Slips to do some basic lead climbing. This proved to be quite enjoyable. In order to get to the climb you must first cross the river (or hike clear around). Lucky for us, there was a rope strung across that allowed us to do so with ease - except for the extreme cold of the water. We got to our destination and began climbing. Jer led first on the 5.7 in the middle. The is an interesting climb because there are a couple of sections that are just plain weird and can be difficult to climb. As he was thus engaged in leading, a dude from the forest service showed up and told me that we were not supposed to cross at the river and there was a nice hike if you go all the way around. He then went and took down the rope and went on his way. Thanks a lot, dude. He left, Jer finished the climb, and I followed, cleaned up the gear, and rappelled down. I then led a 5.6 on the corner of the wall. It is a fun climb, and a good one to boost your confidence for leading climbs goes. As many of you know, I am still afraid of heights. There was one point where I was struggling to find the next hold and I looked down to Jer to see what he had to say about it. Just then I happened to notice that I was a good distance above my last bolt and had a couple more moves until the next. I convinced myself to forget this new information and was able to continue on without trouble. I finished the climb. Jer followed and rappelled down. It was an enjoyable morning; nothing difficult or technical, but enjoyable nonetheless (except for the other climbers that were right next to us and smoking).