I can totally solo this.
I gave my energy levels a quick check. My hands were a little achy, but not bad. My legs, feet, and toes felt pretty good, too. I could definitely pump out a final sprint to the top. Leaning against the harness, I looked up and assessed the potential path—where I would grab and step. It looked doable, at least from what I could see while standing on the ledge.
I’d always wanted to free solo. Doing it now was a little crazy, but crazy was nothing new for me.
I sat suspended there, weighing my options for a while. Blake called up, “You alright?”
“Yeah, I’m good.”
“Just checking.”
Should I do this?
I took a few shaky breaths as I considered the ramifications of my decision. Gina’s wrath would be the first and most prominent consequence. Certain death if I fall would be the second.
Gina would kill me.
No, she would only kill me if I died. At that point, I wouldn’t care if she was mad. Plus, that would be an exciting way to go, right? Probably would even make the news. “Idiot Climber Unclips and Falls to Her Death.” At least I’d make the news just like…
I pushed the thought away and leaned into my favorite mantra.
Focus on your peak.
I called down, “This next section is a good spot to boulder. Especially if I climb to the left a little.”
Before I had made a conscious decision, my hands unclipped the harness.
The rope zinged through the carabiner and slid up and through the last piton. I heard a shuffling sound on the ground below. Probably Blake stumbling backwards from the sudden slack. Fleeting regret clenched my nerves as I watched the rope disappear between my legs. My heart thumped, and I took a shaky breath. I was really going to do this. Too late to turn back now.
Gina and Blake were screaming my name. Gina yelled in Spanish—probably cursing.
“Jules! What are you doing?”
Gina started crying.
I tried to block out the chaos and chalked my hands. Had to focus and not worry about them. They would be alright if I made it.
And if I didn’t? Well, they would still be alright. Eventually.
I started the final ascent. There were plenty of spots for my hands and feet. My assumptions were right. It was the perfect spot to attempt a first solo climb. My reservations melted away and new confidence surged through my veins. Adrenaline had taken over and my grip was stronger, my toes were steady, and my brain was clear. All previous exhaustion melted away. I couldn’t even hear the commotion below as my focus primed.
I smiled.
The section was easier than I thought it would be.
Other climbers had joined Gina and Blake at the bottom. They were watching, now silently with rapt attention. The climb was super easy. A few more seconds and it would be over.
I reached the top without a hitch. Without so much as a single toe slip.
A few climbers cheered. But not Gina and Blake.
I scrambled to standing and peered down the fifty-five foot climb. I trembled and laughed a little as the adrenaline reached its highest point. What I did was nuts—I knew that. But it felt good.
So good.
The tiniest twinge of guilt ate at me when I watched my friends. Gina had her face buried in Blake’s chest, and he was rubbing her back. I tried to push the feeling away.
At least I was alive!
