There's this magic spot in Arizona less than two hours from Phoenix called West Clear Creek. Jason has been busy and stressed, and I told him to pick any spot and we would go there. I told him "anywhere your heart desires." I told him to dream big and was envisioning all types of exotic places. He texted me the day before we left and said he'd decided on West Clear Creek.
Now, I love WCC because it's up on the Rim (so, cooler temps), and the scenery is gorgeous and there are some fun canyons up there. But we could go there any time! I just thought it was a funny choice.
We left Monday morning and just spent the day relaxing. Feeling just a little bit more motivated on Tuesday, we set out for Sundance Canyon. I've never done the whole thing, but according to Jason, most of it is just annoying obstacles, and the best part is the 180 foot rappel at the end. He's found a route that drops in right before the big rappel, so that was our mission. We took a wrong turn (it was only his second time finding the route) and had to backtrack up a cliff band. Jason scrambled up some rocks and advised that I tread lightly. I moved as carefully as I could and still managed to displace a rock, which sent a whole bunch more rocks tumbling down and burying my feet. It wasn't a life or death situation, but I was a little shaken up.
We got to the big rappel, and Jason took his sweet time getting to the bottom, knowing I'd get more nervous the longer I had to wait. I even heard him crack a beer; he was getting himself all situated at the bottom before yelling that he was off rope. I wanted to stab him.
So I was already nervous, and then something went wrong while I was about 30 feet into the rappel. It's a long story, but hearing things snap on your harness when you're that far up is terrifying. Luckily there was a little alcove about 10 more feet down, and once I got to that I could stand there and fix things and calm down a little.
Once I was safely at the bottom, Jason apologized because his reaction to the situation was to LAUGH. He knew it was inappropriate, but said he couldn't help it because he heard me scream and for some reason it was funny to imagine how scared I must have been. But he assured me that he wouldn't have still been laughing if I'd fallen to my death.
I eventually calmed down enough to appreciate my surroundings- a huge alcove with the most amazing echo. Jason knew a concert was about to happen, so he cleared out while I belted Puccini to my heart's content. I rejoined him further downstream, where we found a gorgeous spot to stop and meditate for a while.
I am embarrassed to say that I was totally wrecked on the exit. All that adrenaline from earlier plus carrying 200 feet of rope just wiped me out. That exit can be done in about 30 minutes, and it took me 45 minutes longer than Jason!
That night we were joined by our friend John, a former hotshot/marine/climber who lives in Flagstaff. (He's the guy I met on the saddle of Humphrey's Peak... The super hot guy I can't even believe I was capable of talking to because of his immense hotness). But now I consider John a friend. I like him because he listens to science podcasts and has this slow way of speaking that tells you he's being thoughtful with his words, and he has chickens and does MMA fighting and eats the cookies I bake.
We watched Predator, and Jason reminisced about the time we were in a canyon and Kristin pointed out that I was bleeding and I said, "I ain't got time to bleed." Clearly this was a pivotal moment in our friendship, and I don't even remember it happening. :(
Jason and John ran Wilbur the next day, and I took a rest day. But the next day, we were back in Sundance. I needed to get back on that horse. Jason went down first, and John was a gentleman and pretended not to notice me wiping away tears and giving myself a pep talk. Jason told me he'd picked out the perfect song to accompany this rappel, and as soon as I appeared over the edge, I heard the beginning of "What Does the Fox Say?"
"Jason Marshall, I will f---ing kill you!!!" I screamed. As soon as John recognized the song, he burst out laughing. Here I was, trying to have this beautiful moment in which I overcome my fear, and Jason ruins it. Thankfully, he switched to "Ms. New Booty", and I was able to finish the rappel to my theme song.
Jason's choice of music for John: "Let the Bodies Hit the Floor." John loved it.
I did the exit in a little over 30 minutes (still with 200 feet of rope), so I felt better about that.
And then, it was time to say goodbye. We parted ways in Payson, and I headed east for a few more days of adventure.
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