Plan A: Seneca Rocks, WV
June 20-22, 2003
So here's the deal: Amy and I have been dating for nearly four years now. Whatever doubt I had has long since vanished. She's moving to Colorado with me, she took care of me last year with my broken hoof, etc, etc, etc. She's the one. Now that my thesis is done, my last remaining excuse for not getting her a ring has vanished. I bit the bullet, did some illicit shopping, and aquired a small, pretty peice of metal and mineral with very high value density. Now for the hard part, presenting it to her in a classy and interesting way while maintaining my sanity and secrecy.
I've talked to a lot of guys who had proposed to their significant others and
they all said that 1) Plan A never works and 2) Plan B probably won't
work either so come up with lots of backup plans. Thus I was very
busy for a few weeks formulating Plans...
June was already filling up with house hunting trips, weddings and other weekend plans. The weekend of the solstice, however, was slated for our last climbing trip to our beloved Seneca Rocks before moving the the richer climbing grounds of Boulder, Colorado. We ostensibly met at Seneca four year ago and it has been one of our favorite places ever since. Both of us fell in love with rock climbing there and it has occupied a special place in our hearts ever since.
We met Steve and Jill, friends from Kentucky out there on Friday evening
for a weekend of climbing. Saturday, the day of reckoning, dawned
cloudy and rainy. I was not in a good state at this point. Still, we
went toproping with some friends and I fretted the entire time about my various schemes. Despite my mental state, we managed to get up Streptococcus (5.9*) on the NE side and two less challenging routes on the Lower Slabs. The weather never became too bad and we salvaged a decent day after all. Still, I was nervous.
Fortunately, Sunday was gorgeous and we got an early start. I scratched
my original idea of leading Ecstacy (5.7*) and went straight for
objective #1; getting to the South Summit by whatever means neccessary.
Ring was riding in its box in my pocket tethered with a safety pin and
string to the inside lining. The last thing I wanted was to haul it out
only to drop it over the edge. Amy decides she wants to lead up Old
Man's Route (5.2*), one of the busiest and easiest routes on the rock.
It's also the route we arguably met on about four years ago. She hasn't
lead much and it was a good match for her skills. Don't let the rating
fool you, there are some pretty ballsy moves on this otherwise easy
climb. In the mental state I was in, I certainly couldn't handle
anything much harder.
While she lead up the first pitch, I chatted with Maura, Carlos, and
Caroline, a group of three climbers behind us who were waiting to start
Conn's West Direct which shares a
start with Old Man's. Amy was a stud and lead the first pitch in great
style. I cleaned and handed her the gear for the second pitch. She
ended up leading all four pitches including the relatively scary
headwall below the Traffic Jam rap station. We were on the summit ledge
and it looked like Plan A might, against all probability, work.
Unfortunately, the ledge was crowded with people and I started to become
very perturbed about the number of people who would likely have to
witness our Important Private Moment.
Sweating more than was entirely reasonable in the hot sun, I lead the
way across the summit ledge to the climb up the summit block. Just at
the base of the short climb, we met Caroline and company just clearing
Conn's West. Amy lead the way up the 50' climb to the summit block
itself (it's about five feet wide and about twenty long about a thousand
feet off the ground on all sides.) She reported that there was no one
else up there. What!?!? Amazing! Maura, Caroline, and Carlos, wise to
the plan by now, urged me onward promissing to come up in a few minutes
with their cameras and take some photos for us.
I scampered up, stomach in throat, heart pounding like a jackhammer, to
the summit itself. Amy had fashioned a quick anchor in the rock at her
feet so I knelt to clip myself in (safety first you know), hauled out
the ring and stammered something which was intended to be elloquent but
probably wasn't.
 Me and my new fiance grinning like loons on the South Summit. |
The rest, as they say, took care of itself. She was flabbergasted, amazed, shocked, and bawling like a baby. Of all the things I've ever done in my life, this was beyond a doubt the coolest and most satisfying. Caroline and company came up and photos were taken. Fortunately, they even set up the rappels on the way down because I don't think I could have done it safely without help (Yes, the ring fit and she said yes, but it was a little loose. I made her take it off again until we got safely down). When our feet finally hit the ground and we were safe, both of us freaked out for a good hour or two. Phonecalls were made and the whole arduous process of planning a wedding began.
Best climbing trip ever. I just can't believe that Plan A worked! Many thanks to Steve, Jill, Carlos, Maura and Caroline for their moral and technical support.
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