Trying not to think about the fact that I’m hanging from a two-foot piece of fabric 40 feet up in the air.

Seven of us went to Chattanooga on Friday to climb some rocks. I don’t know the names of any of the routes we got on, but gee were they fun. We had four ropes and like, 30 draws, and the routes were really close together, so we were able to rotate climbs with maximum efficiency. Which was good because Evan, Nick, and I got to the crag about an hour later than we'd planned, and then the approach was terrifying and we couldn’t find the rock and Elaine and Matt couldn’t find Chuck and Kyle and Evan was asleep in the car and I almost died like several times but it all worked out and we had a great day.

Nick, Matt, and Elaine had to leave early, but once just four of us were left, someone (thanks, someone!) had the idea for me to climb up this 11 (I did not send), go in direct, and pull my camera case up on the rope. I'd always wanted to get cool photos from this angle but hadn't been sure how to go about it before. But Friday, I did it. I learned a new knot, the clove hitch*, and found my appreciation for pulley systems reawakened as second-grade physical science reentered my life.

And then I took pictures!

#selfie.

It was kind of nervewracking opening my camera case so high and imagining all the things that could go wrong if a quickdraw/rope/zipper inexplicably failed, my T2i and all its lenses tumbling to a shattery death by sandstone. But it was secured to my person with a long draw and a safety knot, and I kept the strap over my shoulder while pushing thoughts of heights and gravity and manufacturing error out of my mind.

It wasn’t a big photography day, what with all the 10s to flash and 11s to try, but I got a few shots from the ground...

And that is all I have to share with you today. Life is about to get busier with classes starting and all, but I'll keep seeking weekend adventure. And you know what? I’m pretty excited about the weekdays too.

*I don't remember if we actually utilized the clove hitch for the camera hoist. But I definitely learned it.

What heights do you take your camera to? Anybody have gravity-related camera horror stories? Share in the comments!