Last week I mentioned a project in the gym that I was close to sending. Well this week I was able to get it sent on Monday. Well, kind of. I warmed up by hangdogging from bolt to bolt, dialing in the exact sequence I wanted to use to get through the whole climb. Then put an attempt and fell just below last clip as I fumbled the rope trying to get it in. The gym was unusually crowded for a Monday and we had a decent amount of people watching. I had tried to clip a draw to my left that I normally don't as there's one to the right that worked better for me on previous attempts. So as I tried this new clip, my right hand pumped out and I knew I was going to fall.
Now there are different times to clip, in relation to where the clip I normally clip at head/overhead. So when I felt the pump come and had the slack pulled out I was worried about taking my belayer(Kaylee) for a ride with that much rope in the system. So I had to grip the draw with my middle finger to drop the rope and then take. Learning to recognize those less than ideal situations while climbing, and how to mitigate them is the difference between getting another attempt and potential injury or decking(that's what happened on our trip to Mickey's Beach).
Next attempt, we went all the way to the top. In the endurance top section of the climb, my foot was scummed(or pressed) into the wall and as I went for the next move it slid down the face and tapped a hold. Again, another thing that I hadn't done previously. So I thought to myself that it was weird that there was a hold there. So I looked down and a yellow jug from another climb was tapping my foot. Now, I didn't weight it, and just continued to the chains. Everyone watching cheered, people who had seen my struggles the last weeks to get the climb clean congratulated me on the send. My friend Evan was excited but also pointed out the foot tap playfully. 'Nice Dab." Or something along those lines. I joked back and figured it was still a send.
But the rest of the night and the next days it ate at me. Did I really dab or not? Wednesday came around and I was sure the climb was gone and reset. I figured to let it be in the past. However, walking into the the gym, there it was. So redemption was made, and a clean redpoint or repeat was completed. The guilt was gone. To dab or not to dab? would not be my internal monologue for the rest of my climbing career. The 5.12c that was done, and no one could argue.
Now, on to more hard climbs.
I will say in closing, that climbing has so any little intricacies, nuances, cultures, taboos, and traditions. In the long run does that foot tap matter? Probably not, but I wanted the climb without it. If you feel like you've climbed(within reason) a climb, take it. But if that doubt creeps in, overcome it again. That is how you better your climbing. Being satisfied that you truly accomplished the thing you set out to do. It's a long road, so make sure the journey is one you can look back with pride and contentment on it.