Reflecting on my first 8a

When I first projected that line, I haven't sent a 7a yet. The only piece of "climbing gear" that I owned was a pair of pre-owned shoes. 

I follow whichever line other people's rope dangled from. 

I wish I was able to ease my way up to harder things.

A repeat I did many years after:

It was a rainy day. I just cycled 52 kms with a 400-meter elevation. (I had to go the longer way because the shorter route was blocked by a landslide). A tiny piece of metal poked a pin hole on my tire on my way to the crag. 

My climbing partner arrived late. That afforded me time to rest and get over the frustration of a delayed trip. There were only three of us at the crag that day. 

Before I hopped on the climb, I told the other person that I might be screaming as I go up. That I didn't mean to sound violent -- I'm just letting out energy into the universe. The crux was at the first four clips. 

 The deciding move was towards the end of the crux section. I executed the move poorly. But I wanted the send bad enough that will power made up for my lack of skills. I stuck the crux. But there was still 20-something meters of 6c+ climbing that I've never done before. I've never worked the upper part of the climb. 

I didn't think I'd be able to get past the crux. On that moment as I was in a resting stance after the crux, I extrapolated: if I just did an 8a crux, then I can surely on-sight my way to the anchor. 

 It was naivete that I perceived as self-confidence. On a day when sunlight barely filtered its way through the clouds, when tiny drops of rain muted most of what was happening below the crag, I clipped the anchor. 

My belayer, who was my first climbing mentor, wrote on the log book that day that I sent White Flower 8a. 

The only reason I was able to send a 7a one week before my 8a repoint was that there were draws on a nearby 7a. 

Today I wrote this reflection because I thought how much better of a climber I could have been on that redpoint day if I had a chance to pyramid my way through the grading ladder: bunch of 6s and 7s so the 8a-jump won't be such a big leap. 

I'm still grateful for my mentor, Bhagdok, who invited me to project with him. 

I don't know if he believed that I've got it or if he just didn't have anyone to climb with. But it's all the same. 

A beer and a warm meal, shared by a three-person crowd in a cold rainy night, was more than I could have asked for after the send.

The only photo I've had of that day, Master on belay: