First Day in Kalymnos - a mini epic.

Leading the 9th pitch of the day I can barely continue upwards as the pain in my feet can't hold my weight anymore. An easy 6A pitch is all that's in my way from the relief of ripping my climbing shoes off and letting my toes expand and breath. Edging, standing on my heel, anything but using my crunched up toes is all I'm trying to do to alleviate at least some of the pain. Sunburned beyond belief, I'm just ready to abseil back to the ground.

My first day started in Kalymnos began like everyone else's. In complete awe. The island of Telendos in full view from my balcony apartment while thousands of climbing routes are behind me. In a childlike anticipation I egg my my girlfriend Geniey to put her make-up on faster so we can get to the crag. Packed up and ready to go we start the hike to the closest crag named Gerakios. With the inevitable wrong turn here and there we reach it in 40 minutes and get ready for our first Kalymnos experience.

Both of us wanting to climb the first route we played Rock Paper Scissors (which settles every and all disputes) to determine the leader. Unfortunately luck wasn't in my favor as my weak stone is covered by her soft brittle paper. Damn. I flake the new rope and as I strap on my harness then hear her say, "DAMN!"

"What's wrong Geniey?"

"I forgot my shoes..."

We brainstorm different ideas about how to get the shoes back. Do I go now? Does she go after I climb? We decided I would run back down to the apartment and grab them. But not before I get my first pitch in. I tie my knot and off I go to start my first climb on the beautiful island of Kalymnos.

The routes at Kalymnos are typically very long and adventurous while also being safely bolted. I felt the cool shaded limestone in my hands and the grip of it beneath my feet. Just from sheer excitement my body was shaking and I almost fell off the wall because of it. 28 wonderful meters later the chains were clipped and I head back down to the ground. Strap my sandals on and start a jog back to the apartment. I forgot to mention that while the island is beautiful, it seems like all of the plants want to kill you. They all have some kind of prick or thorn ready to tear you up if you slip. More than once I feel the slight tear of skin along my feet and ankles. Back at the apartment I grab a little tote bag, throw her shoes in it, and head back up the steep approach to Geniey. 45 minutes later and out of breath I give her the shoes. She straps them on and then sends the route with the same pleasure as I had. We climbed one more route then moved into a different sector of the crag.

The sun started to pull around facing west as we decided to climb a 5 pitch 6a+ route. Already 4 pitches deep we decided "What the hell, we're here right? might as well get some altitude!" We load up the tote bag I carried her shoes in with water, the climbing guidebook, and my camera. I lead the first pitch and while Geniey was seconding, the terrible tote bag broke. She rigged it mid climb to her shoulders but when she met me at the anchors she said "We can't climb with this, it's going to fully break soon and it really digs in my shoulders." I was already a little sunburned so I didn't want the bag digging into my skin. I was ready to call it quits. We could still rappel back to the ground and we already climbed 5 pitches! Not bad for a morning of climbing. But Geniey was determined. "Let's give the bag to this guy coming up beside us to take back down to the ground. I don't need water, and we can finish fast!"

"Ok!" She was stoked and so was I. We hand our bag over to a nice European fellow who kindly put it with our stuff on the ground. Geniey led a slabby 2nd pitch and I lead the 3rd pitch. It was a wonderful, full-on chimney climb that could have been traditionally protected. But the ease of clipping bolts was great for speed. My feet were really starting to kill, and a deep sunburn was setting in. I didn't think we'd be out on the wall for this long. I thought once the sun popped around, we find a different area to climb in. But with the excitement of the first day we just wanted to climb climb climb.

Fast forward to the final pitch, the 9th pitch of the day and we had been on this route for around 5-6 hours. All in the beating sun. My shoulders were cherry red, feet were swollen and aching. My small sport shoes weren't the best choice for the 200 meter multi-pitch. Pulling the final crux was more mental strength in dealing with pain than having difficulty with the move. Eventually I top out, find the anchor and Geniey meets me at the summit. Both of us were dehydrated, in pain, burned, and ready to get off the top. After a very short view of the island we look for and find the rappel bolts. Two rappels down we get to a large ledge. We walk around looking for the next anchor but it's nowhere to be found. Geniey decides to rappel off of a quicklink on a bolt near the bottom of the next climb. But, she goes down the wrong face of the wall and has nowhere to go after 40m of rappelling. The sun begins to dip behind Telendos and she is so far away I can't hear what she is saying. After yelling at the top of our lungs I put her on belay and she climbs loose rock to get back up to where I am. She falls multiple times as the rope goes tight through the belay device. When she reaches the top she's in obvious distress and frustrated. We're both ready to be on the ground.

After some encouraging words we found the correct anchor and continued rappelling. On Geniey's final rap down, she slowly fell into a thorn bush by way of gravity and rope location. I watched her body gradually swing into the spiny trap as she let out a yell of grief. I grabbed the dead ends of the rope and swung her away from the danger, and that was how Geniey avoided a second collision with the thorn bush. Soon after, we're on the ground! The sun is completely gone when we start our hike back to our apartment. Headlamps out we walk back down the trail I ran that morning to get Geniey's shoes. Near the end of the hike I slip on some loose rocks and fall. My right arm and hand fall completely into a thorn bush. Lookin at my hand I start pulling out tons of barbs protruding from my skin. Blood starts to bead on the large punctures and some small bits have broken off and embedded themselves under my skin. Just my luck, to add to my feet crying in pain, the beat-red sunburn on my back, I now have a hand that feels like it's on fire with thorns sticking out of it.

All in all, a great first day!

#RockClimbing