Daniel Madson Photography: Public Enemy and Love Your Enemy

The last few good days of perfect temp climbing at Clear Creek Canyon are on the way out. The temps are heating up, no more snow and no more ice across the river to huck rocks at while waiting for the lactic pump to fade.
This day I spent almost no time climbing but rather dangling on a rope above the route shooting photos. It was a good time and it was the first time that I was actually able to ascend with the proper gear rather than slipping and slidding and struggling up an icy waterfall.
The rope hanging down from the cliff was already set up and I set off jugging all the way up. Sometime between the ground and 50 feet I realized that there were a few questions I should have asked before I started up. One was "what is the other end of this rope secured too?" Before I could do anything about it my imagination took off and all I could think about was the other end being tied to a tree branch or staked into a loose patch of dirt. My palms got sweaty, hands were shaky and I ended up having to talk myself down and keep going. I think joking with myself helped more than anything else. "Just climb higher, that way if the rope does fail it won't hurt it will just end...Long story short, it was fun.