a perfect moment...
...unfolds after eight hours in the back seat of my pick-up truck when two young rock climbers get psyched to pull down. never mind that it's eleven thirty at night, and we still have an hour left on the drive home. never mind that they're third day on and planning to climb hard tomorrow.

the garage door opens. they see the wall, jump out of the truck, and finger the holds.

twenty minutes later i get up from the cool cement floor, go back to the truck, and grab a sweatshirt. i turn around and see them; two miniature figures climbing a tiny wall in a little light box. i fish out my camera.

herm and tyler go inside to look at pictures of switzerland and harry is left alone. he keeps climbing. i take his picture in color. the angle of the wall creates wicked swings, but harry is good at controlling them.

tyler comes back and tries harry's latest campus problem. it's just after midnight. at first ty doesn't hold the difficult swing and craters off. i get his picture in black and white.

ty completes harry's problem and invents the "sock problem". neither of them can complete it because they keep making each other laugh on the last move. harry finally succeeds. ty keeps trying and i go back outside and take another picture. finally tyler controls the finish holds; he turns and smiles. time to drive home.

...two young climbers campusing at midnight, alone in a small box of light on a quiet, clear, dark night, just for the fun of it. this is the spirit of climbing.

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