2/02/2010 Act Of God

An ‘Act of God’ is a legal term for events outside of human control, such as sudden floods or other natural disasters, for which no one can be held responsible. This does not protect those who put others in danger of acts of nature through negligence, such as an adult who instructs a group of children to stand under a tree to escape a lightning storm.   However,  the legal term, “Act of God”, does not necessarily imply that God had a direct intervention which specifically caused a “natural” occurrence or disaster.
Now that we have that straightened out, you should know that free soloing isn’t for everybody, and it’s not always for me either.  I’ve probably backed off from as many pitches as I’ve topped out.  They say grades don’t matter in climbing, well, when you solo, they matter even less. I’ve backed off a 5.7 slab because it felt insecure, but later in the day soloed a 5.12b roof.  It’s not what is harder or easier, it’s what feels harder or easier.  Feeling is the most important part of the game, not thinking.  Well one time, I was feeling on top of the world, I was higher than a kite, and suddenly without warning, it all came crashing down and it left me thinking…