The Crux

There comes a point on every route designated "the crux". Thing is, you never know for sure if you've made it through that most difficult part of the climb til it's over. Sometimes you'll struggle through what seems like an impossible move only to find that a more impossible section lay ahead. Only after the route is done can you say for sure where it was, what you did right or wrong to get through it, what you'll do better the next time. I know that I haven't reached it yet, as tough as some of these sections have been, I can see with clarity that the crux lay ahead...I can feel it in every labored breath, in every inexplicable lump, bump and bruise. At least I found a new climbing friend..thanks Mary:)