My Soul's Rebirth

Part 8 Slow Progression

(Thinking back) *A major cause of discomfort that you experience in the rainforest is ants. There were thousands of them around me. I was continually being bitten throughout the climb without a way to swat them. In the end, I bet I had at least a hundred, if not two-hundred bites throughout my body and especially my arms. Ugh, those little guys hurt. My choice was straightforward. I either ignored them, or I risked my life trying to swat them. I chose the former. Survival is a complete mental game. Added to the issue of ants was the constant wet and slippery surfaces, due to the heavy rain from the previous night.*

Unfortunately, a horrible sight befell me. Just ahead of me, part of the cliff face had eroded away. It was a complete vertical drop straight into the chaotic maelstrom that was the river. It consisted of powdered, loose rock with no vegetation holding it in place. The way to my left was impassable, and saying that I was disheartened would be a huge understatement. Not only could I not push forward, but I would have to waste precious time and energy heading back.

I clearly remember the feeling of hopelessness that again overcame me, and I did something that I rarely ever do; I pray. "God, please continue to protect and guide me out of this mess." This was the gist of the prayer, anyways. Upon completion, I took a huge deep breath and began my journey back to my sacred tree. After awhile, with only a couple minor slips and another dozen ant bites, I again find myself leaning against my guardian. Now is the time I begin the near impossible. With my right eye swollen shut, I would have to slowly inch my way along using only my opposite eye for guidance.

(A few thoughts on free-hand climbing)* Another trial I experienced was the shallow root system of most plants I had to grasp to pull myself along. It was a common problem to pull on a decent-sized tree only to have it uproot on you. Imagine if I have my right foot on a solid branch, but there is no way to advance my left leg forward. This is where I would have to rely on my upper body strength using my core muscles and arms only, and to quickly switch feet. This was frequently the only tactic that allowed me to advance forward. (It is critically important that the branch you are grabbing is strong enough to support your full weight). This was useful when I came across a more dense section of branches. Luckily for me, I was part monkey and probably spent half my younger years in trees. When I was seven or eight years old, I fell fifty or sixty feet out of an ancient pecan tree and the only thing slowing my fall were the massive limbs. I walked away from that with only scrapes and a few bruises. I believe that my years of experience tree-climbing(and tree falling) combined with the experience of the fall, and lastly my beautiful guardian angel, were all important factors of my survival.

I had zero doubt that time was my enemy, and like the bubonic plague spreading across Europe, pain and misery continued to spread throughout the injured parts of my body. Progressing with my ascent was an incredibly slow process. The thing is, before I even considered creeping forward, I had to turn my head sharply to my right to study each potential hand-hold. Then after the decision was made, I would have to reach forward in an awkward angle just so that I could advance inch by inch, foot by foot. Various obstacles stood before me, always ending with the need to skirt around them.

I vividly remember one specific slip that occurred while I was switchbacking around a huge prickly bush. I had what I thought was a solid handhold on a thick branch, due to it feeling sturdy and strong. I could only imagine the expression that must have crossed my face when I felt the branch give, followed by a thunderous crack as it split in half. The situation I put myself in was dire, and grew worse as gravity once again took over. The total distance of the fall must have been about eight to ten feet. There was only one obstacle blocking my way to a deadly fall in the churning river below, and that was a thick tree branch. With my full weight behind me, I racked myself head on. Ow! Like a beached whale, I writhed around in pain and all I could do was attempt to steady myself while I sat still and let the throbbing discomfort subside. Amazingly, my life was spared by yet another tree, but unfortunately the fall put me in a very precarious position. This lone tree grew out of crumbling rock at a twisted angle, and the only way for me to climb back up was to stand up on the base of the tree trunk. Chances were good that the root system was very shallow and that the tree would uproot and take me on a final wild ride.