Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
She cheered with the others as she rubbed at her arms, genuinely happy that Harlow had made the climb. Harlow was getting better and better at bouldering and seemed to be enjoying it more. Vienna knew she preferred trad climbing. Climbers came from all over the world to take on the famous boulders just outside the town of Knightly. The iconic boulders were considered world-class climbs, and there was something for everyone no matter their climbing experience.
Vienna took out her water bottle. She looked around as she drank. The sun was up and four more climbers had come along the trail. The warm-ups were located right on the trail, and the other climbers heading toward other boulders were walking close to the boulder Harlow had been climbing. She thought perhaps they were making their way to a popular boulder called Monkey Bar. She called out to them and gave a friendly wave.
Two of the climbers looked up, smiling, returning her greeting and waving back. The other two continued on without so much as glancing her way. That was unusual behavior in the climbing world. As a rule, climbers were very friendly toward one another. They shared beta—information—on routes and helped one another out when possible. The two who hadn’t looked up had ball caps pulled low over their faces, shielding their eyes, and neither carried crash pads with them. One had a daypack while the other didn’t.
“Not very friendly,” she observed to Stella.
“I noticed,” Stella said. “Could be having a bad day.”
“Or they’re day hikers and were totally absorbed in their conversation.” Shabina excused their lack of good manners.
“They weren’t wearing hiking shoes,” Raine pointed out. “One had on running shoes and the other loafers.”
“That explains a lot,” Vienna said. “Definitely not climbers. The other two were. Maybe they were going to get instruction.”
“Or maybe they weren’t even together,” Harlow ventured.
Vienna took another sip of water and turned back to see Zahra studying the boulder. Little Zahra standing under five feet. Everyone in their group loved her. She was funny and kind and extremely intelligent. She also ran the local hospital. Without her, the facility would probably have folded a long time ago, but she had managed to find ways to raise large amounts of money through fundraisers and by acquiring grants and getting enormous donations. They had up-to-date equipment and could afford to pay their doctors and nurses a good enough salary to keep them. Zahra worked very hard for the hospital. Their trauma unit was vital and the first place they could stabilize victims of accidents from skiing, climbing or any of the other multitude of sports available in the Sierras.
Zahra might complain and say everything was difficult, but she always went with them, hiking trails and climbing boulders, even if trad climbing—which she excelled at—was her favorite thing to do. If she couldn’t hike the long trails due to work, she always volunteered to resupply them. She had lost her dog, Elara, who she ran with twice a day, and all of them knew she still grieved for the little half Pyrenean Shepherd, half unknown breed.
All of them were keeping an eye out for a rescue or an accident that had a dog close to the same type that they could surprise her with. She’d stopped running on her own, and when they got together with their dogs, she always looked sad. Shabina’s dogs seemed to know it and always went to her, practically sitting in her lap, which made her laugh. Shabina had Dobermans and they were extremely large. Sitting on Zahra and resting their heads on her usually trapped her wherever she was.
Zahra was about to climb another VB when Stella stopped her. “You need to climb something harder than that. You’ve already climbed so many VBs. Get on something harder. You’re so strong. You could climb a V3 easily. At least try this V1 instead.” She pointed to a crimpy climb that went up the middle of the rock face.
Zahra nearly always waited for them to finish bouldering and then talked them into climbing with rope. Vienna knew Stella and Raine really had an aversion to rope, but they did it anyway because they loved Zahra and she nearly always came bouldering with them.
Zahra chalked her hands. “You always say that, Stella, as I land on my ass and stare up at the sky. I already see the vultures circling.”
Automatically, everyone but Stella looked overhead. There were no vultures. Zahra’s laughter was infectious. “You’re so easy.” She looked at Vienna.
“You are so ridiculous, Zahra. Just think of this as 5.10. It’s easier if you talk less,” Stella said with a laugh.
Zahra gave Stella a haughty smirk and turned to Vienna. “You ready to spot me?”
“I got you.” Vienna had already chosen the three different places she would have to move to in order to provide the best protection for Zahra.