At 11:00 pm we were in our dorm talking about the last water tower attempt. The thing was we saw two other older water towers that we hadn't attempted yet. So Ben says,
"Well I've got 3 hours until I want to be asleep."
I had to rudely end a conversation I was having with Tim Shipp online. Sorry Tim.
"Alright. Let's hit it."
So we suited up in our exploring gear - digital camera, multitool, thick long sleeve jackets and jeans, and our own head gear - for Ben a fedora and I a red headband. We looked like more ridiculous versions of Indiana Jones and Rambo, but we didn't care, we thought we were bad-asses. No one even questioned us as we stepped out the door and down the elevator, we did receive some confused looks.
Around 11:30 we arrive at the first water tower. It's on the side of a fairly busy rode between two houses guarded by a barbed wire fence. Waiting until a lull in traffic I jumped the wall and traversed into the brush with Ben shortly behind me. The whole area including the fence was completely overgrown with what I can only assume was some form of kudzu. "The only people barbed wire is keeping out is fat guys and morons," said Ben. And us being skinny and only slightly morons we were able to tackle the barbed wire without much problem.
Underneath the tower we begin to understand how tall and old this thing was. Above all we begin to understand the risk, because the only ladder for one is old and rusty but more importantly is completely exposed to the road right beside it. Had the ladder not looked like it was going to fall apart and kill us we may have been more likely to attempt to take the ladder fast in hopes no one (or more specifically no cops) would drive by as we're suspended in air. Another watertower risk realized. So we marked it off as an examination of the obstacles against us and moved on to our next target - a water tower we saw while on the train.
Not remembering exactly it's local we walked down the tracks and hoped for a train going our way to cut down on time, but to no avail. No trains came and we were only tricked by bright lights that fooled our minds into seeming to grow closer.
After 20 minutes on the track Ben turned around, "Woah!", we had almost walked right past the tower.
With tower in sight we left the tracks and went through the brush. The brush composed of thick agonizing brier thorns that tore away at us as we stepped in. But we got through and felt the worse had to be over cause damn did that brier suck. How we were wrong. So so wrong.
Side quest: We saw some graffiti and a low roof. Consequently this happened:
There was no clear way to the tower. It was in the middle of another tremendously overgrown field. I guess after noone uses something for so long nature starts reclaiming it's place. 'There Will Come Soft Rains" anybody? It's a poem, read it. The Ray Bradbury short story based on it is pretty good too, but I digress.
We have to aproach this problem headlong so we find a spot where the woods opened a bit and the fence had been broken down just enough to get over. The initial wooded area was slow going but fine. Then we descended into the hell storm of the brier patch. A chest high field of nothing but thorns tearing at you as you tried to get through, slicing your legs and entrapping your feet with every move. I led first and took the brunt of the pain kicking down a path for us to get through. It got to a point where I really viewed the brier as a person out to get me and all I could do was curse at it and ignore the pain as I stomped the hell out of it. But for all I did to it, it got me back. (pictures later). This went on for what must have been 15 minutes just getting through 15 yards to arrive at the water tower.
The tower was taller and more overgrown than the last with a ladder so small it made us think the designers were trying to kill us. When I pictured climbing these towers I guess I always envisioned a cage around the ladder for some safety. No such luck. It was a straight shot up 10 feet first on the actual beam leg of the tower and then about 90 feet more of the ladder which was partially engulfed by a tree you had to maneuver around for 20 feet. But if the barbed wire and valley of thorns hadn't stopped us, we weren't going to stop there. Unlike the other tower, this one's ladder was on a side hidden from the street. So I gathered my wits and started climbing.
It was the most frightening climb I've ever done and I've been rock climbing and just straight up climbing anything I could for years. As I climbed my body became hyper aware of what it needed to do. My adrenline kicked in and I forget any pain I had in my body. My mind became entranced in keeping myself alive, turning me virtually into a climbing robot. I never looked down and nothing exsisted beside what I could see in my direct vision. It was just 'right hand, right foot, left hand, left foot.." never moving unless I knew I had three strong holds. 100 feet I climbed until I reached the top which was the scariest of all. You had to dismount the ladder and squeeze under or over a railing with nothing holding you in. One false move and you fall to your death. When I got in and was able to sit down on the tower my heart was racing, my breathing was heavy and I was uttering "Holy shit." ever few moments.
Now it was Ben's turn and I'm sure he was going through everything I went through. I wanted to encourage him as he was climbing but I dared not break his concentration. I didn't say anything or move until he was clear up. We took a moment to get grip of ourselves before we looked around.
The experience was breathtaking, the view incredible, the feeling of the climb unmatched.
Our feet dangling off the edge a hundred feet in the air
The trip down the ladder wasn't too bad after I got myself out from the platform and onto the ladder. A very tricky and risky move. We just didn't want to die in front of each other, so we made it. On the walk home we couldn't believe what we had just done and were only reassured of the reality of it when we saw the numerous cuts on our legs and dozens of hitchhiker seeds stuck to our clothes.
My leg after battling the brier patch
Around 11:30 we arrive at the first water tower. It's on the side of a fairly busy rode between two houses guarded by a barbed wire fence. Waiting until a lull in traffic I jumped the wall and traversed into the brush with Ben shortly behind me. The whole area including the fence was completely overgrown with what I can only assume was some form of kudzu. "The only people barbed wire is keeping out is fat guys and morons," said Ben. And us being skinny and only slightly morons we were able to tackle the barbed wire without much problem.*Bring and multitool and clip a section of the wire out is the moral of that story*
Underneath the tower we begin to understand how tall and old this thing was. Above all we begin to understand the risk, because the only ladder for one is old and rusty but more importantly is completely exposed to the road right beside it. Had the ladder not looked like it was going to fall apart and kill us we may have been more likely to attempt to take the ladder fast in hopes no one (or more specifically no cops) would drive by as we're suspended in air. Another watertower risk realized. So we marked it off as an examination of the obstacles against us and moved on to our next target - a water tower we saw while on the train.
Not remembering exactly it's local we walked down the tracks and hoped for a train going our way to cut down on time, but to no avail. No trains came and we were only tricked by bright lights that fooled our minds into seeming to grow closer.
After 20 minutes on the track Ben turned around, "Woah!", we had almost walked right past the tower.
With tower in sight we left the tracks and went through the brush. The brush composed of thick agonizing brier thorns that tore away at us as we stepped in. But we got through and felt the worse had to be over cause damn did that brier suck. How we were wrong. So so wrong.Side quest: We saw some graffiti and a low roof. Consequently this happened:
There was no clear way to the tower. It was in the middle of another tremendously overgrown field. I guess after noone uses something for so long nature starts reclaiming it's place. 'There Will Come Soft Rains" anybody? It's a poem, read it. The Ray Bradbury short story based on it is pretty good too, but I digress.We have to aproach this problem headlong so we find a spot where the woods opened a bit and the fence had been broken down just enough to get over. The initial wooded area was slow going but fine. Then we descended into the hell storm of the brier patch. A chest high field of nothing but thorns tearing at you as you tried to get through, slicing your legs and entrapping your feet with every move. I led first and took the brunt of the pain kicking down a path for us to get through. It got to a point where I really viewed the brier as a person out to get me and all I could do was curse at it and ignore the pain as I stomped the hell out of it. But for all I did to it, it got me back. (pictures later). This went on for what must have been 15 minutes just getting through 15 yards to arrive at the water tower.
The tower was taller and more overgrown than the last with a ladder so small it made us think the designers were trying to kill us. When I pictured climbing these towers I guess I always envisioned a cage around the ladder for some safety. No such luck. It was a straight shot up 10 feet first on the actual beam leg of the tower and then about 90 feet more of the ladder which was partially engulfed by a tree you had to maneuver around for 20 feet. But if the barbed wire and valley of thorns hadn't stopped us, we weren't going to stop there. Unlike the other tower, this one's ladder was on a side hidden from the street. So I gathered my wits and started climbing.It was the most frightening climb I've ever done and I've been rock climbing and just straight up climbing anything I could for years. As I climbed my body became hyper aware of what it needed to do. My adrenline kicked in and I forget any pain I had in my body. My mind became entranced in keeping myself alive, turning me virtually into a climbing robot. I never looked down and nothing exsisted beside what I could see in my direct vision. It was just 'right hand, right foot, left hand, left foot.." never moving unless I knew I had three strong holds. 100 feet I climbed until I reached the top which was the scariest of all. You had to dismount the ladder and squeeze under or over a railing with nothing holding you in. One false move and you fall to your death. When I got in and was able to sit down on the tower my heart was racing, my breathing was heavy and I was uttering "Holy shit." ever few moments.
Now it was Ben's turn and I'm sure he was going through everything I went through. I wanted to encourage him as he was climbing but I dared not break his concentration. I didn't say anything or move until he was clear up. We took a moment to get grip of ourselves before we looked around.
The experience was breathtaking, the view incredible, the feeling of the climb unmatched.
Our feet dangling off the edge a hundred feet in the air
The trip down the ladder wasn't too bad after I got myself out from the platform and onto the ladder. A very tricky and risky move. We just didn't want to die in front of each other, so we made it. On the walk home we couldn't believe what we had just done and were only reassured of the reality of it when we saw the numerous cuts on our legs and dozens of hitchhiker seeds stuck to our clothes.
My leg after battling the brier patch
A little Disclaimer for the Reader:We got home at 2:30. So much for being home in 3 hours. It was all worth it. Adventure is always worth it.
I will never discourage you from adventure, but I will let you know the most important thing I've found. Trust. (and I know that sounds like cheesy team building workshop stuff but still) You need to completely trust yourself before you can even think about attempting something like this. I've been climbing all my life and know my limits - what risks I can take and which I can't. You need to know that you can tell your body to do a move and trust yourself enough to do it. People run into problems when they don't trust themselves and start getting nervous and not committing to what they are doing. There was nothing technical about the water tower climb, the key is convincing yourself that you can do it and nothing will go wrong.
Second off, if you adventure with anyone (which I highly recommend) you need to completely trust that person and understand them. The worst thing you can do is go off and start exploring with people you are not tight with and something goes down and they make a break for it and leave you in the dust. It's about getting everyone to the same point and having each other's backs if all else goes wrong. And if you are going to try to complete a risky physical activity you need to know the level your co-adventurer is at.
At this point in my life, I wouldn't have trusted anyone but Ben to climb that tower with me. He's a great climber and we understand what it takes. I would be too afraid to let anyone else climb that with me.
That's it.
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