January 27, 2016 - Beyond all expectations!

Today it's exactly one year ago that I had a surgery which saved my life.
It was quite a big operation and it's a bit beyond all expectation that I'm standing where I am today.

The weather forecast announced a lot of rain for today, so I didn't expect to climb.
I had a really stressed out first half of the week, and when driving home from work, I was happily surprised to see that it stil didn't rain. The temperature was a nice 12°C but it was clouded so I knew it was going to be dark sooner than usual.
In my mind I was going through several different climbing areas that I pass on my way, thinking about projects that still had to be done.
It had to be on my way home and close to the parking, thus giving me the most time available for only climbing. I was in a desperate need to climb suddenly.

There were quite some possibilities, but for some reason, beyond my expectation, I chose "De-Ci De-Là" in Roche d'Hercule. It met all criteria. It was only a 2km detour from my way, halfway to home, and the boulder is at about 50m from the parking.
There was one problem though ... I had given up on it almost 2 years ago.

The first time I tried it must have been in 2010 somewhere and I had quite a lot of short sessions on it spread over the years.
Each session I had to learn and get used to the sequence again, and each time I found myself being stuck at the same point in the end. The point where you go left hand to the high sloper left, that's where I always fell, session after session after session.
About 2 years ago, I was fed up with it, and actually decided to let go of it, to never try it again.
Since then I walked past it a couple of times, looking at it, being stubborn and not trying, bowing to my master.

I don't know exactly why today I decided to try it again anyway, as deep in me, I kind of knew that it was going to be in vain. I was going to be stuck at the same point again anyway, I thought, but I didn't bother. I just wanted to climb, and trying without topping out is climbing too.
At my first try this evening, I had an eerie feeling. The sequence felt good, and the boulder was sticky!
The eerie feeling made me feel nervous, I felt that something was different today, but I didn't want to set my hopes too high. I failed so many times, so why wouldn't I now?
But then, all of a sudden, beyond all expectations, I had my left hand on the sloper and held it there. It felt great and anxiously I slapped my right hand up on the right sloper. It stuck to it too, and now, nervous as hell, I had to stay calm. It wasn't done yet and I could still fall off any moment. Slapped my left hand again on a higher top sloper. It was better but I didn't have the final move yet and I didn't want to think of the victory yet. I could see the slopey tophold now. I never touched it before, nor did I know how good it was. I was a bit scared when I let my right hand go and swept it to the hold. Slap and hold ... I had it.
I sat on top of the boulder and couldn't believe it. I grasped the good feeling I had and was afraid I would wake up any moment. I had to let it sink in.

It certainly wasn't the most difficult problem I ever climbed.
I woke up this morning, and in the evening, beyond all expectations, I was standing on top of my longest project ever.
I still had difficulty to believe it when driving home, and kept on saying to myself: "Once upon a time, there was a project ..."

Fontainebleau - Roche d'Hercule - De-Ci De-Là 7B+