The Ow Bird

Yeah, yeah, I know: Keep the rope in front of you, don't get your legs tangled in the rope. But sometimes you can't help it. Failing to clear the lip of a roof in Clear Creek Canyon, I managed to burn the back of my left knee and bruise my right knee during the same fall. Dave Goldstein, my longtime climbing partner, once said to me, "If you were a bird, your call would be "ow!," because I so frequently bump into things and mutter (or shout) "ow." But this time the bird deserved to call.