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Zion National Park is the home to several Grade V rock climbs, or "big walls" as climbers call them. Keeping in mind that a Grade V rock climb is a small big wall… a Grade V generally takes two days to climb. I had decided that my first big wall climb was to be in Zion National Park, on a rock formation called the Touchstone Wall… and I would climb it solo.

While looking at the guidebook of routes in Zion to decide what route I would climb; I remembered that a "Touchstone" was a test or criterion for determining genuineness or value. The metaphorical meaning behind all climbing and this climb stood out in my mind. It was the clue I was looking for to continue ascending Mt. Analogue.

The cliff that I was going to climb was not nearly as big as El Capitan. In fact most people climb the 900 foot high Touchstone Wall in a casual two days. Except I was planning on climbing the route in four days. I picked four days because it was December and it was cold.

The days were short, the nights were long. I would be ALONE and it would take longer than with a partner. I was comfortable with these conditions as I wanted to learn to live in a vertical world. I wanted time to practice and I wanted to take my time and enjoy something that I longed to do.

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