Clippity Doo-Dah

By Katie Lamb

Have you ever climbed Clippity Do-Dah? I have. Clippity Do-Dah is one of my favorite outdoor routes and it is at Rumney on the left side of Jimmy Cliff. It is a multi-pitch route so we do it with everybody in the family. It is only a 5.3, but I think it is a really fun route.

The first time going up Clippity Do-Dah I felt very excited. That time was really fun. We went up the climb with my mom, my dad, and my brother. I felt excited because this was my first time doing a multi-pitch.

However I had to wait until we had set up a toprope. My brother led the first pitch. Then he clipped himself in. Then my dad went up. When my dad got up he set up a toprope. Then my dad said that my mom and me should climb on the same rope so that we could stay together. Then my dad said that we should start climbing. So I started up. But a few minutes later I needed to go to the bathroom. So I speed climbed all the way up the first pitch. I kept needing to wait for my mom because we were tied together. My mom climbs very, very slow. Finally we got to the first anchor. At the beginning of the climb I felt excited. Now I felt like I wanted to get to the top soon.

Then my mom lead belayed my dad up to the top. When my dad got to the top he set up a toprope. When my dad finished setting up the toprope, he called down to us to start climbing. This part of the climb was harder so I could not go as fast. Also this part was shorter. But it still took the same amount as the first pitch because my mom was even slower.

Finally we got to the top. I quickly got off my harness and found a bush and then I felt much better. After that, my dad set up the rappel. We stayed up on the top of Clippity Do-Dah for a long time. I could not go near the edge but I could still see a lot. I could see houses and fields and hear the goat that always makes noise at Rumney.

After a while my dad told me to come to him. Then he clipped me to his harness. The next thing that happened was fun. My dad started letting out rope so that we could go down. It was a lot of fun. We did that for a while and then we stopped at a tree. My dad tied me to the tree. After that my mom and brother came down. My dad tied my brother to the tree. Then my dad set up the rappel to go down all the way and my dad and me went down first. The rope got tangled and I need to flick it. My brother and mom went down and their rope did not get as tangled as ours.

When I got down I felt really happy because it was easier than I expected. I hope I can do Clippety Do-Dah again.