the russet hued cliff looked insurmountable
from the base jackson squinted hard barely discerning the object
he saw the spot where he knew that he must reach to achieve his goal
loaded with all the equipment
he began the deliberate ascent
within the first hour the sun shiffted
he was no longer in the shadow of the monumental bastion
the brilliant utah sun did its best
jackson was soaking wet
every anchor he placed sent a cascade of debris down
his hat blocked a large portion but it did not protect from all
small particles of dust, rock, and sand were covering his face
every pound created more and detris and mixed with the flowing sweat
jackson was having trouble seeing
he did not have the luxury of wiping his eyes as both hands were needed
as he plied stakes into the soft sandstone face
soon he was feeling the grit in his eyes and the pain was searing
he searched with his booted foot to find a small ledge or cliff, there was none
if he could only pause to wipe his face
in addition to the sweat that soaked his clothing
it was dripping from the top of his head
down over his face and also under the nape of his neck
he shuddered as the sweat oozed down his spine
like a wet leech slithering lower until it pooled
at his waist fighting gravity it continued its downward trickle
and he felt it sliding between his ass crack
he shuddered once again as it would then decide to move right or left
past his shorts and then lower to each leg
his gloves were soaked on the inside and he felt the wet suede
become a new slime that fought his fingers as they clutched the next post
at one point he could no longer decide which pain was the absolute worst
the ripping at his tender eyelids, the squishing as he grasped the piling
or the continuous streaming of sweat that was also flowing from his collar
and into his shirt front now caked with the loosened sand and gravel
that found its way into the opening and was traveling with the fluid
creating an abrasive contact with his shorts and every move tore more skin
as if jackson were being sanded with grit at his waist
once the cuts were exposed to the dirt and sweat they burned with a fire
equal to the tearing at his eyelids
he dared not look down for fear that the shift would cause him to lose
the tenuous grasp he held on the shear cliffside
imaging that from a distance
he must resemble a spider creeping slowly up a wall
at the 300 ft point or so he believed
a new sensation joined the others
he knew the abrasions were now bleeding as he felt the thicker
viscose fluid warmer than the sweat streaming
lower and lower
jackson cursed himself for not waiting till later in the fall
when the sun would not heat the rock face to such unbearable temperatures
why did he even gamble that what he would locate would have any value?
two months ago he was excited when he spotted it with his small scope
every sign indicated that it would be a useful piece
at this moment he was dubious if all this pain was worth it
his muscles ached with the weight of his bulk fighting forces of gravity
tendons strained, jackson knew that dehydration was now a problem
loss of fluid through sweat and now blood would create more pain in his already searing muscles
was any of it worth it? he questioned as the pain was growing intolerable
jackson was a man on a mission to acquire what could be the next considerable find of his career, but climber he was not, he was used to field work but that required digging and brushing each delicate bone, collecting, marking, labeling sites
he had never before undertaken such a prodigious task
why was his ego so excessive that he must find a prehistoric beast and have it carry his name?
jackson was not young, he was not old either, at 45 he should be able to climb a cliff face to gain the fame he desired
why was this herculean task so important to him?
many men never succeeded in finding a new species yet they had esteemed careers
was competition growing so fierce to get a named creature that he would risk his life for such acclaim?
all that mattered now was the unbearable pain jackson was experiencing
should he quit?
say the hell with this quest to discern if the bone was even a skull
end it and drop the zip and get down from this brutal ordeal?
or continue the few hundred feet more and examine the bone?
could his body withstand any more abuse?
if he fell now, it would mean certain damage if he has been properly attaching the zip then he would not hit the ground
but the jolt in addition to all the other injuries he was stustaning
would assault his bones, joints and organs
when did fame become such an obsession?
it is not like his colleagues were finding new species
jackson felt he was well past a midlife crisis at 45
that was in his early 30's
he paused and thought about what was lacking in his life
working the globe, inaccessible places since college
he never found his life partner there were no children
walking about carrying his genes that would state that he existed
no permanent mark to claim his identity
he adjusted his body and thought about the pain
could he just accept it, toterate it, would it be worth risking
the chance that he might make the impression he desired
to leave something after he was gone
to what point does pain become an option?
i will go up another few feet at a time
if i can no longer accept the torture i will admit defeat
inch by bloody inch jackson ascended the edifice
he closed his eyes and grit his teeth tightly and continued
determined to ignore the brutal torment
this was his find and he would never allow another to claim it
his goal was within reach he made it this far it was not much further
i can do this he thought and if this is a skull of a new species
it will all have been worth it
he opened his eyes the misery was intense
but he was within a few feet of reaching his apex
the possible cumulation of his lifelong pursuit
of locating something that world set him apart from his peers
his hand reached the bone he felt the smooth texture so different
than the sandstone palisade
it was there he could see it
he did it, he endured agony he never imagined
but it was as he envisioned he shifted the sandstone
for the greatest reveal of his life
the small pick removed the rubble of millenia and was releasing the shape
jackson could not contain his joy and wept freely as he saw the eye socket
it was a skull, a skull, it was too soon to determine what species it was
but as he slowly yet with tension exposed more of the enormous head
he sighed, yes the pain was worth it he found what he was searching for
his gut spoke to him months ago that what he spied was not just bone but more
after delicately chipping away the sandstone he was able to release the skull
carefully he wrapped the heavy bones in the nylon sling that would lower them to the ground
jackson sent it descending the cliff, for millions of years it had lain in its resting place and within minutes it was no longer embedded in the sandstone
making a journey to the new surface of the earth
one 500 feet below where the creature roamed
freely alive and voracious and dangerous
when he saw the satchel sitting safely on the ground
jackson brody began his personal desent
yes his body was screaming in pain
but the new rush of adrenaline eased some of it
the assent took hours the descent minutes
once jackson was on the ground he threw off the gloves and grabbed the water bottle and drenched his face and tried delicately to remove the grit from his eyes
aware that he would need professional help to truly clean out his eyes he pulled off his shirt and poured more water over his chest and ripped open his shorts and was soon pouring clean fresh water over his torn flesh
he reached for his phone
hello bigsby, jackson can you come out to the coordinates of the signal?
i am in no condition to drive, yes, yes... i uncovered the bone and it was as i suspected a skull, too early to determine the species but she was a large one
i will not project that far until i can examine it but right now i need some medical attention, i did bite off more than i thought i could chew, but bigsby i did it, i did it
jackson brody sat down dehydrated, torn and exhausted but he clutched the satchel with the skull to his chest and sighed
i did it, i really did it.
tony scarpa 7/31/2018
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