As one of my climbing compatriots points out in his comment on my write-up of Lost River Winery, there was, in fact, a casualty associated with the climb. Due to the trauma involved, I had completely blocked it out.

When I was pulling out my backpack that afternoon to prepare for the next day’s climb, a bottle of the Cabernet leapt to freedom, hitting the hitch on the back of the car in its escape attempt. While at first we thought it might have survived, it’s blood quickly started pooling in the paper bag that held it. After briefly contemplating using a water filter and a Nalgene to salvage what I could, I quickly accepted that all was lost.

Usually with a bad omen like this before a climb, I head home. However, we persevered and continued with the climb the next day. Thanks Pete for making me relive this horror.