Last Friday, we went rock climbing with some friends. When I go, I like to climb the cracks the gym has. These require a very different style of climbing than you normally consider.
When climbing cracks, your main goal is to get your hands or fingers inside and then create a wedge that is larger than the width of the crack to hold you in. I was dealing with a fist-sized crack, and I forgot the necessary protection for the backs of my hands. (This article from Rock and Ice magazine goes over the basics of crack climbing and protection.)
In any case, I made it about halfway up, and looked at the back of my right hand (the one I was favoring), and a large segment of skin had been rubbed off, like a large rugburn.
Immediately the discomfort and pain hit me and I was done.
I might have made it the rest of the way, but I made a big choice then and came down. It wasn’t worth the pain in that moment to finish the route.
And currently I have a scab across the back of my hand that is limiting my hand’s flexibility and motion.
Small choice to start climbing without protection. Big consequence for reduced movement, increased pain, and fun-looking scabs (and maybe a scar?) for several weeks.