September Blog for Cozy Orange

In our culture, to follow your dreams seems more of a saying and well whishing for others than an action.  I wonder how often Americans actually consider their true desires in life.  Do most people take time to understand the big picture of life? Or does our cultural expectations of college, career, family, house, and monetary successes automatically impede that vision? Maybe it is just easier to be told how to live?

I fell prisoner to the American way of working to live and striving for success until my opinion of success began to change.  I graduated college and hold a BFA, BA in art education, and a M.Ed. in education. I taught high school art full time for five years as well as coached field hockey and catered.  I had few precious moment of free time which were spent rock climbing and hiking with my dog.  Over those five years I noticed my stress level was high, personality spun negative, and I had to work to find moments of happiness.  The last year I taught was when I hit “rock bottom” something had to change. 

I began to really think about myself as a person, my traits, expectations, interests, desires, and needs.  I thought back to the person I was as a kid and a teenager. Always up for an adventure, unafraid of change, and often excited to make big changes.  The outdoors was a place of comfort and the mountains felt like home.  I began to recognize negativity was not part of my true personality and a trait I wanted to shed. 

As I searched within I realized it was time for a big change.  I decided I could change schools and see if that helped or I could resign and go rock climbing for a year. I contemplated what I would need, created a budget, and considered the difficulty of traveling for a year solo. 

I then committed to my decision told my family, friends, and employers I was going to rock climb for a year and live out of my car.  I have learned greatly from that experience about who I am, how simple life can be, and found my definition of success.

I do plan to hold a career again although, not as an educator.  I do not desire a family with kids, but I do desire to grow old with someone and of course multiple dogs.  I do not desire a large house to fill with gadgets and things instead I would love a small cabin in the mountains built with simplicity, style, and eco friendly.  Everything I own fits in my Subaru Impreza wagon and when I stop traveling I do not intend to acquire much more. 

I know it will take constant self-evaluation, desire, and drive to not fall prisoner of our cultural norms when returning to the working world.  However, I refuse to live to work and strive to continue living my dreams and making choices aligning with the person I am. I truly believe when we leave this world we should be capable of saying “I have lived my dreams.”

What is eating healthy?

Eating healthy is a constant topic of debate.  Should every thing be organic? Is it better to be a vegetarian or go the route of the Paleo?  Do I drink almond milk or dairy?  Do I need to be gluten free? With all of the diet fads continuously sweeping through our culture it can be hard to say “I am a healthy eater” without the fear of someone turning around and telling you differently. 

It is hard for me to believe every human should eat the same diet.  Our country alone has so many different landscapes and climates if we were all to live off our land our food sources would differ greatly. I will not go into detail or preach a specific diet in this blog. Rather I hope in sharing my eating habits it will spark an interest for you to do your own research and decide what is right for your body and family.

I believe these days to eat healthy is to make a conscious and disciplined effort to stay away from processed and packaged foods high in preservatives and added chemicals, which means taking the time to read labels. I try hard to stick to the outside of the grocery store. I barely venture down the isles except for pasta, beans, and rice. It can be difficult to keep the nostalgic food cravings at bay. Just think how tasty an Entenmanns crumb cake with coffee, or a giant bag of Lays sour cream and onion chips, or even the super cheap and unhealthy Kraft mac and cheese would be. However, anytime I have caved I have regretted it feeling sick and a major lack of energy after eating. Plus the taste just isn’t the same.

For the past year I lived out of my car and my tent on a yearlong climbing trip.  I had a two-burner stove and a small cooler. I spent on average 40.00 a week on food and ate well in my opinion.  There are certain foods I will not eat unless they are organic due to the absorption of pesticides and refuse to buy anything containing high fructose corn syrup.  They say in moderation high fructose corn syrup is fine, yet it is in everything (bread, chips, jelly, peanut butter, juice, granola bars…)

I personally do not eat much meat, but will have chicken or turkey once in awhile. I try to be very disciplined with my eating habits and have noticed the more fresh fruit and raw veggies I incorporate into my meals the more energy I have.  As a very active person it is important for me to consume a large amount of calories and to be conscious of my protein intake.  In the research I have done plant based protein is the easiest for the body or my body to process. Below are some of my go to foods;

Snacks

Humus and veggies

Cheese and Avocado

Almonds

Trail mix

Full carrots not baby carrots (the skin holds most of the nutrients)

Fruit

Dried cranberries no added sugar

Dried mangos no added sugar!!

Breakfast

Eggs and veggies

Breakfast burritos eggs, veggies, cheese, potatoes, beans, baby spinach

Oatmeal with peanut butter, fruit, and honey

Organic yogurt with granola

Lunch

Veggie sandwiches with apple and cheese slices

Peanut butter and jelly

Almond butter and jelly

Avocado, humus, and cheese sandwich

Quinoa salad

Pasta salad with oil and balsamic vinegar not mayo

Dinner

Quinoa, black beans, and veggies

Black bean tacos

Pasta with veggies, garlic, and olive oil

Quesadillas with cheese, veggies, black beans, and quinoa

Rice, beans, and veggies

I also substitute most oil and butter with coconut oil

Feel free to check out my personal blog to see the recipes for these. If you enjoy meat you can always add meat to any of these meals. www.yrofclimbing.blogspot.com

If you have a family with kids you may be surprised at how much they enjoy this style of eating.  I find it amazing how many kids love raw red bell peppers, carrots, and raw green beans as a snack! A lot of times if kids see their parent enjoying a snack they become curious and desire it as well.  A logbook of what you ate during the day and noting what your energy level was like at different points of the day can be a huge aid in the process of what is healthiest for your body. 

Trying to make a shift to a healthier eating habit can be difficult and frustrating. Just be open to different ideas and willing to try don’t worry about picking the right fad diet consider more what is right for you. 

Seeking Adventure

For the past year I have been a Brand Ambassador for Cozy Orange Yoga Wear. I write a monthly blog for them and this month's topic was "Seeking Adventure" It was perfect timing as my mom had just come out to visit me in Moab, Utah and experienced many firsts.  The following is the blog I wrote for Cozy Orange

When someone speaks of the need to “seek an adventure” do you immediately roll your eyes? Is the first thought in your brain “I’m not adventurous”?  For some of us adventure tends to be described by activities, which create physical exhaustion and push mental limits to create a thrill, but that is not really what adventure is.  An adventure can happen anywhere, any time, it is experiencing something new, different, and may be out of your comfort zone.

This past weekend my mom visited Moab, Utah from Stroudsburg, PA.  (My mom was born and raised in Queens, NY)  She is in her sixties, now a retired teacher, and beginning to travel more.  I decided this visit I needed to plan activities, which would show her Moab as well as be fun.  First we hiked Fisher’s Towers, then went zip lining at Raven’s Rim Zip Line (my current line of work), not limit pushing, but a first for her.

The next day we went Stand Up Paddle boarding on the Colorado River! She had never SUPed before and I took her through rapids in a river, which is currently flooding instead of on a calm lake.  She stayed positive and had a blast! We then packed the car and went camping for her first time in a place so amazing I feel it cannot be described by words.  She made her first real Smore, slept in a tent, enjoyed breakfast and coffee, then geared up to hike in Canyonlands National Park and Arches National Park. 

Every day was packed with firsts for her, which happen to be normal activities for me.  However, being able to experience them with my mom for the first time allowed an adventure for me as well! I was able to see my mom push through nerves and fears of unknowing.  I was also able to be there for her to reassure it was okay.  She fell in one time while SUPing, which was kind of my fault.  At first I saw panic wash over her face until I talked her through holding onto the board and floating through the rapids until calm water.  She took a breath and went with it, got back on the board and loved every second after. 

New experiences do not have to be limit testing for them to be adventures all you need is the courage to take a chance and the mindset of staying positive.  I recommend in any type of adventure, partake with a calm positive attitude.  I have been in situations where adventures have taken a negative turn, I can honestly say staying positive and calm afford the best outcome.  I encourage all to switch up daily routines or help someone else venture into a new experience.

Life is lived, experienced, and learned through adventure.  

Transitioning back to the "real world"

As of mid April I have been stationary and working as a zip line guide!  Having an income is nice, but being committed to one place has been more difficult then I expected. The job is great and it is nice to be outside working with people. All of the guides are great guys and enjoy having fun, and my managers are amazing people. Yet I have found myself with moments of depression, feelings of being unsettled, and a strong desire to pick up and go. I found these feelings to be crazy as there is nothing for me to be depressed about and am in a great situation. I took the time to acknowledge these feelings and have figured out small changes to cause them to mellow.
One of the biggest challenges has been to meet people here.  It is very different when you are in a town verse on a climbing trip (or maybe just different for me). Figuring out how to become part of a town is difficult and I am looking at it as a new challenge/adventure. Where do you meet people in a small town mostly populated by tourists? There is not a climbing gym, but a large climbing community, which I need to tap into. I do work with a bunch of guys who climb and have started to get out after work. Small progress is being made and I am slowly becoming more comfortable. I realize becoming part of a community takes time and effort.

I still sleep in my car even though I now have a pop up trailer. I find myself tossing and turning, checking the clock every hour and finally getting up and sleeping in my car. I have yet to figure out what the mental reason behind that is.
Not climbing 5-6 days a week has also been difficult for my mental state.  Although a friend pointed out it is good to have a job and take forced rest days. However, I feel like i'm wasting time or will loose the progress I had made over the past year if I am not climbing as much.  Realistically that is probably not true, but does weight on my mind.
After recognizing these different aspects causing these negative feelings I have been focusing on the positives.
- I have been lucky to have the opportunity to work for a good friend.  His wife and family have been so welcoming making me feel apart of their family ultimately helping with my adjustment process.
- I am in a beautiful place in a location surrounded by a variety of climbing and hiking.
- I work with climbers and need to make an effort to take advantage and climb with them.
- Many friends from Colorado tend to come through the town I am in allowing me to have quality time with old friends.
- This experience has given me the drive to start thinking about my future and possible next steps, which I have been pushing off for the past 11 months.

In the end I will probably love my time here and probably be a little sad when I do eventually leave.  It is just a change, which I need to embrace and make a quality experience. Now that I have acknowledge the feelings I have had over the past month I feel progress is being made to welcome this change.

                                                

the battle of projecting

So many things have happened since I last posted. I'm not sure how to write about it and not have it a jumbled mess! I'll have to break it into a few posts. I'll start this one by saying Bishop is still my love. The land, climbing, and people. I met a few new people while being here, but they were friends of friends. I had a great crew to climb with the entire month.  I bouldered, mini tractioned at Pine Creek and got on sport and a little trad at Owens. I even shot a gun for the first time ever! 

The weather was amazing and everyday produced a smile. Even those days I was super frustrated about not sending. It was a lesson/reality check I so badly needed.

I showed up to Bishop and started sending a few of my projects. I was super stoked and felt strong.  Therefore, like normal I just continued to climb everyday and would take a rest day only when I really needed it. I became hooked on several problems adding at least one new project a day to my list. As my list grew my body began to fade. However, I wouldn't acknowledge it. I specifically became obsessed with Skye Dance up at the Druids and the Froz at the happys. Both of these are problems I was able to make every move, I just needed to link the whole thing.  

Thats the Froz behind me...didn't take pics just some videos but didn't send so I don't feel like posting ;)

We often would do night sessions at the happys and I would go a little earlier than the boys, warm up and then go to the Froz.  It is a V7, which is harder than I have ever sent, but it was such a tease as I was able to do every move! No move felt crazy hard, I was able to do it in two parts and I just needed to connect it. I would spent 2 hrs trying it over and over again, finally giving up when I could no longer do the first three moves and go support the boys and give action figure a few burns. The next day I would be WORKED!!! To the point I could barely pull on V2s. I couldn't understand why I was so tired...DUH cause a V7 no matter how it feels is going to work me! Especially when I spent 2 hrs trying it and then worked a V6 after it. (I am in the V5 range of climbing most 5s I still have to work hard on and try several times and many V5s still shut me down.)

Skye Dance has an amazing approach...haha, but really I enjoy it and was hiking the Druids 2 times a week. Basically anytime someone would go up! This problem is so amazing and most people probably finish it in 10 moves and I think I have 20 something moves including two knee bars a heel hook and a toe hook. Again I had my beta dialed and just needed to do it.

Both of these problems became such obsessions of mine it turned into a mental issue. I would be climbing so smooth and then the last tough move would get in my head. I would start questioning if I could do it, wait on crappy crimps or pinches and waste energy and ultimately not send. It started to affect my personality and mood. I noticed one day I kind of felt down...how the heck could I feel down I have been climbing for 9 months! There is no reason to feel this way. That is when I put myself in check and decided to take advice from a friend who always says 3 tries and if there is no progress move on. There were so many fun problems I missed out on climbing simply because I allowed all of my energy to go to two specific problems. Yes these were really fun climbs, but were they worth all of the energy and mental space? Was it the movement of the climb or the attainability of the grade? Am I a number chaser? 

I started to really think about why I climb and no I'm not a number chaser, but I do enjoy feeling progress and seeing accomplishment within myself. And yes I can honestly say I enjoyed the movement of these two climbs, I just approached them wrong. In the end projecting is not really my thing. I will stick to the three attempts and move on method.

Commending the good and calling out the bad...

Ah a much needed rest day after four days on. I can feel how hard I have been climbing as its been a while since I have really felt sore. I'm sitting in the coffee shop charging my few electronics and pondering some thoughts, which have been thrown in my face this week. I am hesitant to write about this, but figure why not. It is a topic I have been questioning lately.

As a female climber on a solo trip I am a minority, even at a time when more female climbers exist than ever before. Bringing attention from the dominate male climber population. As I have often been told "you can't blame a guy for trying." Most female climbers experience this attention whether they acknowledge it or not. I have been told I can be oblivious at times.

Amongst the female climbing community there tends to be a negative view on the attention received by many male climbers. You can find many posts on the internet about the life of a female climber and  lines about "male climbers considering a day of climbing to be a date." While it may seem at times inconceivable to some, often women really just want a climbing partner and are not searching for a man, a fling, or friends with benefits. A female really might be in a place where they chose to be single. It has baffled me when confronted with the opinion I must be on a search for love... I just want to climb.

98 percent of the time comments or attempts from male climbers are witty, tasteful, and most importantly respectful and no woman would complain. Instead she probably is smiling and blushing a little. There is an appreciation even if the interest is not returned. I have to give the man credit for taking a chance as nerve racking as it might be or maybe it comes naturally I don't know. If the feelings are mutual it can be quite fun, but if they are not it is often still flattering.

So when has the line been crossed?  How does it go from flattering to uncomfortable?
This is something I ran into this week and truly made me uneasy...

When the guy is relentless with his comments. Especially when the two have only known one another a few hours. Don't think laying it on thick is clear communication. I know I personally do not want to be smothered with attention and often am really bad at taking complements. If you are trying to be blunt then use your words and state it. Don't continuously tell the girl you just met an hour ago how rad she is or agree with everything she says even if you originally stated an opposing view. Don't give a tone of anger or expect an apology when plans don't pan out. (huge red flag will go off in her head!!!) She doesn't want to be your side kick her goal is to climb and she has her own agenda, which is not centered around you.

Here are some signs the girl isn't into you and you are bordering creepy:
    The girl awkwardly and quietly laughs and changes the subject when you complement her.
    The girl acts as if she didn't hear what you said.
    The girl moves every time you make an attempt to be close to her.
    The girl becomes short with her answers and conversations.
    The girl avoids all future plans.
    The girl speaks about lots of other guys...although as a climber most of her friends are probably guys
    who are just friends, but she may bring up the same name often as to hint an interest in someone else.

Take the hints and put yourself in the friend zone!!!  Otherwise you run the risk of being lumped in with the 2% of dudes who make the female climber uncomfortable and weirded out!  Then you will cause her to completely avoid you. Tell her friends about the weird encounter for reassurance she isn't crazy. Walk the other direction even if it is out of her way, avoiding any interaction.

If she does end up running into you she will probably still be polite, but short, and if that bothers you don't act like a child and make snide comments as she walks away, confirming the immaturity of your personality.

It is a small percent who give the bad wrap to male climbers.  I commend the ones who complement and take a chance in a respectful manor. Many of you have elevated my self esteem and I appreciate the climbing relationships and friendships I have formed with you. In the end keep yourself in check and don't give male climbers a bad name.

I do not think every male I climb with hits on me and find it irritating when I hear other females with that opinion. Many of my climbing partners have always been just friends and I have not felt they thought anything more of it. Female climbers lets not be so harsh to say how annoying it is that we get hit on all the time...we all know thats not true, but the small percent who make it uncomfortable really cause us to have a guard up.

A mini reflection of my adventure...no climbing talk in this one.

I began to read a new book (my friend Rhea sent me off with several) the title is Rowboat in a Hurricane, I'm so hooked and almost finished. I never read books this fast, but love reading about peoples adventures. This woman decides she wants to row across the Atlantic Ocean. She is an average person, not a professional athlete or even a rower.  Her journey is pretty inspiring and I can relate to many ideas and feelings she expresses. One of my favorite quotes is when she is pondering if she made the right choice leaving her career and life as she is in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, her partner/ fiance says "It's too easy to allow external pressures to dictate what we strive for, and not what really makes us happy." My adventure has shown that statement to be true in so many ways, while leading me to understand what I need to be happy.  

My happiness depends very little on monetary means and societal norms, and very much on the quality of landscape and proximity to adventure. I need change in my life, although being settled in an area is an ultimate goal for me, I need to allow myself to make changes big or small, frequently in my life.

Being back in Bishop is so comforting. It is a unique feeling to be this at ease. Every morning I wake to amazing views. The landscape here is inspiring and calming. The rising sun brings incredible lighting. The natural beauty is at times over whelming in a wonderful way. 

I feel these days I smile more than ever before. Those minimal moments where I start to have negative feelings or thoughts are so easy to address. I am able to change my mindset and view even negative moments in more positive ways allowing more growth to come from them. I have learned how I want to react to many different situations and am still learning of course.  

I am not at the end of my adventure, but nearing it. I have committed to a job, which will begin in May. Granted this job will be a very easy way to step back into the working world, but it is still a commitment. From there I will have some decisions to make. These are decisions I continuously push out of my mind as I tell myself I still have far to much time to begin to worry about "real world"choices.  As I reflect on the emotions rising to the surface every time my mind contemplates these questions, I realize this adventure has instilled confidence I thought I always had, and now realize I have only just discovered. I plan to look at handling those questions spinning in my head as an adventure of their own and look forward to what I will learn next.

Red Rocks

I left Hueco Tanks TX after just a short week.  However, I was super excited to be on my way to see my sister and her family.  It had been over two years since I had seen them last and I was arriving on my sister's birthday. I don't think I spent a birthday with her since we all lived at home...10+ years ago! I was able to spend quality time with my niece and nephew who are two amazing kids!  I even went in and taught art to my niece's third grade class!  I was kinda nervous as I haven't been in a classroom for a year and i'm used to high schoolers.  The nerves were for nothing as teaching is not something you loose...its pretty natural.  They were a great class and we had so much fun!  I stayed for an entire week before heading out to Red Rocks outside of Las Vegas.

 

I passed the Hoover Dam on my way from AZ to NV although I didn't stop I did take a picture of the sign, which makes me feel like I put in some sort of an effort to see things while on my trip and not only climb.  

I have been to Red Rocks once before on a short climbing trip.  I really wasn't very stoked on it and felt the climbing was pretty slabby and kinda scary.  My friend Sam who I met while climbing in Smith Rocks was going to be there so I decided to go anyway.  I pulled up at the campsite Monday February 3rd to a warm welcome from Sam and Flip Flop Sam's dog.  Since Bodi is chilling with my Mom for the second half of my trip I was excited to see Flip!  I miss having Bodi around. Sam and I had plans of sport climbing, multi-pitching, and trad climbing.

I have been bouldering since I left Smith Rocks at the end of September.  I knew my head on lead was not going to be great.  The first day we went out I led some 9s to warm up, then a 10a, and then got on a 10c wasn't paying to much attention to my feet and took a fall!!! Guess what....it wasn't a big deal! It was a valuable fall and help set the tone to my time at Red Rocks.

The next few days we climbed with Sam's friends Luke and Kat.  All of them are way stronger climbers than I am making it easy for me to ask for them to put up a top rope.  However, thats not going to make me a stronger climber and I finally got to the point where I realized I needed to "man up".  Sam and I went out and climbed at the pier I warmed up leading an easy 9 and then hopped on an 11a, which I had top roped before.  I took at the bolt before the crux and then finished it.  The next go I was committed to not taking, as I reached the crux I could hear climbers below saying where to go.  Instead of continuing to climb it with my beta I listened to the voices, allowed nerves to take over and took a fall...and again it was fine!  I was very proud to have tried rather than give in to my head.

After a few days of climbing Kat left and the boys and I went on a mellow multi-pitch climb with the intent of doing two 6 pitch climbs.  We were behind a very slow party of two on Birdlands and never had the chance to pass them.  Come to find out one of the men in the party ahead of us was 74.  That is just badass and I can appreciate the fact he is still getting out.  Realistically who cares if we had to wait around the sun was out and it was meant to be an active rest day anyway. It could be worse, we could be at work.  I didn't lead any of the pitches even though I should have, but I really wanted to get on some single pitch trad before I led multi-pitch.

Towards the end of the day the boys learned i'm a typical girl who's attitude is greatly affected if she is hungry.  Haha it wasn't that bad, but they definitely called me out on it.

The Next day we went bouldering.  I was kind of surprised when the boys said thats what they wanted to do.  I'm pretty much always down to boulder, but Sam and Luke are more sport climbers.  We tried a couple of V5s that I had tried the first time I had been to Red Rocks.  The Prow is a pretty sweet short V5 that has a hard start.  

We all worked on it for a bit and were about to move on when I had a bit of luck and almost sent it.  Luke then got inspired and just walked it, then Sam walked it, and I was left not sending.  I was a little frustrated about that, but decided it was better to move on.  We climbed some easier classics and just enjoyed the sun.  The next day or maybe two days later Luke had left to go climb at the Virgin River Gorge and Sam went into Vegas to hang out with some friends so I went back to Kraft Boulders by myself.  I warmed up on easy stuff and then hopped back on the prow.  My feet kept popping in the same place and I was getting annoyed.  I looked at my phone and said to myself "you have a half hour to send this damn problem." I rested for a few minutes and then hopped back on and sent it.  I got to the top and was filled with excitement, but it was kinda sad that I had no one around to share that with. From there I walked over to a V6 traverse and worked it with a group of Canadians.  Or I should say it worked me!  After spending a bit of time I went to another V5, which has a hard start to figure out, but once you get the beta right it is easy. I sent it after maybe 5 or 6 tries.

Being near Vegas is interesting.  As I was leaving the bouldering area this guy told me the road was closed due to a homicide on the side of the road.  I drove out and was able to make it to the campground, but the boys who were on their way back from Vegas to the campground couldn't get through.  I looked it up and learned an officer shot a man and killed him and its unknown if the man had a weapon.  If you don't know that a person is armed does it really make sense to shoot them period and then does it have to be in a place that will kill them?  Why not just shoot them in the leg, but let them live.  I don't know there were a few things about Vegas Police and the BLM rangers that made me a bit uncomfortable.

Anyways the next day we went climbing and Leah and Sarah joined us.  I red pointed my first 11 so that means I led it and did not take or fall! yay.  From this point on I led everyday I climbed.  It was a good break through for me.  The following days I led more 11s and even attempted a 12a, which I took at every bolt, but I still tried.  Thanks Sarah for the photos and Luke for being a patient belayer!

The last day I climbed in Red Rocks I was pretty tired.  It was my seventh day on and Sam and I had a deal we would spend the morning at his project "Monster Skank" 13b and then spend the afternoon climbing easy single pitch trad.  We headed up to moderate Mecca for some easy trad and the first thing we climbed was an 8+ crack.  I haven't led harder than 5.8 on gear so I was a little nervous.

Realistically it was no big deal, but it definitely took me a minute.  I had a small mental freak out where I really didn't want to move off this huge foot.  I wasn't super secure about my gear even though the placements were fine.  Finally I had Sam take and saw that my gear was holding.  After that I finished the climb and had such a great feeling running through me.

Right next to the 5.8 there was a 10d crack, which was super blank in the middle.  Sam led that one, a rad climb, but scary.  With so few gear placements there were several moves on thin holds that if he were to pop off he would have decked.  I did not lead this one, but followed it and was stoked as the movements were super fun.

From there Sam led one more 5.10 roof, which I did not climb as I wanted to lead more.  So I led another 5.8, which really only had 5ft of real climbing then it was a walk, but very run out! I got past the 5.8 part of the climb looked up and realized I really didn't have gear placements for 25-30 feet.  It was super easy climbing so I continued up.  

After that we walked over to a two star 5.9. When we first walked up to it I was nervous and in my head thinking i'm not leading that!  Sam asked if he was putting it up or I was.  I told him to give me a second...looked at the climb from another angle and decided it was mine.  I racked up and started up the loose bottom to a sweet finger crack.  I totally sewed up the first 15 feet and then became more comfortable.  I didn't take or fall on this climb and had nothing, but a huge smile when I finished.  

It is an amazing feeling to realize you are capable of pushing through mental blocks and obtain goals.  Especially when you feel you have had those goals forever! I'm not sure if it was the fact that everyone I climbed with in Red Rocks was such a stronger climber than me, or if I finally had enough of being scared, either way I am proud of myself and stoked to have climbed with patient people who instilled confidence and pushed me to try with out making it feel forced.  

After such a rad day we all met back at the campsite and decided to hit Vegas for a night out before we all headed out. We split a hotel room, hit the goodwill for some heels and outfits, and preceded to have a great night.

Back to the real life

The East Coast said goodbye with a great rain storm, making it easy to go back to my life of dirtbagging in the Southwest.  

I have flown many of times, but the sky and clouds were unbelievable on this flight.  The light inspired me to take some photos.

The plane ride was unadventurous just how I like all traveling to be.  Rhea picked me up and the next evening I climbed with her, Tori and Susie (the two women I started my trip with).  Who knows maybe i'll end my trip with them back at City of Rocks.

After picking up my home (my car) on Thursday I headed down to Morrison.  Before I went climbing I met up with another friend for coffee. Rachel and I used to work together and she knitted me this amazing blanket.  I can't believe how much time had to have gone in to making this blanket.  It is an incredible gift, which I am very thankful for and got to try it out the past week.  The blanket is so warm and very comforting!

After meeting up with Rachel I headed to Morrison for a short climbing session at one of my local climbing areas.  Unfortunately my injuries (popped tendon in my pinky and a messed up hamstring) were hurting so I spent the afternoon running laps on the warmup traverse and enjoying the sun after being on the east coast for a month.

Morrison was very peaceful as I was the only person there.  You can see snow on the ground on the dark side (across the street), yet it was at least 60 degrees when the sun was out.  I could have hung out there all day.  After Morrison I drove down to Pueblo and spent some time with a good friend I haven't seen in over two years.  I really enjoy catching up with friends I haven't seen for awhile.  It gives you time to see how people have evolved from experiences, but yet are still themselves. 

That friday Dana and I headed to Shelf Road another favorite climbing area.  It was in the upper 60s that day in the sun.  The shade was chilly, but the sun was perfect.  I hadn't climbed on rope really since Smith Rock in September, so I was back to battling the mental game of leading.  I did notice even when I was nervous and mentally freaking out my external reaction was much mellower than before. Focusing on the way I breath while climbing helps my thoughts to not be as wild or overbearing.  

After a full day of climbing we returned to Dana's place cooked dinner and passed out.  I couldn't believe how exhausted I had felt.  The next morning I had a little later start than I had planned, but ultimately started my drive to Hueco Tanks, TX at about 8am.  It worked out perfectly as my friend Jeremy was on his way and had just passed Pueblo so we met up on the road and followed each other down to Hueco.

My friend Phil who I met and climbed with on the East Coast has a good friend who lives out at Hueco for the winters.  He put me in contact with Sid, and Sid was kind enough to let us stay on his land.

Sid is a great guy who was very welcoming.  Jeremy and I had a blast hanging out with him and chatting about politics and conspiracies.  Sid is also a guide down in Hueco and took us out to climb on East Mountain.  We climbed the entire day!! It was pretty epic.  We started at the warm up area, then when over to Dragonfly, a rad V5 and a V10 which Jeremy was working...the name has escaped me right now.  Dragonfly is a beautiful line which follows a crimpy slightly overhung crack to a face climb top out.  There are some big moves and minimal polished feet, but man it was such an aesthetic line.  I worked it for a bit and made progress, but didn't want to spend the whole day at one spot so we moved on.

We walked over to some classic V1 and V0 climbs then headed to another area.  There was a bit of rock hopping to get there and we entered a corridor, with unique features.  I instantly saw a climb I wanted to get on.  The line was so inviting.  However, it was the hardest V5 I have ever worked.  I could make the first move and then there was a huge move to the lip, which shut me down every time.

After working this we headed over to the Moonshine Area.  Hueco is known for many roof problems, which you climb these large huecos (holes or scoops in the rock).  Moonshine is a classic and has V4, V5, and V6 lines on it.  

Here is a picture of Sid in the middle of the climb, both the V4 and V5 share these moves.  When climbing these roofs you are continuously changing your body position to hold tension to keep your body off the ground.  The climbing style at Hueco is very unique and works your muscles in very different ways then most bouldering areas.

After we finished climbing there we started to loop around with the intention of heading back.  Sid then asked if we were down to go to the round room.  Neither Jeremy or I knew about the round room, we heard people say the name, but didn't know what was so special about it.  Sid said we would have to hustle to get over there as it was 4:30 and we had to be back at the station by 5:30 and we were a half hour walk from the car.  We said okay, stashed our crashpads grabbed our shoes and chalk and began our run...yea actually running.  We reached the Round Room approach in 9 minutes, took off our approach shoes put on our climbing shoes and climbed the approach.  You climb up and then slide down this crack and walk into this amazing Round Room of rock wall and the lower third of the room is covered in Huecos.  My jaw dropped when I entered I can honestly say I have never seen anything like it.  We began the traverse around it, finished, snapped some quick photos...(sorry this one is kind of blurry i'm not sure why I don't have the good one on my computer) headed back out the approach to our approach shoes, changed shoes and began our run back to our crashpads.  We arrived back at our stuff at 4:58...that has to be some sort of a record.  It was totally worth it.

On the walk out Sid showed us some of the petroglyphs including the star eyed man, which is in amazing condition and in a spot hidden from most of the elements.  We got back to the cars right at 5:30 so it was a full day of climbing, hiking, and even a little running.  It was great to have a tour guide/friend who was got so excited about showing us these climbs and different areas for the first time!

The next day, which was day three of climbing, we climbed with Michael and Leah two of Jeremy's friends who are also originally from the East Coast, but now live in Colorado.  We ended up meeting up with Sid who was climbing with friends and had a blast working so many different problems!  

This is a classic V2 called Nobody Gets Out Alive, Sid was telling us how the landing used to be all cactus hence the name.  This was Leah's project she really wanted to send it before leaving Hueco.  She got on it and cruised the whole lower section, but got her beta mixed up as she was pulling the lip.  She rested for a while and then gave it another go.  This time she had an audience...no pressure... as she crushed the whole thing! It looked effortless and was great to see someone finish their project as she worked so hard.  We were all super stoked for her.  Right before we went there Leah had sent another problem that had been giving her trouble...it was a great day for her!

Sid took us to Getto Simulator, which is a classic V1 or V2.  It has jugs most of the way up, but is very overhung and a bit mental as it is tall even though there is a rock behind you for most of it, which you can step off onto.  There are definitely no fall areas.

We then headed to the Martini Cave.  Everyone was working Baby Martini a long V6 roof problem.  This problem has so many chalked up holds you to tend to get lost each time you get on it until your beta is dialed.  I got on it and literally did a full circle in one spot wasting so much energy.  The next time Sid guided me through the beginning beta, which allowed me to really pay attention to my movements and ultimately helped me to remember where to go.  I made progress that day, but made even more progress the next day I got on it.  It is such a fun climb with many heel hooks, toe hooks, drop knees, and knee bars!  Your body is constantly changing position.

This was a fun V2 or V3, which was a quality warm up and took me a few tries to figure out how to make the long move at the top.  It had a strange top out, but was totally worth doing. 

Here is Sid running laps on Baby Martini!

Day Four I took a rest day only to find out the next day was going to be super windy and cold.  The wind was 20-25 mph on Thursday with gusts up to 45mph...we still went climbing!   Most of our time was spent in the Martini Cave and I made even more progress.

  

We got to the park that day at 9:00am and I lasted till about 2pm and was over the cold and wind!  Leah and I headed back while the guys worked a V10, which Jeremy sent...he crushed pretty much everything he got on. 

Hueco is a beautiful park full of history and adventure.  It is a process the first time you go as you need permits and there are a lot of rules, but it was worth it and now that I know the process the next time will be much simpler!  I headed out on Sunday and was able to spend my sister's birthday with her in Arizona!  First time in 11 years!