"What's our first rule?"

Lots and lots of climbing has been happening lately.  Since I have returned to Idaho and started climbing with Travis I have been getting outside about twice a week for bouldering and some roped climbing.  All of this climbing made me realize how weak my shoulders are, and I am now on a psuedo-rehab path to making sure that I don't sideline my climbing season (or career!) with imbalanced or underdeveloped shoulders.

In addition to Travis I've picked up a few other climbing partners, namely Chris and Scott.  Both are good people, strong climbers, and a lot of fun to hang out with.  I've been making AM trips to the Black Cliffs with them to work on my lead climbing and knock some climbs off of my to-do list.  It was on Wednesday that I experienced a pleasant surprise.  I led Balogna Pony (5.10d) and nearly flashed the route, making it to the crux at the top with only two moves to go.  After about 5 more attempts I thought I had the sequence wired, and the crux solved.  The route is a sustained climb up a column then onto an overhanging arete.  The latter half of the climb is pumpy, taking the climber through several juggy lips and highsteps to some crimps and a pinch, to a good slopey crimp, to the final moves along a couple sharp ledges.

I returned yesterday and came within one move of redpointing the route.  It turns out that I was using a rather shortsighted sequence to finish the route.  In three attempts I never came closer than the first attempt, but I learned a lot about the route, my tendencies as a climber, and have both sections of the climb absolutely wired.  

In more exciting and edifying news I accepted a job as the Visit and Event Coordinator at the College of Idaho's Admissions Office.  In this job I am responsible for providing a great on-campus experience for interested students and families to show them that the C of I is the right school for them.  Interestingly, since returning to Idaho I found that I have many connections to the C of I.  My oldest friend Geoff Williams and his mother are both alumni of the school, a good friend from Seattle U is dating an alum, and many of my friends in the valley are C of I alums or connected with alums in some way.  Oh, and I know the Dean of Students...so yeah.

I'm excited to start on a professional path in student affairs.  I'm excited to see what I will make of this job.  

Some Swan Falls and the Valley of the Trolls

Very quick post this morning.  Last week Travis and I ventured out to Swan Falls to boulder on some of the slick basalt out there.  Most of our climbing went down on the Spice World Boulder, including the V3 (Scary Spice) below:

I rested for a few days after Sunday, then decided to explore an area that Travis had mentioned called the Valley of the Trolls.  The Valley sits between the Warm Springs Golf Course, and the Tablerock Mesa.  There are a lot of boulders there, though some are on private land, and some are composed of low-quality sandstone.  I "established" a V1 I call Pale Lip because of a prominent and oddly colored hold near the top of the climb.  During the first ascent an edge broke off and I contemplated naming this route "Cookie Crumbles."  

There is a lot of potential at the Valley, though it looks like I am the last to know about the area, ha!  I found ample evidence of previous climbers establishing their own routes higher up on the trail where the rock improves.  

"I think we took the long way..."

Day 3 of the IMF is noted in my notes as being the "BEST DAY EVER."  Since I have not looked at these notes, or this blog, in a couple weeks I had to peruse my notes to understand why Day 3 was so great.  And now the memories are rushing back.

Day 3 opened with a lead climbing clinic with Johnathan "J-Star" Seigriest.  J-Star is an internationally renowned climber with many 5.14 sends to his name.  He also recently established a handful of 5.14 climbs in Idaho:  http://www.climbing.com/photo/roadtripping-the-northwest/   J-Star fits the mold of the elite climber:  he is small, lean, and excited about life.  I didn't learn much from the clinic as it was geared towards sport climbing newbies, but it was still fun to hear what he had to say.

In the afternoon we wrangled up a group of about 10 climbers and drove to the City of Rocks, and the Morning Glory Spire.  As the name would imply this formation is a tall, proud point of rock boasting large craggy features.  I led a cool, beta intensive climb called Fall Line, but opted for a 10a variations.  The  sequences are cryptic but the climb never leaves you without holds.  I definitely want to return to send the 10c variation.  After that was an interesting 5.9 climb called Scream Cheese that began as pockets and transitioned into low angle friction climbing.

The real highlight of Day 3 was the party and the swag giveaway.  Travis and I played tug of war, which ended with me being dragged through the grass after 45 seconds of frantic pulling.  The MC compared it to a Cummins diesel dragging a Prius around...  I won some swag, a Reverso, and that made me pretty happy since I needed to buy one in the near future anyhow.  

On Day 4 we packed up, then our 10-man group ventured back to the City and to an area called Site 18.  Everyone got in some lead climbing practice, and our cameraman Jason got some great shots!

The climbing wasn't especially noteworthy, but the after-climb pizza at Rock City was!  I think it is requisite for all famous climbing areas to have a pizza and beer shop nearby.  Honestly, I would put up Rock City against Pies and Pints in Fayetteville anyday!

"I'm so glad I brought handwarmers."

Day 2:
The first morning of the IMF proved frustrating.  I woke up to the sound of rain/snow bouncing off the rain fly of my tent, and when I poked my head out to survey the weather I noticed a ring of ice and slush around the tent.  Thankfully Ben Eaton the event organizer already had hot coffee going for us early risers.

The morning snow was disheartening but Travis' optimism kept me excited for the rest of the day.  We made plans to run up a three pitch sport climb called Zinger.  After a 10am clinic about mental preparedness we met up with Travis' friends Morgan, Kim and Felix to organize gear and demo some new gear.  Multiple sponsors make the IMF possible each year, and some significant companies showed up to show off at the event.  I demoed a Singing Rock harness and the famed La Sportiva Miura climbing shoe.


With our gear arranged the five of us made the hike to Castle Rock and an area known as Hostess Gully and Travis and I got on the route Zinger.  Zinger is a three-pitch 5.8 climb that affords great views of the meadow once the climber reaches the 3rd anchor station.  The route proved to be an exercise in optimism and focus as both Travis and I had to pause multiple times to warm our numb hands.  My toes went numb sometime during the second pitch, and I was grateful that I was only climbing 5.8, and that I had a competent leader (Travis teaches climbing clinics at BSU).  We had handwarmers in our chalk bags and would alternate dipping each hand into the bag to try and warm our digits.

Rapping off of Zinger with no feelings in my extremities.  Good decision...

At the second anchor we quickly chose to finish the route since there was little fear of mortal danger.  If the leader, Travis, fell he was well protected by the bolts and realistically we could always just haul up the route if things got too cold.  I'm glad that we did finish the route since it meant I had completed my first multi-pitch climb, and we got some great views of the meadow.

After spending the majority of the day being cold I opted to travel to the hot springs after dinner with Thomas and Mikey from Asana.  In the process we lost track of the woman who would drive us down there and wound up hitchhiking to the hot springs from the parking lot of the tent city.  The hot spring itself felt wonderful, and most of the IMF participants were there, including Jonathan Siegrist!  If you are unfamiliar with Siegrist, he is a high-level climber who established several new routes of grade 5.14 or harder (2 of which are in Idaho!).  Meeting him was like bumping elbows with climbing royalty.  I chatted Jon up a bit before rounding up Travis and Mikey and leaving.

Once again our ride flaked on us and we found ourselves hitchhiking from the hot springs parking lot.  This arrangement worked out well for Mikey and I as we were able to find accommodations with people we already knew.  But Mikey wound up riding with a man who looked like the blond, nerdy Fabio and a woman I can only describe as a serial hugger.  Upon returning to tent city Mikey informed us that his ride back had been interesting, and that he was sure the two were crazy.

"Welcome to Idaho."

"Catch you on the flip side everyone.  I'll be off rolling in the dirt and playing on the rocks."

This was the content of my last Facebook post prior to leaving for the Idaho Mountain Festival.  The festival is only in its second year of existence, but the event has developed quite a following since least year and the attendance limit went from less than 200 people to 250 people.  I first learned about the event shortly after returning to Idaho from Ohio.  Still reveling in the overall stoke of climbing in Washington and the New River Rendezvous I immediately purchased a pass for the tent city (which included 2 free meals each day!).

The IMF takes place at Castle Rocks State Park which is the little brother to The City of Rocks.  The City, as it is known, was an international mecca of granite climbing in the 60's and 70's before steeper and harder routes emerged in Utah, California, and Colorado.  That being said, the area is still renowned and draws climbers from around the world.

The view from atop Castle Rock, the namesake crag of Castle Rock State Park

Distant Area of CRSP (The Comp Wall I think?)

Quick car shot of the City of Rocks

One of the most prominent crags at The City

Day 1: 

I neglected to arrange travel to the park during the prior week.  However, since the New River Rendezvous I've learned that the climbing community is very open and supportive.  A few glances at the "Boise Rock Climbers" page on Facebook confirmed my suspicion that randomly asking for a ride from a stranger-albeit a stranger attending the festival-was the way to go.  Enter Travis Pruitt.

Travis was my ride to the event and my main climbing partner for the duration of the event.  Travis was (and still is) intensely excited about the event.  He bought the first ticket for the 2013 festival.  We spoke the Monday before the event to hash out a meeting time and place, and I could hear the excitement in his voice as he shared his past experiences.  This excitement proved infectious and I found myself counting the hours until the festival opened.  On Thursday I met Travis at his rented duplex near BSU and we began the 3.5 hour drive to Almo, Idaho.

Where we were greeted with gray skies and rain that turned to corn snow.  Disappointing yes, but not surprising.  Southeast Idaho is known for being inhospitable, and one contributing factor is the wildly changing weather.  We checked in and began furiously setting up our tents in the snow before the ground got too damp or the sky too dark for us to spy deer pies on the ground.

With the tents set and our gear secured Travis and I wandered the camp and stopped off at the Asana booth.  Asana has been the headlining sponsor of the event during the last two years.  Everyone with Asana served as great ambassadors of the sport and overall fun people.  Using a mutual acquaintance to break the ice I made small talk with the Asana team before following them to the Taco Cave to see Warpath.  Warpath is a V14 route that combines 4 hard boulder problems into one 25-move monster.  Asana athlete Paul Robinson was in attendance to try and become the fourth person in the world to send the problem.  As of September 27 only James Litz (first ascent), Daniel Woods and Matt Fultz (Idaho local) had sent the problem.  Below, Fultz discusses the intricacies of the problem:

Meeting Paul Robinson in person was startling.  From the videos and pictures I've seen of him I always imagined him as being taller and "buffer."  Regardless of my perception though, Paul is an internationally recognized boulderer with many hard sends to his name.  If you search his name on Youtube you'll find dozens of videos of some intensely difficult boulder problems.  It was exciting to watch him poke around the cave, and to think about him being the fourth person to ever complete this problem.

"That sounds spicy."

Seattle…I love Seattle.  The mountains.  The food.  The people.  The city.  There is little I dislike about Seattle.  This is the city I want to live in.  After living here for a week I realize I want to be back.  The natural beauty of Central Washington, for instance…

 

I arrived in Seattle to two smiling faces who I haven’t seen in too long.  My friends Carlo and Kelsey picked me up from the airport and we dined/drank in West Seattle before meeting my two charges for the next two weeks…

Sophie the brown dog is mischievous and clever.  Henry the white dog is…a spaz.  A little, white, malleable, furry spaz. 

I’ve spent most of the last week climbing in Washington.  The climbing in Washington is very different from anything I’ve set hands on.  In West Virginia the cliffs are bullet-proof sandstone that demands precise footwork and technique.  In Washington the cliffs are smooth granite where even the good holds feel smooth and slick, and the larger crags are deceptively good despite seeming blank.  At the very least the rock in Washington is far more featured and compelling than what I’ve seen out East…

On Tuesday I roped up with David Steele and Chris Koppl to slay Godzilla and tame Sagittarius.  Godzilla went down without a fight, but Sagittarius proved to be a bit much to handle.  My crack climbing skills left much to be desired and I had to muscle up most of the route before petering out halfway up the cliff.  On Wednesday I roped up with Chris to check out Exit 38 in Washington.  Exit 38 is a highly featured area full of bolts, sucker holds, granite jugs, and beautiful formations.  The one picture I took of the Nevermind wall was washed out and unfit to post.  The area is blocky, heavily featured, but quite difficult unless you know exactly where to grip on the rock.  Routes are, generally, tricky to read.    http://www.mountainproject.com/v/105808094

Exit 38 proved to be a bit much for either of us to handle.  We finished all the routes we set up on, but not without difficulty.  I roped up on an 11b (thankfully I was ignorant of the grade prior to finishing) and fought my way up, sustaining a 13 foot fall in the process that almost resulted in me kissing the rock face.  Chris had much more success on the routes, and we were able to explore the area some. 

On Saturday I rode out to Darrington, WA with some old XC friends from college.  This area has been the coup de grace of Washington thus far.  Huge granite domes give way to blue skies and almost no clouds…plus some amazing rock formations!  Sadly, we were not able to finish a 6-pitch climb due to nerves and painful footwear.  I definitely picked the wrong shoes for Darrington, but I am motivated to return!!  We finished half the route that took us up the right side of The Great Arch, and would have brought us up and around the top of the arch.  Eventually we rappeled off of the third pitch and called it a day...

Before jumping on the arch I led a route up to the arch, or the teeth as I like to think of them.  The climbing at Darrington is slab climbing, meaning it is less than vertical climbing, but still steep enough that you can lose control and slide down the mountain.  The potential for injury is high if you don't keep your cool.  Prior to climbing the arch I led a 60 foot runout of slab climbing that had lots of nicely featured footholds but few handholds.  By runout I mean there was no place to clip in to the route or place protection.  But it was a good chance to test my mental climbing game, and it ended without mishap.  

Rain has moved in to the Seattle area this week.  I am hopeful that I can get in one or two more days of climbing outside before I leave for Columbus and my 36 hour drive back to Idaho.  

"Slackers?"

I haven't posted since Feb 2013. Shame on me. 

Right now I am 30-ish days from receiving my Master of Arts in Higher Education and Student Affairs.  The idea of being a certified Master's degree holder, and something of an adult excites me and frightens me simultaneously.  With this degree I may venture forth into the fray of student affairs and become a real-life professional.  But entering the fray and securing employment is a daunting task.  At the moment I have several prospects and am contemplating others.  Aside from the joy of graduating and the anxiety of moving, I look forward to meeting new people. 

As of late I've met many, many new people.  I find my capacity for appreciating others is growing...or rather I am rediscovering how great people are.  I have been doing a lot of climbing and slacklining recently.  My middle finger is healing nicely and I suspect I will be at 100% by the middle of May.  I'm at 90% right now and it takes a great degree of self-control not to climb at my peak and risk damaging the new tissue. 

I mentioned slacklining.  For readers unfamiliar with slacklining simply imagine tightrope walking.  Now imagine that instead of a rope I am walking on a 1-inch wide or 2-inch wide length of webbing about 3-4 feet off the ground between two trees.  For visual learners, see below, and skip to2:10 for the action:

Aside from the flipping and bouncing that is what I have been occupying myself with.  I am beginning to get the hang of bouncing too!  Much of my slacklining has taken place on The Oval, the large green space on the OSU campus in front of the library.  During the warm months of May (and the occassional sun spell in April) the Oval transforms into Oval Beach.  Imagine a beach and the types of people and activities that the beach attract, now imagine these people on a grass field without water.  Basically it's a collection of men and women baring as much skin as they feel comfortable in a public, sunny setting:

Now, factor in thrill seeking young men and nylon webbing and you get this:

Now, factor in a disregard for consequences in the young men and you get this:

Good, safe ideas are the product of young, collegiate men, no?


With any luck I will land a job that pays me enough to meet my bills, eat, entertain myself and others, and purchase a slackline of my own.  My sister has one squirreled away somewhere and I know for a fact she hasn't used it in ages.  I am hoping I can swoop in a buy it from her on the cheap. 

Alas, I have procrastinated long enough.  Now to continue my readings on the history of the American community college.

"I Black Out..."

In my academic career many writers-both living and dead-informed me of the cathartic power of writing.  The writing process is remarkable for how it raises the matters of the subconscious to the surface.  The pen is like a lantern illuminating the depths of the mind.  I am constantly amazed what an hour of writing reveals to me.  I can go from writing mindless prose to suddenly uncovering a single thread of insight, and following it to thoughts previously absent in the conscious mind.

In my sports career many athletes spoke to me through magazine or video interviews how the act of performing the sport they love clears their mind.  Most famously-to myself at least-is a quote from Brian Shima, a renowned rollerblader from “back in the day.”  An interviewer asked Shima what goes through his mind when he performs tricks.  Shima replied that there was no thought when he performed.  He likened it to blacking out, the absence of conscious thought or even memory.  I’ve read other athletes respond similarly.  They say they love sport because, in the moment, nothing else matters.    

In climbing conscious thought is absolutely necessary to succeed.  To say that I approach climbing as an activity devoid of thought would be a total lie.  Climbing requires a high degree of cognitive complexity.  Hauling 160 pounds of meat up a vertical or overhanging wall is no simple task.  But I have found that conscious, rational, discriminating thought is a hindrance when I am on the wall, and too many questions clutter the performance:  Can I reach that hold?  Am I breathing enough?  Where are my feet?  My arms are tired…how much longer can I hold on?

What Shima was getting at is the absence of thought and the presence of experience, or instinct.  Hours of practice at a particular task yield an automatic response to certain situations or stimuli.  When I climb at my peak I have already spent ample time thinking about the route, the holds, the crux, the different factors that will impede or support me.  This all happens on the ground.  When I am on the wall movements become nearly automatic responses from a glance at the coming sequence of holds. I don't fully remember the climb when I come down. 

This instinct frees up the mind to focus only on the present not with a laser-like focus, but a calm awareness.   Coming off the wall with this awareness often feels more cathartic to me than writing.  Writing illuminates the mind like a lantern.  But the lack of thought I feel when climbing, the instinctual response and resulting action, transcends illumination.  Illumination also reveals distractions along the path.  Following a good climbing session is as though my mind navigates through the dark without seeing, simply becoming aware of obstacles and turns. 

That clarity of mind is why I love climbing.  The joy of sending a difficult route, and the adrenaline rush from exposure and the risk of injury certainly factor in to my enjoyment as well.  But, ultimately, I enjoy the absence of thought that I get from climbing well within my ability.  When in this state of mind the everyday problems that clutter the mind cease to matter.  All that matters is an arbitrary arrangement of rock or plastic and the possibly useless ability to scale the said rock or plastic.  As much as I love the accomplishment in climbing, I love how it calms my mind in the process and gives me insight to more pressing problems. 

Retrospective

Can 'retrospective' be used appropriately to reference the passing of one immediate year?  It seems unceremonious to use the word to examine 2012.  If you asked me to abstain from drink or an activity for a year I would reply that a year is too long, an unrealistic length of time.  But living a year passes in the blink of an eye.

2012 offered multiple opportunities for intense reflection into my person.  Many good and challenging things happened in 2012...actually very few challenging things happened.  Perhaps it's simply more melodramatic to balance the good with the bad.  But really this post is for my own edification at a moment when I am feeling especially thoughtful.

Through an interesting set of circumstance I got to see two dear friends from Seattle twice in the same month.  C-Lo and Schultzy were driving from Maine back to Seattle with a U-Haul full of family effects for Schultzy's family.  Their route took them through Columbus and my apartment for the evening.  We discussed their route across the US and realized that they would pass through Boise at the same time that I would fly there for my father's surprise birthday party.  Both friends are people I spent a lot of time with at SU, and being around them is like sitting front row to your own personal improv comedy performance.  The amount of stupid, yet hilarious shit we would say was the foundation of our relationship.  

I've become more loving this year.  Squeezy was a huge influence on me and I hope will continue to be.  My new Columbus friends are also a huge influence on me-Dandy Woo, JT York, Cali Foodie, Cardmaster Cider, and other-I do not think I would be at the point that I'm at without them.  Their absolute, continuous acceptance of my less endearing qualities has touched me deeply.  Being with them has created in me for the first time a true sense of community.  In the past community was something that I was a part of.  With this group community is something I co-create.  These people offered me solace in poor times, good cheer in happy times, and constant guidance and insight into the world of graduate school and student affairs.

It's a strange thing to be a part of something so powerful, beautiful, and organic, and I often wonder through what dumb luck and circumstance I am permitted to be a part of it.