Ringing in 25 Yosemite Style!

This past weekend I went home for the Friends of Tuckerman annual fundraiser (The Son of the Inferno Pentathlon) and to visit with and celebrate my birthday with my family! The race went off without a hitch! I even got to be the starter of the second race! I got goosebumps when calling the final countdown for the start, then pushing the button which made everyone around me run! It was a long day though... but well worth the drive and the hard work it took to pull the event off!

Sunday morning I had breakfast with my Grampa and enjoyed some really good waffles! Then I drove to Maine and stopped in at my parent's house. My nephew Dominik was there, he's three and a half now, and it was so fun to see him! We played together for hours, and he helped me blow out all of the candles on my brithday cake (we almost had to call the fire department because there were so many on there--just kidding). He is getting so big and so smart! It will be exciting to continue to watch him grow up, I only hope he turns out better than my brother did...

Seeing my Mom and David was really nice too. I like that we have a closer relationship now that I am out of the house. It feels right this way. Nana and Grampa were pretty excited to see me as well! My Grampa bought me a hand mixer for my birthday so that I don't have to mix my cookies and cake by hand anymore. Nana re-gifted a pizza stone that they would never use to Matt and I. It is going to make a great addition to our house (and our meals!)!

My birthday is on Wednesday, the 22nd of April. Also known as Earth Day! I am going to be 25... wow! I remember when I turned 16 and 17 thinking about what life would be like when I turned 25. I've turned out much different from how I'd imagined way back then! First of all... let me tell you that 25 is not nearly as old as it seems when you are still a teenager! I feel better now than I ever did then! And not only that but I am not married and I don't have kids like I thought I would by now. Thank god things turned out differently than I expected! I have so much life to live before the kids thing happens! I get the creeps just thinking about it! (Especially after seeing my mother take fully chewed food out of Dominik's mouth multiple times this weekend).

After work on Wednesday I am boarding a plane and flying to Sacremento, California and meeting Matt. We will then drive the 4 hours to Yosemite Valley where we will free climb the Free Blast and probably higher on El Capitan! It is going to be my first trip out there and I am PUMPED to say the least! I have dreams about it every night and I absolutely cannot wait to experience some big wall fun! I'll have pictures and stories to share for sure!

On the 23rd I hope you'll think of me... I'll be half way up El Cap having a party because I made it to 25!

A little inspiration...

This is a small article I read in a black diamond catalogue. Matt showed it to me, and it has sort of confirmed that I am not the only person who has the drive to live their life for life, not for money... I am copying it here as a reminder for myself, and so maybe someone reading this can find what's missing in their life... 

You are not your Job, by Bill Ramsey

After 18 years at Notre Dame, I've quit my job teaching philosophy and accepted a position at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Despite being happy working at Notre Dame, I was generally miserable living in South Bend, Indiana. Much of my misery stemmed from the absurd amount of driving required to go climbing. I would clock over 800 roundtrip miles to climb at Kentucky's Red River Gorge, spending 14 hours behind the wheel each weekend. By contrast, in Las Vegas superb year-round limestone and sandstone climbing will never be more than 45 minutes away. It was a classic career versus lifestyle decision. As some of my Catholic friends advocate, I chose life. 

Most people who know me understand the decision. Still, some have expressed surprise that I could make such a move. After all, it could be said that I was failing to properly advance my career by accepting a position at a less prestigious university. One friend's email put it this way: 

"Who in their right mind would quit a job at ND to move to Vegas? It's not like you're going to continue to climb hard for many years to come... Are you really so obsessed with climbing that it's more important than your career?" 

The message ignored certain factors to my decision, like what winters are like in northern Indiana--or what everything is like in northern Indiana. But the bottom line is yes, I really am so obsessed with climbing that, in certain respects, it is more important than my career. The fulfillment I get from teaching and writing is enormous. However, I determined long ago that my life without climbing--without the places, people, and experiences that climbing has introduced to me--would be unacceptably diminished. Whether I'm projecting a hard sport route, getting my ass kicked way off the deck on a wall, or taping bloody fingers for the 10th hour of a marathon session in the gym, climbing is a critical dimension of who I am, who I hang out with, and now, where I live. 

When people find out I'm a philosopher, they often ask me about the meaning of life. Bad question. Meaning is not of life but in life. It's in the various endeavors we pursue and relationships we develop that, if we are lucky, prove to be deeply gratifying. The way we earn a living certainly can (and should) be a part of that. I'm happy to have found a career where it is. But it is only one part. That's why professionals who could be earning more money and stature living in Chicago, Los Angeles or New York are moving to towns like Bend, Telluride, Fayetteville and even Las Vegas. What the hell are they thinking? They are thinking about the other parts--the parts with fresh powder, Class V whitewater or miles of pocketed limestone... the parts that enrich their lives in ways no career advancement ever could. 

I make no apologies for choosing a path where my career occasionally comes second, just so I can climb hard. Something, by the way, what will continue for many years to come.

I think there is a lot of pressure on me from all sides of my life sometimes trying to get me to stop taking time off, to be completely committed to my job, and not worry about when I am going to go climbing again. Climbing though, is pretty much what makes my days at work bearable. Knowing I am going to go climbing on the weekend, or after work  is what keeps me going through the work week. It makes it so I can get up in the morning and go to work every day. This article is speaking directly to me, and people like me who live their lives for something more than a job... I live my life for life, and what I get from that... Money, while I have to have it for the necessary things to continue to live, is secondary. I don't think that will ever change. 

Franken-Cake

At 4:45 a.m Malaga time I got a wake up call from the front desk of Hotel Las Americas. I stayed there the night before my flight left because it was the only way for me to get to the airport on time (aside from sleeping in the airport...). I had just enough time to bring myself to consiousness and check out of my room before I needed to be at the train station (which was just across the street) to catch the train to the airport. The train left at 5:19 and I arrived about 15 minutes later.

I finally found my check in gate, and waited in line for ages before being able to check my baggage and get my boarding passes. From Malaga I flew to Paris, France where I had about an hour to go through passport control and then the opposite end of the airport to my gate. At the gate I was interrogated by the airport officials as to where my luggage had been and who had packed it. I guess they were worried I was some kind of terrorist, although I don't really know where they got that one.

From Paris I had an 8 hour flight across the ocean to Newark, NJ. On this flight it was day time, so I didn't really do much sleeping. I watched a few movies and played some games. I also read a lot in my book. The flight actually went pretty quickly but I was really excited when it was over and I could get out of the cramped seating and move and stretch. In Newark I had to pass through yet another passport control center and then proceed to baggage claim where I would pick up my luggage and go through customs and then check it again to get to my next flight.

Newark is one of the least organized airports I've ever been to, and the people there are very unwilling to help you. I asked one of the women there about the procedure and she acted like these were things I was supposed to know already ( I haven't flown out of the country for 4 or 5 years... how am I supposed to know these things). She was very impatient and entitled, but I got the information I needed and headed down to baggage claim to await the arrival of my things.

After about a half hour they started to load the luggage on the loop, and after about another half hour they stopped. My things never showed up, and I asked another continental associate whether or not they were done with the baggage, which a radio call confirmed. This meant that all of my clothes and all of my gear were still in Paris, not in the U.S. where they were supposed to be. At this point I was on the verge of breaking down because I had already been traveling for over 12 hours, and still had another 4-6 hours to go. The representative told me I had to wait until I got to Burlington to file a claim, so I proceeded through customs, where I had to take a train to the next loading zone, and then promtly go through yet another security check point. Once I made it through there I had to walk clear to the other end of the section to get to my gate, where I was informed that my flight was delayed and I needed to proceed to another gate, which just happened to be at the opposite end where I had originally started.... Good thing I was wearing comfortable shoes.

Finally I was in the right spot, and finally my flight arrived and we left. I was so exhausted that I was out before the plane took off, and had to be awakened by the stewardess as we were landing to put my things away. I got to see a really incredible sunset over the lake and the Adirondaks that nearly made the delay worth it. Once I landed in Burlington I had to wait for over a half hour for someone to come to the Continental desk where I could make my claim for my lost baggage, which then took nearly a half hour because the woman couldn't figure out how to make it go through. In the end I called Cristina a little after 8 and finally made it home around 9. I was in bed by 9:30 and out as soon as my head hit the pillow. Matty got home around 12:30 and it was so nice to wake up with him next to me in our home once again.

Yesterday was Matt's birthday. We decided we'd go out to dinner and I would bake him a cake when I got home from work. So I bought all of the ingredients and spent a couple of hours baking this incredible looking and smelling chocolate cake. I even made the frosting for it. We went out for dinner (Sushi... it was incredible!) and when we got home I went to go and frost the cake. This promptly turned into a disaster because the cake was stuck in the pan, and the one nice thing I was able to do for him on his birthday I felt I had ruined. After a lot of tears, and some broken halves of cake, the Franken-Cake emerged. It was probably the ugliest cake I have ever made in my life, but in the end it tasted better than any I had ever made too. Matt reassured me that he loved it over and over, but I still feel bad that I ruined his cake. I guess looking back on it, it is pretty funny, and we'll definitely have something to remember for his 26th birthday... I just hope the same thing doesn't happen again in the future!

Now it is back to the grind stone of working again. I am so done here at the Howard Center, and I feel almost trapped in this job... hopefully soon I will be able to have something new that actually makes me happy. Until then I work and live for the evenings and weekends when I can be free of this place!

Last day in Spain!

So here I am, hanging out in a hotel in Malaga waiting for tomorrow so I can hop a train to the airport and fly home. Matt and Aaron just left for their 10 hour drive up to Barcelona where tomorrow they will do the same. So now I am just killing time until I can go to bed.

This city, Malaga, is pretty nice. I am in the older historic section, but right across the street is the train station and a very modern mall. We went over there earlier today so I could find out how much the train will cost and what time I can get there in the morning. I have to catch the 5:19 train so I can be at the airport on time for my flight at 7. Then I will travel for the whole day, back in time, and be home around 6:30 in the evening. It will be a long day, but luckily I will be able to sleep all night before I have to get up and go to work on Wednesday.

I am really not looking forward to going back to work. It has been so nice not having the stress of my job in my life the past couple of weeks. I really can´t wait to find a job that I love so I don´t have to feel this way so much. I know that work is work, but it shouldn´t be like this. I shouldn´t dread going in every day, and count the hours until I can leave. I cherrished this time so much, and it went by altogether too fast. Hopefully I´ll be able to take another vacation this fall... We´ll see what happens.

Matt and I sent our resume´s to a teaching organization here called Inlingua. If we are able to get jobs we´d be in Lleida, Spain teaching English in the evenings to spanish students. We would be 1 hour away from 4 or 5 different world class climbing areas, and living in Spain on top of that! We´ll see what happens but we are both keeping our fingers crossed. Maybe by this time next year we´ll be living in Spain! It is so exciting to think of that! I really hope it happens.

At any rate, I have got to go organize my bags and shower and get everything ready for tomorrow. I can´t wait to be home to my own house and my own bed with my Matty. It is going to be awesome!! Yeah boy!

Viejos y puertas (Windows and doors)

Today may be the last day I can update in Spain, so I wanted to write something quick before I head to bed!! We have just one more day of climbing (maybe even just a half day) and then I am heading to Malaga and the boys will head for Barcelona, where we will all fly out on Tuesday. 

We woke up this morning to rain and wind and rather cool weather. None of us were super psyched nor motivated to get going quickly, but eventually we made it out and on our way back to Displomilandia. We all had a project there, so we wanted to see if we could send before leaving. The weather ended up being super nice up there with sun. There was quite a bit of wind though, and the rock was pretty cold! We stuck it out and it is a good thing we did!! 

I warmed up on a 6b I'd done a couple of days ago. I really liked the route a lot, and it was long enough to make a really good warm up route. Then Matty led the 7a I was going to try to climb, called Viejos y Puertas. It was night next to the 7a+ I did a couple of days ago, and looked really cool. I got on it for the first time and nearly flashed it. I got to the crux which is a hard bulge you have to pull on small crimps to get through. I got all the way up to the crimps and got so pumped I couldn't hold on any longer. This meant that I got to take my first fall of the trip! I whipped pretty good there, maybe close to 15 feet or so. Then I pulled up and tried two more times before getting frustrated and asking to be lowered. 

After resting for a while and belaying Matt on another warm up it was my turn to get back on it again. This time I stuck the crux and let out a cry of relief when I reached the big jug that culminates the super hard sequence. The rest of the climb was all about getting high feet, and having a long reach to get to the next set of holds. I really liked it a lot!! The movements were very fun, and the route itself was quite enjoyable! It was also good for me to push to the point of falling. I think that really helps my head a lot, and gives me more confidence on the rock, which will actually help me not fall in the long run. 

Once that was over with Matt and I headed up to the next sector at Displomilandia called La Vida Misma. Matty had a projec there, and got on it when we first arrived. After working out the crux, he ended up sending it on his next go, which was really awesome to watch! He is so strong, and motivated. He is endlessly inspiring to me. It was great to be there with him today to celebrate the send! 

Next I got on another 7a+, this time trying to onsight it. When you onsight a climb it means that you've never tried any of the moves, and don't watch anyone else climb it, and don't get any beta (hints) from anyone around as to how the climb goes. So essentially you walk up to it, and just climb it. I've never onsighted something so hard before, and up until just a couple of days ago had never even climbed something that hard before. I made a valiant effort to make it to the top climbing through two cruxes and into the final one before whipping off because I couldn't make the clip. There were two spanish guys climbing right next to us who were either really impressed, or totally making fun of the fact that I was falling off and still willing to try again. I ended up falling twice, unable to clip before coming back down. I completely worked myself on that attempt, but I feel really good at how high I got, and how close I was to actually onsighting a 7a+. This can only mean good things for my climbing future! 

Anyway, it is late, and I really need to get some rest before tomorrow! I'll see what I can do about posting again, but my next post will probably be from the states after I have returned home!! This trip has been so incredible! I have improved in leaps and bounds over the climbing I've done in the past and it feels really good to be pushing myself as hard as I am. I love climbing so much, and it is so nice to finally be seeing the results of my hard work paying off! 

7a+? Check!

Climbing my first 7a+, Cosas Caseras

Right now I am sitting outside of La Finca la Campana and having a rest day with Matty. We've been climbing a lot, and I am psyched to have a day to relax and catch up on some things that just don't stop even though you're on vacation. Relaxing is nice, and I think we will go for a walk with the Finca dog (Oso) in a bit and maybe take a trek out to the Camino del Rey. Anything is possible on a rest day! 

Thursday was probably the best day I have had yet! We went back to the Buena Sombra crag in Desplomilandia and climbed for a full day. I started off on a nice 6a+ and then got on a 6b. After belaying for a while and hanging around with the boys and some spanish men who were also climbing, I got back on the route I had been working there. It is called Cosas Caseras and is rated 7a+. 

It is a really cool line that starts with a crimpy boulder problem to some slabby moves. You have to balance really well otherwise your feet might pop or you might not be able to hold on with your hands anymore. Once you get through this section though you have some easy climbing to a really good rest before the second crux (hard part) of the route. The crux sequence is really cool because you have to get your feet really high and pull into an undercling that is in the middle of a big bulge. Then you have to cross through to another undercling where you clip and then get your feet under you and throw for a big hold. Once you get this big hold you have to do a bunch of crimpy moves to some really good holds and a nice rest before you  finish the rest of the route. 

I ended up sending it on my third time on the route (first time on Thursday) and am really excited to have finally reached a goal I've had since I first started climbing. For a long time I didn't know whether or not I would be able to climb a 5.12a (7a+) and now that I have, it seems like the only way to go from here is up (no pun intended). I really think I can continue to get better and to consistently send harder routes like that. I just have to keep up with my training and continue to try harder stuff, and eventually it will come to me. 

Yesterday we went to a cave called Poema de Roca, which means Rock Poem in Spanish. It is a really beautiful cave with very aesthetic lines. It was an incredibly hot day yesterday and I am experiencing the joys of being a woman right now, so I had a particularly hard day. I have a difficult time with pushing myself hard when this is going on, and I didn't really climb up to my own expectations. But it is ok,  I think once I get some rest in me today, and get back at it tomorrow and Monday I will feel much better. We'll see what happens. 

Regardless I am very happy with the way this trip has gone. The weather has been perfect, and the climbing has been so great! I really feel lucky to have had this opportunity and to have had Matt here to share it with has made that much better. I look forward to traveling with him a lot more in the future. We are starting to look into moving here to Spain for a year or two and maybe even working out another big trip for something this coming fall. 

Two more days of climbing, and then another day of traveling and then it is back to the real world again. I feel very refreshed after this trip, so hopefully it won't all come crashing down again when I get back to work. I'm just keeping my fingers crossed about teaching in Spain, and hoping it happens sooner rather than later.  

Heat Stroke, and Climbing in the Shade!

View from Buena Sombra, Desplomandia

What a week this has been so far! Saturday we had a rest day, and we actually slept in until 9 and then did some stuff around the place where we're staying. I wanted to take a nap because I was still jet lagged, so I went up to our tent to read and sleep for a while. I knew it would be warm up there, so I opened up all of the flaps and hoped for a breeze every now and then. I don't know how long I slept for, but the sun came in the tent, and was shining on my side for an extended period of time. When Matt came up to see how I was doing, I was massively dehydrated and feeling pretty terrible. On top of that, my face was completely red, and my whole right side burning hot and red as well. I think I got either sun poisoning or heat stroke, and I suffered for the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday before starting to feel better. 

The one good thing about Saturday though was that Matt and I took a hike up to the Poema de Roca cave in the afternoon (we thought that maybe if I got out moving I might feel a bit better). The cave is very impressive with a number of difficult routes that come out it, and a few routes I think I might have a chance at doing. We'll see but I look forward to getting the chance to find out.

I ended up with a massive headache, which wouldn't quit, and then Sunday just felt completely drained, like I needed about 10 hours of sleep. After eating breakfast and seeing how I did, I made the wise decision to rest for another day, and actually had a nice morning with three Irish men who were resting as well. We sat around and drank tea and chatted about the world. They were pretty cool. In the afternoon Matt actually came back to see how I was doing, and we went out for some lunch. We also tried to go grocery shopping, which is difficult here on a Sunday because everything is closed. We weren't too excited about that, but we've been making due. These towns are so small that they don't have ATMs and there are also no credit card machines in any of the stores or restaurants. You have to have cash for everything, which is difficult to get when there are no ATMs. 

Yesterday I woke up and I felt great! I made the decision to start drinking only bottled water because my body wasn't doing well on the tap water, and also I think the rest I got the two days before really helped me to overcome my jet lag and heat stroke. The temperatures are getting pretty warm here, so we decided to try to find some shade. We ended up at this nice crag called Desplomandia, which is a bit of a drive, but high up in this pass and looking out over green lakes (the minerals in the water combined with the sunlight make the water a brilliant green)! It is another beautiful place to climb, which I think will just be the case for the rest of the trip. 

The sector we climbed at is called Buena Sombra, which means Good Shade, and indeed it is great shade! So good we need to wear pants and big puffy jackets to stay warm in between climbs. The coolness is welcome though after climbing in the sun. I think we might be seeking out shade more for the rest of the trip. I sent my hardest climb yesterday, a 7a (5.11d) which was very exciting! I got it on my second go, and thought it was pretty hard for the grade. Everyone who climbed it agreed yesterday that it should probably be rated a 7a+ (5.12a). It was still fun though with some pretty technical movements which I enjoy a lot. 

I also flashed a 6c called Yogur de Coco, which climbed out on a big tufa with a puddle for a jug at the top of it! The hold was so good that it didn't matter that there was a bowl of water waiting for you. 

Today we headed out to the same place. Aaron had to take the day off because his skin is pretty sore, but we did have the company of the British boys we met here at La Finca. They are really funny, and provide great entertainment all day. They climbed with us yesterday as well, and are unfortunately going home to England tomorrow. We'll definitely miss their positive energy, but it has been great to get to know them a bit. The climbing today was pretty fun, and I onsighted two climbs including a 6b+ (5.11a) called Buena Sombre. It ended up being a pretty solid send, and I really enjoyed the whole route. At the top of the climb you had to get up into a humungous undercling inside a tufa, and then climb on crimps for a few meters. The end was a jug haul to the anchor. Super fun route! 

I also got on a 7a+ that I think I will get my next try. I have it all down except for one move. I will definitely get it the next time we go there when I am fresh. I ended up falling at the crux today and biting my lip a little. Its sore, but I think I will make it! We are all looking forward to a rest day tomorrow when we can let our bodies and skin recover a bit. I think we are going to head in to Granada and check out La Alhambra which is a really incredible mosque there. I went there when I was in high school, but I think I will appreciate it a lot more this time around. 

Anyway, things are going great here! I really look forward to getting some more climbing in and sending more hard routes!! It is awesome to see all my training and hard work paying off. I feel really strong, and it is being validated in my climbing!! Crushing!!