Patiently Waiting

Maybe I should have named this post impatiently waiting. Matty is on his way up here, and I've been home from work for an hour now, and I just want him to get here. Not seeing him all week really takes its toll, and Fridays are the best days ever because we get to see each other again! Soon he will be here, and all will be well again. 

Yesterday I went to the climbing gym with my friend Cristina. We climbed some routes for a little over an hour and then I spent forty five minutes or so bouldering around with some other friends. I was trying to get some of the routes that had evaded me during the comp, but again I was unsuccessful. I think I need to try them when I am not so tired. I got flash pumped early on yesterday when I did a 5.8 and a 5.10 back to back. I very nearly fell of the 10, but was able to shake it out enough that I could continue on and finish the route. It was kind of a silly thing for me to do, but in the end it was a fun night, so its all good! 

Today I booked a room in a bed and breakfast down in West Virginia. It is called the Morris Harvey House which is a historical landmark down there. We'll be staying in a room called "The Library"!! I am super excited because not only will we be warm (we were going to sleep in the truck until we found out the temps down there) but it is also going to be so romantic! This will be my first time staying at a B&B and I am really looking forward to it. I talked to the people who run the place, and they're running a special now where if you book one night, you get the second night free. So essentially we're paying to stay there for two nights, and actually staying for four! We were worried about how expensive lodging was down there, and we've found the best deal ever! If you want to look at it, click here

We are going to leave Tuesday night and drive until we can't drive anymore. Then Wednesday we'll finish the drive and climb for the day. And then we plan to climb Thursday, Friday and Saturday before we have to leave on Sunday. We'll be climbing mostly in the New River Gorge, but I think we might make a trip up to Summersville Lake for a day too. I hear rumors of incredibly awesome sandstone climbing there as well! I am really excited because I've never been to either place and I've also never climbed on sandstone. I've gotten pretty used to the granite and schist of the northeast, so it will be interesting to see how it feels!

It is also exciting to be getting away from Burlington for a while. Granted I do get away most weekends for a while, but working within the community and constantly be immersed here can be very draining. I am psyched to check out a new area and just have some time to relax and not think about work or any other obligations. And it is also going to be so wonderful to have five whole days with Matty. We rarely get more than just two days together, so it is always a treat to have a little bit more in there! I can't wait for January to get here so he can move in for good and we can see each other every day, rather than only on the weekends. 

I think we are heading to Rumney this weekend to do some climbing. The forecast is for it to be pretty cold (high around 30) but if it is sunny at the cliff where we both have projects we'll be ok with those temps. Main Cliff is always sunny when the weather is good, and it can feel quite warm up there on pretty chilly days. I really want to have the opportunity to send my project one more time before the snow really starts to fall. It is called Peanut Man and is rated 5.11d. I made up a song for it which goes:

"Peanut man, he's your man, if he can't do it no one can. He's gonna give it all he's got, to help you get up to the top. Peanut man, he's the best, he'll put your limits to the test. But in the end, you will send because Mr. Peanut is your friend." 

Yeah... about that. 

Anyway, I will let you know how Peanut Man goes, and will definitely post some pictures and stories from our trip to the New. 

Have a great weekend!

ABS Bouldering Competition

Yesterday I had the opportunity to compete in my second bouldering competition ever! I had a lot of fun at it and remembered that I do, in fact, have a competitive side. 

Matt and I spent the morning hanging out and eating some good food to get ready for the event. I think I probably should have eaten more food than I did, but in the end it all turned out ok. 

When we got to Petra Cliffs and walked inside you could feel the buzz of energy throughout the building. The place was packed and everyone was psyched to start climbing. I did some warm up traversing and stretched out for a while to loosen my body up. I was filled with so much nervous energy my hands and legs were shaking. I felt like I'd had three or four cups of coffee and had the jitters (or just one cup from Jay and Lisa's house). Finally they went over the rules and set us all free to climb for the next three hours. 

I started out on some easier climbs, to get my body moving and to feel the flow of the routes. I needed to get some of the nervous energy out of my system before I started some of the more difficult routes of the day. It felt good to be moving, and it was a really great atmosphere with everyone cheering each other on. Some parts of it were a bit difficult because there were so many people in such a small area, and everyone wanted to be on the wall at the same time. But that also was part of what pushed people to do better. If I saw someone do something on a route I was considering, I was compelled to do better than they had. 

There were some pretty high quality routes set for the comp. I was impressed with how well they flowed and how beautifully people's bodies were moving on them. The things we're able to do with these routes is incredible, and watching people trying routes at their limit was really inspiring for me. I got to climb with Matt and two of my girlfriends Cristina and Ara and I felt really good about my performance. 

In the end I tied for fourth, which I think is pretty good considering the level of the climbers there. My competitive nature tells me I should have done better though and I have been going over the two routes I missed that could have bumped me into second or third had I been able to complete them. I keep thinking about what would have happened had I just tried one more time, or given a little more in my last attempt. But I know that living in the past will do nothing for me, and I am very appreciative for the experience over all. 

If nothing else the being in the comp has made me more dedicated to getting stronger and doing better next year. Yesterday was also a really good gauge for where I'm at too. At the beginning of this season I wasn't nearly as strong as I was yesterday. Many of the routes that I either onsighted or flashed were routes I would've had no chance on when I first got back into climbing again. I am proud of the progress I've made and feel a new fire lighting inside me to improve even more. 

This blog will be a testament to my climbing and other adventures I experience along the way. I look forward to being able to look back and see just how far I've come. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!