summer climbs.

at the beginning of the summer, i made a goal to climb outside once a week until september. sadly, i didn't quite fill that quota, turns out nature doesn't have childcare like the gym does, but i did get outside for some great days of climbing.

this was maple canyon day trip. chad drove us all
down in his dirtbag van. 

that conglomerate tho. 

maple is amazing and intimidating. steep steep and more steep.
also, chad blew a bolt on this climb, which spooked us all. 

i always bring boiled eggs and everyone always mocks me. 

nate going ham. 

i love jenna. i love having a female climbing friend who understands
the challenges and advantages of being a climber with a little body. 

ohhhhh climbing outside, you are so much harder than inside. 

this was on a classic 10.b (i think?) route.
i can climb 11cs in the gym, but take me outside
 and i'm a giant crybaby. i took my first real outdoor
fall on this climb though, which was a huge milestone. 

twas a beautiful and glorious day. 

so this day was a great day. mother's day!
my brother chad took me to do my first multi pitch.
and trad! this is outside corner and this is the
view of what you're about to climb looking up.

it's three pitches, 450 feet high. 

i haven't gotten nervous about heights in a long time,
but outside corner got me a little bit on the second pitch.
don't look down til you're at the top. 

multi pitch is different because you can't quit.
your partner is waiting at the pitch above, you
can't hear each other talking because of how far away from
each other you are. you just have to keep climbing, even if
you're freezing, freaking out about the lip, and really hungry. 

but being on top is the best feeling in the world.
birds are singing  all around you, we even saw a hummingbird!
i felt like a million bucks.
(no, i didn't climb in my moccasins, just immediately
removed my tiny tiny climbing shoes the second i finished.) 

this sideways shot was from a trip up ferguson canyon. 

that chimney was awesome.
did some leads and top ropes,
enjoyed the scenery, ate boiled eggs.

i loved feruson so much that i brought
travis and remy along the next week.
we found this adorable caterpillar. 

bursting with joy that night. 

this was a great day!
we hiked up albion basin to cecret lake.
we did not expect snow. 

chad hadn't showered in a bit, so he took a quick one under
this waterfall. his life, man. no spouse, no kids, traveling and
climbing 5 days of the week. sometimes i'm jealous. 

morgan and i have been besties since high school.
i love any excuse we get to spend time together. 

the hike in was actually pretty treacherous. also i wore
walmart flip flops, because we hadn't expected to encounter snow
and flip flops are awesome climbing day shoes because you can
trade your climb shoes for comfort quickly.
travis slipped and slid about 20 feet in the snow. if some rocks hadn't
caught him, he likely would have slid right into the lake. 

but can you beat that view?? 

can you see me way up at the top?
i was really proud of this climb, because
at first i was terrified and convinced i wouldn't finish.
chad was patient and encourage me to breathe.
one move after the other, i made it to the top. 

other than almost falling to his death, travis had a good time too. 

so yeah, not enough for my liking, but i got outside more consistently than i have before. i also climbed in the gym about 5 times a week all summer. i was mostly partnerless all summer, so i bouldered and i'll tell you, bouldering makes you strong! at the beginning of the summer i was just starting v4s, and by the end i was able to finish two v6s. i've really noticed a different in my lead climbing; bouldering translates into strength, power, and strong mental game for me. oh, i could go on and on about climbing, but it's getting pretty late. i can't believe i went 26 years of my life without this glorious activity keeping me happy.