Cragmama

Jul 27 2009

So in my last post, I mentioned that we made some new friends at Pies n Pints during our visit to the New last weekend. We overheard the couple at the table next to ours talking about their day at the Bridge Buttress, another New River Gorge climbing area, so we decided to see what routes they had gotten on. We ended up talking to them the rest of the time while we ate – Josh and Erin were their names, and they were from Johnson City, TN. We compared notes on our activities from the day, discussed our plans for the next day, and chatted about the cliffs in NC and TN that we each frequented. It turned out that we were staying at the same campground, only a couple of sites away from each other. We even scored an invite to toast some marshmallows at their campfire later on that night!

Hanging out with new friends at the '09 Rendezvous

I think that this perfectly illustrates one of my favorite aspects of climbing – the social scene! When you are avid participators in a sport that not many people do (or even know about for that matter), there is a strong sense of community with others that share your passion. Its no stretch at all to find meaningful conversation from a 4 hr stint in a car to and from the crag week after week with the same people over and over again. On the way there we tell tales of previous adventures with the people we are with, or from the place we are headed to. On the way back we recount the new stories from our latest day of cragging, sometimes embellishing a bit for posterity…

Now, don’t get me wrong – no matter where you go on the planet, you are going to find snobby and pretentious people, and the climbing world is by no means excluded from this. However, by and large I have found folks from the climbing community to be some of the most generous, sincere, and friendly people I have ever come across.

In line for Dessertapalooza at the '08 Rendezvous

Several years ago when I first started climbing, I was really intimidated by the stronger climbers in our community. I felt that since I was a “newbie” that I shouldn’t expect to be able to associate with the ones who could really crank hard. I figured we didn’t have anything in common, and that me recounting my fears of my first 5.4 sport lead would just sound silly to anyone that could onsight 5.12.

Watching the "Dyno Comp" from Rendezvous '08

And then I went my first “New River Rendezvous” in 2007, a weekend long climber’s festival where climbers from all over the country come with a mindset to climb lots of routes, eat lots of food, meet new people to climb with, and raise money for the New River Alliance of Climbers (NRAC). I didn’t meet a single person there that I didn’t like. (and there were close to 1200 people there…) A lot of them were much more experienced climbers than me, but there were also a lot of beginners there as well. And none of that really mattered, b/c we had the most important thing in common – our love for the rock. Some of us were boulderers, some of us liked to clip bolts at the local sport crag, and others liked to place their own gear on long traditional routes. But the neat part was that it didn’t matter, b/c no matter what type of climbing we were doing, no matter what difficulty level we were climbing at, we had one thing in common – we loved getting vertical on the rock!

Steve in the highly anticipated "Sumo-Crash-Pad Wrestling Competition" at our very first Rendezvous in '07

I have been fortunate over the years to be able to meet several climbers that have been blessed with the opportunity to more or less make a career out of the sport they love (some by winning competitions, but most by being sponsored by climbing equipment companies) and almost everyone has been down-to-earth and genuine – some I didn’t even realize how “famous” they were until after our conversation. The bottom line is that it doesn’t matter where you are on the totem pole of climbing – as long as your in the game at least, you share a bond that the average member of society will never understand – and that, I have learned, is pretty special.

Getting some tips from "Trango" owner Malcolm Daly

Getting some crack climbing tips from "Trango" owner Malcolm Daly

I think that this same attitude should be reflected in the churches of today, but sadly, so often it is not. Just like there is such a wide variety of types of climbers, there is an infinite variety of Christ followers. However, the differences shouldn’t cause contention. Just like the V10 boulderer can relate to the 5.5 multipitch trad climber b/c he loves the rock, the non-denominational inner city kid should be able to relate to the middle-aged front row Baptist because she loves Christ.

Hound Ears '08 - another fun party weekend for the climbing community

Even though everything about us and our styles may be different, the one thing we have in common is really the only thing that matters anyway. It doesn’t mean there won’t ever be differences, and where there are differences there is invariably conflict, but if we all started looking at what we have in common rather than what we don’t, the church would be based on unity rather than denominational discrepancies, and I daresay the world would be a much happier place.

Enjoying the spiritual similarities we have with our "Community Group" from Vintage21

Packing Toiletry Kits for Urban Ministries of Durham

Endless Fun at the New

New River Gorge.

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Jul 22 2009

So what started out as a random assortment of climbing buddies at the New, ended up being just me and Steve. Some folks bailed earlier in the week, one signed on AND bailed all on the day before, and others bailed after driving for an hour and deciding they were too tired to continue (not naming names though, Manbert…). 🙂
Anyway, we spent our first day at Endless Wall, which is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places in the gorge. I realized that I had a few head issues to work through, but by the end of the day, things were feeling great. My knee held up fantastically – the golf ball is still there (I went to have it drained and nothing came out – turns out it is just scar tissue…) but it isn’t really hindering me to speak of, so its acceptable for right now.

Steve at the base of Exoduster

DAY 1 ~
Exoduster – 5.10b – Felt really hard for a 10b. I had a difficult time committing to the crux move, and had to hang for a bit, as the footholds were polished and felt very insecure, but when I finally did, I got through it clean.
Strike a Scowl – 5.10b – This has to be one of the best routes at Endless Wall! Perfect views, got the technical stuff out of the way early, and great exposure! My head felt a lot better on this one, probably b/c it was more my style of climbing.

Working up Strike a Scowl

Glass Onion – 5.10b – Fun slab climbing with some pretty reachy moves. Went back and forth with my head feeling confident, then timid, then confident, etc. throughout the route.
Upheaval – 5.9 – The only climb of the day that I had done previously. This one was even more fun than I remembered, and I felt really good on it. I think it helped that it was nice and long and allowed me to get into a better rhythm.

Steve taking a run up Strike a Scowl

Fool Effect – 5.9 – GREAT way to end the day! This climb was LOOOOONG – a rope stretcher even for our 70 meter rope! This climb had lots of variety, from technical slab to some layback flakes, with even a small roof thrown in at the top. Most exciting however was the wasps’ nest inside the flake at the 6th bolt. Unfortunately, that was my clipping hold, so I couldn’t just move on by. I had 5 of them on me at one point while I was trying to get the rope into the quickdraw, but fortunately for me, I only got stung once. It hurt right when it happened, but by the end of the evening, I could hardly feel it. The wasps didn’t seem too aggressive (they MUST realize at this point that their choice of housing was in a high traffic area…) I’ll even go out on a limb and say that perhaps the sting was even by accident 🙂

Steve stopping to pose on Glass Onion

We wrapped up our day at Pies n’ Pints, the local pizza joint. We had to wait a while since we didn’t roll in until around 730, but it was definitely worth the wait. We ended up making friends with the couple at the table beside us while we waited for our food, which illustrates a concept that I will probably elaborate on in another blog, but for now, I’ll keep things to the bare bones trip report.

DAY 2 ~
Casper Says Boo – 5.9 – How’s this for irony? The first route we wanted to check out that day had a bailer carabiner as well as a quickdraw hanging enticingly from the last two bolts! The route consisted of broken flakes/jugs up to a steep finger crack at the top. I can see why someone might have bailed if 5.9 was at their limit, b/c the last moves were quite committing…

Steve on his way to retrieve someone's bailer gear

Retrieving gear off Casper Says Boo

Radial Rimmed – 5.10c – this route felt way harder than 10c to me, but it was also not my style of climbing in the least…big bouldery moves (including an all points off dyno), on rolling, sloping holds. It took me a while to finish the route, and I definitely had to use the stick clip midway thru the route, which rarely happens, but I think mentally I still had some confidence issues to work through.

Pondering the crux on Radial Rimmed

She Rides – 5.9 – This was a really frustrating climb for me. I figured out the sequence I wanted to use to get through the crux, and went back and forth getting just above my bolt, then downclimbing back to safety. I couldn’t commit to actually doing the move, b/c I was unreasonably scared about falling. I lowered off from my high point, and Steve went up from there, where he proceeded to go for it with gusto and finally worked his way through the crux after taking 3 10-12 foot falls. I was so proud of him for sticking with it, but also felt bad that he took the falls, especially when I breezed right through it after he set up the toprope for me. It was frustrating to know that I was more than capable of doing the moves on the climb, but was unable to really even give it one good try when I was leading it. Another positive though – we got another bailer ‘biner!!! Now we have MORE than replaced what I left behind in Maple Canyon!

Gazing at the booty gear dangling from the 2nd bolt on She Rides

Let Them Eat Pancakes – 5.10b – It was getting late, but I wanted some redemption after the last climb, so I opted for this one. I had done it once in 2008, and knew that the crux was over early, and the falls would be nothing but air, since the crux involved a roof. I was really glad that I did this one. I took several “practice falls,” in the 3-5 feet arena and felt much more confident after that. I still had to hang at the crux bolt to get things together mentally, but I pulled through the crux way easier than the previous time I was on the route, and felt a lot stronger about the climb as a whole.

Setting up the rappel on Pancakes

OVERALL – Great climbing, great weather, great weekend! I felt all over the place mentally, but was happy to be able to work through a lot of stuff. I was happy to end the weekend confidently!

Gourmet Camping (aka Ode to Jetboil)

Gear Reviews.

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Jul 12 2009

If you have ever been camping with me, you have heard me sing high praise for the Jetboil system. For those of you unfamiliar with the term, the Jetboil is NOT a communicable skin disease transmitted on airplanes, but rather, a portable, personal cooking system. According to their website, the Jetboil is a “complete food and beverage multitool.”

Steve cooking ramen noodles by moonlight (and headlamp) on our chickee in the middle of the Everglades.

Steve and I received our Jetboils for Christmas in 2006 in anticipation of a backcountry canoe/hiking trip to the Everglades for New Year’s 07. Since then, we have never been camping without it or without these sleeping bags! For a long time we stuck to the tried and true classics – oatmeal and grits, tea, hot chocolate (MUST HAVE items when the nighttime temps on a climbing trip hover in the 30’s), ramen noodles (PERFECT backcountry food!), and boxed mac n cheese (when is this NOT a good option?!?). Then we added some ultralite camp pots and pans to our setup. We got a little more adventurous, adding in the occasional fried egg sandwich, and boiled corn on the cob. I even tested out the pancake waters once while on a bike trip with my old college roomie (the pancakes didn’t work out so hot, but it was the wind’s fault, not the JetBoil…).

Lundon and I trying to warm-up with some oatmeal on a chilly morning in the Outer Banks.

But recently, we’ve found ourselves back at our backpacking tent after climbing all day either too lazy, too cheap, or too remote to go out to eat. We wanted something that was tasty and filling, not breakfast-y, easy to pack with minimum waste, and most importantly, able to be safely eaten after sitting out in the sun all day. Our answer – (drum roll please) – PESTO PASTA!!!

Grits were no where to be found in Utah, so Steve settled for oatmeal on a sunny morning in Maple Canyon.

Here’s what you need – (for 2 people)
– a big “pouch” of chicken, salmon, tuna, or whatever you want for protein (You can find the pouches in the same aisle as the canned tuna. In fact you could use the canned tuna if you want, but I think all the juice in the can is gross, plus its a lot more trash.)
– a small to medium jar of pesto sauce (Buitoni’s is my favorite, but you need to have a cooler for that one)
– a small to medium bag of penne, rigatoni, or your favorite pasta. (If we don’t have meat, we go for a cheese-filled tortellini or ravioli…or sometimes we splurge and do it even if we do have meat. 🙂 ).

Enjoying some hot tea on a rainy morning in Squamish, British Columbia.

Directions –
1. Bring water to a boil in a pot. Add pasta and cook until it is ready. During the last couple of minutes or so, add the chicken or fish.
2. Using the lid for the pot, drain the water from the pasta and and split the pasta evenly into 2 bowls.
3. Mix half the pesto into one bowl, and half in the other.

Pesto Pasta after a great day climbing at Hawksbill Mountain in the Linville Gorge

And there you have it! Three ingredients are all you need for a simple and fast way to satisfy your hunger and feel sophisticated even in the backcountry!

Yum Yum, PESTO PASTA!

Risks and Consequences.

Climbing.

2 Comments.

Jul 07 2009

It has been a sad week in the world of climbing. The climbing community suffered a loss of a legend this past weekend. On Sunday, July 5^th, John Bachar fell to his death while free soloing in Mammoth, California. If you don’t know who he is, you can click on the link to find a quick bio, but this guy was one of the greatest climbers of all time, some might argue THE greatest. This tragic event combined with my injury a couple of weeks ago in Utah brings to the forefront an issue that most climbers don’t like to think about, but should always have in the back of their mind every time they touch the rock – the concept of acceptable levels of risk. This is a concept that I journaled about last summer, and although maybe not all of it applies, it seemed appropriate to post now, considering the recent turn of events.

For those of you who are not aware, free soloing is where you climb without a rope, and without using any gear. Its just you and the rock. When I first got into climbing I thought that the only people who would do something like that were crazy and had a subconscious death wish. However, after becoming more involved in the community and developing friendships with climbers in my area, I was surprised to learn that several people that I knew from the climbing community (who seemed very level-headed and sane) sometimes engaged in this type of climbing. Upon hearing their reasons for why they do it (its meditative, they can get into a “flow” of movement without having to stop and worry about gear, most only do it on levels well below their physical limit, so they feel fairly safe) I realized that these people are not crazy, but actually present legitimate arguments for such an undertaking.

Toproping Warpin Endorphine Crack, 5.11b, The Dump, NC

However, I still do not free solo, nor will I. This is b/c any amount of free-soloing exceeds my acceptable risk level. For the non-climbers out there that aren’t familiar with this jargon, here’s a very basic rundown on different types of climbing and the typical risks involved. A fall on a toprope with a solid anchor (usually no more than a few feet, as the anchor is always above you) is relatively benign. Not too much can go wrong here. A fall while you are leading (bringing the rope to the top of the route from the base of the cliff, clipping into protection along the way) a sport (bolted) route could get you scratched and banged up pretty badly (ahem, like my knee…), but the chances of becoming seriously injured are relatively low. On a traditional (trad) lead (placing your own gear instead of bolts), the consequences of a fall are similar to a sport route provided your gear is correctly placed in good quality rock that won’t break when force is exerted on it. If there are not many places for gear (called a run-out), or your gear/rock is bad, then the chances of injury with a fall are significantly increased. A fall on a free solo attempt will most likely result in death, or life changing injuries at the very least.

Leading a bolted sport route - Unknown, 5.10-, Maple Canyon, Utah

The sport of rock climbing has come a long way over the years, and with the advances in modern equipment, along with proper knowledge of that equipment’s uses and limitations, rock climbing can be a very safe endeavor. However, like any activity, it is not without risk. The job each climber has, whether it be conscious or subconsciously, is to make an assessment of what level of risk they are comfortable with. Armed with the facts and realization of consequences, he or she must determine where their acceptable risk level lies, and act accordingly.

Leading a climb using traditional gear - Klahanie Crack, 5.7, Squamish, British Columbia

I will use myself as an example. Toprope falls don’t bother me a bit. I won’t think twice about roping up on something ridiculously hard that I am fully expecting to flail on several times, possibly unable to even complete. The next category is sport leading, and b/c the risks are different, my attitude towards this category is more cautious. I will sport lead close to my physical limit, but unless the bolts are really close together, I am less likely to get on something that I’m not sure I can physically do, or can’t figure out possible sequences from the bottom. I look at the style of the route (overhanging but powerful lunges to big holds, vertical but with small holds and balancey moves, etc) and choose to push myself more when the climb suits my strengths. I am even more cautious when it comes to leading routes on traditional gear. I lead at a MUCH lower level than what I am physically capable of. This is my choice for two reasons. One, I feel secure in knowing that the route is at a level that I probably won’t fall at, unless something freak happens, such as a hold breaking, etc. Two, I don’t want to have to worry about placing gear when my body is in awkward, physically demanding positions, and by choosing routes well below my limit, I can usually guarantee that I will be able to place as much gear as I want in a relaxed and stress-free body position for the more difficult (crux) sections of the climb. This is where my acceptable risk level ends – anything outside of those parameters is not acceptable. I have a working knowledge in my head of what I am and am not willing to do – so whenever I’m at a crag looking at a guidebook I know right away what climbs to avoid, so I don’t put myself in a situation that I will likely deem unsafe.

I think this can be applied to the morals and values that we have in our everyday lives. There are certain beliefs and standards that I hold to strongly, so when a tempting situation comes around, I don’t have to question what my decision will be, b/c I’ve already decided beforehand what is acceptable and what is not. I am less likely to be swayed by temporary thoughts and feelings, b/c I have solid, sensible, rational logic to remind me of what I believe.

However, if I didn’t have this awareness of acceptable risk, it could easily get me in trouble, both on the rock and off. Suppose I took off on a multipitch trad route (any climbing that is more than one “pitch” means that you are more than one rope length off the ground – ie, both parties would arrive at the top of the first pitch, and then build a belay, and then the leader would take off on the second pitch, etc.). So suppose I took off on this route, and I get to the 4^th pitch and realize that it is hard and scary and I don’t want to finish it. It’s not worth the risk. The only way to safely get down is to keep going all the way to the top, or to leave possibly hundreds of dollars worth of gear to safely rappel all the way down. This uncomfortable situation could have easily been avoided had I looked in the guidebook and made a conscious decision based on my realistic assessment of my ability and what level of risk I was comfortable with. As far as off the rock – take your pick of any moral dilemma you might be faced with at work, at school, with friends, family, etc. Having a working knowledge of your values and why you believe what you believe can save you from a multitude of mistakes and heartache.

John Bachar free soloing On the Lamb , 5.9, Tuolumne Meadows, California

John Bachar pushed himself to far greater physical and mental limits than I have ever thought about doing, so I am sure that he has been confronted with this risk assessment mentality many times throughout his life. Every time he laced up his shoes and put on his chalkbag, but did not tie into a rope, he knew what the consequences of a fall would be. Of course I can’t know for sure, but I can only assume that for him, leaving the rope in the car meant he was willing to take those risks. How someone with so many people that loved him and depended on him, (including a young son), could find those consequences acceptable is beyond me – it seems really selfish if you ask me. But he didn’t ask me, and its not my place to judge. But what I can do is search deep inside and reevaluate my own actions and choices, and make sure that I am okay with all possible outcomes of those choices, both on and off the rock, and then committ to those choices wholeheartedly. At the end of the day, I’m okay with the fall I took in Utah, even though I hurt my knee – the experiences I had on that trip were well worth the risk of the few weeks of physical setback I’m in the midst of right now. My hope is that John Bachar is at peace with the choices he made, and my prayers go out to his friends and family. 🙁

Maple Canyon and Closing Thoughts

The Wild West.

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Jul 02 2009

Monkey Nuts, our first climb at Maple

The climbing at Maple Canyon is probably the most unique climbing area I’ve ever been to. The rock is a conglomerate embedded with pebbles and rocks of various sizes. The routes are difficult to read from the ground, and require a lot of endurance to onsight, since you never know what kind of hold a cobble is going to be until you grab it, so you end up spending a lot of energy trying to find the right cobbles to use. However, b/c of all the cobbles, we discovered that Maple is also a place that rewards good footwork. No matter how hard it might be to hang on searching for good cobbles, you always had really good, obvious feet. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the climbing there, and felt like it agreed with me.

Steve - Raindrops on Lichen, Manuela - Your Little Sister

Day 1 Routes ~
Monkey Nuts – 5.9 – Good intro to the cobbles. Felt really soft for the grade, which was not surprising based on what we had heard going in to the trip.
Your Little Sister – 5.10a – I can only imagine how much fun the first ascensionists had thinking about all the inuendos folks would come up with when they chose the name for this climb…fun route though, got a bit pumpy towards the top searching for cobbles.
EIS – 5.10b – Straightforward at the bottom, got pumpy and a bit thin up towards the top.
Raindrops on Lichen – 5.9+ – pretty fun route, crux was moving up over a bulge about halfway up.

Fighting for the onsight on Taking the Bullet

Taking the Bullet – 5.11a – I can see why this route is a classic! The technical crux was down low, and was pretty difficult, but then around the 4th bolt, things back off a little. From that point on there were no individually hard moves, but it was l-o-n-g and sustained at what felt like low 10 range. I left the ground with every intention of hanging if it got hard, but the farther up I got, the more confident I felt. Towards the top things got pretty steep again, but I decided that I had come too far to blow the onsight with a hang, so I kept climbing and just when I thought I was getting too pumped, I found a sinker jug, stood up, and saw the chains. I was really pleased that I stayed with it. This was my first 11a onsight since the shoulder injury. : )

Steve laying it back on the Unknown 10-

Unknown – 5.10- – We originally thought this route was Crime Scene, but decided it felt WAY easier than 11a. We later found out that there are a couple extra bolted lines than what are listed in the guide we had. Our consensus is that it was 5.10-. Whatever it was, it was fun – big moves to big holds on an overhanging face.

The stickclip gives some peace of mind on the start of Hit Man.

Hit Man – 5.11b – so I didn’t finish this one…was really excited that I pulled thru the low roof at the start, but then ran into some trouble at the 4th bolt. I could get to the bolt, but for the life of me couldn’t get the bolt clipped. I took a 12 foot fall after dropping the quickdraw into the creek (not one of my more graceful moments…) and got my head together. I figured that after I shook my arms out a bit I’d be able to get the bolt clipped using the same sequence…unfortunately I was wrong (I think 5 days in a row of climbing was catching up w/me), and I took a 15 footer that would have been routine except that when I came back into the rock I bashed my right knee into one of the sharp cobbles above the 2nd bolt. It obviously hurt, but didn’t feel like I did anything “bad” to it, except that the area we were in was quickly looking like something from the set of CSI b/c of all the blood. I left a bailer carabiner for only the second time in my life and lowered off the third bolt. We cleaned it best we could, wrapped it, and since we had already decided that was going to be the last climb of the day, headed back to the campsite.

Originally we thought all would be well, just a flesh wound, until I bent my knee getting out of the shower 30 minutes later and it was as if you turned a bloody faucet on. We decided a couple of stitches might be in order, so Steve drove me 20 miles north to the podunk town of Nephi (while I felt sorry for myself and ate an entire bag of Skittles). We were THRILLED to find out that attached to the hospital was a Medical Clinic that was open late ONLY on Thursday nights so we didn’t have to do the whole ER thing. The verdict was that while I thankfully didn’t do any ligament/tendon/bone damage, the cut was really deep – into some nerves, and all the way into the bursa (like when you get bursitis…). So after a local anesthetic and 5 syringes worth of irrigating, I exited the clinic with 4 stitches on the inside, 4 stitches on the outside, a drainage tube in the middle, a splint (which appeared to have been given to me in direct response to my question, “Does this mean I can’t climb tomorrow?), bandages, some antibiotics, some painkillers, and a blue pen that says “Nephi Medical Center” on it. To say it was more than we had anticipated would be an understatement.

"It's just a flesh wound..." - Monty Python

We stopped for our second Frosty of the week on the way back to camp, where we gave Manuela and Norbert the play by play (and Steve showed them all the gory pictures.) I then crawled into my sleeping bag where I melted into a sea of vicodin and sleep for many, many peaceful hours until I woke up at 7…unable to move my leg more than a couple of inches b/c of the pain from the inflammation and stiffness. It was a major ordeal to get me out of the tent, but once I got up and moving (and took more vicodin) it wasn’t that bad. With it being Day 6 and all, I think everyone was feeling pretty lazy…we didn’t head up to the canyon until around 10 or so, and everyone climbed the easy stuff in the Schoolroom Area while I alternated between taking pictures and taking naps. Here’s the climbs everyone else did…

Manuela on Moss Pocket

Drowing Baby Fish – 5.7
Extra Credit – 5.7
Moss Pocket – 5.6 – kudos to Manuela for leading this one : )
The Redemption of Madonna – 5.8
Bob’s Bolts – 5.4 – I think everyone’s highlight of the day was seeing Norbert getting on the sharp end and leading this one!
The Big Kahounah – 5.10b – I think Steve would have onsighted this earlier in the week

Norbert onsighting Bob's Bolts

So…closing thoughts – What can I say – It was a fantastic trip, full of adventure and excitement! We were truly blessed to do an activity we love in such a spectacular setting with friendly people we enjoy being with. Of course I wish I didn’t hurt my knee, but compared to all the reasons that could land you in the hospital on a climbing trip, my reason is really rather trivial. I didn’t make a questionable mental error, my equipment didn’t fail, my belayer was paying attention – nothing out of the ordinary happened other than my knee being in the wrong place at the wrong time. I could have just as easily gotten the same or worse injury hiking along the trail earlier in the week, or in a car wreck on the way down to SLC. When it comes down to it, its nothing more than a deep flesh wound, which I am very thankful for. I am also grateful that God allowed it to happen on Day 5 and not Day 1. Our bodies get scuffed up sometimes, and if I have to get hurt, I’d rather have it happen while I’m out there living life than doing something dorky at home like falling down the stairs. And who knows, I may even get a pretty bad-ass scar out of it… 🙂

My hero 🙂

“Not all who wander are lost.” —JRR TOLKIEN

Cragmama "Not all who wander are lost…" JRR Tolkien

Gaping Similarities, not Petty Differences

Endless Fun at the New

Gourmet Camping (aka Ode to Jetboil)

Risks and Consequences.

Maple Canyon and Closing Thoughts