Thing Don’t Work Out Quite the Way You Plan

I didn’t climb in Red Wing this weekend.  It rained.  I was still able to hit Vertical Endeavors with Adam Saturday afternoon.  We discovered that we are far more talented than we thought, flashing routes up to 5.10b.  Either that or the ratings were a bit soft.

Well, we knew the ratings were soft.  We are, after all, members of the Fat Boy Rock Climbing Club: “Take only whippers; leave only craters.”  Still, I was definitely pulling stronger than a year ago when I went there and had to work their 5.8’s.

Traded the harness in for a medium and am enjoying the better fit.  This one is definitely closer to my size.  I went ahead and purchased a pair of La Sportiva Mythos.  I started with a size nine which felt nearly perfect, so I ended up buying a size eight, anticipating a full size of stretch.  They were definitely hard on the feet and I had to remove them every couple of climbs which is annoying with a lace-up, but what can you do.  Once I’m affluent I intend to buy a pair of La Sportiva Katanas, a more aggressive slipper that felt simply great on REI’s little bouldering wall.  I was using dime size edges as fairly solid foot holds, and nearly ended up purchasing them there, but decided to go for the mythos for a more all-day comfort shoe since I am not ready for the world of high performance bouldering and sport climbing.  Yet.

Made a run to St. Cloud to hang with a friend of Adam’s (and mine, but he knows her better, so I let him claim her) and met her two roomates who are also climbers.  Adam and I will be inviting them on our next outing.  It’s nice to be making connections and forming a base of friends around the state and country.  Hopefully that will make it easier to couch-surf around in the summer.

On the way to the Twin Cities, Adam and I hatched the rudiments of a plan.  Epic Bike/Climbing trip.  Bike to at least Devil’s Tower, but perhaps Yosemite, climbing along the way and camping, living like dirty vagabonds and eating out of dumpsters.  We figure with training 100 miles per day is possible, hauling our gear in panniers and one child trailer converted to haul cargo.  Gas is too expensive, and driving barely qualifies as an adventure.

California or bust baby….and we’ll arrive buff, bronze, and beautiful.