Living The Dream

Summary

In the weeks (almost months now) since Phil and I returned from the trip to the Bighorn Mountains for which we were awarded an American Alpine Club/The North Face - Live Your Dream (AAC/TNF - LYD) grant, I have been hemming and hawing about how to write a trip report without making it sound as though I am attempting to make something out of nothing. It is true that by the standards of summits reached, or routes climbed, we had little success...but judged by, at least what I consider, the more important standards of adventures shared, knowledge gained of self, partner and place, and the strengthening of an old friendship - we accomplished much. For those that are only interested in summits and routes completed here is the list:

• In the Bighorns, we reached the summit of Buffalo Back (ca. 12,300') via the West Face Route (II 3rd)
• Outside of the Bighorns, we  reached the summit of Devil's Tower (5,114') via the Durrance Route (II 5.7)

For the rest of you that are psyched to hear about the adventure and the knowledge we gained...read on!

Catching up...

I have been slacking...actually I have been working really hard on my AAC/TNF LYD trip report, and other than Whiskey a Go-Go updates I have not been keeping up with recent activities - so this will basically be a quick photo/video dump that I need to catch up on.

"Bell and Chain" Pull-Ups

This originally appeared on my Instagram feed, so the quality sucks (it is actually much better on Instagram - although still not HD by any means), but I thought it was worth a cross-post here. Anyway it's me doing hyper-gravity (weighted) pull-ups with a kettle bell and a chain. The chain keeps adding weight throughout the range of motion maxing out when you least want it to.

WAGG Day 4 - Goes 10-14

I spent another day on Whiskey yesterday. I can tell that I am getting stronger, but it feels a long way away...even a clean top rope ascent feels a long way away. I had the reserves for five goes today, which is a big improvement over the previous days where three was the limit.

WAGG Day 3 - Goes 7-9

It was another gorgeous day at Necedah today, and I was lucky enough to get another three goes on Whiskey. I made a lot of progress today and I am thrilled by that. On my first go, I climbed to the crux section, and worked it for while. On my second I started from the block, and hauled myself up to the crux to start fresh there. I figured out the crux section move by move, and managed to do them all. On the third go my foot popped going for the sidepull just below the soapdish and I tore a massive flapper into my left index finger (pic below).

WAGG Day 2 - Goes 4-6

This is the first of many Whiskey a Go-Go projecting updates. I am going to use these as a journal, mainly to help me with the process, but maybe putting my process will be useful to some, or draw some constructive thoughts. To signify these posts (because some will find them boring), I will start them all with WAGG. These posts will include my beta as it evolves, so if you do not want it; do not read them.

The Birth of an Obsession

I have been trying to become a better climber since I started climbing seventeen years ago. At times, when the circumstances of life have allowed, I have been very focused on this goal, and, at other times, when life's circumstances were not so generous I have been less focused. Recently, the circumstances of life have allowed me the opportunity to focus on climbing in a way that I have not been able to for over a decade - and I am grateful for that. Since February, I have been climbing, a lot and enjoying every minute of it. I have been pushing myself both on and off the rock, and the effort has rewarded me with regular PRs for a variety of climbing styles. Things have been going very well, and I am having a great time climbing, but my quest has been lacking one thing that I enjoy...a long-term project.