A Sprinkle over Bastille

Saturday - August 20, 2016

It was with great success that Katie and I drove from Slade, Kentucky to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas. I was happy to be back at Sheila's and Katie was excited for an opportunity to meet more of my friends. When we arrived, Sheila had us all set up and gave us time to get a shower in while she prepared an incredible dinner for us - breakfast casserole! So many delicious things in this meal - we were both very grateful for her hospitality. I could not think of a better way to end a day of climbing and getting caught in the rain than freshly clean and in a comfortable bed, in a comfortable home.

Sunday - August 21, 2016

No matter what I do, I can never manage to get a quick start out of Sheila's home. The company and the comfort make it so difficult to leave and when we did finally leave, we were sent packing with the most extravagant set of roadtrip snacks I had ever had - 4 egg salad sandwiches, 2 PB&J sandwiches, 2 bags of carrots, 1 bag of celery, 2 bags of grapes, 2 donuts, 2 cinnamon raisin bagels and the biggest bag of oatmeal butterscotch cookies there ever was! Katie and I were astounded with our spread, which greatly reduced the need for us to make any snack stops. The day prior, Katie had surprised me by powering through five straight hours after my shift and so I decided to return the favor on this day, particularly because of how flat and uneventful Kansas is. I had a feeling it would not be a very inspiring drive for Katie, but for whatever reason I never mind the drive through this state.

We arrived quite late in Boulder with just enough time to run to a nearby fast food spot to pick up some burgers for dinner. We all sat around the kitchen table, gazing helplessly into nothingness, as fatigue ate away at our attention span while we ate our food. I was at the point of over-exhaustion, therefore sleep did not come quite as easily, however it came soon enough to carry me away into the night.

Monday - August 22, 2016

Before I even shut my eyes the night before, I knew that I would not want to wake up early the next morning. Every day the week before had been a mad dash to the crag to beat the rain, and even though the drive to climbing is further in Boulder than it had been at the Red, I was much less inclined to have any early starts if I could help it. Colleen, Katie and I headed to the Taco Wagon for deliciously wonderful breakfast burritos. While they waited for our food, I perused the Latin market next door and managed to finagle some Mango nectar out of the kind owner, who had to hunt in the storage room in the back of the store for the drink I was craving. Next, we headed to Proper Grounds where we loaded up on our caffeine for the day. After a quick trip to a local outing store, Katie and I were armed with guidebooks on Boulder Canyon and Eldorado. Today, we headed to Boulder Canyon to seek out a classic 5.8 line that Katie had been eyeing off of Mountain Project. I had warned Katie that finding climbs in Boulder Canyon is often a disaster because everything is so concentrated that you often spend at least an hour, driving up and down the highway trying to find the correct pulloff and the correct wall. When we did finally find the pulloff, I was surprised to find that it was the same exact lot that I had parked at when I had visited Boulder Canyon about one year ago. On that occasion, Jacquie, her friend Jen and I, also got lost, having pulled off at the wrong gravel lot and wandering aimlessly up bushy hills for an obvious trailhead. That day had ended with us still being unable to find the climb we were looking for and spending it all on one route, where we ended up teaching each other rope systems and route cleaning (so still a great day!) before saying "Screw it! Let's go get some beer!". Therefore, I was just a smidgeon smarter today than I was the year prior. After getting only a little off track, we successfully found the climb we were looking for. There was a pair just finishing up the climb which gave us enough time to rack up and flake the rope out. As Katie took the first lead, I hungrily eyed the climb, settling into the idea that this route was exactly my style of climbing. I can honestly say that this climb was one of the first climbs in which I felt completely amped, completely prepared and fully fueled to run right up it - which is exactly what I did. I was so excited about the route, in fact, that I decided to lead it again to get some more mileage in to make up for our late start. We moved over to a 5.9+ line around the corner and after working through the interesting beginning sequence, I similarly flew up this route. Needless to say, I was feeling a bit cocky. As the clouds persisted overhead, we moved to a second 5.9+ route that completely blew my cool and had me cursing the entire way up. It is incredible to see such differences in climbs that are essentially right next to one another - where I had just sent two great climbs feeling exactly in my zone, I was immediately brought back down to earth, climbing tentatively and feeling off balance and insecure with every step. I was thoroughly grateful to be done with the route when it was over and after Katie ran up it (equally hating it), we headed back down the trail to jump in the car and drive back home.

That evening Katie and I had a great night of conversation, left to our own designs since both Jacquie and Colleen had to head to sleep. It's incredible to find such parallels with someone you had never really known, who grew up 3,000 miles away from you and yet ended up living a similar lifestyle with similar life experiences. Leave it to climbing to bring you together with the most interesting people you will ever meet.

Climbs ticked: Animation aka Jaycene's Dance (Sport 5.8), Unfamiliar Strangers (Sport 5.9+), Is It Ready Yet...Moe (Sport 5.9+)

Tuesday - August 23, 2016

We stumbled upon a rest day without ever expecting it! We both woke up completely exhausted. I was grateful to find that we were both on the same page and had zero desire to climb up anything at all. Today was devoted to errands and we spent most of it driving all around Boulder, checking out the multitude of gear shops and then crashing back home. In the evening, Colleen, Katie and I got some Thai food for take-out and we happily sat on the couches, lounging, eating and watching Dope starring Shameik Moore. Though it has only been just over one month and one week since I left for my road trip, try as I might, I could not rack my brain enough to remember the last time I sat down and watched an entire movie from start to finish. Days like these are truly gems, to be treasured and enjoyed to the fullest.

Wednesday - August 24, 2016

Today, we would take the Bastille. We headed to Santiago's, a place Colleen had highly recommended to me for breakfast burritos, and got our orders in while Katie meandered down the road to find a coffee shop. The drive was quick and we were glad to see the parking lot essentially empty as we pulled in. As I clipped cams, nuts and draws to my harness, the wind began to pick up and droplets of rain began to sprinkle down. We approached the route and I had an internal battle roiling inside of me - because I was the only one in our pair to be able to lead trad, the success of our day lay completely on my shoulders. I traded my hesitation for pure stubbornness and decided to jump right onto the climb despite the rain. As I moved from the infamous flake into the hand crack, I realized what all the comments on the Mountain Project page had been talking about - this was a hand jam, thru and thru. With sweaty palms, moist holds and unsure feet, I worked my way up the crack then took a whip (WHIPPER WEDNESDAY...!) on my .75 cam. Though the fear of falling was now behind me, I still cursed my life choices as I continued to glacially move up the climb. I felt ridiculous for taking so long with every move, but the moisture in the rock drained me of the confidence in my ability and I had no choice but to take it slow. Thankfully, the climbing got easier and drier as we continued higher and higher. As our elevation increased, so did our excitement when we realized that we were really doing the climb despite the poor weather. The climbing was beautiful, easy enough to move with confidence yet requiring enough balance and technique to test your resolve. I linked up several pitches to make up the time lost on the lower sections and was happy to shimmy my way up the final chimney to a crack where I could belay Katie up. We were full to the brim with adrenaline as we made our way down the wandering descent past cables and sideways, sawtooth cuts in the rock. When we hit the dirt trail, we were approached by a woman who claimed to have taken several photos of us while we were on the Bastille. Soon we broke into a conversation with her and her husband to find that we were all from the same county in New Jersey and, in fact, had the same favorite restaurant in my hometown! Thrilled at having made such as discovery, we continued to chat and Katie and I did our best to explain some of the mechanics behind rock climbing while using active or passive protection.

We headed back to Boulder, picking up a six pack along the way. The door was locked, so we ended up cracking open our Lefthand Nitro's, like the pair of dirtbags we were, drinking on the stoop in a pleasant townhome conglomeration, listening to A$AP Rocky and waiting for Jacquie to come home. We told her of her exploits and soon after we were back on the road, headed to the Post to see Colleen in her element and get some grub for dinner. We were seated in the back, which was all for the best since as we ordered our drinks and food and Colleen continued to spoil us with more goodies, we became incessantly rowdy (particularly Jacquie and I). I give the credit to Jacquie, who very cleverly and hilariously called me out on my excuse for not knowing particular terms or media references because I am a first generation American. Our table was a riot and we had to be chauffeured home by Katie, who had to finagle her way back to the house in Jacquie's crumbling car. I cannot remember the last time I laughed so ferociously and I was happy to spend my last night in Boulder, feeling fuller from the laughter, although that may have just been all of the fried chicken we ate.

Thursday - August 25, 2016

What were our first stops before heading on the road to Salt Lake City? Why, Proper Grounds for a Cortado and the Taco Wagon, of course! Loaded down with some gifts for our next host, we exchanged big hugs with Colleen, who escorted us to our favorite coffee shop. I decided to step up my burrito game and get something more lunch appropriate and we took on the highway, driving westward to see Kelly in Salt Lake.