Long Time No Post

Lets see here, since the last post I have done some awesome 10s in Gallatin, gone to Colorado and been hailed off the fourth pitch of The Naked Edge, done some hard sport up on The Cube, some more easy trad on Gallatin Tower, had a big multipitch day up The Waltz and into Skyline, got some FAs on some sweet overhanging hand cracks, and did some night climbing up in Hyalite. Seems I am doing a poor job of maintaining this blog!

All is well though, because it is not the blog that counts anyways. That being said, I seem to have recently lost track of or at least not recognized what does count in climbing. What counts, in my opinion, is going out and having a great time with awesome people and trying to challenge yourself in the process. Recently i feel like I have been going out climbing because I think I have to or think I am supposed to want to. Frankly, I am getting kinda burnt out as a result.

However, if you look back to the end of that list of things I have done recently there are two exceptions to the burn out; first ascents and night climbing. Part of what draws me to climbing and why I love it so much is the adventure. Getting on a climb that I have no idea what the grade is, never mind if it ill go, or taking a climb I would normally find easy and trying to do it in the dark certainly both create a large sense of adventure. Walking up to the new and cracks I got more excited to climb than I have been in a long time, and whether or not they are actually good climbs, I had more fun on those than i have in a long time.

This is where the climbing talk takes a momentary break and the philosophical rant begins, so feel free to skip this paragraph if you would like. Having just moved into an apartment and for the first time holding an address of my own that is not my parents house I am a little stressed and frankly feel a little in over my head. Add the fact that my long time girlfriend is in Colorado for the summer and I am put in an interesting position in my life. Had i wrote this post a few days ago I would have said that maybe this was a bad position, but now I think maybe not. I am slowly but surely starting to realize that I am in an opportunity to not only have an amazing time, but also help define just exactly who I am and want to be. I got more climbing in during the month of May than any other month in my life with a solid 57 pitches of climbing. I may have started to get a little burnt out but I think my issue is not that I am climbing too much, but rather that I need to focus more on enjoying the climbing that I do. My life and my climbing are all about perspective and making the most of the opportunity I am in.

Back to climbing now, and with everything in that little rant being said, I will be headed out climbing yet again today. I am hoping to head to the cube to try to send Roller Girls and get on Straw Man and Forbidden Fruit. Basically I am going to go enjoy the non-rainy weather (hopefully) and have mother nature give me a nice humbling swift kick in the ass. As much as I like to think that I am capable of climbing in the 5.13 range, that is currently only speculation as I have sent many 13s in the gym, but have only been able to keep racking up the 12s outside. We will see what happens... but either way it is going to be a damn good time!

PS.
Look for more info on those new hand cracks being posted up sometime soon, but for now they are on Mountain Project HERE if you want to check them out.