Smith Rock November 1-2, 2014

Here’s what went down:

Saturday:

Teddy Bears Picnic- Warm up TR 5.10b- super 5.fun! Cruised up it. Honey Pot- TR 5.9- super weird route… Helium Woman- Very fast send- 5.9 8bolts. Super psyched on this one. (I think I hopped on it a couple weeks ago… if not, it was a flash). Captain Xenolith- 5.10b- worked it on TR and slipped before the crux. I worked the move again on TR and planned to come back to send it on Sunday but got distracted- this send will happen soon. #project

Sunday:

Time to Shower- Warm up TR 5.8 definitely glad I didn’t lead it- very, very weird route and everyone in the group climbed over the arete using different beta. Time to Power Start- Onsight- 5.10a 5bolts. Needless to say, this made my weekend- more on this later. Fish and Chips- TR 5.10c. This baby is my new project. I got shut down on the crux (1 move before the anchors) but loved every minute of this eclectic, very exposed climb. #project

We didn’t get a ton of climbs in due to a number of factors- one, we had a new climber in the group, two, we got a late start both days due to weather, and three, we wanted to get over the pass before dark on Sunday.

But, going back to the climbs. That rhythm I mentioned in my posts from the last couple of weeks? It’s there. That meditation, that zone, that purity that hits when climbing, I felt that all weekend. I breathed through the negativity that threatened to hold back my progress. I worked each route with renewed strength and vision. And even when I was spiraling around in the air below the anchors on fish and chips, I relaxed into the experience of climbing and looked toward what I was working without frustration or doubt but with excitement and optimism. That was what allowed me to walk up to Time to Power Start and cruise up it- no knowledge of the route, new, unfamiliar draws on my harness, but with the knowledge that one way or the other, this climb would be fun, and one way or another, I would love the experience.

That being said, this weekend was hard. I battled fierce emotions off and on between climbs and had to work hard to settle myself whenever I found myself sedentary- it was as if each route allowed me time to zone out- to forget about everything churning around me and just relax into the kinesthetic magic of climbing rocks. I am thankful to this sport for helping me through this roller coaster of a weekend. I am also thankful to my climbing partners for allowing me to push through what I had previously set as limitations and help me through the waves that were threatening to wash me away.