Climbing feels like a rest day from life for me. I don't have to think about any other stress besides the constant frustration of bouldering. However, instead of resenting this frustration and the sport in general, bouldering has taught me to turn this frustration into motivation.
Summer is sinking in, and so is that feeling of my whole world slowing down. Hours mix together and I lose track of the time constantly. Days lose their common titles of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and turn into days when I'm climbing, working, or simply relaxing.
It's a trip.
This past weekend I spent some quality summer days with my friend, coach and mentor, Spook as we ventured to both McKenzie Pond and Peterskill.
Up north the weather was beautiful, dry and sunny. We warmed up and then gave goes at Giant Sucker - V2, I am convinced I will never do this problem...
We then spent some time on Shut Up Machine - V8, and ran into our friend Max and his girlfriend. Spook and Aaron were psyched on Star Chores - V8, so they gave goes and got close, but couldn't piece the tricky traverse together.
Our day was then graced by the presence of our good friend Buzzy. Buzzy's motivation and psyche is unfaltering and that, coupled with his wide smile, seems to spread amongst the group.
Mah hairs are short. Flux Capacitor - V8In all my times at McKenzie, I had never touched a hold on Flux Capacitor - V8, and I sorely regret it. I cannot believe how good of a problem it is... and I'm so psyched to get back to it.
McKenzie has a way of producing incredible days, not necessarily in climbing, but in good friends and good times.
The next day we opted to avoid the rain and head south to Peterskill, as Spook and I still had a few projects to work out.
We warmed up (something I hate doing on the unforgiving pebbles of Pkill) and then sped up to Adam's project Village Idiot - V7. This tall, testy problem had plagued Spook for a long time, and after valiantly fighting its slot crimps and crux last moves, found his way to the top and proudly proclaimed on his facebook status that HE was the village idiot.
Next it was on too my project, Delicate Soul - V7. I had gotten devastatingly close last time on this long and aesthetic lip traverse. Spook and I both knew it would go today, but after several failed attempts to make it past the first 5 moves, and a flap of rubber slowly peeling of my heel, spirits were dampened.
Mah hairs are long! Definitely not the send go of Delicate Soul - V7I rested, super-glued the rubber onto my heel, chalked up and began the problem, I made it past the first sequence and eventually found myself pumped out of my mind on top of the boulder. Thank you adrenaline and various yells for getting me through that last sequence.
We left at 1:30.
-WB
No comments:
Post a Comment