Alex- I met him when he was thirteen. That was four years ago, and he was struggling on easy 5.10s. Now he climbs five days a week, routinely sends 5.13, and is much better than I will probably ever be.

Caleb- College student. Supervises youth programs at the Kroc center. Works as a guide on non-technical mountains in the Cascades during the summer months.

Angus- Lives in a van and has made bouldering the primary focus of his life. Probably the best climber I know.

Doug- About my age. Has a graduate degree in philosophy. His strength and technique more than compensate for what he lacks in height. Has a ten-year-old son who is already climbing 5.11.

Colby- a phenomenal sixteen year old climber who comes up with creative solutions to problems- often involving acrobatic moves that I can't even wrap my mind around. Climbs indoors exclusively- doesn't even own a rope, much less a rack.

These are the people I climb with on a regular basis. We each have our own strengths and weaknesses and are able to push each other in different ways. There is a lot of friendly competition, but also genuine encouragement for each climber to get better. I think it's neat to look at the diversity of this group- both in climbing terms as well as in life experience- and to realize how this common interest has brought us together. I'm glad to be a part of this group.

It's also crazy to me that of those in the group, two (Angus and Colby) hardly ever even use a rope since they rarely go higher than 30 feet off the ground. Doug and I are the only ones with significant experience in traditional climbing. Caleb and I are the only ones who have done anything mixed.

Climbing is definitely a different sport than it once was. I remember reading stories in high school about Camp 4 in Yosemite, or the adventures that are published each year in the American Alpine Journal. Who would have thought, back then, that their technical achievements would one day be upstaged by a bunch of teenagers hanging out after school in a gym? And yet, how could these teenagers understand the mental aspect of the game- of going into a place that is totally unknown, with your entire life riding on nothing but your own judgement of risks that might or might not be encountered?

Like other sports, climbing has been divided and then subdivided again, with specialists in each field. And even as its popularity has swelled, the well-rounded climber is falling more and more into obscurity. Unless you are free-soloing a big wall, sport climbing 5.16, or running up Himalayan peaks in a single day, there is no public glory, let alone money to be made. And even then, it is just a small niche group of weirdos who even notice a blip on the scale of world events when these things happen. I like being a part of this niche- even if my place is only on the fringes.

*****

As for this week, I have to admit that we are off balance a little bit right now. Last week I wrote about Rachel's conference and my study club. This weekend Rachel was working most of the time at an event in Spokane, and then I have another dental conference that I'm going to this next weekend. Suffice it to say that work, for both of us, has been demanding more than it's fair share of our attention lately. Things should calm down for a while after that though, so it's all good.

That said, we did get out a little bit:

 Book fair time! The school did a cowboy theme. Good times.

Craft time with Lindsey at the Children's Museum (Maren was there too)

I don't know who that other kid is, but Ev apparently spent a lot of time hanging out with him

Hanging out at the Science Center with Addy, Jackson, and Evelyn

Have a good week!

This is a cool kid

I mentioned in the last post that Fall has officially arrived in Post Falls. Anyone who knows our family knows that I love this season. They also know that we have a annual family tradition of picking apples and baking with them. This year did not disappoint.

What a great time of year!

Other things we have been up to:

-Rachel went to the Tri-Cities area in Washington for a two day interpreting conference. She brought her bike and had a great time, both at the conference, and on the river trail.

- The study club that I am a part of has started up again for the year (it coincides with the school year). This is a place where I meet with a bunch of other doctors to discuss the most recent changes in our profession, as well as to perform live surgeries for each other using these techniques. For my first case of the year I placed three implants on the same patient with very little room for error. Things went perfectly.

- We're busy getting the house, yard, cars, and boat ready for the oncoming winter. I have set up some winter climbing trips with friends to help me look forward to the short, cold days ahead. We are also discussing season passes for the family at one of the local ski resorts, but we need to make sure the kids are on board before we commit ourselves. With all this, I'm actually sort of looking forward to the snow. **Remember this in March**

- Everyone is doing great in school and in their various extracurricular activities. Meanwhile, Rachel and I are enjoying the freedom of having all the kids in school.

Have a good week!

Lindsey's new favorite sleeping place- inside the ottoman!

By Evelyn

I've mentioned it in the last few blog posts, but things have slowed down for us and it is a nice break before the holiday season sets in. Fall is easily my favorite time of year and it has finally arrived up in North Idaho. The air has taken on a slight chill and smells faintly of wood-smoke. The leaves are starting to change color. Football season is in full swing. School is back in session. Life is good.

Fall is also a time when we relax a little bit, and it has been nice the past couple of weeks just doing whatever. Nothing big. Just normal. It's nice.

Here's some pictures:

Lindsey at SOS. Ignore the band aid on her face. It is just there to appease her. She had a red dot on her skin.

With school back in session, I thought it was time for a little organization in the garage. Lindsey helped me make these "lockers" one day while Rachel was at work.

A few weeks ago I mentioned a hike that me and Ev went on. She wanted to show the whole family. It starts out by going down the "caverns"- a series of tunnels down to the riverbed. It's actually sort of cool.

After rock-jumping for a while you reach a nice little swimming hole. "Hidden Lakes" is what Ev calls it. By the way, I LOVE that we live in a place like this. I have fond memories of riding my bike to the creek near my house where I would also find secret areas, make forts, float on wooden rafts, and catch crawdads. These were some of the best parts of growing up for me. I love that my kids can have this as well.

Just a picture of Maren. Me and her and Lindsey went out to dinner at the ever-popular Golden Corral last night. The other kids were having a roller skate party with Rach as a reward for doing all their homework over the Summer.

Roller Skate Party!

A sweet picture of Jackson reading bedtime stories to Lindsey

Sometimes Rachel dresses up like a ladybug. Just one more reason to love her :)

Have a good week!

#WeLiveInHeaven