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:
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| Book fair time! The school did a cowboy theme. Good times. |
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| Craft time with Lindsey at the Children's Museum (Maren was there too) |
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| I don't know who that other kid is, but Ev apparently spent a lot of time hanging out with him |
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| Hanging out at the Science Center with Addy, Jackson, and Evelyn |
Have a good week!
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| This is a cool kid |
