Rockreation Times Two ... or Three
My arms are sore. My back is aching. I woke up in the middle of the night with my left pinky numb beyond belief, I actually thought it had fallen off (cut to me groping around in panic to make sure I still had five digits to my hand).
I always make it a point to still climb while traveling, and last night I went to the one Tony had recommended, Mission Cliffs in San Francisco. Boy, what a gym. The walls were easily two or three times higher than the walls in Rockreation LA, and the bouldering area was way bigger. It was Rockreation on steroids.
I started out just hanging out in the boulder area and working on some problems there. I soon got into a groove, and started chatting with a few people, and lucky me, I actually found a partner to try the topropes with (I couldn't lead because I hadn't brought a rope). What fun! I was pumped after one climb, but each one I tried was awesome - good feet, good hands, and best of all, I actually finished them, even though my arms were about to fall off.
I Heart San Francisco... and everywhere else
There's much to be said about visiting another city or state or country. Well - there's much for
me to say, that is. There I was, sighing about everything in sight, as Daisy drove me around downtown and Stanford and Berkeley. All I needed was a wistful soundtrack, and I would have been perfect for a sappy, sentimental tourist ad for this city. But so it goes for every other place I visit anyway: I was drooling over the Reflecting Pool in DC, and Great Falls in Virginia, and the mochi ice cream in New York, and the Whole Foods in Austin. And it seems like everytime I travel, my desire to leave LA and try living somewhere else grows and grows. All I've known is Southern California as a home - how do I know I won't be happier anywhere else?
A New Addiction Is Born
It's a good thing crystal meth isn't some type of climbing, or I would probably have been arrested for possession and being under the influence by now. This past Saturday solidified my addiction and increased my cravings all at the same time. I finally did my first on-sight trad lead. Granted, it was a juggy 5.7 route (thanks to the lady who refused to let me get on the gorgeous 5.7 crack I had my eye on), but it was a milestone just the same. It took me a little longer than usual since the placements were a little awkward in some spots, but I surprised myself by remaining calm the whole way through, even though God knows if my pieces would have held me if I had fallen. It was a beautiful day, and at the top of the climb, I just had to pause and savor the feeling, as the sun set and darkness laid down its blanket - the perfect ending.
Pictures courtesy of Vicky Su
