Joe and I are pretty sick of taking pics of each other, so he’s really been getting into nature animal photography. Here are some of his INCREDIBLE animal shots.
Besides that just climbing, climbing, a little resting and more climbing. In reality I need more rest, and days such as yesterday when Joe talked me into walking all the way up to the Fortress in 90+ temps just doesn’t count. Still beats sitting in a desk!
I wanted to go ahead and plug a couple of worthwhile events that are coming up next in September…
First there’s the HERA event that Joe and I participate in every year. It’s a great cause and moving experience on so many levels, if you’re in the Salt Lake City area on these dates you should really make an effort to go!
The HERA Women’s Cancer Foundation’s 7th annual Climb4Life in Salt Lake City September 18-21, 2008, will be hosted by locally based international climbing company Black Diamond. The organization—which strives to save the lives of mothers, daughters, sisters, wives, partners, and girlfriends through ovarian cancer research and awareness initiatives—ties climbing with fundraising to bring women and men together to help find a cure. Both experienced climbers and newcomers are welcome (including men and kids), and pro athletes will join volunteers, Exum guides and hundreds of participants to climb for a cause. It is a weekend of learn-to-climb clinics, multi-media presentations by Jason Kehl and Joe Kinder, parties, massage, yoga, and more.
HERA 7th Annual Climb4Life
Salt Lake City, UT
September 18-21, 2008
Hosted by Black Diamond
Register online at: www.climb4lifeslc08.kintera.org
For more information, please visit www.herafoundation.org
Also a little earlier that month is the Rifle Clean-Up. I haven’ been to the clean-up before, but I’ll always willing to help out when there’s an after party!
2008 Rifle Mountain Park Clean-Up
Saturday, September 6th, 2008
Clean-up projects include trash clean-up; rebolting projects with hardware donated by Anchor Replacement Initiative; trail building; and more.
After party sponsors by Avery Brewing. $5 cover for kegs, bbq, and ticket to raffle give-away.
The event is sponsored by Wolverine Publishing, Rock & Ice, Avery Brewing, Access Fund Adopt-A-Crag, Patagonia; Sanuk, Prana, Petzl, La Sportiva, Stonewear Designs, Cloudveil, Larabar, Black Diamond
I wouldn’t consider myself a condition snob. I’ve camped under a train station; I’ve even shared a European sized bathroom with four other college girls. But when we went to check out a recent response to my ad on Craig’s List a line had to be drawn. Perhaps it was the joke about not us minding “Deer Heads” as in plural, or the way he pointed to dilapidated hot tube stating coolly “Yeah folks, hot tub doesn’t work, but you can fill it up with the hose if you’re feeling brave.” Mostly it was the way he greeted us with a half empty margarita in his hand, triggering my grim realization that we’d be staying in a bachelor pad with two random dudes and an artillery of firearms, which was way more scary than bathtub grime.
We’re not condition snobs, but sometimes statements must be made like, Joe’s “No way in hell will we live there, I’d rather camp for a year”, or “It’s so f***ing hot in rifle right now, it’s impossible to send your warm up.” I hate being the person at the cliff that’s bitching about the obvious. I’m sure everyone else there can all feel the 90% humidity, and they probably only have today to send their project not the entire month. It’s summer and when you’re just climbing all the time you should be really happy, but turns out your just really aware of crappy conditions.
We haven’t been taking many photos, so here are some vintage Rifle shots, so cool.
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Hum… does this photo seem NOT intuitive to anyone else? Interesting…
It’s week two in Rifle Canyon, and I’m just beginning to feel comfortable with the style. It doesn’t seem to matter how many summers straight we spend sending in this canyon, we always manage to flail again. This probably has to do with the fact I’m seriously trying my hardest route yet. So the extra effort and frustration is to be expected, and hopefully the increased reward will be too. Ah yes, the ongoing challenge of climbing, it’s the best. Besides from trying hard yet sending nothing, we’ve been catching up with some of our old CO crew which is probably the best thing about being a climber. I may not have any super close friends because of the amount of traveling we do, but I sure as hell have a lot of them, and that’s nice too.
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So I’ll admit I was googling my recent article “Sex Cells” that appeared in late Rock and Ice to see if there had been any comments about it. I found this chain (click here) and thought it was awesome the article stirred up some of these feelings. I just love this stuff!!! Go grrrrls!!!
I recently my friend Jen greeted me with a “Welcome home!” I was immediately confused. Had I said I was moving back to Colorado? Did she know where I lived or where I was going to better than myself? Then I realized she was merely welcoming me back to States, my great big home. But it’s true, it’s become harder and harder to answer the simple question, “So, where you guys from?” I’ve been sticking to my hometown as my answer, even though it’s been 8 years since I actually lived there. Joe likes to get into the nitty gritty with his response. I suppose from not feeling truly connected enough to one place to give it the privilege of being called his “home”.
We returned to the states barely a week ago. We landed in Vegas, hopped a shuttle to St George, rounded up our cars, drove to Salt Lake City, decided last minute NOT to go to Canada and instead stay “local” going to our favorite summer spot Rifle instead. Colorado mountains in the summer are medicinal. It looks like we might even post up here longer than I thought and rent a room for a few months. Works for me as Rifle’s hard style can keep me busy and the crew around here kicks ass; oh yeah, plus the beer is stellar.
Last cool climb I did… it’s been weeks!
London Underground with way too many bags.
Yes I’m wearing a down jacket in July. You have to love CO!!
Yep, still camping… brings out the worst outfits in a girl.
Our Spanish trip ended as perfectly as it could considering we were leaving. Joe pulled out an impressive send of Geminis in uncomfortably hot temperatures. Though I wanted to be extremely happy for him I was really quite pissed, considering I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to send my project “El Delfin”. It was fourth day on with hot temps, a situation which usually doesn’t end up with a hard send. So when I did the route first go of the day we were both so ecstatic and relieved we quit climbing right then it order to finish while we were ahead.
In London we’ve been spending the pound, which is even more painful than the euro. Perhaps this is the reason for our excessive drinking; a last effort in forgetting about our untranslatable bank accounts. All my cousins managed to meet up for a night out on the town. It’s always an event since we only see each every four years or so, plus it’s getting harder and harder all the time with jobs, relationships and real life in general. There’s nothing like a couple good nights of debauchery to put everyone back on the same page. Yesterday we did a full English style recovery day with a proper English fry up, the Wimbledon match on the telly all day, and continued drinking at about 2:30pm just to round it all out nicely.
Today we’re recovering nicely and going to head into the city to find a gym and do some accidental site seeing along the way. Two more days then we’re back in the states to organize ourselves and head to the next destination. No complaints here.
It’s two days until we leave Rodellar, third day on, temps hitting the 90’s, skin is at a minimal, and I have yet to send my project. I’m use to epicing on any hard route I do, I figure that’s why they’re hard. But in this case I really thought I was in. I mean I was falling on the LAST move days ago. I guess I didn’t factor in that the LAST move IS the crux. And now I’ll spend my last days obsessing and stressing in an attempt to send.
Before I realized I wouldn’t send Joe and I were in Millau France at the Petzl Rock Trip event Natural Games. I always kinda bug at these things, all the spectators and general overload of people put my nerves on end. The best part was hangin’ out with our friends, and chillin’ at the post-climbing parties. It’s funny how many friends you can make internationally after just visiting a Europe a few times. I already feel like we have a crew here.
One the third we’ll head to England to spend some time with my fam. It’ll be nice to take a solid week off and play tourist for a bit. I don’t get to see the extending family very much so it should be a good excuse to party for a week and lose all the fitness I’ve managed to gain on my Spain trip. At least I’ll still have the tan when I get back.
Driving over the Pyrenees
Petzl hooks up the casitas
Daila working the women’s ultimate route
No comment
Millau
Just love those silhouettes
Said climbing
Today we leave Rodellar to attend the Petzl Rock Trip in France. These events are always fun, but Joe and I were hoping to dodge this one after we found out we couldn’t extend our tickets. We have exactly one week which means serious crunch time for my project that I finally found a few days ago. Of course this was a route I tried the very first days of our trip and deemed impossible only to find out a few weeks later that with a little beta and a big audience you can climb way harder than you thought. The route is El Delphen, a classic Rodellar route that goes out the big arch. Yesterday I fell on the very last move twice on my two final burns. Why I pick projects on roads trips at all (especially at the end) is a mystery to me. I know I should just do mileage and climb routes I can do in a few tries, but for some reason this never excites me for long. We’ll have a few days after the Roc Trip to come back to Rodellar where if I can withstand the pressure, I’ll have a fighting chance of sending.
Acravita 8a, one of the coolest in Rodellar.
Streets of Alquezar.
Walking on a warm day in Alquezar.
Jodie working one of the many super steep 13a’s.
Rodellar face climbs… nice.
