Oh, hey. SWF w/ climbing rack seeking SWM.

One of my resolutions for 2013 is to get serious about dating.  So, recently I've decided that the best place to meet/approach potential dates is at the climbing gym.  And the best place in the gym to meet single guys?  The bouldering walls, of course.  Especially on a Friday or Saturday night.  If you're hanging out at the gym on "date night", then odds are that you're single.  Oh, and props to the guys who are there solo and keep their wedding rings on while climbing.  Haha, I must not be only girl who has figured out this dating tip & they must be tired of fending off the single chicks.

As shy as I can be sometimes, I think it's a lot easier to start a conversation with a guy at the gym about a problem that you're working on than a random  stranger anywhere else.  You already have climbing in common -  and really, what else is there?  So, unless I have an actual date, or plans, then I am committing myself to climbing at the gym on one of these nights each week and starting a conversation with at least one guy - at least until the snow melts and I'm back outside on the weekends.  Game on!

1 + 1 = 2

How does a single climber chick spend her Valentine's Day evening?  Well, I already deleted my OKCupid profile... So, I've spent the evening cleaning and organizing my apartment for an upcoming move.

Oh, also drinking beer and eating fudge.  No worries, I'm allowed.  With a blanket of snow still covering New England, I've got plenty of time to get back into tip-top climbing shape for my next climbing trip, right?  Well, not really.

I'm about 60 days out from a climbing trip to West Virginia and barely squeezing into my jeans.  Time to buckle down and step up the training.  Now would be a good time to fall in love with cardio.        

That 4-letter F-word...

I've been thinking a lot lately about this emotion we call fear.  I'm currently struggling with some huge fears in both my climbing and personal life.  Fear is debilitating.  It sucks.  It prevents you from progressing, reaching your full potential & achieving happiness.  Have you ever experienced "Elvis leg" while climbing?  You have fear to thank for that.  So, how do I overcome my fears?  Well, I decided to first research exactly "what is fear?"  The best quote that I came across during a Google search said that "at the heart of all fear is losing something".  I'm going to repeat that because I don't think you fully digested it... This time, read each word and digest it before reading on... At the heart of all fear is losing something.  This struck a chord deep inside of me & felt like the key that I've been looking for to unlock that closed door.

To further simplify this quote - we fear loss.  Whether rational or not, loss is at the heart of all fear.  It's such a simple explanation for what feels like such a complex emotion.  Is it that simple?  And does it really explain all fear?  In order to put this quote to the test, I had to create a list of all of the "things" that can be lost in life: health, love, friendship, purpose, independence, happiness, possessions, control, status... what else am I missing?  Well, a lot I'm sure. But, so far this quote seems to be pretty accurate.  In one way or another, I've experienced loss in everything I've listed above.  Do I regret the losses that I've experienced?  Absolutely not.  I believe there is a deeper level of gratitude that can only be reached through experiencing loss.  Do I fear experiencing these losses again?  Absolutely.  Are my fears rational?  Probably not.

So, if I now understand what fear is & know exactly what I'm afraid of, how do I take the next steps to conquer those fears?  Well, this is sort of like the over-weight person who knows what the solution to their problem is - eat less/exercise more - but needs to dig down deep and find the strength and motivation to actually do it.  I just need some balls is what it comes down to.  I need to face my fears head-on to either prove them false or absorb their actual impact - not their feared impact.  I constantly catch myself thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I do this?" when I should be thinking "what's the worst that could happen if I don't do this?".  For me, the consequences of inaction are worse than the consequences of action.

Short and Sweet

It's 12:15am and I can't sleep. I can hear a snow plow outside clearing the parking lot, but my thoughts are all about climbing. I'm antsy because I didn't climb tonight. Holy crap, when did I become this obsessed rock climber chick? I should be obsessing over the work presentation that I have to give later this week, but instead I'm thinking about the 5.11 route at the gym and how I can power through the crux next time. I read a quote tonight that really resonated with me & where I am in my climbing: "I may not be there yet, but I am closer than I was yesterday".

My first 5.11 beer

I recently climbed my first 5.11. It was an awesome accomplishment to celebrate my first year of climbing. As with many of my feats, it was totally unplanned. It was a Saturday morning a week ago & I had met two of my climbing friends at the gym when they opened at 10am. We top roped a few climbs and then in shear desperation of wanting to climb something new, I started to boulder this 5.11 route. I fell on my back trying to keep my grip on the 3rd handhold, so I decided to rope up and see if I could just make the next move without the fear of falling on my back. My friend Maria was really excited to see me succeed and wouldn't let me quit.  At one point when I wanted to give up on the crux, she pushed me back onto the wall to try again.  I would describe the route as a tricky start followed by the crux that has you reaching for pinch holds while awkwardly trying to get your feet and body up with an ending of pinch holds that are placed at uncomfortable distances and angles and a final hold that you need to jump to touch.

Oh, my climb was not pretty! I was hanging on the rope for a lot longer than I was actually on the wall. But, I did it! And without a boost. Climbing routes like this give you confidence and credibility, but if all of the routes in the gym were this hard & painful, I would not be a climber. My entire body hurt the following day. It was a good hurt though, as it reminded me of what I had accomplished.

I got back on this route the following Monday evening, but couldn't make it past the crux this time. This was extremely disappointing as I had gone to the gym that evening with the goal of completing this route faster/cleaner than Saturday. Fail. I had wasted too much energy trying to figure out the tricky start again & couldn't pull through the crux. I decided to continue bouldering the start to get all of the moves down so that on my next attempt I would be strong for the crux.

My last attempt happened on Wednesday evening. I was still sore from Monday's attempt, but decided to give it a shot anyway.  I sailed through the start, struggled a bit on the crux and then struggled even more on the pinch ending. I had an audience for this last climb, which I typically don't like as it distracts me, but was appreciative for their applause when I finally finished. My friend Lu then felt it was then necessary to announce my accomplishment to the other half of the gym that wasn't watching me & demanded their applause as well. Hehe, it was awesome. Thanks Lu!

So, obviously I want to climb this route again and try for a cleaner/faster climb. But, my hands are less than pleased with the abuse I've given them this past week & I might need to take a rest for awhile on the pinch holds. After Wednesday's climb, a bunch of us went out for drinks/food & I had my first 5.11 beer. Cheers!

2012: The Year I Became a Rock Climber

2012 started with a whimper and ended with a bang.  Yes, I know the saying is whisper, but in my case it really was a whimper.  It was the first New Years Eve that I'd spent alone & I didn't do a very good job in distracting myself from this depressing fact.  I don't remember all of the details, but I probably spent some time on Match.com & some time thinking about what I wanted to accomplish in the New Year.  Two things were definitely at the top of my list: going on some dates & finding a new dentist (it had been 2 years since my last visit).

However, before either of those happened, I received an email with a Groupon offer to learn how to rock climb & decided to try it.  I received a 3-hour lesson on a Friday night with about 9 other students, along with a 2-week membership- all for about $25.  I was so scared!  I was the last person in the group to get on the wall.  I was terrible at it, but the adrenaline had me hooked.  I convinced myself that if I practiced enough I would get over the fear.  That weekend I bought my first pair of climbing shoes - red suede Five Ten coyote lace-ups.

Shortly after I started climbing, I became a vegetarian.  It wasn't a planned diet change - it just sort of happened.  I had tried a vegetarian diet for a week in 2011 and had struggled with it.  I even had meat mares (dreams about eating meat or accidentally eating meat).  This time around, I really didn't think about it much & found some good sources of protein that made it easy (greek yogurt is my favorite!). I eventually worked some seafood back into my diet in July, so I'm now a pescetarian, but no plans to eat animal flesh in 2013.

Ugh... dating.  I went on my first internet date in 2012.  I had been on Match.com for a couple of months at the end of 2011 before finally deciding to pursue some dates in January.  I needed some pushing from friends to "stop being so picky" and just go on some dates.  I can't remember if I ended up meeting 2 or 3 guys... I think just two.  There was the "almost divorced" bio-chemist who liked to ski in the French Alps & lived with his sister.  I stuck it out for 4 dates with him.  Even though he was really cute, there just wasn't any chemistry & he stopped pursuing me after I refused to kiss him and told him that I didn't think we were a match.  Next was a red-headed, mountain biker who worked in advertising.  He wasn't the cutest guy, so he was going to have to win me over with his personality.  He had some experience in rock climbing, so I thought maybe we could at least be belay partners?  Wrong.  I've never wanted to climb less for someone.  He had zero personality & took our climbing date so seriously that he actually snapped at me for giving him beta on a climb.  I couldn't get rid of him fast enough - even bailed on our after climb beer plans.  However, he was good for one thing - which I never appropriately thanked him for - he introduced me to Meetup.com.  Discouraged by the internet dating scene, I was eager to join some rock climbing Meetup groups and possibly meet some single guys there.  Ha!  I quickly learned that this is not a good pool for finding single guys.  However, it is an awesome pool for finding some of the most crazy, fun, strong & sassy climbing chicks on the planet.  So thankful for the friends that I've made through Meetup!     

After much procrastination, I finally found a new dentist & started the long, painful process of restoring my teeth.  I spent at least 20 hours in my dentist's chair over the course of 5 months ticking off a 2-page list of work that needed to be done.  I also had my first (and last!) experience with in-office teeth whitening.  Ouch.  After all of that work, I decided to consult an orthodontist to straighten my teeth as well.  I'm now 21 weeks into a full-case Invisalign treatment & so far I'm really happy with the results. I have about 46 weeks to go -- which seems like forever!

I'm not sure what 2013 is going to bring, but my approach will be similar to 2012:
1.) form some loose goals
2.) keep an open mind and heart
3.) enjoy the journey

Happy New Year!  

           

Red Rock - Day #2

It was a beautiful day to climb. The forecast called for full sun and very little wind, but it was chilly in the shade. My guide Andrew picked me up from my hotel on the strip at 8am and we headed to Red Rock. We were the 3rd climbing party to arrive in the parking lot. After a quick stop at the pit toilets (gross!), we strapped on our packs and started the one mile hike into the canyon. I'm not in the best cardio shape, so this hike with a heavy backpack was no small feat for me. We stopped twice to remove layers & for me to catch my breath. I didn't think about it, but my body isn't acclimated to the higher elevation in Las Vegas (I live 200 feet from sea level & Las Vegas is 2000 feet from sea level).

The original plan for the day was to send Cat in the Hat (5.6), but the first two pitches of the route were in the shade & after a frigid Day #1, I was eager to stay in the sun. We decided to change plans and try Birdland (5.7+). The grade scared me a little bit as I really wanted to get in my second trad lead, but Andrew assured me that I could lead the first pitch, which was graded 5.6. After some scrambling and prickly bush whacking, we finally arrived at the base of the climb. No other parties were there - sweet!

We quickly reviewed anchor building & then proceeded to start racking me up. I wanted everything. I was a little nervous & planned to sew this route up with as much gear as I could successfully place. Andrew was less than pleased with most of my moc gear placements on Day #1 & this made me want to place even more gear to protect myself in case of an unlikely fall. Just as we were reviewing our communication commands, a second party showed up at the base. Great... an audience & pressure to climb fast so as not to hold up party #2.

I didn't let the pressure get to me & tried to ignore their conversation at the base as I concentrated on my gear placements. It was going well until I started to run out of small cams less than halfway up the route. I started to get nervous that I would run out of gear, but Andrew encouraged me to find nut placements. Placing nuts is not my strong suit, but I managed to successfully slot a couple of them. Eventually, the crack widened and I happily started unloading my medium cams.

Towards the end, I gained enough confidence to space my gear out. I must have placed at least 10 pieces of gear on that pitch! When I finally arrived at the belay station, I took a deep breath & started to build my first self equalized belay anchor. There were 2 bolts at the station, which made it fairly quick to set-up & there was a large belay ledge with a nice boulder to sit on. I belayed Andrew up using a GriGri that I attached to the master point of my anchor. This was the first time that I had belayed off of an anchor vs. my harness. Upon his arrival to the ledge, he promptly shared his comments on each of my gear placements with all of them still fresh in his mind. Overall, he was pleasantly surprised & said that he would pronounce me a "solid 5.6 trad leader" in his trip report.

This pitch was great for a beginning trad leader. Lots of comfy holds & a crack that follows you the whole way up making for straight-forward gear placement & no route finding. It was just tricky enough to keep me fully engaged & definitely didn't feel like climbing a ladder. I loved it! Andrew lead pitches 2-4, which were all above my current leading capabilities.

Pitch #2 (5.7) started with an interesting chimney feature that got my adrenaline pumping as I stemmed and clawed my way through it. I think this pitch is where I acquired some of my lovely knee and elbow bruises.

Pitch #3 (5.7+) started with a ramp that was a little scary when you looked down to smear your feet & could see the ground below. This was followed by a tricky traverse and then some easy face climbing. The hardest part for me was transitioning myself from the ramp into the traverse.

Pitch #4 (5.6) was mostly easy face climbing with a nice traverse in the middle. I think I could lead this pitch after having followed it & knowing where the route goes & how to protect the traverse (you need to run it out quite a bit to properly protect your second from a big swing).

Pitch #5 (5.7+) we didn't get to climb due to time. I was a little bummed, but also felt pretty worn out. We rapped down the 4 completed pitches and passed 2 other climbing parties along the way. Party #2 congratulated me on my lead, which felt good. I apologized for taking my time (but not really, as we did arrive at the base first & I could have taken as long as I wanted - and I did!)

It was a fun trip & I learned so many new things, like: how to make an alpine draw, how to create the 'Magic X' in an anchor & what it does, it's better to 'over cam' than 'under cam', when placing a cam in a horizontal crack it will walk less if you place it with the wider lobes facing down, how to build 12-point anchors that are either self-equalizing or pre-equalized, how to coil a rope guide-style to throw off a ledge when rapping & how to set-up a rappel. There's so much more to learn, I feel like I've just scratched the surface.