Road Trip Through the West

      As we pulled up to our campsite in Maple Canyon, I was less than psyched.  We had just spent the past four days in San Diego for my good friend's wedding.  We stayed in a Hilton, ate amazing food, and had all of our essential needs close by.  As we pulled up to the campsite, our parking spot was on a hill (we were sleeping in the car), there were no showers, and the closest place to get anything we really needed was a 20 minute drive away.  After some mild complaining, mainly out of tiredness, we set up our camp site and climbed in the car to go to sleep.

Ben and I at the wedding in San Diego

      Waking up the next morning was a completely different experience than the night before.  I woke up, looked out the window and could see 3 climbs about 20 feet away from where I was sleeping.  I walked back to our campsite to set up my chair, and was in awe of the beauty of the sun hitting the rocks in the morning.  The weather was cool, which made a warm cup of coffee and a longer breakfast time very nice.  I was psyched.

The view from our campsite

      I went into our trip to Maple with no climbing expectations.  As I had mentioned earlier, I took March and April off from climbing due to an elbow injury from a fall at a climbing competition.  I was able to climb through May until I pulled my left pectoral muscle while warming up bouldering.  I took another three weeks off to let it heal and managed a few rope sessions at our gym before we headed off to Maple.  I was bummed I wasn't able to get stronger but was excited for the experience.
      The first thing I noticed about Maple was the true feeling of a community.  The first day we were invited to a campfire at our neighbor's campsite.  Ben and I had gone into town looking for leveling blocks to even out our car for sleeping but had no luck.  When we returned and visited the campfire, three people offered to let us borrow their extra leveling blocks and one person even offered to hold up our car for us! :)  The amazing camp hosts Rene and Margarita helped us to find rocks to also help with leveling out the car.  Each person there was on their own adventure and had their own story.  It was great to see old friends, meet new friends and hear a part of their story.
      The second thing I noticed was how different the rock was from the Red.  Rather than pulling on crimps and hueco pockets, Maple has a lot of slopey jugs and cobbles.  I knew this going into the trip and was unsure how I would climb on this style.  To my surprise I really liked it and was able to do well with adjusting to this different type of rock.  I enjoyed the various types of movement and pulling moves that were different and interesting.

Pipeline Crag

      Ben and I took the first few days to really get used to the style.  We tested out some different areas and wanted to see everything that Maple had to offer.  My good friend Cassie from Boise and her boyfriend Cale came down and climbed with us for a few days which was a great time.  We never projected anything in Maple due to the short amount of time we were there but I was happy to send a couple 12's, climb some fun 11's and see some amazing looking routes for our next trip.  It seems no matter how long you are on a road trip, you always wish you had more time to do that one last climb.

Rest day hike

      We headed out from Maple to drive to Colorado Springs so we could do the Pike's Peak incline.  For those of you not familiar with what this is, it is a 1-mile ascent of railroad ties that gains 2000ft of elevation in this mile.  It is so steep that at some points you need to use your hands to help you get to the next step.  It was hot, hard and humbling.  This was my fifth time to do this and each time it never feels any easier, but the view at the top is amazing.  Ben and I are hoping to do the Pike's Peak ascent next year (half-marathon that runs up Pike's Peak) and thought this would be fun to stop and do before we start our training.

Top of the incline, we made it!

View from the top of the incline looking down

      As we left Colorado to drive the rest of the way home, I couldn't believe how fast the trip had gone by.  We met many amazing people along the way who had their own adventure and their own story.  Each of the places we stopped held a different adventure and experience and I felt very blessed that God had given us the opportunity to take this trip, spend time with each other, and be with Him in nature.  As I looked around each morning in Maple, I was amazed by what beauty God has created in this world if we can take the time to see it.

Marriage Off the Rocks

      My finals are officially over and it is time to climb.  Climbing has been been difficult for Ben and I lately however, due to injuries and consistent pain.  I was hurt in a bouldering competition at the end of February when a foothold spun on a highball boulder problem.  I fell to the floor, my knee jamming into my chin, but not before my elbow hyperextended trying to hold on as the fall began.  I tried to train for a week after the accident but decided the pain was too bad and I needed to take time off.  Ben's heel has gotten better, but he has had constant wrist pain since he irritated it back in December at a high rise fire training.  He finally got an x-ray only to show that there are two fractures in his wrist, limiting his climbing.  Both of us are back to climbing at this point but we have a road ahead of us to completely heal and get back to where we were.

Shortly after my last comp, ignoring the pain in my jaw and through my arm

      While being away from climbing, there were some things I realized about myself and life.  I tried new things, focused more on school, and felt what it was like to not do something that has been such a large part of my life.  I reflected on what is most important to me in life and where climbing fits in to it all.  Here is a list of 5 things I learned while not climbing.

1.  I really enjoy climbing.
      I have been climbing since I was 11 years old and knew I always enjoyed climbing, however not being able to climb made me realize how much I enjoy the process of it and miss it when I can't climb.

2.  God has a plan for my life that is often different from what I think my plan is.
      I wanted to focus on climbing hard this season.  I wanted to focus on pushing and challenging myself on the wall.  You know what God said?  Focus on Me.  Focus on pushing yourself and challenging yourself in everyday life and focus on your family and your purpose.

3.  Date nights do not have to only consist of a burger and West Sixth at the Rockhouse.
     Climbing friends will understand this.  As fun as this is, every date night doesn't have to consist of this. :-)

4.  Climbing is a great way to stay in shape.
      It could have been the stress of school, but without climbing I felt like I was not in as good of shape as when I am climbing. Climbing is a fun way and great motivator to stay fit and push yourself to the next level.

5. With as much as I enjoy climbing, I don't want it to define my life.
     I love climbing and it is something I will always want to have in my life, however I do not want it alone to define who I am.  I am first and foremost a child of God, a wife, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, and a friend.  I am a lover of the outdoors, a runner, a yogi, a student and of course a rock climber.  I am a girl trying to live her life fully to follow Christ and love others.  I am not perfect and am far from it but I strive to be better everyday.  These are the things that I want to define my life.

   I was eager to climb hard this season for one last push before I start Physician Assistant school in August.  I think there was another plan for me however, teaching me that I can survive without climbing and to really think about what is important in my life.  Not being able to climb was hard and I am happy to be climbing again, but I am thankful for the time off to rest and reflect.  I have shared with you what I learned and the things that I want to define my life. What do you want to define yours?

Home Away From Home

       The weather has turned colder and the leaves are changing colors.  As Ben and I pull off the Slade exit for Red River Gorge, we have arrived home.  The beautiful rolling hills and bright orange trees make this one of the most beautiful places to be in the fall.  People come from all over the world to visit the amazing rock climbing and hiking that the Red has to offer, and we live only 2.5 hours away.
       I use the word home to describe the Red because that is exactly what it is, a home away from home.  I have been going to the Red for 18 years now and each time I pull off the exit, I am excited to be back to such a familiar place.  Fairly new to climbing, my dad and I started going down to the Red when I was about 11.  The Red has always been more than just a place to climb for me.  When I was young, it was my outlet, a place to get away from the regular life I lived.  I could forget about the meanness of junior high and be in this place that was beautiful, doing something I loved and spending time with my dad.  We would leave early in the morning to make the drive down, climb some of our favorite pitches, head to Miguel's for a delicious pizza or pizza sandwich, and camp in one of the front spots.  Miguel's was not as crowded back then and there was maybe 15-20 tents compared to over a hundred now.  It was a special thing for a father and daughter to do together and some wonderful memories that will never be forgotten.

Dad and I climbing in the PMRP

       As I became a little older, I was competing in the JCCA and, like most competition kids, did not climb as much outside.  During this time I still went to camps at the Red with my team, however, and continued to make memories.  My climbing friends became my best friends, whether they knew it or not, and helped me through some very difficult times that typical early teenage girls go through.  One of them became an inspiration to me, somewhat of a mentor, as I looked up to her amazing talent in rock climbing and in life.  Our parents even threw us a surprise double birthday party at a cabin in Cliffview for my 15th and her 16th birthday.  Lots of friends piled in this cabin to celebrate our birthdays and some of the people who attended I still see down at the Red today.
       My spring breaks in high school were not spent in Cancun or Destin, but with a small group of girls and my dad in a cabin at the Red.  We would climb some, eat lots and stay up late into the night laughing and talking.  Sometimes we would camp and go on night hikes under the stars.  It was wonderful to be able to share this special place with my friends and give them a glimpse into what my life as a climber had been and still was.

Spring break at the Red with my high school girls

      When Ben and and I met many years later, I hadn't been climbing much.  One of our first trips together was with our mutual friend Grady and we could barely climb 5.10, but we had a lot of fun.  From that point on, Ben and I were making trips down to the Red every week, getting to know each other, climbing and making new memories together.  Soon after, my dad started having his birthday at the Red where our whole family would travel down to hike, climb, and enjoy each other's company.  
       The community at the Red always has been and will remain one of my favorite things about this place.  Ben and I were recently at the Motherlode and stayed 3 hours past when we finished climbing because we kept running into more friends along the way.  We have met people from all over the world and made many lasting friendships.  People invite us into their homes, offer us food, and we always see familiar faces at the Rockhouse or Miguels where we stop for dinner after a long day of climbing.
       There are so many reasons why Ben and I call the Red home, but getting to know each other better and falling in love there is definitely at the top.  My 11-year old self in rainbow-striped leggings and pigtails has grown to make more memories at the Red throughout the past 18 years than she could have imagined.  What once started out as a special place between my father and I (and still is), and then between Ben and I, will hopefully be a place that we can take our future family and let our kids make their own special memories as they grow and find their "home" at the Red.