It's a Small Climbing World After All

I began to understand the true size of the climbing community, and how very small it is, the more I went climbing outside and started hearing different people talk about the same problem or route.  Watching them pantomime the movement with their hands, and feet if they were standing up, seemed so silly to me at first.  Two different people form opposite ends of the state, or country,  or even world, could discus in very sickening detail the exact sequence they use to climb a rock. 

This is not to say that I will ever fully understand the community, because that is impossible nor is this news to other climbers.  Chances are most have shared their own beta or challenged another's.  I bring this up because yesterday something happened that brought me back to that initial realization about the climbing world.  I was at the gym when a man walked up to me and asked,  "Are you from Chicago?"

As it turned out he recognized me from a very particular gym in Chicago.  A tiny, dusty gym in a basement where everyone knows each other.  The place where I started climbing.  I stared at this man, and even though I didn't recognize him (I left Chicago more than six months ago and have no plans to return) we both managed to meet thousand of miles away from that chalky basement and understand each other completely when we talked about that place.  I am not comparing that gym or any other gyms to an outdoor crag and it is not quite the same as animated conjecture about this once area in California or that once crag in Nevada, but I know we share a similar connection.


After that conversation I thought about that gym back in the Midwest and I happy to say that as small and funky as that place is, and as much as most climbers hate to pull on plastic, and as different it is from any other gym, it has a very unique charm and I have some very fond memories of being there.

Christmas Cheer

The only Christmas card we received was from our landlord.

So we drove to the coast where it was raining; surprise, surprise.

Holiday Gear Extravaganza

While living in an apartment with five pieces of furniture I have somehow managed to increase the amount of climbing accessories I own.  Besides, who needs a big comfy couch or a coffee table or a bookshelf when you can have sweet new gear?  Let's not forget that minimalism is totally hot right now.

Thanks to Blochead for the new chalk pot, belay device and locking carabiner (and for the brushes you gave me a long time ago)!

Boone Speed

Old school (okay, not that old school) strongman and professional photographer Boone Speed was shooting a local indoor climbing destination earlier this week when I arrived.  You may know him from Best of the West or you may recognize his photographs in various Patagonia catalogues.  Check out his website to see more!

Monkey Face Porter (Climber)

Walk through the beer and wine aisle at New Seasons with a climber and there's no way you will miss this six pack:

So of course we purchased the beer, thank you Cascade Lakes Brewing Co.

Mississippi Studios Presents

Time to get out and about.

Alela Diane.

Alina Hardin.

Quinoa, Again!

Lately, I have been on a red qunioa kick.  I can't help myself, its delicious and nutritious.  My favorite concoction consists of:

one cup of qunioa, prepared

four chopped celery stalks

1/4 diced red onion

one small can of mild green chile for a Southwestern splash

one handful of dried cranberries for my usual sweet and savory combination

a few golden raisins

a splash of olive oil

a splash of red wine vinegar

Mix it all together and garnish with some chopped parsley.  Enjoy warm from the stove or cold from the fridge as a salad.  You can even add a dollop of hummus to hold everything together.

Stay tuned for my next quinoa dish when I get tired of eating this one.

We are All Together Alone in the Wilderness

We are All Together Alone in the Wilderness is a one time multi-media performance at Southern Exposure, a gallery in San Francisco, featuring the musical prowess of a sewing machine, tree stumps, a canoe and buckets.  For those of you who remember Dick Proenneke's Alone in the Wilderness this performance is largely inspired by his life and work in Alaska.

 

I am about one month too late for this but I have a special place in my hearth for Southern Exposure and Alaska.  And I just happened to have an ex-professional athlethe for a biology teacher in high school who liked the screen Alone in the Wilderness on days when he didn't have a lesson plan.