Friday, August 30, 2019

Welcome to Washington

A day trip to the Snoqualmie National Forest with spectacular weather.  Pics are of Mt. Baker and Mt. Shuksan. Click for a bigger view.



Sunday, August 25, 2019

Testing with Magic

We are headed to the Pacific Northwest this week and will be in glorious Squamish BC soon. Excitement and anticipation is at a super-high level! This post is purely a test to see how easy (or not) it is to post from my phone.

The hardest part is leaving Magic for over 3 weeks. Eee-gads!!!
Magic

Friday, August 23, 2019

Cruxes Revisited

Hard to believe it's been just over 4 years since my last post.  Four years of high school spells a lot of growth. Four years of college marks a time when we grow up fast! Four years of my life (now pushing 60) has been, to date, the biggest personal growth spurt I've ever experienced.  I'm not sure my attempts to regenerate this blog will be meaningful or fruitful, but I'd like to give it a go.

Soon, I'll hope to share some introspection regarding these past years.  Meanwhile, I'll try my hand at the usual template with features and photos of my re-entry to climbing.  My body isn't as strong, flexible or lean as it was 4 years ago which requires modifications and adjustments to the climbing approach.  I do find my head is really back in the game though, and if you climb with a strong and smart mind it will take you far.

An unexpected visit to Acadia (Mt. Desert Island, Maine) in mid-July granted us respite, new adventure on mountain bikes and climbing at Otter Cliffs and The Precipice.  Being near the ocean in Maine this particular week while the rest of the East Coast suffered in a sweltering heatwave was a blessing to be acknowledged!  When you take time to breathe, sit still and look around you, it becomes crystal clear how fortunate we are.  We live in a country of overwhelming abundance while so much of the world lives without.  To be grateful for all the opportunities we have been given from the moment of birth is to understate the gravity of it all.  Such perspectives can be striking.  Just as you gain a new and inspiring view on a clifftop or mountain highpoint, so does the beauty and fortune wash over you when you gain a new perspective in the course of everyday living.  Climb on and allow the views to permeate your soul!

The corner pitch on The Story of O - The Precipice cliff, Acadia, ME