A week in

Good God, Kentucky is amazing right now.

The weather is holding really well, and things are just perfect out there. Well, almost perfect. I am unfortunately stymied at the moment when it comes to getting back on Table of Colors. In a nearly comical similarity to what's going on back home in Colorado, a fire has shut down the road into, and also the trail that serves, Left Flank, the area that hosts the climb I really want to do on this trip.

I'm holding out hope that after a few more days, the access will be opened again, and I'll get back there. Since I have been held back from getting right back on the familiar project, I've been climbing down at the Motherlode a bunch, and I also had a really good day up at The Solarium. The grades there are mostly pretty soft (though I didn't try Mirage...a crimpfest 12c) so I managed to easily onsight a 12b called Super Best Friends. I also was able to onsight another 12a, and thought I'm less concerned with the fact that I'm doing those routes, I am very happy with how things feel right now in comparison to how my fitness was going at this point in the trip last year.

Last fall, it felt like it took me a couple of weeks to get into the position where I could really recover on those archetypal finger buckets that make up a large portion of 5.12 here. I think a big part of it is the "4 wheel drive" mentality I've been trying to repeat in my head like some kind of mantra. I've been consciously taking the weight into my legs as best I can, and pulling with my hamstrings....keeping my feel high and moving them before my hands. That strategy is paying off. It feels amazing to be on terrain that is very steep, and know that I'm learning how to make it feel slightly less so.

I nearly sent 8 Ball today, a classic and hard 12d, coming really close after only 3 tries on the route. There is a dihedral through most of the crux, and I've been busting out the Rifle inspired knee bars to occasionally take some pressure off my hands. I know that some of the old school, hillbilly locals pout when they see that kind of intelligent beta employed, but what do I care? I wanna send, and I don't have time to waste.

Other than the great climbing, I'm picking up Josh this weekend, and am really happy to have a familiar face arriving.

This last week had me finding an easy pattern. I'd get up, make breakfast in my chilly van, get packed up, wrangle on the cell phone hoping to get a partner out of the dozen or so people I know that are down here, and after I found one, I'd head out and meet them at the cliff. Don't get me wrong, I had a fantastic week with people I really like, but I'm just not as close to the people I was climbing with as I am, say, to Josh or Brian, who arrives next week. I've been so lucky to cultivate these great friendships with people back in Colorado, and climbing is even better when you're with people sharing a deeper connection than just grabbing rocks.

The van has been a CHAMP, though, and I've been so happy to have that as a traveling home. I really want to get the kitchen built this winter, and feel lucky that I've been able to spend some time in it before that "remodel." It's so much easier to build what you actually want if you've been in there a few nights and had the chance to say, "this would be really nice if it were just so..."

So now I've got a long list of stuff to do here in Louisville, and as always, I'm so lucky to have the Parrish family extending their enormous hospitality. Off to get a little work done, and then head back to the gorge. Missin' my Voyeurs back in CO...