As you can probably imagine, returning to Boulder after nearly 5 weeks away is proving to be quite the jarring experience. I'm not sure if it was the necktie, perhaps tied too tightly, or the fact that I'd taken the stairs instead of the elevator from the 6th to the 11th floor of my office building, but when I walked in for a meeting and found myself short of breath, I knew something wasn't quite right. I'm worried that once you start taking extended, enormously fun climbing trips, "reality" just isn't quite as cool.
Looking back, I had one of the most incredible experiences over this past month. I'd told myself (and ex-girlfriends who were probably hoping for a more "normal" looking life) that I didn't want a van, but after driving across the country to the best sport climbing in America in a rig built for a dirtbag king, I realize I might have been lying. Capt. Walter C. Lewis, US Navy (Ret.) is, perhaps, the greatest machine ever made. There are still some details that need to be finished, but even in the rig-in-progress, I was as content and happy as I could imagine.
The climbing proved to be just as good. We had another month of perfect weather, and the friends from this trip provided great partners for climbing days and relaxing evenings. I even had Julia to hang out with, as she came out towards the end of the trip and got to see what all this road trip commotion is all about.
Happily, I can report that I managed to finish Table of Colors. That route is this marvelous book end on either side of the last year of my life. I'm not sure I've ever tried a route that many times, and nearly faltered under the pressure of knowing that if I didn't get it done in the allotted time, I'd have to drive home, all 1,500 miles, empty handed. It took me the better part of a week from last year's trip, and another 4 days of this year's, but I was able to send The Red River Gorge's first 5.13, and one of its absolutely most beautiful lines.
Between Kentucky and Colorado, we stopped by The Farm for the Thanksgiving feast. Normally, I'm kind of a scrooge when it comes to the annual potato ingestion, but there was so much positivity going on this year in central Missouri that even I found it hard to frown. The food was incredible, and we tried to cook up enough veggies to make it almost healthy. The friends and family that was gathered there came together to provide a really caring, positive backdrop. Knowing that my grandparents are getting a bit older, and suffering from some deteriorating health also added to the motivation to find presence in each moment, and create a wonderful reality.
That, primarily, was my focus while I was on this trip. It can be so easy to marvel at the fun and beauty of a day when you're doing exactly what you love with people that you care about. For me, that is many times climbing with friends. But what I've come to realize is that a climbing trip like this, so filled with present mindfulness and satisfaction in the moment, is hopefully an analog to what I want to feel all the time, regardless of situation or backdrop. For me, right now, the goal of being alive is to realize that I exist in the precise moment of my life, and to appreciate all the gifts that come with that. I can't always be climbing, or be in a situation that is basically free from hardship. I can, however, realize that to fully experience, learn from, and grow from each day, I have to know that I'm in the midst of it.
As such, it's good to be back home. I'm happy to settle into a routine that should (hopefully) allow me to earn some money before the holidays. I'm not quite ready to strap on the skis, but with a forecast that's calling for high 50's and sun in and around Boulder on Friday, I may not have to. Hell, even if it looks crappy outside today, I've got friends in the gym and a turkey-leftover feast in the fridge. ABALUBA!
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