So my climbing season went something like this, a trip To TN, a fun day at Seneca, another, and then one after that. Or thereabouts.
Sad, indeed.
But even in a lackluster year, I'm enorousmusly grateful for those with whom I climb and trust:
- For Bruce: in whom I find a partner who shows the faith in me that I lack in myself
- For Cat: in whom I find a freshness of prespective - and more than a little jealousy of aptitude
- For Danny: in whom I find the inspiration for making the impossible, possible
- For Ben: in whom I find the steadfastness of pursuing a goal
- For Porter: in whom I find a brother-in arms. Wait, did we even see Porter this year?
So here's my retrospective of the year (I've only included that which I witnessed - add your own comments below):
- A rockin' good trip to TN: bouldering at Pot Point, climbing at TN Wall, caving at Howard's Waterfall, and the holy-crap-OMFG bouldering of Rocktown
- Watching Bruce rock his way up "Marshall's Madness" while the rest of us (save Danny) flailed (and I thoroughly bloodied myself)
- Watching Bruce style up P1 of "Ye Gods" only to turn to me on P2 and remark that he was backing up the pin through the overhang (ha-ha) - and then proceeding to ping-off with decent-sized fall (which may be the only real fall I've held at Seneca)
- Sacking up [of my own volition [if only a tiny bit]] to do P3 of "Prune" and then having muscle spasms on P4
- Hollerin' at everyone scattered all over the West Face of Seneca on a beautiful summer day
- Watching Danny style his way up "Back to the Front"
- Filming Danny on "Bring on the Nubiles"
- Making another great day of what should have been a mess at the Chili-Cookoff (and another tiny sackup on "Bee Sting Corner")
It was a better climbing year for some of you vs. me. I hope to remedy that in 2009. I look foward to climbing and seeing more of you all. I'm also hoping I can put behind some of my issues and enjoy climbing as much as I enjoy all of you.
Climb on!
3 comments:
>Thanks for being on the other end of the rope.
Likewise. Always a killer day with capt efficiency at the other end!
>tiny sackup(s)
not so. much more important than you'll give yourself credit for. all those "little" things add up.
very much looking forward to victory chips and beer w/you in '09.
I was so scared the first time I led Bee Sting I wanted to "get it over with and jump off", but Bruce wouldn't let me. He sounded horrified enough that I decided it was a bad idea and pushed on, scared to hell as I was. And another strong climbing buddy of mine very recently hung on no less than 8 pieces on the very same route he was so sandbagged (mentally and physically), so yeah you don't give yourself enough credit. I know how it goes though. Hard to be satisfied with yesterday's climbing. It's all about what we're gonna do tomorrow - that's what matters.
This year is going to be *extremely* busy for me, but I hope to still see you all out there at least every couple weeks. '08 will be a hard year to forget. Thanks for being a big part of it...
Whoohoo! I got a shout-out! I feel so loved. Thanks to you too, Connors. Doesn't it make you feel good to know that you were a big part of my climbing development? 2008 went fast, but I'm not worried. You can't escape it. I see climbing in your future.
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