Well the weather in Brevard has been amazing for the past 10 days. It has been cool and bluebird ( blue skies) and the friction has been amazing. This change in weather has brought with it a change in my focus. I've been climbing on gear almost exclusively for the past 2 years but recently the art of bouldering has been at the forefront of my mind. Bouldering was my first love. The simplicity of bouldering hits deep within my core. A few nights ago I went out to work on a few of my personal projects and was taken to a great place in my mind.
As I sat under granite roofs in chilling temps, all I could hear was the wind howling through the trees and the sound of my on heartbeat. My world was confined to the light of my single headlamp and chalk drifted through the light as if I were in my own personal snow globe. There was no one there to impress or distract me nor anyone to encourage me and cheer me on ( or move the pads for that matter). I talked to myself, running through beta possibilities. I screamed in effort with no one around to hear it and I thought " this is pure, absolutely raw and pure". I packed up and hiked out around 11pm and headed home, psyched on the days to follow.
The next day I went out to the boulders with my friends Jon Hyde and Travis Gray. The energy and psyche were high and I knew it was going to be a good day. When I was alone I could only conjure up so much psyche and drive, but now I had friends that wanted me to send just as much, if not more than I did. I warmed up and bagged a second ascent of a sharp, overhanging problem that Travis had put up a few years ago. We then headed over to my two projects, both are 7 to 10 moves of sustained power and finesse. I brushed the holds, cleaned my shoes, rolled up my pant legs, and ran through the beta once more in my head. "Get in your Box" went first go with ease and Travis and Jon went crazy! It was amazing to share that moment with them. They were just as happy as I was. We then went to my next project "Pimpin it Pretty", an overhung roof with hard slopers and a cruxy mantle to finish. I went through my same routine but this time when I ran through my beta I wasn't sure which sequence to go with at the crux. This is a huge problem for me because I don't go into a legitimate attempt to send unsure of my beta. It makes it very difficult for me to focus and go into the "white room". I sat down and surprisingly fired the problem my the first go and once again Jon and Travis let out loud yells. We ended the day with two pitchers of beer, wings and a lot of shooting the shit.
As I sat under granite roofs in chilling temps, all I could hear was the wind howling through the trees and the sound of my on heartbeat. My world was confined to the light of my single headlamp and chalk drifted through the light as if I were in my own personal snow globe. There was no one there to impress or distract me nor anyone to encourage me and cheer me on ( or move the pads for that matter). I talked to myself, running through beta possibilities. I screamed in effort with no one around to hear it and I thought " this is pure, absolutely raw and pure". I packed up and hiked out around 11pm and headed home, psyched on the days to follow.
The next day I went out to the boulders with my friends Jon Hyde and Travis Gray. The energy and psyche were high and I knew it was going to be a good day. When I was alone I could only conjure up so much psyche and drive, but now I had friends that wanted me to send just as much, if not more than I did. I warmed up and bagged a second ascent of a sharp, overhanging problem that Travis had put up a few years ago. We then headed over to my two projects, both are 7 to 10 moves of sustained power and finesse. I brushed the holds, cleaned my shoes, rolled up my pant legs, and ran through the beta once more in my head. "Get in your Box" went first go with ease and Travis and Jon went crazy! It was amazing to share that moment with them. They were just as happy as I was. We then went to my next project "Pimpin it Pretty", an overhung roof with hard slopers and a cruxy mantle to finish. I went through my same routine but this time when I ran through my beta I wasn't sure which sequence to go with at the crux. This is a huge problem for me because I don't go into a legitimate attempt to send unsure of my beta. It makes it very difficult for me to focus and go into the "white room". I sat down and surprisingly fired the problem my the first go and once again Jon and Travis let out loud yells. We ended the day with two pitchers of beer, wings and a lot of shooting the shit.
The next day I was invited to boulder at my friend Jon Jones' secret boulder-field with my boss and friend Phil. I had no goals going into the day other than having fun and maybe sending. I ended up getting the second ascent of Jon's problem "Hurt Locker" after a few goes. We then headed to the "super project", a dead horizontal roof with season ending sharp holds and BIG moves. I got close to sticking the crux but was ultimately shut down. As I felt my hand land in the harshly sharp crux hold I felt the realization that it will go but not now, not yet. This made me so happy. Success is great and I had a lot of success over the past couple of days, but the failure is what truly inspires me most. Each time I fail it reminds me there is the possibility of a future to be experienced, a future where I will be stronger and wiser.
"With the exhale of every breath there is the promise,but not certainty that another breath will follow."
Every year that I have been a climber has been better than the one before. Each season shows me something new about myself. I become more humble, wiser, stronger and more curious about what is in store for me. I become aware of my limits and at the same time more aware that there may not be a limit. This is what I love about climbing, the constant pursuit of a perfection that may or may not exist.
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