Goals and Table Mountain Goodness

I'm so fortunate to live in a place where I can have a true Colorado spring time thunderstorm chase me off a mountain, 20 minutes drive from my apartment. Seriously though, it's that kinda adventure that just keeps me totally attached to this place. And the fact that every time I turn around it seems as though it just keeps on getting better! I got 4 leads in today and 7 pitches before the storm broke, which so far is my best outdoor day this season, I feel like I'm majorly getting my confidence back as far as lead climbing goes and the old popeye arms and climbing body feels like it's coming back as well.
Climbed today:
Offline (5.8)
Kevin Spies the Line (5.6-5.9 depending on how you start)
The usual warmup, which is probably going to be bumped as a warmup by Kevins above
The line to the left of above
BM Route 5.9ish Here's the photo from MountainProject.com


I'm going to see what I can do to keep this regimen of climbing 4-5 times a week up so it just continues going on the up and up. Even though I'm a huge believer in climbing being a process, experience and a learning technique I'd still like to hit the goal of climbing one of the flatirons before the summer is out. Probably one of the easiest ones, but still a multi pitch trad climb would be a great top out for climbing season. Once again as it was just Mel and myself climbing I have no pictures for this (your climber gets pissy when you take your hands off belay to start snapping photos), so here's one of Mel's first completed route (on Table Mountain) to keep you going.


Stereo-Talib Kweli

Toppin' Out

Rough week. And I mean really rough week at work. I have no intention of getting uber sappy and venting my primordial angst of my job on this website as that is exactly NOT why I started this blog. I want to meditate instead on the relieving pressure of rock on hands, of hitting a hold that you missed last time, of topping out a bouldering problem that scared you so much last time that you got half way up and then came down. It's amazing how a modicum of tunnel vision and fear coupled with a few solid deep breaths, can wipe away a seemingly city full of negativity. Perhaps this is where the void is, this is why one risks the Big Splat and finds themselves with no rope 15 feet up on a cliff face with nothing but rock beneath them and adrenaline coursing oxygen to their muscles. All the minor cares seem to fade away as one thought remains, "Will my fingers hold this rock or am I going to break my leg?" It's a zen feeling putting yourself towards that moment, and then, even when fear is gripping you, to push through and still move up, to that moment where the problem disappears and you find yourself on top of your nemesis/lover/guru.
I can find no photo that defines this moment of clarity in my photography collection, so I leave you with a thousand words instead.

Teva Mountain Games Vail, CO

Paul Robinson at the World Bouldering Cup (with some Photoshop love)

Not too terribly much to report here, ski season has decidedly and unceremoniously came itself to a close. I'm actually rather doubting that I'll boost up one more day to make 70 instead of 69. I'm sure that I could but between the lack of snow left up high, a trip to Vail proved that for sure, and how stoked on climbing I've found myself recently, it's kinda doubtful it'll happen. Strange, I guess I appreciate seasons more than I would have thought!
Anyways, other than working on my lead climbing skills and slowly getting my strength back, Mel and I took off to go watch the Teva Mountain Games up in Vail this weekend. Teva and Vail Valley throw this huge three day party that essentially celebrates the mountains in the summer time. It's pretty damn cool and an amazing reminder of all the joy and love that the mountains bring into your life. We went up Friday night with the intention of watching the Bouldering World Cup finals the next day and then staying Saturday night. We ended up coming back after the World Cup on Saturday due to the fact that the place we were staying was more similar to a frat house than anything else (last time I'll let Jason make the accomodations) and that we wanted to go get some routes in in Golden today.

Alex "Pooch" going for a hold at the cup

The climbing was awesome to watch and earlier in the week I had been roped in to participating in the Mud Run (2 miles ish with a 100 yard sprint through an obstacle course filled with sticky gooey mud) with Mike and Ben. I'll let the pictures speak from here. The next list of pictures below were all taken by Melissa Walker

first lap through the mud!

second time around!

L to R, Ben, Mike, and a rare picture of yours truly covered in mud


the carnage remains even after the battle is done!

It was a really good time and I'm being told is being developed into a tradition. So all I have to say is man, running was actually way more fun than I remembered it! Climbing today was so so as we got rained off after about 3 routes in. I flashed a climb I'd never been on before on lead so I felt pretty good about that even though I definetly didn't do it in the most graceful of manners. All in good time, so here's a picture that I took of Mel and Mary Jane enjoying the Vail sunshine to round this post off.


On the Stereo-The Kooks (pretty much anything off the new album)