The Beginning of Everything - Spring Break 2010

Spring Break 2010 almost didn't happen for me.  I was in the thick of thesis writing and didn't feel like I could really take any time off.  With much coaxing, Karina convinced me I should join her and some other friends for rock climbing in St. George.  Without me she would be spending the entire week with a couple, which could be nauseating (unless that couple was Brent and I, of course, but we hadn't met yet).  So I came down one night in the middle of the week, really late, like 3:00 am.  Things felt tense, even more so when we rose the next morning to go climb the Green Valley Gap.  That was the day I learned how to lead climb, and in hind sight it made the whole trip worthwhile, because it made me feel like I was good at something, which was a really rare feeling while I was writing my thesis.  It happened like this:

 Rob demonstrated the climb, and left quick-draws up for me.  Then the three other climbers there gave me lots of advice (climb with your feet, don't fall before your first bolt, remember to breathe).

Then I went up.  Lead climbing is mentally more challenging than climbing with a top rope, because falls have consequences.  However, it is not as mentally challenging (or mind numbing) as writing a thesis.  Maybe it's because there is an end to every climb, but a thesis can continue to haunt you for the rest of your life.  Maybe it's because climbing is fun and no one writes a thesis for kicks and giggles.  

Karina was good enough to take pictures of every step of it.  Which was great, because I was really pleased with myself.  Taking climbing breaks while writing my thesis was probably what led to my successful defense.  Without something to take my mind off my research, something that allowed me to feel successful, I'd have probably died before I finished writing.  Probably.  

Green Valley Gap was a pretty great place to learn how to lead.  It's varnished sandstone, which I am particularly fond of, and there are lots of routes in a small area, so once I got the hang of it there was plenty left to conquer.  I love varnished sandstone more than nearly anything else in the world.  

Then I celebrated my success.  There was much rejoycing and talk of world domination.  And Karina, who had no intention of leading, did it too.

What a rock star.  I've praised Karina's climbing technique before, and I meant every word of it.  She's very calm and deliberate.  She doesn't even make silly faces while she climbs.  

I think this picture captures just how happy I was to be there.  It also captures one of the last times I thought rappelling was fun, it has since because a rather stressful endeavor (though it's still better than hiking down).  

Life was beautiful.  After a bit of a meltdown that couldn't be fixed with ice cream, our other friends left that day, leaving Karina and I unexpectedly on our own.  Turns out,  there was another group of people Karina had met at the Rock Haus who were in St. George, and we decided to meet up with at the Utah Hills climbing area.  Those people were Emma and Brent, and climbing with them was awesome.   

The limestone climbing in the Utah Hills was actually really cold and painful, but that made us deliriously giddy. Rain has worn the rock into really sharp pockets and points, which make the rock "sticky."  That's a euphemism for vicious and stabbing.  One way to deal with the pain is to laugh hysterically every time you fall.  Crying is also an option, but it's difficult to climb and wipe the tears from your eyes.  Plus it was quite cold, and nothing is worse than freezing tears.  

Here is Karina, Emma, and Brent scoping out a climb (they chose the most difficult way up).  We originally thought Brent and Emma were brother and sister, then we figured they must be cousins.  They're just friends, but I still like to think about them as cousins.

Before this trip, I had known that Karina was pretty great, but it was during this trip that I learned she was wonderful!  If any of you have met her, you know she's got an infectious laugh, which became even more important as we climbed until we were cold and tired (thus laughing more than we should).  

After enough cold and giggling, we decided to climb some place warmer.  I think the fire that had come through earlier really made the whole area look even more cold and unforgiving.  

I was very new to climbing and had never belayed anyone while they lead climbed, but this didn't seem to bother Brent, he trusted me to belay him here at Chuckwalla (which I learned today is also the name a lizard, a lizard that can suck in air and expand it's body to fit into crevices .  He even let me know every time he was clipping the rope because I was so nervous.  I think this may have been a foreshadowing of our entire relationship: I worry about things more than I should, Brent tells me it will all be OK, and he ends up being right.  I sure love him.

A storm rolled in just as we were packing up to go.  But we were able to get this shot in.  It's us being "hard core".  While this vacation was delightful, it was just the beginning.  The four of us have been climbing together ever since and it's been wonderful.  I can't imagine I'd enjoy rock climbing as much as I do without having gone through all the experiences I have with these folk.  Plus I've been dating Brent for two of the last three years, which is pretty wonderful, too.

Ah.  What good friends I have.