look ma, i can lead ... and canvas too!

i finally passed my indoor lead test today! while i didn't have a goal date in mind, it was nice to get lead certified before '06. i went climbing with someone i met online and he encouraged me to try it again. felt pretty awesome. i then lead a 5.8 and a 5.10-.

i also tried a bit of canvasing for the first time. canvassing, as explained to , is a bouldering exercise where you pick a few holds and get up as high as you can without using your feet. you essentially dyno (a "dynamic" move that allows a climber to gain a distant hold) from one hand hold to the next. the exercise felt funny at first, but it was a lot of fun.

uncle david gets his niece and nephew on plastic

two photos from my thanksgiving trip to florida. carlos david and diana. they both climbed surprisingly well for first timers.

diana is ready to quit school and start dirtbag climbing in colorado. she tore up this 5.5. ah, them crazy kids.

doin' it and doin' it ... and doin' it well

how many people do it?

according to the outdoor industry association, there are about 2.2 million outdoor rock climbers and 7.7 million indoor climbers in the u.s.

outward bound's words

found this on the outward bound wilderness website. kinda interesting:

rock climbing - a challenge of balance and strength

up is never easy. but you face the rock. you let every finger and all your toes help find the way. feel every muscle quake and quiver in battle with gravity. find faith in ropes, in teammates, in yourself. there's no time for distraction, no room for your mind to wander. it's you and a route up narrow fissures and narrower ledges. chase your fear back into the shadows, as you balance on fingertips and toeholds.

rock is an incomparable challenge. master mind and body, so that spirit can soar. it's the rock's way of meditation, single-minded purpose, total concentration. the reward? your view from the top, and the long look down from where you came. in a final reach, up there becomes right here, in a single moment that's all your own.

"i put a spell on you."

today, a friend jokingly said to me "we'll see how long your climbing phase lasts." i responded with a smug and simple "ok."

why the simple "ok"? well, because i know im hooked.

i did three 20 minute lap sets today and felt great. i was happy just going up and down a 5.7 and a 5.8. nothing overly challenging, but there was a certain comfort being in a space that's become so familiar.

when i walk into the gym, or take a hold of that first hold on rock, i feel connected in a way that's i haven't really felt before. it's put a spell on me.

gettin' urban climber magazine

i subscribed to urban climber magazine and just received a few random freebies that came with a subscription. rock brushes, a t-shirt, a dvd about chicks who climb, a sticker, some random sweat wrist bands (huh?)

i'll blog my thoughts on the dvd and magazine soon.

speaking of magazines, outside magazine's january 2006 issue has an article on the "50 ways to live large." definitely worth a look.

in memoriam: ryan young

"may your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. may your mountains rise into and above the clouds." -- edward abbey

family, friends, remember climber who died on crane