Stephen King's Library and The Balcony - Obed

My friends Wes and Brendan spent a week in the Obed sport climbing and bouldering whenever the weather conditions were favorable. I only had a day of free time so I made the drive on Friday night in the pouring rain, praying that the clouds would part and the sun would dry out the rock for the next day’s adventures. All three of us slept in our cars to avoid being soaked through the night. Thankfully Hotel Boone was just as cozy as ever. God really showed up the next morning, We got got a perfect day that was actually hot. I was in a tank top for the first climb of the day! Not what I expected for the first weekend in January but i’m not complaining.

We spent our Saturday working through Stephen King’s Library and The Balcony. Hiking in and seeing the roof on SK was incredible, not only is it one of the prettiest crags I’ve ever seen, we were climbing next to a beautiful waterfall the entire time. Choice.

We warmed up on a rough 10a Cheap Seats- not my usual choice of warm up, but hey you gotta bump up your climbing sometime…Then we headed over to Pet Cemetery 11a that links up to Rage 12c. This climb was amazing. I fell/hung plenty of times on it but I fought my way up to the start of Rage and got to the first perma-draw and it was just so fun the entire climb. I can’t wait to get stronger and go back to clean up Pet and hop back on Rage. Also we tackled “IT” 10a, and Gunslinger 11d. Gunslinger the hardest climb i’d attempted on lead and actually finished. I definitely think I can clean that one up the next time I visit the Obed. Another wishlist climb is an 11a called General Admission.

I was dead tired by the time I decided to give it a shot and it showed. I had blinders on and my brain was absolutely not working. I couldn’t find any beta and was falling all over the place. I finally figured out how to work some ridiculous heel hook move and pull out the crimps to the chains, but I was gassed and took a fall before I could clip anchors and had to climb back up to finish. I’ve got the beta on this one memorized and i’m gonna bag it next time. I’m so pleased with myself for trying hard stuff even if i’m failing. i’m using every single climb as growth this year.

My friend Wes absolutely crushed a mean slopey 12a/b called The Shining. It was awesome to watch his work on this through the day and pull out an amazing send right before the sun set.

The Obed seriously feels like a magical, tucked away, gem of a crag. Even though everyone knows about it, it just feels serene and calm. Can’t wait to go back and check out some other walls and the surrounding boulder fields. Also the weekend wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable without the friends I shared it with. Thanks for all the belays and words of encouragement, boys. Y’all are a treasure!

Miller Fork - Red River Gorge

Sometimes people think I’m crazy for day trips to the gorge. Six hours of driving for maybe seven hours of climbing might not be worth it to some, but when your vacation days are gone and the weather happens to be clear, you do what you gotta do! This October Saturday we ended up at Miller Fork Recreational Area and climbed at Secret Garden. There’s a pretty great array of routes ranging from 5.8 to 5.11.

We had such a great encouraging group this day. Thanks to their faith in me and patience, I met my 2018 goal of sending 11a!! I clipped anchors on Sloppy Seconds after my third burn. Needless to say, it was worth the six hours in the car to chase that feeling of accomplishment. On to next year’s goals!

Failing is Good for You

A few quick thoughts on failure after a weekend of climbing in Tennessee and not necessary succeeding. These are mostly applicable to my situation of being shut down over and over while leading a 5.9 named L.A.G., but maybe these thoughts can work in general life as well.

1. Failing puts your ego in check. You aren’t as amazing as you think you are. Get your brain back down on the same plane as everyone else. Have confidence in your abilities, but don’t think you’re the most talented person in the room.

2. It means you tried! Most likely, it also means you tried something difficult and or scary. Even if you didn’t nail it, you pushed yourself outside your comfort zone.

3. You’ll do better next time. Even if you don’t finish, you’re progressing forward with each piece you put together.

4. You probably learned something. Maybe how to do better and also have a better attitude next time.

5. Anyone who has never made a mistake, has never tried anything new - Albert Einstein

"It’s a tough route but it's all there!"

“If the weather’s good, I’d love to go outside this weekend”. Usually that sentence gets thrown around at the gym and it’s a lot of “I wish I could, but”....and then the idea fades. Somehow this weekend the stars aligned and a solid group of seven all committed to Kings Bluff.

It was almost too cold when we left in Saturday morning, but by the time we arrived at the bluff, the sun was shining perfectly on the rocks, and we were all shedding layers after we tied our figure eights.

It had been almost a year to the day since I’d been sport climbing outdoors. It’s amazing how much harder a 5.9 is outside than in the gym. It was a lovely and humbling reminder at how much strength is needed when you’re outside doing the real thing. Gym grades are sometimes inflated or exaggerated, but none of that really matters. The main thing is to have a good time, enjoy the climb, make some memories, and come home in one piece.

I think my favorite thing about a group getting together to climb, is the description of the routes/the beta we give. If only I had written down the ridiculous things we'd say to one another. One I do remember is this little tidbit of advice given when my friend had taken a pretty good fall and was trying to figure out what she’d missed before a second attempt. “Well, it’s a pretty tough route but it's all there!”. Noted.

Anyway, I'm already itching for the next trip and a few more quotes.

P.S. Shootout to Clinton for snagging shots while I climbed!