time at hueco winding down

I got one more week, I got 4 climbs that I have invested quite a bit of time into and I really want to get. This is the first time in my life that I have been at an area for so long and become attached to a problem or problems. I feel like all of them could go on any one day or I could not get either of them during the next week...obviously I guess. Its going to depend on my mind, Im more than physically strong enough to do them but mentally we will see. I leave here next thursday regardless. Its going to be interesting to see my mindset as I get closer to leaving. I actually feel pressure to send for the first time, its not like I can come back every other weekend. Climbing so much I have underestimated the effect of falling, failing, so much. When we climb for a weekend we fall a weekends worth. Even with no sends over a weekend, its not demoralizing to fall as much as you do. Ive been climbing for 6 weeks straight nearly 5 days a week and I have fallen an absolute ton, really atleast 2000 times finally. Its a learning experience to work through that to stay as motivated as I am used to all while constantly getting shut down. The longest project I have had here, I have invested probably 7 days in, probably over 15 hours and fallen roughly 10 times each day. Succeeding after that much failure will feel as great as I possible could imagine. I try to find the smallest progress in each climb which is magageable, and have extremely small goals daily instead of merely dreaming of the time I send. This way im able to increase my confidence daily rather than focusing on the result of the climb in its entirety. I can translate this train of thought to everyday life and would work just the same. Simply put, its about the journey not just the destination.

Its getting hotter here, and my time in Hueco is getting close to winding down. I have 16 days left here and I have 7 problems that I would really like to send before departing. I have never had so many projects in one place. I have no idea how to choose which one to work (or do) everyday. Its a skill I guess I have to learn. I have climbed the past three days. The first day I spent about half the day doing some highball (tall climbs) easy moderates and then took three hours to work "El Techo de los tres" a problem that seems at my absolute physical limit. I cant do the crux move right now but feel somewhat close. I love this problem because I can work the moves by myself and it is really really hard for me. Its my first project that I am psyched on that isnt just a long problem in which I just have to string the moves together in one go but an 8 move extremely unique and physical problem. The next day I went to West Mountain with Nick and Jill Church, two extraordinary people. They are both nurses and have a house in Flagstaff and Boone. They are both strong as hell and humble. They have a 5 month old little girl, Iris, who comes everywhere. It is amazing the things they hike up and down with her, quite impressive. The pictures from that day above are the crux of my favorite problem of the trip thus far: Best of the Best. Yesterday I went to the East Spur Maze with Nick and Jill again, and really accomplished nothing, yet had a great day. No hiking, constant laughter, and no expectations from climbing for three days in a row is the recipe for an extremely enjoyable day. Later that night Yoshi, a 43 year old from Japan who does not speak english, Jesus, a 25 year old from Monterrey, Mexico, Arturo, also from Mexico, and Joe, who is from southern California, has and endless reservoir of energy and came into the Ranch's kitchen with plaid shorts, a red cape, and a beanie with cat ears made dinner together while drinking our fair share of beer and wine. Dinner was a 5 hour process, laughter was more prevalent than calories in a McDonalds. The one thing that kept us laughing is how Yoshi has chosen Jesus to be his translator. I will ask Yoshi a question in, I feel pretty clear english, he wont understand and Jesus will tell him in broken english and he understands. Pretty funny. Yoshi is no more than 100 pounds and eats nothing during the day but eats 5 times more than anyone at night. He loves Mexican food and I will never understand how he got a rental car. Jesus is gonna travel with me for the next few months, to Flagstaff, then CA, then Utah. I cant wait to see other places. I also cannot wait till next weekend when Stephanie Lyons is spending the weekend at Hueco with me all the way from the ATL. I am worried that she wont be able to leave.

Another rest day, another blog post. Im not gonna ramble about the rest day but talk about the last few days of climbing as requested by a brotha cobra. Hueco gets you strong, real strong there is no doubt about it. The steepness and diversity of movement are at the top of the list on why. The endurance you get and the ability to push through fatigue is two other huge reasons. The problems are just so long and physical. Yesterday everyone on tour and I tried to attempt the West mountain mark of the beast, which is three 45+ foot v6 roofs. Best problems ever and not just jughauls but great movement, especially when creative. Fell at the second to last move of these 30+ move problems, disheartening but extremely memorable climbs all at once. Hueco also humbles, feeling great one problem and like a wreck the next. I put together a video of a few problems I did the last couple days. The first one is a v7 crimpy roof called daily dick dose which I did second try, the second is a v9 called pumped full of semen which I did in about two hours. The third is a v6 called baby martini roof which took me 5 days to do. The simplest tip I got this trip is to just try hard, I realized that when I got a little bit tired or didnt feel comfortable I fell maybe not consciously but it happened. I have learned the past month that something as little as trying harder, believing you can do it can go a long way. When you really want to do something, dont over analyze it, believe you can do it and try harder, you will know when you push through a barrier if you make a consious effort try a little harder. I dont know. . . try it out, it may work. . . it couldnt hurt.

http://vimeo.com/20857215

Rest day(s)

Because I am not good at heel hooking since I have the flexibility of a 2x4

Last Chance Canyon and the Solstice Cave, two hours later I was running from a cougar

Sunset between the Ranch and the Tanks

North Mountain and the moon

Tom Seymour on probably my favorite climb thus far Babyface v7

The past two days have been pretty uneventful, atleast in the sense that I am used to. I have not been climbing after climbing 10 of 12 days. My body felt like it was tossed off a cliff, not too high of one, just one high enough to hurt me pretty bad, then if I were to get up a semi came and hit me, but not square, because that would probably kill me, but maybe it just nicked me going probably somewhere between 30 and 40 mph. So these two rest days were a must. Talk about having nothing to do. My typical rest day consist of waking up around 8:30 and lounging for maybe an hour after drinking a pot of coffee. I then would make three plate sized pancakes with the burst of caffeine fresh in my system, maybe with bananas, or some other desert delicacy, but most definitely pouring close to a pint of syrup on them. After the pancakes, regardless of the liter of coffee I just drank, I get pretty sleepy. Instead of sleeping though, I usually resort to sitting there mindlessly until I have enough motivation to start reading. After roughly 90 minutes of reading, Ill probably take a shower. By this time it is usually not even noon. Yesterday I was lucky enough to grab a bunch of groceries in the community food box (usually food that people left when leaving the ranch). Along with the staples of oatmeal, corn, and cous cous, I found a couple real gems. At the bottom of the oatmeal box was two little debbie sweet treats, which I quickly devoured with no sense in saving one for later, which later I regretted. I also found a gallon of half sweet tea half lemonade, the ole Arnie Palmer, kind of like finding liquid gold when water and wine is all I have been drinking for the past month. Most of these rest days consist of thinking about food until I muster the energy to eat. I was able to do all my dishes yesterday which led to the satisfaction of not cleaning dishes before the pancakes this morning. Other than reading and eating, I will usually just walk around while the ranch pack of dogs roam with me. Some of these dogs I absolutely love and some of the I just want to kick. These ones are the ones that will constantly bark at you. If you ignore them they usually bark more and if you yell at them they usually bark more. I have not figured out how to handle them, Im no Cesar Milan.

As for climbing, Im extremely psyched on the next few days. Im feeling well rested and am finding the people that I really enjoy climbing with, which is really half the battle. I climb best when I am in good company. My camera is fully charged, and my body is getting ancy to get back on the rock. These rest days are just as important as figuring out how to do a climb. They are a necessary evil, necessary for obvious reasons, and evil because of the pure boredom and lack of climbing. But I am learning to appreciate them because of the total lack of anything to do. Its not often in life that you simply have nothing to do, and what better place to have nothing to do then in the middle of the desert outside of the booming city of El Paso.

Here are a few pictures that are on facebook, but I figure I would put them up here too so atleast there is some eye candy and not just me ranting about boulder problems and boredom.