My last week

I've decided to stay through the weekend and leave early next week with my friends from the hostel. The weather has been beautiful, warm and sunny, and I've been climbing and hiking the past couple of days, enjoying it. It has made me feel better about staying here through the weekend and I'm amazed at how quickly this week is passing. Early next week we'll be heading to t-wall in Tennessee, as well as some other crags in that general area.
Some new photos have been put up, enjoy.

Indecision

And so, after a dance party at Miguels (see new picture) on closing night, the crowds have cleared out and we are left with few people, cooler weather and a desire to move on. My climbing partner left last night and though I still have friends here, the desire to move on is huge. I feel like I have done what I wanted to do and motivation is a little low. It's time to move on but the question is where to go. Tennessee for sure, there seems to be a lot of good climbing to be had.

We shall see what happens in the next couple of days.

Happy Thanksgiving

Despite having missed Thanksgiving in Montreal, I was able to share in the American Thanksgiving spirit.

Miguel went all out with a candlelit turkey dinner among friends. It was great, and yes, I at turkey.

The weather is warm, in fact hot, and despite having to work most of the weekend, Ive managed some climbing and a quiet day in the woods, reading in the sun. The weather is supposed to hold out until next week so some good climbing is ahead.

Next week, Christmas at the hostel, might as well put all the holidays together.

Frost, sun and a little snow and rain

A wierd combination of words, but what we have been having for the past little while. It has started to get cold here and most mornings there is frost on the ground, sometimes as late as 9:30 a.m. We actually had a couple of days where it snowed/sleeted and friends driving in another part of Kentucky actually saw a couple of inches of snow on the ground. I hear that's more than what's been happening in Montreal.

We have finally been getting some good weather in the past 3 days with more to come in the next week if the weather report is right. With the sun out, climbing is perfect. The temps are around 10 - 15 degrees at their warmest. Cool enough for some good friction and warm enough to not have frozen fingers as you touch the rock - most of the time. Hand warmers in the chalk bag help with that and it gets cold when you are belaying and not doing anything. Getting out of the tent in the morning is pretty harsh, however, the compensation has been some great sends in the past couple of days, many low 11's and I onsighted an 11b yesterday at Torrent. I'm feeling strong both physically but especially mentally, pushing my limits more and more and feeling really good about it.

All this talk of weather, but when you live outside and climb, your life revolves around the weather. How early you go to bed and get up, what you plan, where you climb, when you take a rest day. It's about the most important thing we think about down here.

The crowds are slowly thinning out at Miguels. Though this weekend is Thanksgiving and we expect some people, most of the regulars have been leaving in the past couple of days. Cold nights by the fire have been replaced with warmer nights in the monastery or inside Miguels. After Sunday they will be closed, and I have been offered the opportunity to sleep at the hostel which will make life here more pleasant. I've realized after sleeping inside last night, what a difference it makes to have your core body temp go up for a couple of hours. I had been chilled for 2 days and now I can enjoy a cool sunny morning in the gorge. Driving to work this morning from the hostel to Red River was beautiful. Blue sky, most of the leaves are down but this area remains as scenic as ever. Commuting has never been so fun.

So, have no fear, though I will not be home for the holidays, I will be celebrating here. Tonight is Thanksgiving supper at Miguels, and no it will not be pizza. Turkey it is and I think I will eat some, just for the occasion. Then, next week, the hostel will be having their Christmas party. The christmas trees are already up and last night I sat on the couch in the livingroom, lit up only by the christmas tree. It was quite beautiful.

After that, the plan is to head down to T-Wall in Tennessee to learn how to place gear for about 2 weeks. We'll also be hitting up O-Bed and Rock Town while we're down in the vacinity before I head out West to Arizona. Plans from there remain foggy, but many options with many people to hang out with along the way. I'm actually looking forward to being on my own a little bit, it's pretty hard to do that here, but always at with the comprimise of a climbing partner, so, time will tell.

Though I miss home and feel homesick after talking to a friend last night, I feel in my element here. I grow more and more in love with climbing and enjoy living down here. I have been really lucky with the connections I have made, the people I have met and the jobs I have gotten. I feel like I live down here. Well i do, but I actually feel like it's my home right now and though a big part of me is ready to move on, I am also quite sad about it. Having a lot of friends take off in the past couple of weeks makes that harder.

And so, I go on and on. There are some new pictures up in the photo album, and I'll continue to put more up. Internet over the next week or so will be easy to access, but after that, I have no idea.

Keep in touch everyone, enjoy and keep living life, I know I am.

And other news...

The biggest news this week is my new purchase of a laptop. Though I had considered buying one before I left Montreal and decided against it, I came across a really good deal and couldn't resist. It will certainly help with communication and photo sharing, I'm already having a great time as I write this sitting comfortably in a couch, at the hostel.

Climbing is still going well, though I feel more tired these last couple of days. I think a couple of rest days are in order.

I have started working on my first 12A, Check Your Grip at DriveBy Wall. Though I'm not sure I can send it before I leave, I have managed to do all the moves on lead. It's a great route, and fun to project something like that. Maybe something to be completed in the spring.

The last couple of days have been beautiful, sunny, and hot, 15 degrees, almost too hot to climb. Yesterday morning my friend Eric and I set out early to Drive By in hopes of beating the heat. Feeling really psyched and motivated to climb, both with projects to work on, we started our warm ups. However, a combination of factors led to a bad day and we left our projects behind and headed off to do a multi-pitch gear route in a valley we had yet to visit. Well, one wrong turn later we were hiking along a ridge, knowing we were going along the wrong path but hoping that we would rejoin the right path. Eventually, we ended up scaling down the side of a hill back into the valley and as it got dark, gave up on our goal. Hiking through brush and rivers, we finally made it back to the car and sat looking at the stars and enjoying the peace. We didn't see a single person the entire time and enjoyed the adventure.

Still working two jobs, but not as many hours this weekend, which is a welcomed break.
I also learnt how to shoot a gun. Though I've had many discussions with Ameican's about gun laws, etc, I almost felt like a hypocrite going out, but I couldn't give up the opportunity to try. I shot a 22 and a 38 and it was kind of fun. I maintain my position about guns, but it was an interesting experience.

Check out this website: www.endoftheworld.net

Food

So, I'm definately a working girl. I now also have a job at Red River Outdoors breakfast place. Working Friday and Saturday nights at the hostel and Saturday and Sunday morning at the breakfast place. Good money, good tips, exhausting work.

Best thing is all the free food and perks, worst thing is all the free food. I'm going to get fat if I keep working with food all the time.

Climbing continues to go well, feeling really strong, confident and motivated. I can't wait to climb everyday and I'm developing a lot of projects.

Weather has picked up, today is a beautiful day, but I'm so exhausted, might just sit in the sun and enjoy.

Crowds are starting to thin out, some of my good friends are leaving, and I'm left with few other female friends down here. I'll definately be here till Thanksgiving and then possibly down to Tennesse to do some gear climbing. Yes, I think it's time to start, I've been doing lots of following on crack climbs and I'm starting to get really psyched. Night climbing has also become my new passion, a couple of pitches and you sit and watch the stars, enjoy the solitude. It's great cause as you climb, you feel like you're in a bubble, you and what you can see with your headlamp. It's pretty meditative.

Starting to settle into the life here, wish the season would continue. I'll definately be back here in the spring for at least a month and then who knows. In the meantime, Arizona, California and Mexico still in the plans.

Smarties

So, though I know that there are many different kinds of candy in Canada and the US, I was quite surprised by my recent discovery.

Smarties: What we in Canada know as candy covered chocolate doesn't exist by that name. They have M&M's, but they're not the same.

Rockets: those sugary candies that I love to eat are actually called Smarties here. How bizarre.

By the way, there are some new shots that I put up a couple of days ago. Click on My Photo Album to see them.