Musings of a Migrant Science Teacher

 
Colorado Part 1 09/01/2010
 
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The Flatirons
Colorado. Is. Beautiful.

I’ve driven through the mountains a few times, flown over them a few more, but I haven’t gotten the chance to stop moving and play in them in a very long time. I asked for peace on this trip, and that’s exactly what I got. I needed those days outside like I need air. I breathed in the sky and the hills and the people like someone come back from drowning. Rather than a blow by blow account of the trip, I’m going to post a few of my favorite stories, the photos that go with them, and let my heart spill onto the page.
 
 
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My 4th of July weekend began like any other: frantic house cleaning and food stuffs purchasing in prep for our annual 3rd of July party. What? Everyone is always busy on the 4th. Friends and strangers alike descend on bean dip, flag cake and "adult" watermelon, leaving us with enough cheap beer to last for the rest of the year.

This year I was happily joined by my best climbing buddies Katie, Dan, George and Patrick, and our new friend Phil - who all arrived early and made me feel like this was MY party after all.

After a night of corn hole and ladder ball (if you don't know what these games are, I will gladly explain them. I'll just need one of those cheap beers first,) we said goodbye to Katie and Dan and the rest of us set off for Seneca Rocks in West Virginia. Did I mention it was 93 degrees outside? Mmm, superheated trad climbing...
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Baby steps... 06/08/2010
 
I haven't written anything in a while. Mostly because work has been busy, and somewhat because I have been busy. I've also been struggling a bit with deciding if I have anything of value to say. I don't have a snarky angle on life, I'm not angelically sweet and self-analytic. I'm more the restless kind, and when I'm not happy with the way things are, I don't write.

So much for dedicated adventure writer and die hard explorer.
 
 
This is going to be a partly philosophical post.
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Last weekend I went to Disney World for the very first time. I have to say it was  amazing. I had lunch in China, dinner in France, went to Mars and saw my future, all on Friday. Saturday I visited Cinderella's castle, spun in tea cups, and relived my childhood on Brer Rabbit's splash mountain ride.

I was also a pirate.

At the Magic Kingdom Saturday afternoon we witnessed several parades and one stage show. The characters came out of the castle and began singing and dancing, babbling on about believing that dreams can come true, or something of that nature. Then all the Prince/Princess couples came out and danced, the children on the street danced, the honeymooning/engaged couples danced, and we all defeated Malificent with the power of our dreams. It was truly magical. I know this because there were fireworks.
 
Seneca Rocks 10/07/2009
 
Ah, trad climbing. The ultimate, "real" climbing goal for some is to be able to lead it. To those of you (like my fam) who might not be too knowledgeable on what exactly "Trad" is, let me explain: Traditional (trad) climbing is where you bring your rope up with you, and set and clip into protection as you go along. There are different kinds of protection - cams, nuts, hexes, tricams, slings, your teeth, etc... You get the picture. The skill comes in choosing the right gear placement and the right gear to go in that placement. If you do a good job, it stays where you put it and holds you when you fall. If you didn't, you keep falling. The strength comes in holding on for a much longer time while you place your gear.

I don't lead trad.
 
 
Got up this morning at 6:30 to start adventure number two. I actually pre-planned this one. I put a post on Climb Find, looking for people that wanted a partner for a climbing trip in the SF Bay area. Ended up meeting three lovely women at Stinson Beach where we spent a damp morning/afternoon bouldering along the beach. We drove down highway 1 from Sausalito, passing a zen cult along the way. We arrived at the parking lot, got coffee and answered nature's call, and headed off down the beach. Someone told us we looked like Sponge Bob carrying the crash pads, especially one of the girls, measuring in at 4'11. Height didn't have much to do with the problems we chose, she turned out to be an animal. We worked on a V0 R/X on the side of Old Man, following a flake up to a crack on a slab, then topping out and scrambling down. Would have been a solid 5.6 on a top rope, but was a bit sketchy without one. We moved to the other side of the boulder and worked on an unnamed V3 that followed a seam from bottom left to top right, ending in a cave-like hole. We cycled through and got all but the last move. It was a fun one to work on. Directly behind us on Old Woman we did a fun V2 with a top out/walk down. Back to the front of old man we finished up by working on a V4 - with a few good tries but mostly fails. Another climber came by and joined us for a bit. By then it was 2:30 in the afternoon, the tide was coming in and it had started drizzling. Conceding that the skin on our fingers was mostly gone, we decided to call it a day. Back at the hotel I took advantage of the hot tub, twisting my pinkie toe. I'm icing it now - seems to be black and blue. It's funny that out of all the things I did today I get hurt stepping into a hot tub. :-P

The best part about today by far was the company. I kept getting hit by the "Oh, I'm in California" realization throughout the day. As we were driving over the bridge on the bus, as we were winding down highway 1, looking at the Pacific... It's not that often I'm struck by the distance between myself and home, but this trip has been different in that I'm by myself entirely, and that somehow I've managed to meet more people than on any other trip. And they've all been fantastic. I'm kind of sad now that the conference is in full swing. At least now I get to indulge the science educator side of me now that the adventurer has been satisfied. Pictures to come!