Top Ten Essential Gear Items 09/14/2011
 High camp on the Grand Ah the glory of the mountains! The fresh air! The vistas! The gaping, awe inspiring, rolling majesty of all that is huge and way out there....
And then something starts to itch. Or you are bored. Or cold, or smelly, or whatever, and the discomfort is all you can think about. On some level, the challenge of living in the mountains is about overcoming your baseline zone of comfort and trying something new. Without stretching our boundaries, we won't grow. No one, however, said we should be miserable. After spending considerable time this summer training for and summiting the Grand Teton in Wyoming, I looked through my gear and pulled out a few not so standard items that were life savers. These tiny things don't add much weight and made a huge difference in the quality of my trips. So here are: The top 10 essential (or not) pack items. 5 Comments  The Painted Desert My ever growing and changing world has expended yet again. As I continue to look into what it means to be bold, I find that it's often wrought with moments of insecurity and uncertainty. But those moments are always followed by even bigger moments of growth, reminding me that the lessons I learned earlier about stepping out of my comfort zone, and remembering my plan, are paying off.
I started grad school this month. And the first thing I did, was perform a skit... Summit for Someone: Grand Teton 08/22/2011
 From my campsite I can't believe it's over. I've been training for the last year and a half, worrying, coping, persisting, growing... and now it's done. All my work and time and effort, coming to a beautiful resolution. I feel like I did when I turned 16 – like I'd finally crossed a milestone where I was “older.” Instead, now I feel stronger, wiser, more capable. The point is, I feel like I've actually changed.
This post is more than a trip report. It's a reflection on the time I devoted to making my life better, and the process of growing beyond my boundaries, something I feel is necessary for anyone who wants to change and grow. Note: Long post and SOOOOO many beautiful pictures below... Markhor Climbing: Sponsors and Shoes 08/06/2011
 Right before I fell. So I guess I'm sponsored... (See banner to the right...)
Earlier this year I was approached by Markhor Climbing to write gear-centric blog posts for them. They said they'd provide the gear. I said I'd provide the "OMG YES!" After a few months of finagling, dawdling, moving, and talking, I'm finally writing! I've been dubbed a "Sponsored Average Climber," and I intend to live up to that title the best I know how: by using their gear in an extraordinarily ordinary way. You can read more about the sponsorship here, or you can take a look at the small-time Markhor Climbing gear website and see what they are all about. Why I Climb: Summit for Someone 07/27/2011
 My second fourteener in a day, Mt Torrey With moving and grad school, my Summit for Someone climb has been a bit of a moving target. As of this week though, it's been nailed down. This weekend I'll be climbing the Grand Teton with Jackson Hole Mountain Guides.
I thought this would be a good time to finish my "Why I climb" post. The path of my life over the past year and a half that I've been preparing to do a Summit for Someone climb almost answers the question for me: Why do I climb? Gear Closet: EMS Mojo Backpack 07/14/2011
 This week I got the chance to test out the EMS MoJo backpack. I tried it out in a few different scenarios, and while some were more of a fit than others, I kinda like this zippy little back pack. (Photos by the incredible Peter W. Carey) Contest! And Other Stuff! 07/11/2011
 Look at what I'm wearing... :-D So most of you know I'm jobless for a bit...
In an effort to earn gas money and express my pent up creative side, I'm THRILLED to announce the newest line of Rock and Sky products! Doing with... 07/08/2011
 More lessons...
Though this might seem more like venting. This is the third time I've started writing this very same post, the other two tries were lost due to technical issues. I don't know what the name of this lesson might be yet, patience, gratitude... I'm not sure, I just know that I'm having an exceedingly difficult time with it. I had a mini meltdown on the phone with my man-friend this week. It involved me declaring my need to get a comfy chair for my new place. A chair I can sit and work in. I need a comfy chair, or I might die. The point isn't the chair though, the point is comfort - something I'm realizing I took for granted, and expected to follow me around wherever I went. Right now, I am not comfortable. Trip Report: Avoiding Nebraska 07/01/2011
 I FINALLY MOVED! Weeks ago, but still. The trip was long anticipated and I made it exactly the way I wanted...
It's not that I have anything against Nebraska, I just think it's boring and smells bad. I made it my goal to avoid the state entirely on my road trip from Maryland to Colorado. It made for a beautiful ultra-road trip. Here's how I did it... Total Mileage: 2,349 (+ or - 100) Drive Time: 5 Days Highlights - The arch in St Louis - The rolling hills of Iowa - Sunset in a different state every day - The Badlands and the Black Hills - Tumble weeds in Wyoming. And here is the map Boldness: Now what? 06/27/2011
 I'm HEERE!!! For those of you who've been following my rather dramatic life transformation, you know I made some pretty bold statements at the beginning. I still mean all of them. I still refuse to settle for a less-than-meaningful life. I still want to learn and grow and embrace life beyond my comfort zone. The issue at the moment is, that while bold statements look good on paper, real life is actually a bit less exciting.
This was not the type of comfort zone stretching I was expecting. | Aleya Littleton:
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