Farewells and celebrations

Wednesday, June 5th
     For aesthetic purposes, I highly recommend everyone play this song as they read the first half of this blog. Click here to access Old Crow Medicine Show's "Wagon Wheel."
     So I'm headin' down south to the land of the pine this week. A couple weather delays and I finally landed in Raleigh late evening on Wednesday night. This trip I made it back to my hometown, Rocky Mount, NC. I had not been home in several months, so it was good to reconnect with family and friends there. At one point during the trip, I needed to borrow a friend's car which had a manual transmission, so guess what I finally learned!! Manual was actually much easier than I thought, I picked it up in a few minutes. It made driving much more entertaining all of a sudden, and now I feel so open to new possibilities next time I want a car. Hooray productive vacations! So after couple short days of catching up with old friends and family, and maybe a little climbing here and there, I was headed back to Raleigh for a special event.

     Friday evening we arrived in Raleigh in mellow fashion. My best friend Tony was having a going away party the next day, as he received a job in Detroit. A few brews and some laid laughs, the night continued in its calm nature as I enjoyed the company of great friends. 

     The next day I ventured out into Umstead Park with two friends from my previous major at NCSU. This was particularly nice because A) I had never spent a considerable amount of time at Umstead and B) I really miss my friends from my major. We hiked for a few hours, and even did some trail running. Being in the NC woods again felt so perfect. It's how I spent a lot of my childhood and its where I feel truly relaxed. After some sweating, we made a quick run through some showers before joining Tony's party in the late afternoon. 

     If there is one thing NC does right, it's a BBQ. And this was no exception. A classic pig pickin', at this party you could find a 50 lbs roasted pig, potatoes, mac'n'cheese, baked beans, spicy greens and sweet tea! An excellent way to send Tony off! The food was devoured of course, and as the party entered the dark hours, out came the keg and party juice. I have to say, arguably my favorite thing about NC parties is the one definite sing-a-long, Wagon Wheel. If you've been to a party in NC, you know what I'm talking about. The violin begins to ring out of the speakers, grins spread from ear to ear as everyone starts to look at each other, exchanging happiness in glances as the same burst of joy shoots across everyone's mind. The choir of voices practically scream as EVERYONE sings EVERY WORD to the song. Oh what a feeling to experience. Even those not native to NC become captivated by the folk music exploding around the room, caught up in whirlwind of exasperating pleasure. NC is everyone's home during this song. 

     The party roared late into the night, full of cheers, a few speeches and many fond farewells. The following morning I literally had to drag myself out of bed to get to the airport for a super early flight (not the easiest decision but a good one). A short connection and 5 hours later I was in Phoenix, Arizona for what was sure to be a great trip. 

     And in fact, it was! Birthday parties, video games, man cave time, and excellent climbing sessions filled my run through Phoenix as I soaked in the sun and bore the triple digit heat.

     I hate to make this post end abruptly, but I put off my blog for two weeks and I'm just going to go ahead and start the next post which will also summarize two weeks. Trying to keep up with everything, I want this to stay afloat! Take care :)

         Best man date: pizza and beer.

Sweet Desert

Wednesday, May 29th
     The people you meet while traveling. The people you encounter for 5 minutes, or for 5 hours. It is these interactions that make traveling more than just a chance to go sight seeing. And it is a person I met while traveling that brought me to this past week's adventures.
     Tuesday afternoon I was considering staying home this week but I was suddenly struck with an impulse to goclimbing in one of my favorite climbing areas ever: Hueco Tanks in El Paso, Texas. I picked up the phone and called my friend Matt who was more than happy to join me. Matt lives in El Paso and I met him in Hueco in 2012. We stayed in touch and when I moved from Phoenix to Atlanta last April, he and his family warmly hosted me for a night during my drive. Matt is an avid outdoor climber, and he frequents Hueco on a weekly basis. With about 24 hours notice, Matt and I confirmed planes and the next day I landed in El Paso for a quick trip of climbing, chilling and adventure.

The perfect carry-on

     Before I begin with Wednesday night in El Paso, I want to make a quick side comment. If you've spent a fair amount of time around me, you know I like to whistle (even if I do it poorly). Wednesday at the airport in Atlanta, I was boarding a plane and the guy in front of me was whistling one of my favorite tunes to whistle, the Rooster's tune from Disney's animated Robin Hood. I interjected and completed the next verse, and we proceeded to finish the song together. It was freaking awesome. After we shared a laugh and went about our trip. Those 5 minute encounters, man. Freakin awesome.
     El Paso! So Matt and I swung by his house, dropped off my stuff, picked up his brother Adam and went out into the night. One of the big things I am into when I travel is getting a local's perspective. Matt did not fail, as he took me miles and miles outside of El Paso to hang out wth some of his friends. I rolled the window down as we drove through raw desert into the night. I sort of tuned everything out, caught in a trance by the overwhelming nostalgia that hit me as I breathed in the desert air. I remembered the two years I had spent living and climbing in Phoenix. I definitely miss the desert, and while I cannot be certain of when or where, I feel I will return to it one day.

     We arrived at a small farmhouse, greeted warmly by its occupants and enjoyed a relaxing evening. These El Paso residents are wonderful people. I've never been welcomed so openly by a room full of total strangers, and I mean that. Throughout the night we took the kickback outside where we played with the Google Sky app, following constellations and stars. It felt good to be back outside of a city. As the night closed, I exchanged goodbyes with the people I would probably never see again. 

     The next morning we found ourselves barely crawling out of bed, haha. But after talking about what areas we wanted to hit that day, and eating a little breakfast, we were soon bouncing in our seats. At least I thought so, until Matt took me the "back way" through some desert trails in his 4 wheel drive. Racing through tight turns and dropping in and out some contructed ditches, it was much more exciting than the usual approach to Hueco Tanks. We arrived at the park around 10 and were surprised to be met with relatively cool temperatures and an excellent breeze. The day was set.

Matt, Mike and Eric

     We were joined by some of Matt's friends, and we ventured out into the park for what was sure to be an excellent day of climbing. One of the guys, Eric, made quick work of a V11 he had been working on. For me, it is always inspirational to watch someone better than myself. It motivates me to want to work harder and push my limits. This wtiness set the stage for two great climbs I finished later that day. The first was a sort of lowball V6, Guns of Navarone. I say lowball because while it could have been a highball, there was a steep landing that followed you about halfway up the climb, making your fall only about 5 feet before sliding down pads to the base. Still, the thrill of throwing to the lip always gets me. With the first attempt on the problem, I snagged the flash as I pulled myself over the tall lip. Success. We continued to climb in the area before moving on. To save the non-climber readers from boredom, I'll wrap this up quickly haha. Next I did a pretty well known problem in Hueco, Pumped Full of S****. A soft V9, I actually made relatively quick work of the problem. Fueled by awesome company, a desire to score my first 9, and a little help from a day 40, a topped it out without even realizing I had actually done it. It took a while to sink in, but even for a soft climb that was my style I was still thrilled to finish it.

I really like my goofy hat

     The rest of the day continued in laughs and sends as we made our way out of the park and over to La Placita, a post-Hueco traditional burrito joint. As I ate the delicious food, I noticed then that I had spent two days in a row with two different but totally awesome groups of people from El Paso. Was El Paso a breeding ground for some strange, friendly energy? Was somebody in Juarez putting something in the water? Probably. But I wasn't going to question it. After a quick nap back at the house, we entered the night with one last adventure as we were joined by a third and equally great group of people (I know, I'm being ridiculous at this point). We decided to take our adventures on foot tonight, as we grabbed a few beers and walked straight into the desert for about a mile. Matt already lives outside the city, so once we were out of his backyard, the stars quickly came into view as we left cityscape far behind. The stars and the desert, coupled with friends and brews. I need no more. This was a perfect end to an excellent stay in El Paso.
     But that isn't the last of it. The next morning Matt drove me to the airport but along the way we got a flat tire and were shocked to discover the jack didnt raise the truck high enough to change the tire. With onl an hour before my flight and a necessity to avoid paying a cab, I ran into a local gas station and began trying to bum people for a ride to the airport, about 15-20 minutes away. It was here that I met Carlo, a truck driver who spoke very little English. Fortunately, I still know my way around Spanish and he was quick to offer me a ride when I explained the car trouble. I think knowing Spanish totally got him to say yes. I grabbed my stuff, said goodbye to Matt, and jumped in Carlo's car. During the ride, Carlo and I got to know each other which was awesome because he was really cool and also because I got to practice my spanish for more than 5 minutes. He was a truck driver living in El Paso with his family and he drove to all of the 48 continental states. We spoke of his earlier life in Mexico, and how the Mexican community brought a strong cultural blend to the US. We also agreed upon our love for mexican food and latn styles of dance. Needless to say, I became a huge fan of Carlo haha. We arrived at the airport, I thanked him for everything and wished him and his family well, and then I dashed inside to catch my flight. A few hours later I was back in Atlanta and all was right with the world. Ta-da!

Carlo, mi salvador

     Next week I will be out of town for quite a while. I know I am already slow at these posts, so don't expect much haha. I will decide whether or not to split it into two posts or not, depending on time and whatnot. And I'll try to take more pictures! Salud, mis amigos.