An Adventure Living: November 2015

The days are all starting to blend together. The day of the week no longer matters as I lie here in Red Rocks campground 15 miles west of the crazy place known as Las Vegas. Im surrounded by like minded people, searchers, wanderers, dreamers, people who are full of life and who are all here for the same reason; to climb.

Most live in their cars. Many have left jobs in order to pursue this lifestyle driven by freedom and passion. Its not so much a sport as it is a culture, a lifestyle. Were not the richest or the cleanest, but we sure know how to have fun and appreciate the simple things in life.

My hands are crusted over with dried blood and my fingertips hurt from the constant contact with this abrasive sandstone. The days are simplifying into the same basic routine and I couldn't be happier about it. We wake early, waiting in the brisk desert air for the first rays of sun to come over the hills to the east and warm us. After a quick breakfast, the campground grows eerily quiet as everyone takes off for the canyons, each with their own plans and goals for the day. While some seek to push themselves on hard sport routes, others wander deep into the canyons for more sustained climbing on 1000'+ walls.

I opt for the canyons.

There is something magical about these massive sandstone cliffs. They feel old and wild. Walking in, these cliffs look blank, like sheers walls where humans should not be. Yet here we are, each pushing our own limits in this beautiful place. We reach the base of the cliff and begin racking up. Doubts go through my head, any mistake up there could spell disaster. Things become very real in these moments, There is something about getting to this point that focuses the mind intently. All others thoughts drop away and things just start to flow.

Looking up, I take a deep breath and start climbing.

I feel heavy with the rope pulling me down and the endless amounts of gear hanging off my harness. My hands and feet are my first line of protection from a fall, but I also place protection in cracks and weaknesses in the rocks just in case I slip somewhere. Time ceases to exist here as I slowly but surely find my way up the wall. Its like a giant puzzle that can only be unlocked with calm, calculated movements of the body. I focus on my breathing as the ground slowly grows more and more distant.

Eventually I reach a ledge, build an anchor and call down to my partner that they can now climb. There is an innate trust here. A trust that goes beyond any other friendship, a bond that can only be built when you trust your life to another person. I sit staring out on the desert, methodically belaying as my partner climbs, taking it all in. Here I am at peace.

They reach the ledge and after a brief gear swap I continue up the wall for the next pitch. We continue on like this until the sun makes it rounds and begins to drop to the west. With thoughts of food, we descend and find our way back to the campground as the temperature cools. Everyone is returning around the same time, sparking up campfires and telling tales of the day over good food and the best beer around; Tecate.

Mental and physical exhaustion slowly take there toll and after a hearty dinner I drop into a deep dream filled sleep in the back of my truck. Content with the day and excited for the next...