Wednesday, July 27, 2016

Der Town

I've been putting off writing a post lately. Well really, I have about half a dozen half written in my head that haven't made it to the interwebs.  Maybe it's because I have to drive in to town, find reliable internet, and then awkwardly type it out on my iPad with my fingers all squished together in some kind of Donald Trump, tiny-hand impression.  But it's too hot to climb, camp is full of flesh eating flies and I've got nothing but time.



A lot has happened in a few months: I got rid of most of my belongings- selling gave way to Goodwill gave way to a pile in the yard with a "free shit" sign, moved out of Hood River, and took up residence in an Easy Up tent (with walls!) at my favorite backwoods camp site near Leavenworth Washington.  I have a job at a bar three nights a week, my feet are always dirty and a shower is a quick, very brisk dip in the nearest river.


Life is amazing this way.  I find that I do everything more deliberately, from feeding myself to scheduling my morning walk to the pit toilet down the hill.  I don't have a shred of cell service at camp, so interneting is a specific, limited task that doesn't consume my mind all day long.

I cook more and eat out less. I relax more. I explore more.  I have pine needles I can't get out of my hair and this morning I found a caterpillar was making a cocoon on the underside of my pillow.  I feel utterly immersed in nature in a way I have never experienced before.  I've never had so much fresh air and sunshine every day and I'm at peace with all the insects I can't seem to avoid (except the biting flies, fuck you, biting flies). And oh yeah, I can climb any day of the week.

Ultimately that's why I'm here.  I had the best ski season of my life, because I spent all winter racking up days and pushing myself.  I wanted to do the same thing for climbing so I moved somewhere with endless amazing granite to play on.  I'm trying not to plan too far ahead, I'm trying to embrace the uncertainty, I'm trying to live in the moment and say yes to life's opportunities.

It's working so far....