Ivan Goes to Maple
For the last few years we’ve been coordinating a yearly climbing trip to Hueco Tanks with our dear friends Brian and Jen from Pittsburgh and their two kids Seb & Oren. This year, we all decided to mix it up a bit and do something different (read: April decided she was waaaay to pregnant and miserable this spring to enjoy climbing and toasts of tequila at Hueco). We decided on route climbing in Maple Canyon, Utah instead…after Ivan’s birth. Jen & Brian had never been to Maple so we were excited to introduce them to it. And it had been a while since the last time Paul and I were there. For a humorous refresher on our last trip, read here: The Playpen Goes to Maple.
All in all, this trip was a success. While we don’t really have any big tick list to report, we did get plenty of climbing in even with the logistics of keeping a 5-week-old warm, clean (relatively speaking) and happy. And we got to catch up with good friends and introduce little Ivan to them all. In addition to Brian, Jen, Seb & Oren, our dear friend Linda also met up with us as did our german buddies Grit & Manu (whom we hadn’t seen since Swizzy when I was pregnant with Silas). And wait there’s more: we also got to see my sis Holly and boyfriend Joe as well as THE one and only Courtney who all live in SLC.
It felt good to stretch our muscles doing what we love best after such a big chunk of time off. The forearm pump, the feel of a rock hold in my hands, the apprehension of a hard move, the joy of making it to the top without falling – love it. It felt good to work my lungs and legs lugging heavy packs and kids up a long and steep trail to the rocks. It felt good to yell the coined climber cheers “C’mon. Nice.” to my husband and friends as they fought their way to the top of the climbs. It felt good to collapse down in a camp chair, exhausted after a hard day’s play with a cold beer or sip of whisky, wishing that a dinner genie would magically appear and make dinner for us. It felt good to sit by the fire late into the night, surrounded by great company, discussing the routes of the day and the crux moves that made us fall. It felt good to get all dirty and greasy over the course of multiple days and the ultimate satisfaction of a shower at last! And most importantly it felt good to be out….all 4 of us now (plus brown dog Morgan!)….climbing, camping, hiking, playing. Having fun.
Perhaps contrary to popular belief given the lack of posts over the last 9 months and then the huge dump of new baby photos, this website has not fully turned to all-baby all-the-time. There will be climbing. Lots of climbing. Lots and lots of climbing. This trip was a hearty “smack of the reset button” as Paul so perfectly put it on the drive home. 🙂
4.5 week old Ivan all cozy in the van on his first roadtrip
First stop: Flagstaff Arizona, our campsite for the night
Ivan digs the site
Silas checking out the Glen Canyon Dam
Our second campsite somewhere in southern Utah on the way to Maple Canyon (yes, it took us 2 days to get there. Hey, we were being leisurely!)
There were horses at this campsite. Silas’ reaction: “Soooo cooool. Soooo aaaaawesome.” Where could he possibly be getting these words from?!
We’re here Ivan! Maple Canyon! Open your eyes!
Linda on Zen Fen, 5.9 at the Zen Garden
Silas with diggers
Dad with Ivan
Grit with Manu
Ivan with gear
Seb (9 years old) on Zen Fen, 5.9
Silas watching mt. biking videos with Joe at his and Holly’s place near Park City
Aunt Holly hanging out with Ivan for the first time
Ivan chillin’ at the crag
Motors running in The Pipedream cave (I wish I had a sound recorder for this!)
Brian sending Deliverance, 5.12c despite the loud motor derby below
Cute Ivan
Cute Silas
Oren (6.5 years old) on Bob’s Bolts, 5.4 at The Schoolroom
Silas and dad roping up
Silas scoping Bob’s Bolts, 5.4
Silas working the bottom 7 feet of Bob’s Bolts, 5.4
Sorry dad, diggers still rule over climbing
Jen and Oren
Linda looking all hot-climber-chick
The crew goofing off at The Bridge Buttress
Jen on an unnamed 5.10d at The Bridge Buttress
Dad and Ivan hanging out at The Pipedream again
Paul redpointing Orgasmo, 5.12c at The Pipedream
Jen on a redpoint burn of Deliverance, 5.12c at The Pipedream (which she later sent, yeah grrrl)
The drive home. Another stop in Flagstaff and a hike up on Mt. Humpreys
Mama and Silas on the Weatherford Trail on Mt. Humphreys
Dad and Ivan on the Weatherford Trail on Mt. Humphreys
Livin’ it up during the last few hours of the vacation: a Sammy Smith’s Brown Ale toast to the new family and our first adventure together
posted by arr
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on Tuesday, June 12th, 2012 at 8:58 pm and is filed under Cute Kids, Maple Canyon-Utah.
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