We opted to stay home for Christmas this year versus the whirlwind tour of east coast friends and family that we typically do. This decision was quite a big deal, as we’ve been traveling east for the holidays for the last 19 (nineteen!!) years, with only 3 exception years. There are pros and cons to all that holiday traveling and also pros and cons to staying home. Fact is, neither option is perfect, which is fine. And traditions morph over time, which is also fine. As a good friend of our’s recently put it, trying to keep everything the same year after year is not only impracticable, but downright impossible given that the entropy of the universe is always increasing. With chaos and disorder growing with each passing day, how can one possibly expect anything in life to remain the same? Traditions included? Upon hearing this I immediately drew a correlation in my mind of the chaos and disorder that Paul and I thought we were in when Silas and Ivan were little babies, and how I sometimes long for what now appears to be those simpler times. Today’s chaos and disorder is SO much greater than in those days! Bottom line, there is just no holding the universe back people. And so, we had an absolutely lovely Tucson Christmas this year, complete with plenty of entropy but with the spirit of all our friends and family traditions still firmly intact.
“Buffet Day” is a term we use to describe a day out at the boulders where one goes from boulder to boulder, sampling various climbs, sending only what one can do quickly. We’ve decided to be in sampling mode these first few trips to Hueco, trying out the new stuff, or stuff we’ve never been on. What I love about Buffet Days: there’s no “saving” oneself for the big proj. Just throw yourself at something and send now! And if the climb sucks, move on!
Today’s Buffet Day highlights:
Ok, so this is clearly not a Buffet Day boulder problem. It’s sunrise at our campsite. And dang beautiful at that!
Ivan running right up Gingivitis, v2, a piece of rock we’ve walked by a million times but never climbed
And right next to it, Third Reich, v5. Quite good, and not too hard
Next, Paul burls his way up Orpheus, v6. And then we both sample the v8 that climbs into it from the left, Eurydice
Needing one last helping from the buffet before calling it a day, Ivan asked if we could go back to Orifice Affair, v1. So psyched we did because: Send! (Today felt WAY easier than the other day. Perhaps a hold didn’t break after all, haha)
Ok, just one more climb. Paul attempting Smooth Move, v7. A massive dyno. No send but sure fun to try.
Well, today was supposed to be a climbing day at Hueco. But thanks to a southwestern winter storm that decided to plant itself over El Paso for way longer than forecasted, we needed to find another adventure for the day. Sled riding anyone?
The boys will be baking all day while I work-from-home over in the guest house. They have their country grandma on FaceTime standby. Stay tuned on how this turns out. 😬
While I struggle with the stand-up start of it, Blowdryer, v5
Silas finds sun to settle into his book
Ivan working out short person beta on Instant Classic, v3
Silas on Orifice Affair, v1. Why does this one feel WAY harder than I remember? (When in doubt, blame a broken hold)
The boys setting up the friends up for a day of route climbing
Getting a little obsessed with “the move” on The Bee, v6. Crimps and explosiveness…🤤
Ok, EXTREMELY obsessed! I about blew my entire day on trying to stick this one move. Never did. But this is exactly what good days on rock are made of!
And Paul will always send it for the team anyway. 😁
This was a trip of checking out new boulders, thanks to the climbs we had intended to get on being wet upon arrival. New boulders can be very addicting! Check out this gem I found, Bionic Traverse, v5!
Squirrel, v7
Pocket Rocket, v2
Orange Fever, v7
A Thanksgiving day route climb with Yosemite friends
Jamcrack, 5.7
More Jamcrack
No Thanksgiving dinner until everyone sends The Presidential Traverse, v0
And thankfully everyone did! First try!!
Hiking day rest day
Glacier Point
An expertly brewed cup of coffee on a bitterly cold morning at the boulders. Not sure if life really gets any better than this.
