(this morning, in the elevator. 9:15am, me and two other co-workers.)
me: [jokingly] "yeah, this is me little late because i finally rolled out of bed at 8:55."
[heavy, paused silence]
co-worker: [not annoyed, but close] "this is me a little late because i left my house at 7:15."
me: [to myself] grin. this is me already having a good day.
~
i used to have a commute. 45 to an hour, over the sepulveda pass 2x a day, from sherman oaks to santa monica. not the greatest way to watch life go by.
now i have a 4 minute drive (3 if i hit green on all 4 of the lights i have to go through) from home to work. i go home for lunch nearly every day. i usually get up around 8:35 to be here at 9. and i get home between 5:05-5:15 every evening, just wondering what i'm gonna do that evening.
this is the way it should be.
28 June 2001
26 June 2001
june 22 was quite possibly one of the greatest days of my life.
climbed Finger Trip on tahquitz, with tim and joe. nearly 6 hours on the rock, nearly 700' of crack climbing. most of the route was 'exposed,' which means it was a sheer cliff, nothing but hundreds of feet of air down to the ground below as we climbed. 6 pitches to the top; 4 to Lunch Ledge, a slab of rock just big enough for a couple of (bolted in) climbers to lay out, get some rest and eat.
i nearly fell asleep laying there, one foot and one hand dangling over the edge, 500' off the ground. a breeze was sifting, the view was unparalleled and the warmth of the sun made All Things Perfect. after some time, we completed 2 more pitches to the summit, reveled a little bit at our accomplishment, and headed back down (we took a little longer than we had imagined, and it was getting dark).
unreal day. we left exhausted; dumbfounded. it seems silly, how much enjoyment we find in climbing up the sides of really big rocks. i've heard people have died at tahquitz. but incredible experiences and unmatched memories happen there too.
climbed Finger Trip on tahquitz, with tim and joe. nearly 6 hours on the rock, nearly 700' of crack climbing. most of the route was 'exposed,' which means it was a sheer cliff, nothing but hundreds of feet of air down to the ground below as we climbed. 6 pitches to the top; 4 to Lunch Ledge, a slab of rock just big enough for a couple of (bolted in) climbers to lay out, get some rest and eat.
i nearly fell asleep laying there, one foot and one hand dangling over the edge, 500' off the ground. a breeze was sifting, the view was unparalleled and the warmth of the sun made All Things Perfect. after some time, we completed 2 more pitches to the summit, reveled a little bit at our accomplishment, and headed back down (we took a little longer than we had imagined, and it was getting dark).
unreal day. we left exhausted; dumbfounded. it seems silly, how much enjoyment we find in climbing up the sides of really big rocks. i've heard people have died at tahquitz. but incredible experiences and unmatched memories happen there too.
19 June 2001
last friday:
rode crenshaw + found a new 15-18 foot chute = had to find the hydrogen peroxide upon returning home.
super excited about tahquitz this friday. never been on a trad multipitch climb.... "traditional climbing" is climbing using no pre-placed protection (ie. drilled in bolts, the staple of sport climbing) but placing your own cams, hexes and nuts... and since the climb is ~600 feet, and rope doesn't come in that length, you go up in stages. can't WAIT.
and this has got to be the coolest thing i have ever seen in my life. if anyone finds out how i can get me one of those, send me an email.
rode crenshaw + found a new 15-18 foot chute = had to find the hydrogen peroxide upon returning home.
super excited about tahquitz this friday. never been on a trad multipitch climb.... "traditional climbing" is climbing using no pre-placed protection (ie. drilled in bolts, the staple of sport climbing) but placing your own cams, hexes and nuts... and since the climb is ~600 feet, and rope doesn't come in that length, you go up in stages. can't WAIT.
and this has got to be the coolest thing i have ever seen in my life. if anyone finds out how i can get me one of those, send me an email.
11 June 2001
so, i didn't hear the official announcement or anything, but it's relatively safe to say that summer has arrived in southern california. at least during this past weekend...
i spent the majority of the time outdoors; climbing in malibu canyon saturday and riding my bike around the beach cities (redondo, hermosa and manhattan beach) on sunday. both locales were packed. malibu with her nature clubs, outdoor painter's clubs and family day-trippers; and the beaches had a healthy covering of sun-seekers of all types. good times.
the tahquitz climb is only 12 days away....
i spent the majority of the time outdoors; climbing in malibu canyon saturday and riding my bike around the beach cities (redondo, hermosa and manhattan beach) on sunday. both locales were packed. malibu with her nature clubs, outdoor painter's clubs and family day-trippers; and the beaches had a healthy covering of sun-seekers of all types. good times.
the tahquitz climb is only 12 days away....