Monthly Archives: September 2012

Travel

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(the next few posts are going to be a bit out of order, wrote this on the plane and wanted to get it posted)

The flight from Salt Lake to Denver was full of a high school girls soccer team from Australia.  They had been traveling for 27 hours, and Denver was their final destination.  Listening to their accents I started to think about all of the planes I’ve been on since I quit my job in Portland.  I’m traveling for work this week, but my work at Energetechs has never had the same rote tedium that working at Glumac did.  I still feel like I’m on the journey.  I remember sitting on the plane on Monday morning, November 15, 2010 on my way to the GreenBuild conference to represent Glumac.  That was when I decided to quit the job and see what else the world had to offer- it’s fun to think that the journey that has been my life since then has pretty much been perfect, with just enough low points to make it real.

En route, via SLC.

I’m in Denver to give a presentation to the Passive House Institute US National Conference.  I’m a little scared that being the nerdiest construction company in Montana isn’t quite enough to hang with the other folks here, but we’ll give it our best.  We’ve got an authentic story to tell, and I think we tell it well- the success is going to lie in owning that.

It is said that the world is like a book, and that those who don’t travel only read one page.  I’ll be here until Monday and expect to work my tail off, learning, networking, training, and growing- and I’m really looking forward to it.  I’m curious to see what coming back to Missoula feels like, particularly in comparison to returning there after Yosemite a few weeks ago.  Stay tuned.

Focus

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It is what seems to be lacking in my life lately.  I haven’t been spending my time pursuing my priorities, even when I feel like I know what they are (which is surprisingly not often).

Driving back from California, my focus drifted so far as to wonder why I was bothering to drive back to Missoula at all- the eastern Sierra is just that captivating- but fortunately practical concerns won out.  I see it in my writing, in my working, in my home life, and in my tire tracks, the focus is missing.

I thoroughly enjoyed a very short trip to Portland last weekend- mostly on the occasion of witnessing two beautiful people tie a beautiful knot:

“Work is love made visible.” (Kahlil Gibran) It’s obvious these two have done the work.

Naturally, I jammed the rest of my time in the city chock full of familiar faces.

Roommates for life, at least in spirit.

It felt like an effort to pick up again after the long drive home from California and a full work week, but I was very grateful to have the company of two awesome Missoulians for the drive on each end.  My friends Emily and Kate both had loved ones of their own to see in PDX, so we made a road trip of it.  Our conversations in the car were some of the most open and insightful sharing I’ve gotten to experience since moving here.

This past week I’ve been stretched thin at work as my dear friend and colleague Andy moves back to his native Australia (where I cannot wait to visit him in January).  As such, I’ve picked up a number of additional projects, and with winter coming, it is not a slow time for heating contractors.  Training sessions have been few and far between, and my focus has felt far from climbing and writing (or anything in particular), points that I hope to steer towards throughout the fall.  I’ve made a point to give more time to the non-profit organizations that I am working with (here, and here).  Doing what needs to be done isn’t always as satisfying as you hope.

How can we make this little black and white sticker really *mean* something more.

Tuolomne

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You’ve been warned, this could probably be several posts- the lack of power for my computer, internet connectivity while traveling, and free time upon my return has left me behind on writing.  The last 10 days have inspired a lot of writing.  Hopefully I’ll get to all of it in the coming weeks.  The short summary is interspersed with the photos.

First off- I really like driving.  940 miles from Missoula to Lee Vining was no problem.  840 miles back (on a different route) was harder, but not because of the driving.

How many of my best days start.

Engine limit?

In addition to enjoying the Jarbidge, I also enjoyed a night in the desert overlooking Mono Lake, sunrise over the eastern Sierra, and beautiful (but hard to photograph) vistas across Nevada.

First light on the mountains, September 6, 2012.

I pulled into Tuolomne Meadows around 11am last Monday- John was still making his way up from SF, so I headed out for a perfect trail run/hike up to Cathedral Lake.  I haven’t been running at all this summer, but it felt good to move fast again, and I’m excited to think I’ll be running again this fall (fingers crossed).  Tuolomne is one of the most perfect places I have ever been, and the only other time I was there was on my solo ski tour last spring.  The summer tourists certainly have their impact, but nothing really breaks the serenity of the place.

Tuesday John and I got lost and didn’t find the route we were looking for.  Certainly a downer to start the trip, but it was still a beautiful day, and served us a good slice of humble pie.  Weather on Wednesday looked uncertain, so we elected to fire two short routes, South Crack on Stately Pleasure Dome and West Crack on Daff Dome.  The climbing here can be confusing and scary, but awesome at the same time.

Climbers are the main wildlife attraction for tourists at the base of Stately Pleasure Dome.

John charging the 2nd pitch.

100ft runout. Routine for Tuolomne climbing.

The climbing was easy and the setting was perfect.  I wasn’t complaining.

New friends on the route next to us.

Tuolomne as a reputation for bad afternoon thunderstorms, and rain makes the granite slick as snot.  By the time we got to West Crack, things weren’t looking so hot.

Up to be down, I hated calling the weather after a superb first pitch.

Thursday was more of the same, so we headed for some single pitch climbing at Olmstead Point.  Frustrating to not tick any long routes, but the skies weren’t inspiring.  We top roped, we fell off a lot, and got worked early- there are really no bad days of climbing in Yosemite.

Rain?

Even without long routes, my hands were showing signs of Yosemite by Thursday sunset.

Friday dawned perfectly.  I got up early to check the weather, and we made the most of the day.  It may only be 5.7, but I’ve never climbed anything quite like the complete traverse of Mathes Crest.  It’s about a mile long, and much of the route can be simulclimbed, but with just enough exposure to make you think about it.

High Sierra.

This was only the beginning.

Better and better.

The views backwards were the best.  Note the other parties standing where we had just been.

Everyone gets this photo, and I don’t care.

It was a sweet day out.  Everything just fired like it was supposed to- we didn’t get too lost on the approach, John and I simuled the first half of the route in 2.5 hours, and despite some questionable route finding and exciting downleading, we had a hoot on the second half as well.

John’s last belay ledge. Perfect.

The route traverse the entire visible ridge, starting from the notch at the far right, and ending at the notch on the far left. You know it’s good when it barely fits in the camera lens.

Views on our walk back to the car were similarly perfect.  We picked up the pace to race the sun down, and finished the route car to car in 12 hours.

Cathedral Peak on the way home.

Mt. Conness and the Sierra Crest. Perfect.

It was a little hard to rally for another climb on Saturday morning, but I knew I was sitting in a car for two days and wanted one more shot at the route we failed to find on Tuesday.  We found it in short order, but also found another party on it that was in over their heads.  After 1.5 hours of waiting at the pitch 2 belay, John and I were cold and frustrated.

Gangstas, who weren’t rolling anywhere behind another party.

We down-climbed the two pitches and headed our respective ways.  Despite the disappointment of not finishing the route, watching another team disintegrate made me even more grateful to have had a competent and fun partner for the week.  Many thanks to John for the sweet camping, willing attitude, and wise counsel.

The trip home was more of a challenge than the way out, but I did get one lucky photo in northern Nevada:

Train + Rainstorm + Sunset + Lightening.

More insight to follow, but the most important outcome from the vacation was that it felt like vacation- I didn’t really think or do anything in particular, and enjoyed being more away from everything familiar than I have been in quite some time.

Seasons

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Sunrise, September 1, 2012, Challis, Idaho. Music: Explosions In The Sky, Your Hand in Mine.

A few days ago I posted something on Facebook about seeing color in the leaves.  I was Jarbridge, Nevada (which is really much more like Idaho than what you would normally think of Nevada) last night and the air felt distinctly crisp.  Oh, and I drove through a full on hail storm to get there.  So yeah, fall is in the air, and that’s cool ‘cause it’s my favorite season and I’m on vacation, making a slow trip down to Yosemite National Park.  I’ve never climbed in Tuolomne, and my friend John is posted up there for the fall season in a joint venture between the AAC and National Park Service.  He and I had talked about meeting up, but I wasn’t sure it would happen until my idea to go to the Wind River range didn’t pan out.

Somewhere west of Rogerson, Idaho.

Really didn’t expect to find a post office…

Jarbridge is actually pretty well on the way, but getting  there takes quite a bit of doing.  My friend Linda (from my last adventure to Idaho) was headed into the Jarbridge Wilderness for a little solo backpacking, and we realized it would be fun to meet up in the middle of nowhere.

I didn’t really feel like I needed a vacation, which meant it was the perfect time to take one.  As I’ve hinted before, I miss the roadlife.  While I certainly don’t feel settled in Missoula, my journey takes a different form there, and there’s a part of me that just loves living out of the back of my car and exploring as much new territory as I can.

The Jarbridge is worth the trip- I look forward to making it back here.

I’m very grateful for a little time with a friend I may not see again for a long time.  Goodbyes are hard.

My wanderlust does not bode well for my bank account, long term financial solvency, or ability to invest in community.  I don’t know what to make of this fact, but it’s the main thing on my mind.  Watching the seasons change in Missoula, and on the road, makes me realize I’ve been in Missoula most of a year already.  When every minute of life still counts for something, a year starts to feel like a long time.  I’m always excited about fall, and perhaps unlike most folks, I can’t wait for winter.

Just north of Deeth, Nevada. Just go be out in the world today.

I’m not sure what to make of all this.  I’m not anywhere near the financial position I was in when I left Portland, and I don’t feel like professional experience in Missoula is complete yet, let alone the fact that Missoula still has much to offer.  Sometimes it just feels like my head and my heart are in two different seasons of my life.  This is going to be a good week to feel the differences.