Road Trip - Virginia or Bust!

On December 15, 2007 we left sunny 29 Palms, CA for a 3,000 mile adventure across the nation. I traveled and climbed across the country with a friend and fellow Outward Bound instructor, Scott Shepherd, who was also headed to Virginia to be with family for the holidays.
Destination #1: Lunch with my aunt and uncle in Pheonix, AZ.
We had a great time visiting, and then my aunt loaded us up with goodies for our journey. As we were traveling on a budget, we only ended up only having to stop at one grocery and one fast food place on the whole eight day trip. Thanks Aunt Sylvia!
Destination #2: Climbing in Cochise Stronghold (AZ) with friend and local climber Justin.
I was awestruck at the beauty and majesty of the rock and surrounding scenery. We could have stayed and explored for weeks, but I admit, it was cold!
Destination #3: Enchanted Rocks State Park, Texas
We enjoyed going for runs in warmer weather after a lot of driving, and a mellow day of bouldering (sometimes it's nice to leave all that gear behind), followed by a couple of trad routes the next day.
Destination #3.5: We drove an hour and a half to stay with an old friend of Scott's in Austin, TX. We enjoyed a night out on the town with live music in Austin before we started the last leg of our journey.
Destination #4: Blacksburg, VA
Done with our climbing, we decided to high-tail it: 19 hours straight for home! We had plenty of coffee, good discussions, silly radio sing-alongs, and road trip games to keep us awake.
Destination #5: My parents home in Alexandria, VA
After dropping Scott off in Blacksburg (and a good nap), I drove the last 4 hours home to spend Christmas with my family.

Solid Rock Climbers for Christ

It was a privilege to be on the road with Solid Rock this past fall. I was encouraged and impressed by the Christian climbers I met at Joshua Tree (CA) and Red Rocks (Las Vegas, NV). We met together to climb and fellowship, and to share the love of God with the climbing community. In breathtakingly beautiful settings, it was my "job" to share the best news I've ever heard, the coming of Jesus Christ, with people from all over the world. How cool is that? I thank God for an amazing fall season, and all of the people who helped to make it possible!

Climbing in Joshua Tree with Solid Rock member, Travis Wilcox

Solid Rock Coffee Outreach

Solid Rock members worship together in Red Rocks

John is camping out and working in Las Vegas to earn money for his family back in Chicago. He was grateful for the opportunity for fellowship.

The Klein family, Kurt Wedberg and myself at 13 Mile Campground

Climbing with Friends

This past fall I had the opportunity to spend time with some amazing people. Most of them work for Outward Bound or other wilderness education programs. Whether we were climbing, sitting around the campfire, or making dinner together, we enjoyed sharing our lives and appreciating the beauty around us.
Here are some highlights:

Jess staying warm between climbs at JTree

Climbing Wantanobi Wall (my hardest trad lead in JTree)
Ralph & Mick around the campfire before a crazy game of charadesWe attempted to escape the downpour at Hidden Valley Campground by hopping into Mick's Volkswagen

Mick and I always settled our disagreements like adultsCori, Mick, Liam, and I after a day of climbing in Red Rocks

Thanksgiving

Photo: Me and my big bro : )

As we drove back from Thanksgiving at my aunt & uncle's home,
we listed what we are grateful for. I am thankful for:

-forgiveness, grace, and freedom afforded to me by Jesus Christ
-a loving, supportive and generous family
-my friends, who I can be myself around
-the abundance that exists here in the US:
I never lack food, water, clothing, shelter, or any other needs
-the beauty and complexity of the natural world
-little things: cups of tea, walks on the beach, dogs, good chats
-people and circumstances that challenge me
-the way God always provides
-diversity
-music
-climbing
-good health & the ability to run, jump & play
-my car/home
-my work: being able to make a difference in the lives of others
-my computer & e-mail (which keep me connected)
-dancing
-fellowship with other followers of Christ
-giving: bringing joy to others and glory to God

JTree Photos

Chadwick Outdoor Ed Instructors

Jess visiting my cube...
office space is hard to come by on the road!

The welcome desert glow of sunset

Quality girl time: Jess, Hana and myself
climbing in costume on Halloween

Outward Bound Women's Rock Rendezvous

You gotta love climbing with twenty other amazing women who work for Outward Bound! The rock rendezvous provided a safe and unique environment for women to enjoy one another and the rock, and to grow and challenge their own perceived limits. Last year, it was a chance for me to gain more confidence in my trad leading. This year, it was my pleasure to empower other women to do the same. There was a lot of laughter, energy, and gratitude for such a unique program offered to Outward Bound staff. Many of these women have become my dear friends, and together we are each other's families when we work courses or live at base camp together. I treasured my time with these awesome ladies!

At home in Joshua Tree National Park

It is great to be back on the border of the Mojave and Colorado deserts where the sky is wide, the stars are bright, and the landscape is quiet. Desert solitude is unique, and though foreign to me a year ago, it feels comfortingly familiar to return here now. I look forward to exploring more of the desert landscape and living things, and to climbing it's amazingly abundant, though somewhat haphazard stacks of rocks. The trees in the photo are the park's namesake Joshua Trees.

Red Rocks

Red Rocks was a blast! After being humbled by Yosemite's long trad* routes, it was fun to hop on some sport routes in Red Rocks. Three friends from the gym back home came out to climb with me for 5 days (2 days in JTree and 3 in Red Rocks)! We had a blast camping, climbing, and riding around in their rented red Mustang convertible (go figure- it was the cheapest rental car they could find!)

Highlights included running into other Outward Bound folks, campfires with the Spaniards camping "next door," climbing with Bob (local Solid Rock climber), encouraging all three friends as they gained comfort with leading* and cleaning routes outside, chats with Brian, prayer/worship times with Gretchen, and running the 13-mile Red Rock Canyon scenic loop with Cole.


I look forward to going back to Red Rocks for more sport climbing, and to do some of the stellar multi-pitch* trad routes that I have heard so much about. However, it won't be quite the same without the company of friends from home.


*CLIMBING TERMINOLOGY IN BRIEF:
-The belayer is the person who uses a friction device to hold onto the other end of the rope in case the climber falls.
-The leader starts with the rope at the bottom of the climb and clips it into protection she (or he) places as she climbs. Lead climbing is different from Top-roping in that one does not set up an anchor at the top of the climb before climbing (Like you might see in a gym.)
-Trad is short for traditional climbing which requires equipment (or "pro," short for protection) to place in cracks in the rock and clip a rope into as one climbs up, in order to protect a fall.
-Sport climbing refers to climbs where permanent bolts have been placed in the rock by climbers to clip their rope into for protection. Red Rocks has both sport and Trad routes, but Yosemite is famous for it's long, "sandbagged" trad routes. Sandbagged means that the route is probably harder than its published rating.
-Cleaning a route refers to the process of following the climb to take out the protection that the leader placed and/or clean the anchor at the top of the climb.
-Multi-pitch climbs are more than a single rope length, so they are split in to sections where the leader climbs the first pitch, belays the second (who cleans the gear) up to the anchor, then leads up the next pitch, belays the second up to the next anchor, and so on...

Yosemite Facelift (September)

The 4th annual Yosemite Facelift, sponsored by climbers, was a great success! Thousands of volunteers picked up garbage and assisted with special clean-up projects that the park service does not have the resources to complete without volunteer help. The Yosemite Climbing Association arranged all kinds of sponsors (including Solid Rock), raffles and events throughout the week. I was inspired by presentations/slides/films from Tommy Caldwell and the Huber brothers (famous climbers). For me, it was a unique glimpse into the international climbing community. (Click on title above to find out more about the project.)

Yosemite's Camp 4 (the climbers campground) is a humbling place. Climbers from all over the world gather there to prepare to climb El Capitan and other famous big walls. Many others travel from nearby areas for a weekend of cragging. I got to climb a number of routes there, and was encouraged to meet up with Shirley and Melissa, two other Solid Rock climbers, as well as multiple outdoor educators who ended up at the same campsite! I enjoyed climbing routes, one day with Shirley, and a few days with Mick (an OB friend). The climbing community is strong in Yosemite. It is such an amazing place to meet and hang out with people you don't know. We are all there, packed into sites in a full campground, with a common passion and respect for the rock and the natural beauty around us. Everyone is welcoming, generous, and eager to chat. I look forward to returning for years to come: to be humbled by the rock, to gather with other climbers, and someday to climb a big wall myself.

(1) Photo of Shirley and I on our uplifting day together. We enjoyed picking up trash, sharing our life and faith stories, climbing, and representing Solid Rock to the climbing community.
(2) Photo of Mick and I climbing the "central pillar of frenzy" just across the valley from the famous:
(3) El Capitan (The Nose). Someday...

Dog-sitting: just what the doctor ordered

Picture this... you wake up on a cold fall morning in a spacious canvas platform tent, your face completely inside your sleeping bag. You peek out of the bag just enough to see three noses and some whiskers beckoning you to wake up, cuddle and rub them behind the ears.

Maggie, Stella, and Nibbles greeted me with affectionate nuzzles and a few sloppy kisses (and one or two paws in the eye) to start out each day. Dogs are effective alarm clocks- they come with a built in snooze button feature.

After a great summer of leading wilderness trips for Outward Bound in Oregon, the past few weeks have been a welcome time of refreshment! I worked part-time, climbed a lot, and enjoyed the rare privilege of being in the same place for more than ten days. I spent quality time with family, friends, God, a local church, and three wonderful dogs!

Their demands were simple: "feed me, play/run with me, and love me." I loved watching the three unique personalities come out in all of them. (I nick-named them Classy, Sassy, and Spunk.) I started thinking about which one was the closest to the ideal dog for me someday. And then I realized, each is amazing in their own way... much like we are as humans. We were all created so differently and each have qualities that make us incredible individuals.

God always seems to know exactly what I need. Pooches just have a way of making you feel loved and needed. They listen without giving advice and offer the gift of an innocent and thorough snuggle. They lay a head on your leg or just snuggle up beside you, sharing warmth and a steady, calming heart beat. There must be dogs in Heaven. Now I feel ready to move back into my car and face the next big adventure of my life.

On The Road With Solid Rock

Today I started my journey working part-time with Solid Rock Climbers for Christ. I am excited to combine my passion for climbing with my love of God, and my desire to share the love and light of Christ with others.

Goodbye Smith Rock

Goodbye Smith Rock... it has been wonderful to explore your magnificent walls!

A Passion For Climbing

I relish the combined smell of musty rock, sweat, chalk dust, and dirt. I love being outside with the rocks, trees, and the rivers. I love the feel of my body on the rock; I balance one foot on a small nub and glide over onto it and turn as if dancing on a vertical ballroom floor. There is a charge of power as my muscles engage and I reach through a hard section of a climb, having to remind myself to breathe.
Being out in the middle of the forest, the canyon, the valley, or the gorge brings peace to my soul. When I reach the top of a multi-pitch climb I feel like a bird soaring over the land below. The beauty before me inspires awe. I contemplate the greatness of one who designed all that I see around me.
Climbing is an individual sport that requires a team effort. When I first started climbing, I was amazed at what I was able to accomplish with the help and encouragement of those around me. For this reason I also love to teach climbing and see people overcome challenges to achieve heights and feats they perceived as unattainable.
I began to pursue climbing on my own about seven years ago. For years I considered climbing to be a selfish pursuit that did not have much purpose. Recently I have come to realize that doing what I am passionate about not only brings me to life, but also has a positive influence on those around me. Therefore, I plan to spend more time pursuing climbing as a sport, and also as a teacher.

The Call

On a beautiful fall day two years ago, my friend and I were praying together. That particular day our prayers had no agenda, other than to enjoy time with God and to sit and listen. That’s when I heard God say, “Oregon.”
Six months later, I packed up my car and drove across the country to Oregon. I sent in a few applications before I left, but had no job to greet me when I arrived. Looking back, it is amazing to see how God planned and supported me every step of the way! He provided friends and family to stay with, campgrounds when I got tired driving, fellowship when I was lonely, jobs and food when funds were low, and much more. Most of all, God has given me the gracious gift of His forgiveness, through Jesus Christ, who atones for me, despite my daily transgressions. Thankfully, the master plan did not end at the cross, but allows us to experience eternal life, living each day in relationship with Him.
Admittedly, there are many days when I do not feel God’s presence. However, it is His love and promise of a close relationship that keeps me going each day, and fuels my desire to share that hope with those around me. Sharing Christ’s love can be done in so many different ways, and he gives each person unique passions and gifts. I have been working, learning and training in the field of Outdoor Education for the past nine years.
Now I am thrilled at the chance to hit the road doing some outdoor education instructing, and some ministry to the climbing community. My work this fall will combine my profession, my passion and my calling!