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...
