What do all of these times have in common?
They are all a part of what has been the best summer I've ever had.
When I first started climbing it was news to me that rock climbing was actually bigger than just pulling on plastic. Once I made this discovery, I'd dream about going camping with my dirt bag buds, climbing till we got too hot, going to the lake and eating a can of beans for dinner before crawling into a tent and doing it all again the next day. So I guess you could say that this summer I've been, quite literally, living the dream. Before June I could count the number of times I'd been to Squamish on one hand, and this summer with the help of some wheels and psyched friends I was able to dive head first into the endless rock that this place has to offer.
I spent a lot of time in Cheakamus Canyon, playing around with all the heifers and musical bovine on the Circus Wall and when the sun defeated us, chilling out in the Well of Souls. I even had some fun on Big Show a couple of times. And when the tendons shut me down on the sport routes I convinced 'the more experienced guy with the gear' Sean, to drag me up some multipitches. These climbs gave me an appreciation for the goal of getting to the top. And my oh my is it a wonderful thing to get to the top and look down at the beautiful British Columbian scenery stretching out in front of you.
But I'm getting ahead of myself... my awesome climbing year started before the warmer months rolled in. In April I took a trip down to Smith Rocks, Oregon with some pals, and even
met up with a few Calgarians while we were down there. My finger was still far from healed at that time so I didn't get a chance to get on anything hard but it was fun none the less getting a taste of the different climbing style. The rest of the boys ripped it up. Heres a snap of Ryder on Chain Reaction. 
Soon after we returned from Oregon, my lovely parents were generous enough to take a weekend away from real life in Skaha and dropped Ryder, Sean and I off at the campsite on the way there. We were once again joined by some Alberta peeps and Leo, a fellow team member, and it made for an awesome long weekend. Leo hadn't had much outdoor climbing experience before and his ease and comfort on the rock really impressed me. He found the energy and motivation to climb more than 8 routes (a few with some seriously sketchy run outs) on both days... something I envy. Thanks to Randy Atkinson for the picture of me flailing on some 12a on the Belfrey in Skaha.
Fun trips with close friends are always a good time, but nothing beats the home crag. I've managed to tame the granite (and by tame I mean slap uselessly along its edges and slopers) and get a better feel for the Squampton style. I sent a couple hard routes (hard for me...warm ups for others...) and defeated my summer project Timer Queen, which was exciting, but not nearly as exciting as Sean's epic send of Free Will, 5.13c. I spend a lot of time with that kid and I can't think of a time I've seen him happier than when he lowered off that route. Big congrats to Ryder on his recent send of Division Bell. Gosh these guys are strong...
Now as I sip my hot chocolate and stare with a long face at the grey wetness outside, the day before I start school at SFU I can't help but feel a lump in my throat knowing that my dream summer has come to a close. So before I'm hurled back into a tornado of reality, I'd like to take a moment to thank mother nature for providing us with this magnificent playground and my climbing posse for always being there to lend a catch and a smile.
Best of luck to everyone with they're new life adventures!
ex's and oh's
About to leave Smith... :(
Wannabe dirtbaggers...
