+20°C to -25°C

Well, my southern sojourn has come to its inevitable conclusion.  Five months on the road have left me penniless and psyched for the next chapter.

Since my last post I made my way to the Grand Canyon, where I fought off snow and fog to take in the amazing vistas. I then met my good friends Josh, Regan, and Pete in Vegas for some Christmas bowling, and beers. Oh, I guess we climbed too.  From Vegas it was off to J-tree to meet the Evolv crew for New-Years festivities, then a jaunt to Mexico where our buds Jeff and Dea run an orphanage.  Josh and Regs headed home from the land of delicious tacos while I spent a week chillin in Fallbrook, California with my buddy Buck.  We climbed, we hiked, we ate, we drank.  We had a great time.  It was in Fallbrook that I learned of my grandmother's passing. I drove to Vegas, climbed with Terry, Selena, and Jeremy for a day, then took a flight back to the great white north.  After an emotional, and cold 2 weeks I returned to Vegas.  Getting in late, I parked my van at the Red Rock Casino, only to be woken up and informed at 3:30 am that this was not an acceptable location to bivy.  In my sleepy stupor I made my way to a nearby neighborhood where I camped-out for the next few days.  I departed Vegas and made my final stop in Bishop.  In Bishop, I climbed with many good friends, scared myself, and dealt with a misbehaving passenger door lock.  Every day I would wake up, make myself a cup of coffee, bask in the rising sun, and question whether life could get any better.  Bishop truly is a bouldering paradise.  Three weeks of perfect weather led to a couple days of rain.  The incoming cold front, in conjunction with my dwindling bank account were all the provocation I needed to make my northerly migration.

The Grand Canyon at sunrise

The crew at the Gallery in Red Rocks

Regs on the beach in Mexico

Josh tucking into a delicious taco

Campsite bocce in Vegas with team Edmonton

Jedi Mind Tricks

Welcome to the Buttermilks

Grandma Peabody southwest arete

Paul Szaror climbing Suspended in Silence

This trip was an amazing experience I will not soon forget.  Not only did I visit some amazing locales, but I met a bunch of truly amazing people.  You know who you are.  Maybe we shared beta on a boulder problem, or hung out at a sport crag.  Perchance we were just campsite neighbors, but more than likely at the end of a glorious day of climbing we kicked back and enjoyed good company, and good beer.  If this sounds like you, then my thanks go out to you, and I hope it isn't too long before we find ourselves in a similar setting.

Ciao!

AQ