Indian Creek Part 1

It's been sooo long! For weeks I've been thinking, 'Will I ever blog again?'. I know that sounds so dramatic, but I felt dramatic. So here's the short version: I got through loads of testing and paper work for the end of quarter grades plus parent teacher conferences. The kids are doing great, by the way. Immediately after conferences, I spent a day cleaning and packing for a week in the Creek. Drove to Indian Creek, Utah, through the spring break snow storm. Made it through the tunnel an hour before it closed. Spent 7 days camping and climbing (I managed 1 shower in Moab). Rolled back into town just in time to do Crossfit workout 13.4. Came home to my sister Annie and my favorite baby Selah, visiting for the week. Plus 3 weeks worth of graduate course work to finish by tomorrow. Selah is lovable as ever and unfortunately going back to Wyoming for now. And that pile of course work is half way done.

Let's talk about Indian Creek. It was a wonderful beat down, as it always is. I go to Indian Creek to be reminded that I am, in fact, no good at rock climbing (At least that's how the creek makes me feel). As I shoved and twisted my hands and feet into the slightly wide first crack, I hollered "Oooh, now I remember what the fun is,". The first two nights were the coldest camping of my ENTIRE LIFE! We built a fire by 6pm both evenings. I cried, seriously cried, when I had to venture into the dark and strip off my million layers to pee. By morning everything was frozen, the olive oil, the sunscreen, everything! Sam suggested I wear his Carhartt coveralls over all my clothes because "it will make you happy". Oh, He was right. I was the envy of all my friends tromping around in my giant, fashionable, but most importantly toasty get-up. Here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Soon the luscious, warm sunshine prevailed. Joy filled my climbing days. I climbed in shorts, got a little tan. I love the sun! Love the sun! So do the dogs.

  

I didn't climb as hard as I did in my day dreams, leading up to the trip. But the crack climbing really started to click. The one thing Crossfit has really improved is my pain tolerance. Indian Creek is 10% crack technique, 40% hand size & 50% pain tolerance. In years past, I just stopped when it hurt too much. But this year I just kept on and got some gobies to prove it.

Chocolate Corner was my most memorable climb of the trip. Chocolate Corner is this 50 ft (short for the creek) 5.9, open book corner crack. The size is thin hands, which is perfect for me. My earlier lead climb had left me quite anxious since it had felt much harder than the first time I did it, 1 1/2 years ago. As soon as I started climbing though, all my fear washed away. I was in the flow, just the movement of my body and the rock. Every hand jam felt so natural and solid. I had to remind myself to stop and place my first piece. But soon, I got tired and decided to hang on a cam for quite a while. As I finished, even some uneasy moves and foot slips didn't frighten me. Climbing without fear, just climbing, is an amazing feeling. Even though I didn't send, (climb from bottom to top without falling or hanging on the rope) I was ecstatic after my lead of Chocolate Corner. It took a lot of effort for me to finish that climb. I still have the glory wounds on my wrist from it. I felt like I was finally learning to crack climb. I already want to go back.

This is actually a pic of Chocolate Corner from last year, the first time I tried it. 

P.S. To give some perspective, my buddy climbed it after me in about 90 seconds, barefoot.