The Desert Diaries - Indian Creek

You only get one first time.  In the midst of that new experience, the doors swing wide open and you suddenly perceive a new reality, new opportunities, and just maybe a new part of your life thereafter.  The rush can never be duplicated, but each time you return to your new found pastime, you try to recreate the unmatched eye opening feeling of having a life-long veil lifted off of your head.  Those moments, the feelings, the sensations, the little details, stick with you for the rest of your life, and if you’re lucky you get to experience that rush at least a few times before you move on.  If you build it up too much ahead of time, searching out that high, you might just be disappointed.  But when you take things as they come, those rare fleeting moments catch you by surprise and create memories that sustain and inspire you for the rest of your life.

The Desert Diaries - Cochise Stronghold

Kristin and I just wrapped up a great week in Cochise Stronghold in Southern Arizona.  We spent two days in the Eastern Stronghold, clipping bolts and stretching out my ribs.  We then took a rest day, drove over a mountain pass, and descended into the Western Stronghold, where we spent two more days climbing multi-pitch routes in and around the Sheepshead.  I'm basically climbing pain free, and we got in some excellent routes.