The Season Begins

After what seemed like an endless summer of pulling on plastic, we were finally blessed with some  temps just cool enough for some long overdue Jackson Falls action. Aside from in occasional dreams, I had not touched real rock in over 6 months and I was starting to get some major withdrawal symptoms. Needless to say, the psych level was high as we spent an entire day planning and packing for our first trip to Jackson Falls with the little man. Our days of last minute trips and packing on the fly are gone. It is astounding how much more gear is required with the addition of one tiny human being.

GoCrib...check, pop up tent...check, diapers...check, a multitude of squeaky toys, rattles, and chew toys...check, enough clothes for 10 layers at night...check. Twelve hours later, the Forester was filled to capacity and we were ready for takeoff.

As soon as the munchkin opened his sleepy eyes at the break of dawn, we were up and out the door. The three hour drive went surprisingly well since M slept most of the way. Arriving to camp soon after the rest of the gang, we quickly set up our palace for the night, which was complete with a futon bed, down comforter, pillows, and a travel crib for the little guy. Who says you can't "rough it" in style?

With our bags packed with all the essentials for the day, we set off on foot into the wilderness to find the rest of the group. Micah, buckled snug in his carrier (Thanks Scott and Katy!), held on tight to the reigns and grinned with excitement and slight trepidation for the unknown adventures ahead.



We found the rest of Team Saucisson at the usual warmup area, "The Gallery", already hard at work, lapping up some moderates to start the day. Everyone was psyched about the beautiful weather and finally being able to climbing outside again after a record breaking hot summer. Christian and I were able to get a few warmups in before moving on to the next area.

Micah showing his team spirit by sporting his own "Team Saucisson" t-shirt

We moved to the Battle Axe Tower area next. My eyes lit up at the sight of a line called "The Reckoning" (12a), a superb technical route that I had attempted several times last spring before becoming pregnant with M. Perhaps my favorite route of Jackson Falls, it is packed full of technical moves, fun sequences, and to top it off, a challenging finish. I was anxious and a little intimidated to get back on it again. After not climbing outdoors for over 6 months and not being on the sharp end outdoors since spring 2011, I was a little reluctant to try it this trip, fearing that I would not be able to do most of the moves. So I stalled a little bit.

With Sophie's persuasion, I decided to lead a moderate that I had not done before called "Tons of Fun"(10c) to build up my confidence a bit more. I was surprised with how good I felt on it, even getting through the crux finish without much difficulty. Great climb, fun moves, great holds all the way up and without the typical "Jackson Falls" sandstone bulges that I have so much trouble with.

John Payne on "Tons of Fun"

Meanwhile, Micah was having his own "Tons of Fun" and refusing to take a nap. Mesmerized by all the new and exciting sights and smells, he had been fighting to keep his eyes open for over 3 hours, which was way past his typical awake time at home. His curiosity and excitement was slowly wearing off by the minute and being replaced by his fake "cough cry", a true signal of being overtired and overstimulated. Finally, I resorted to taking him away from all the action and rocked him to sleep, which we never do at home. Not thirty minutes later, a rebellious cry of discontentment filled the air. Nap time was over. Unfortunately, the rest of the day (and weekend) was no different.

"I don't want to sleep!"

As for the climbing, Christian and I got in whatever we could. Thanks to all of our friends, who were so helpful with holding Micah or giving us a belay, we were able to climb more than we had anticipated. Christian was able to put down "The Reckoning" on his first go this season. Without making a single grunt on the entire route, he made the climb appear seemingly effortless. I was inspired. I was able to get two good burns in, finally figuring out the beta for the last move on my second attempt. All the sequences came back to me and I remembered why I loved this route so much. I cannot wait to get back on it this season, and hopefully, redpoint it.

Tony O workin' hard on "King Snake" (12+)

After a great first day back at the Falls, we headed to camp, with rumbling tummies and a cranky, overtired Micah. Based on our experience with M's naps during the day, we expected an even worst night and turned in early after devouring a scrumptious dinner of leftover pasta. Much to our surprise, M didn't do any worse overnight in a tent than he normally does at home, and woke up early with a big smile and a morning stretch.

We spent our second day at the Falls returning to the same, familiar territories we had visited the day before. Christian and I did some old moderates at the Gallery - Earthbound Misfit (10a), Cut Throat (10b), and Group Therapy (10c), then headed back to Battle Axe Tower. Everyone was psyched to get back on their respective projects. Christian and I did a 10d called "Unclaimed", which we were informed had a difficult and unpleasant finish. I definitely found a difficult crux move off of a bad sloper towards the top that I could not figure out how to get through. Meanwhile, Christian was able to redpoint it after taking a whipper from the anchors the day before.

Sophie demonstrating her mad skills

To top off the the day, Christian got on a stout 5.12 called "Bursting Out", a thin face climb that goes into a steep roof finish. After making quick work through each of the sections, he will have to return one day to link it all together.

Team work to get the first bolt up

       

Exhausted, satisfied, and tick-free, we headed out early to make it back to Washington at a decent hour to prepare for an early work and school day ahead. We were thrilled to have finally fueled our addiction after a miserably hot summer and can't wait for the fall season to be here. 

Dear Micah (4 months)

This was a big month for you! You learned to do so many new things this month. After practicing day and night for weeks on end, you finally mastered the art of rolling and you can’t stop doing it! You also found your feet and love to grab your toes and roll around like a roly poly. Now that you finally figured out how to use your hands, you grab everything in sight, especially Mommy’s hair! You love feeling new textures and you are constantly trying touch everything around you. We always try to make sure you have something in your hands to play with. You already seem to like some toys more than others. You especially love chewing on your Sophie the Giraffe. You are such a happy baby. We get the biggest smiles out of you when you first wake up in the mornings or after naps. You always seem to be so happy to be awake and ready to play! You are always laughing at all the silly noises and faces we make at you. We can’t get enough of your contagious giggles! You have started to use your voice more creatively now. Your loud shrieks and squeals have taken over our house. You are absolutely mesmerized by books. We can sit and read to you for hours and you enjoy every minute of it. Daddy likes to read you the “Just So Stories” and “Where the Sidewalk Ends”. Sometimes he will even read you books about rock climbing! You love watching us talk to you, sometimes you will put your hand on our mouths and feel the movement of our lips. You seem to really want to learn how to talk. You sure are one sensitive little guy! When you are in an unfamiliar place and surrounded by new people, you become really quiet and shy. You have to always keep Mommy and Daddy in sight. Everyone always tries to make you smile, but you just stare at them in wonder. You went so many new places this month - the Zoo, the Missouri Botanical Gardens, and even to Jackson Falls for a weekend of climbing and camping! You have turned into a terrible sleeper this month and we hope this streak ends soon because Mommy and Daddy are exhausted! Ever since we unswaddled you, you have been practicing rolling at night and you wake yourself up constantly. You are moving all over your crib by scooting forwards and backwards. You get really mad when you get yourself stuck in a corner and can’t move anymore!

Pictures from the past month...

Lantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Gardens:

"The Zew"

Desperately in search of larger prey, other than the bristly, brown, bushy-tailed, black-eyed squirrels and rambunctious rabbits near our home, we headed to a place my parents referred to as the "Zew".  I was told I would see larger game, but I wasn't expecting much, for the animals that they talked about, I had never seen, and had only heard about in fictional tales about faraway lands.

We arrived early and as we approached the entrance, a familiar smell wafted over me. I had smelled this often when laying on my changing table at home, staring at the stuffed monkeys dangling from the shelves above. I rode quietly in my chariot, through the entrance, and down a path that bordered a murky, grey-green, lake. I could see small birds, but nothing special or un-normal. We entered a large glass tube that took us underwater, which was most peculiar and ridiculous, and then out of the corner of my eye I spied a giant swimming dog with whiskers and flippers for legs! 

Where on earth was I? What was this... this... Zew? There were giant cats with rock and roll hair and horses with stripes! There were tall things with long necks that walked on stilts and fat birds that walked slowly, but swam as fast as fish! 

And then I fell asleep. But I assure you it wasn't a dream... or was it?