A Whirlwind of Adventure

The Fall season has been an absolute whirlwind of adventure.  We spent more than half of October camping and climbing with friends in Southern Illinois and Kentucky.  We explored new areas that we had never been to, reached new highs in our climbing, and got to know some amazing people that we wish we had known all of our lives.

Micah flying high!

On our first Red River Gorger trip of October, we met up with Calvin, Angie, and Angie's parents.  Angie's father, Papa John, was so terrific with Micah and he was constantly thinking of creative things to do with him.  They would build garages for his toy trucks out of sticks, make noise machines out of old soda cans and rocks, put leaves in their shoelaces, and walk around with tin cans stuck to the bottom of their shoes.  Micah was constantly engaged in one activity or another when Papa John was around.  I've never seen someone that was so good with kids and I learned so much just from watching them play together.  Papa John is going to make an amazing grandpa someday!

CR climbing with Calvin at Area 6.

Yoli on "High Heaven"

Building a garage

Snoozing like a baby at the crag

A hot "autumn" day at Torrent Falls

M's "funny face"

Brushing holds

Fun with Daddy at Lago Lindas

Our little mountain boy, exhausted from all of his adventures.

We went to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch on the following weekend and Micah sent his first outdoor climb while rescuing his motorcycle man and rocket man from a perilous ledge midway up the cliff face.  Micah was happy to reach the top of the climb and the motorcycle man and rocket man were grateful for the rescue.  Micah had a great time at the ranch, whether he was watching his mom and dad climb, strolling along the vast network of trails, or hanging out at camp with his friends, Tommy and Conor.

Micah and Tommy having breakfast at the campsite

Rescuing rocket man.

M made it to the anchors!

The next generation...Micah, Conor, and Tommy

Uncle "DooDoo"!

A few days after returning to Missouri, I took Micah to the pumpkin patch at Aholt Farms.  Micah got to go on a wagon ride, drive a racing oil barrel, play in a giant box of corn, and wade through a sea of pumpkins.

Chuck on "Snozeberries", 5.12a

That weekend, we headed to the Red River Gorge for week and a half long climbing trip with friends from St. Louis, Indiana, and California.  We carpooled with Chuck, a guy that we didn't know very well at the time.  By the end of the trip, we were sad that we hadn't met him sooner.  Chuck is an amazing climber, mountaineer, poet, mathematician, and cook. The list just goes on and on.  Chuck has climbed the Matterhorn, Denali, Mount Rainier, Mount Shasta, Kilimanjaro, Mount Everest, and a bunch of other mountains that have strange names I can't pronounce. The guy is fearless on a rope and is constantly pushing his limits.  And here's the kicker....  he's 69 years old!  We had such a good time climbing with Chuck and look forward to many great adventures with him! Micah took to Chuck right away and had no interest in playing with his parents when Chuck was around.

In the eyes of the mouse, the cat is the lion.  (Albanian Proverb)

Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far.  (West African proverb)

M helping out with rope management

One of M's favorite crag activities...eating.

All racked up just like Mommy and Daddy

M and Chuck packing up the rope

Four days into our Red River Gorge trip, the Cali crew arrived.  It's always fun to climb with old friends.  The temps dropped into the low 40's, but they were troopers and continued to have a good time despite frigid conditions.  Luckily they rented a cabin so we were all able to enjoy Lena's amazing breakfasts every morning and thaw out at night around the fireplace.  I think the Red was a bit humbling for everyone, but that's just the nature of the place.  Everyone got a lot of great climbs in, even Micah, who climbed up a 5.1 that's actually in the guidebook.  He liked it so much, he ended up climbing the route four times!

M cruising up his 2nd outdoors route

Our lil crusher

All geared up!

M with his buddies, Brian and Oky

Yoli enjoying the view (and rest!) from "Super Best Friends"

CR on "Freakin' Deacon"

Climbing at the Chocolate Factory...with much needed sunshine!

"Yo Mike!"

Oky!

The Cali gang

October wouldn't be complete without a Halloween costume and what better costume could there be for our little monkey than a... well... a monkey.  Uu-Uu-Ah-Ah!

Better Late Than Never

4 months later, Micah's 15 month video is finally done. Sorry for the delay and I hope you enjoy it!

Micah 15 Months from Yolanda Chen on Vimeo.

September - Sheep Racing, Celebrations, and Low Expectations

September 21st Weekend

With some rain in the forecast for Friday night in Southern Illinois, we decided to spend Saturday playing at the Missouri Botanical Gardens with our favorite one year old. Growing up in St. Charles, I had vague memories of the Botanical Gardens being an extremely dull place where old people walked around and looked at plants. Twenty years later, I am now that old person. The Gardens is now one of my favorite places to visit in St. Louis and has one of the most amazing children's play areas I have ever seen. Christian, Micah and I had a blast riding on sheep, making music in the woods, and building towers with logs. 

After a nice dinner with family, we headed out to Jackson Falls to camp overnight and climb the next day. This trip was highlighted by Christian’s send of Cro-Magnon Warrior, 5.12b, on his second-go, despite a previous rainy day and less than optimal conditions. I spent the weekend climbing two new 11’s that I have never been on before. After a little confidence booster from onsighting Little Johnny Jewel, a stout 5.11b, I decided to try my luck on Twist, another challenging climb for its grade, 5.11c. The first half of the route is fairly mild, slowly gaining in difficulty as you approach the last bolt. After watching Christian onsight this climb, although not without a few grunts, it looked obtainable. However, after a few unsuccessful attempts at the crux, I felt rather defeated. A committing lunge with bad feet is not my cup of tea. After a few beta tips from Calvin, I worked out a more static and less desperate move through the crux and was able to send it with ease on the next go. There was, indeed, a few “twists” involved. 

Week of September 23-26

"Happy Birthday, Chelsea!" Micah happily exclaimed when she walked in the door that day. "Flowers!", he announced and pointed at the beautiful arrangement on the table for his favorite nanny. Micah loves his Chelsea and was so excited to spend the day celebrating with her. 

On September 26th, we celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary by going to one of our favorite restaurants, Stone Soup Cottage, now at their brand new location. Over the past 3 years, we have made this special dinner a yearly indulgence, locking in our reservations half a year in advance. Chef Carl consistently delivers a truly spectacular meal and unforgettable dining experience and we plan on returning for many years to come! 

September 28th Weekend

Smiling for the camera

As for this last trip of the month, I had one thing on my agenda: Frizzle Fry. After having come so close last spring season and getting even closer on it two weekends ago, I was psyched about the possibility of finally putting this climb to rest. We headed straight to Beaver Wall with Calvin early Saturday morning. Hiking in, we already started feeling the humidity in the air - definitely not optimal conditions for the slopers of Frizzle Fry. While we took turns warming up, Micah had a blast balancing on logs, collecting sticks, and making rock towers. 

   

With low expectations and the need for another warm up, I told Calvin that I planned on going bolt to bolt on Frizzle Fry to avoid the dreaded flash pump. I had no intention of sending it on that go. I started up the route, hitting the opening boulder problem perfectly. Still feeling good at the second bolt, I decided to push on. I flowed through the next section and soon I was at the sloper hueco. This is usually the point when my forearms are running on empty. To my amazement, I had more than enough energy to take a breath, chalk, and power through the cruxy undercling move. The muscle memory took over and I was on autopilot. Before I knew it, I was clipping the chains. I can’t remember the last time a climb that challenged me so much in the past felt this effortless for the send. 

As for effortless sending, Calvin was next to prove that it truly can happen, even on the most challenging of climbs. He had been working Shorty the Pimp (5.13a) on multiple trips throughout the spring season, but the climb continued to challenge him. On this day of suboptimal conditions and low expectations, Calvin told Christian that he would go bolt to bolt while hanging the draws. Minutes later and not a single grunt of effort heard, Calvin had flawlessly climbed his hardest route to date. Bravo!

Calvin at the anchors of Shorty the Pimp

Tasmanian Devil - The next project...