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... |
