Downward Bound

So I'm almost done with living full time Vancouver for the time being. Flying up to the Yukon on Saturday to start a 4 month stint of field work. 3 weeks on, 1 off for 4 months. Should be interesting. If nothing else, it'll be good exercise. Living in a proper city has made me feel fat, soft, weak and lazy. Its been somewhat depressing to see the decline in my free climbing since I started work. I suppose weekends in Squamish and the odd bouldering wall session, combined with working 10 hours a day and eating like crap don't come together to turn someone into Peter Croft. And I had essentially been climbing full time for a bit over 2 months. But still...

Its not like I'm leaving without having accomplished anything though. I'm feeling a lot more comfortable on north american style cracks, having not fallen off any of the ones up to about 10c that I've tried. Even managed to scuffle up an 11a offwidth (seconding) without too much trouble. Then theres the aid climbing (and the half tonne of crap that goes with it!). Soloed up to the top of the third pitch of the U Wall twice. First time took 2 days. Second time took under 12 hours. Must be learning something... Learned some more on Cannabis Wall a couple of weeks ago too.

Lesson 1: if a copperhead wire looks manky then don't fucking clip it you twat! Thats why beaks were invented.
Lesson 2: Wear gloves, they'll save your knuckles (related to lesson 1)
Lesson 3: I love beaks. (also related to lesson 1)
Lesson 3: my comfortable soloing speed is 2 pitches a day. 3 at a push.

All good things to know. They were my first couple of pitches of C2 while soloing too, which was nice. I'll have to invest in some ironmongery if I want to try many of the other aid routes in squamish over the summer though...

Anyway, back on topic. What was I on about? Being soft, weak and shite, that was it. Hopefully hiking around the wild north with a big bag of rocks most days for the next 4 months will do something about that. The plan is to do some core and crimp strength stuff up there too, but laziness could well be a limiting factor.

So yeah, working solidly for 3 weeks a month, with one week off for climbing until september. Then Yosemite in October (for which psyche is bulletproof). Then..... fuck knows. Get another job? Take the money and chase big rocks? Travel aimlessly for a few months like the rest of the well-funded mid to late 20's faux hippy brigade of shitehawks looking for enlightenment before returning home with some strange and exotic venereal disease to work in daddy's car dealership and tell everyone how I "did" India? Hibernate? All these have crossed my mind. We'll see which one seems like the best course of action in October. The only definite plan I have is to get ferociously drunk on Friday night and arrive in Whitehorse on Saturday with a savage hangover. If anyone in Vancouver reads this, please feel free to join me.

Totally what I envisage life around camp being like

Peace Out

p.s If anyones interested in what the fuck the title has to do with anything, look up the etymology of the word "north". Its quite interesting. Though i doubt anyone cares that much. Can't say I blame you.