Australian Thanksgiving

As mentioned in our last blog, we have been hanging out with a great crew.  With an oven at our disposal, and a hankering for green bean casserole, we hatched a plan to show our Australian friends what Thanksgiving is all about (nevermind the fact that it is October).  The day was complete with football, pumpkin pie, and the usual spread.  Well, minus the turkey.  Although I was hopeful, the Kroger in the closest town to us only had a frozen 20 lb turkey.  Australian Thanksgiving was a time sensitive event so we went with ham instead.

The spread

It was really fun to have a big meal with all of our friends.  The climbing community, generally speaking, is full of supportive, interesting, and genuine people.  I am very thankful to be part of it.

Since we got back from DC the weather has gotten more fall like and instead of sweating from every pore on my body, I am snuggled up in my big pink puffy jacket.  Much better climbing weather!  We have gone back to a couple of our favorite crags and checked out some new ones.  We only have about a week before our trek back west, so both Mark and I have a few climbs we are psyched to get back on before we head out.  And we are already planning a trip back here.  Of all the places I have climbed in the month of "Rocktober", I have to say that the Red River Gorge is my favorite.  The whole part where it is in Kentucky is not super convenient, but it is more than worth the commute.

One really awesome part about the Red is that you can climb in the rain!  One rainy day we went out to Muir Valley and climbed at the Solarium.  We had the place to ourselves and climbed under the protection of the overhanging rock.  Some of the climbs at the Solarium have huge huecos that you can climb into and rest during a climb, helpful when you are super pumped!  As I was sitting in one of those huecos, looking out at the foggy valley and listening to the rain come down, I couldn't help but think about how lucky I was to experience something so unique.  That day at the Solarium was probably one of my favorite days climbing in the Red.

Nick on a route at the Solarium

Mark on the Infidel at Funk Rock City

Me on the Infidel (so much fun!)

Thanks Ben for taking the pictures!

We are down with down

Mark is a super talented rope catcher

Ben on Bath Tub Mary at a place left of the Solarium

Sunset at Left Flank

Foggy mornings at Miguel's!

In addition to having awesome climbing, the Red has pushed me to lead harder climbs, and be more confident on lead.  Because a lot of the climbs here are overhanging, top roping is not really fun.  Consequently, I have been leading a lot more.  Slowly I am finding myself more comfortable leading, and more willing to take falls.  I still have moments of panic and find a way to down climb and reverse moves while whimpering, but those are becoming fewer and farer between.  I have also been inspired by the Australian ethic- they don't top rope.  Although I will still ride the occasional top rope, I have to admit that by just leading everything, it just feels more natural.  Surely this is all very logical, but after however many years of climbing I am finally finding the discipline to get on the sharp end more often than not.

Today is rather blustery and cold, conveniently coinciding with a rest day, so we are holed up in the basement at Miguel's.  Climbers are streaming videos (my internet is so slow!), connecting with their friends and family, and planning out tomorrow's adventures.  Until next time...

xoxo
Mark and Lauren