Last minute details

Tomorrow is our last day in San Diego- on one hand I am really excited to finally start our trip, but I am also sad to say goodbye to my family and friends (and the two best dogs ever).  Luckily, I am pretty sure I will still have Buddy hair on something I own for the entirety of the trip, and I can call/ email/ facetime as much as I want.  Still, it will be hard to say goodbye and I am going to miss everyone a lot!

Aside from that, Mark and I have been busy packing and wrapping things up and I wanted to post some pictures of the platform and what we have been up to as we get closer to leaving.  The platform will help us to have more storage, and also an option for sleeping if the weather is bad or we need a quick place to sleep.  

Buddy hanging out with us while we sort gear and build the platform.

Using some old carpet to make the platform a bit more comfy

The finished product!  It is more complex than it may appear.  Mark designed and built pretty much all of it and I was very impressed by his carpentry.  I also got to experience my first "we have to go back to Home Depot because we forgot something the first time" trip, which after years of hearing my parents say, I can now truly appreciate the inconvenience.

A trip to see sunset at Scripps with Doug.  Luckily we will see Doug in a couple months!  

And with that, the next post on here will be from the road!

Lauren

Itinerary

Here is a map of our intended route.  Of course it may change but to give you an idea.  You can click on the link below the map for a bigger version.

Here is a rough timeline of when we will be at each place:
B. Smith Rock May 31- end of June (or until it gets too hot)
C. & D. Index and Leavenworth end of June- mid July
E. Squamish mid July- end of August
F. & G. Grand Teton NP and Yellowstone NP end of August
H. Devil's Tower end of August/ early September
I. Boulder early September
J. Zion NP mid to late September (if it's not too hot)
K. Yosemite NP then Bishop Late September- Sometime in November?

This is a rough estimate and there are some other places we are thinking about checking out but if you will be in the area when we are in any of these places let us know!!

View Larger Map

Lauren
(map done by Mark)

Pinterest Inspiration

Over the past year or so I have pinned some type inspiration that I think reflects some of my thoughts going into this trip.  Thought I would share:

I am feeling better now that I am learning to navigate this whole blogger thing.  Spruced it up a bit and am excited to keep working on it!  That is all for now.  Back to staring at the beautiful little baby asleep in my arms.  Holding a sleeping baby is one of the most calming things I can think of.  

Lauren

Inaugural Post

Now that I am done with school, I have more time to put into something I have been taking about for a while now- a blog for our trip!  So here it is.  My plan is to update this when I can to show and tell about where we have been climbing.  Our plans are loose, but we will be on the road for about 6 months, climbing in the Western US and British Columbia.

In the next couple and a half weeks up until we leave I will post some more about our intended route.  But the best part of this trip is the freedom to move around how we want.  Both Mark and I have never had this luxury on climbing trips, as they have always been dictated around school or work, just another reason we are beyond excited for this trip.  We have a rough time frame for each area though so it would be awesome to try and meet up with friends and family during the trip.  If someone wants to bring up Buddy and Mia for a visit, that would also be appreciated.  If not for the fact that they would be the worst crag dogs ever, I would have pushed a little harder to bring them along.  

Anyways, there is still a lot to be done, and we are getting down to the final weeks!  

Lauren