keystone

skiing. wooooooo.
justcan'tgetenough.
justcan'tgetenough.

pretty much views like this keep me coming back for more. and the company :)

[back side of keystone]

[mark and adam about to fight the wind]

slow.it.down.now

gosh i love maps. gosh i love guide books, and i'm partial to the climbing ones. they all help you to understand where you are going, what you are getting into and how in the world you get there. the location for this trip was el potrero chico, mexico. and what? mexico has 31 states. we were in nuevo leon and most near the town of hidalgo, population 22,500. hidalgo is honestly known for its proximity to an endless plethora of limestone towers. offering thousands of feet of bolted lines to climbers of any skill. part of the beauty is that you could come with the most talented of climber and find something to challenge them, while alongside a novice climber and still have routes to choose from.

the camping setup was beyond luxurious and made the 8 days of outdoor sleeping incredibly enjoyable. i've never done camping where you get to take showers every night and a full on kitchen to cook up a storm at your convenience. there was a pool, restaurant, casitas, people from all points of the world laughing, sharing stories, learning languages and all the while with the amazing backdrop of the sierra madres. truly unbeatable, spoiled camping no doubt.

even though we were two or so miles outside of hildalgo we still got to share these week of life in their culture, if you choose to do so. even the people who owned and ran the campgrounds were native to hidalgo and great people to chat with and be around. so i attempted my best spanglish, we went to the local tuesday market for deliciousness of all kinds, we trekked into town in search of a restaurant where a woman in her kitchen make us a burrito to share, even though we ordered two, we drove and got lost, we jammed out to some great Mexican music on many a climbs and just really slowed down to what the pace of life is like there. and time is not of the essence. unless of course you are starting an 11 pitch climb behind a slow moving duo that happen to get there 7 seconds before you and happen to be kicking off their multi pitch experience on the exact same climb you are destined by the stars to climb on your last day, theoretically speaking. other than this scenario that may or may not have happened, there is no rush of any kind really. now i could get used to this. hopefully some of this approach to life will carry with me in my life here in colorado. maybe i'll start with the slow food italian notion which “establishes that people should eat and drink slowly, with enough time to taste their food, spend time with the family, friends, without rushing. slow food is against its counterpart: the spirit of Fast Food and what it stands for as a lifestyle.” we forcefully did it when we lived in rome, which yielded fantastic results and great times.

don't you believe this amazing diverse world has so much to teach and enlighten us about how to live life? i loved that being immersed in other cultures when traveling to an unfamiliar country makes you question your current lifestyle. hopefully enough to attract yourself to get up and change a thing or two.

-to the left-

-to the right-

finally got a camera and can now take pictures of my own again :)

homeagain

say we take a look at things backwards.
homecoming: the final physical step of the leave.

even though the adventure is over with, nothing wraps up a traveling time more than a joyous homecoming. to hug again. to share stories. to see that face. to sit in a known room. comfort food. how the flood gates of familiarity are something that always opens and fills a void. a void you might not of known was missing in the act but can't help but fall into once embraced.
beginning to express the integrity of coming home is something i haven't given too much thought about. though i do know there is importance in the immediate feeling and actions and are about as noteworthy as the head end of the trip. remembering back when i first came home from living in Rome, i was probably the least talkative i've been in my life. not sure if i was taking American lifestyle all in again, or just not used to English echoing everywhere, maybe i finally understood that you can learn a heck of a lot with just listening and watching, most especially when it comes to other cultures.
yesterday morning i got home from a climbing trip to Mexico. this had to of been the most rushed homecoming to Colorado encountered to date. i was literally 7 minutes shy to missing my only nonstop flight which precisely got me back to Denver with enough time to swing by home to change and make it to work in a "i'm only moderately late and not late enough for anyone to really notice, and not late enough to have to stay extra late to make up for it" timely fashion. i plopped down at my desk and didn't know what in the world to do. the whole day was uncomfortably still. the contradiction of this is that Mexico is a slow pace kind of lifestyle and especially in the small town of Hidalgo, our location for the trip. so why would the transition of getting back to work and sitting down and slowing down be an obstacle? i think what it comes down to is a matter of the heart. I recently read that "loving requires a heart alive and awake and free". this is not to say my heart is not alive at work or by routine life, by no means is this what i am saying. i just know that with an adventurous soul and being out filling that, my heart is utterly free. the sun waking you up. the moon crooning you to sleep. mountains delighting in your presence. and all i realized with the homecoming. this transition from travel is crucial and deserves a moments thought and perhaps, personally, some patience to readjust.