Man. Fuck Cancer

A friend of mine in Michigan was in surgery on Thursday to have a mass removed from her abdomen. After the surgery, it turned out it was cancerous. So she's now going to have to do chemo. Again. Last time was 10 years ago.

Climbing: gaining confidence

I started climbing in the gym, and the routes were obvious: follow the tape.
Then I moved to outdoors, and you had route descriptions and grades, and I always tried to follow the route, cause that's where the route went, and if I knew the grade, and could do it, then I would be fine if I just managed to correctly figure out where the route goes.

And, somehow, that has fallen by the way-side. I'm not sure exactly when -- but I noticed it today. I was climbing a two-pitch route at Mont King, and the 2nd pitch is labelled as "climb up and right, and quickly reach easier ground". And, I knew that going up that way would result in a walk-off, but that if we headed up and left, instead, the ground would also be easy (because I know the shape and style of Mont King), and we would come to the anchors for Rocketman and be able to rappel down. So, I just created a variation on the fly. (And sent my climbing partner to lead it. :) But it was the confidence to trust my judgement as to what would work as a route that I noticed.

And, I think part of it comes from doing multi-pitch where the line isn't always clear. Or, even, there isn't one exact line, but a series of choices.

And I think it comes from developping new routes myself. Or, the two are the same. The confidence to look at some rock and think, "that will go" -- that is what is letting me do the new route development and first ascents at the cottage, and the fact that it has worked out pretty well (so far) has given me the confidence to pick other choices than just trying to precisely follow a route.