fire season

Ahoy,

The weather was super perfect this weekend on Black Mountain. We got a ride with our friend up a dusty, bumpy dirt road. His car got a nice healthy coat of dirt. We had been to Black Mountain more than 2 years ago. The last time we camped overnight and it was colder, more overcast and wetter. This time, due to our perpetual lack of preparedness, it was just a day trip.

There were lots of people camping, some people were even camping right next to the boulders. We began at a cluster of boulders we started at last time. Due to my perpetual lack of tallness, I had to get creative on this climb everybody else seemed to be able to just stand up to reach. Like many climbing trips, I spent a good amount of time hanging around. Unlike many climbing trips, there were other females to hang around with.

It seemed like an endless hike trotting around looking for this climb we were at last time. Like many other situations, we found ourselves leading a group of disgruntled companions. The nearly blind leading the blind, you might say. Sometimes it seems like the RRS is so doggedly determined to get somewhere, while the rest of the group simply is just unaware of what they have signed up for. The remainder of the day consisted of scouting trips in search of something specific that we may or may not have found. We scouted up to a watch tower on top of the mountain, which was really cool because I just read a book about a guy in New Mexico who watches for fires from a tower.

We came across a climb that had a super sketchy fall and downclimb. And here is where everybody lost years off their life from watching G climb it, while A went on a scouting trip. I'm so glad he wasn't there to watch it because he would have been more terrified than me, or he might have tried it too - which would have been worse!). We hightailed it out of there before any of the other boys got too close and moved onto another climb with a much less harrowing fall.

During our long hikes, we stopped to gaze upon the majesty of the wilderness because we were really high up in the air and there are mountains everywhere and it was glorious. I always enjoy when it's scenic while we embark on quests of things we will never find.

doggedly pursuant,
jt