The Storm

Last night, a storm that has been making its way across the country hit just as Jess and I were settling down to enjoy a movie in our walled canopy. The wind and rain got so loud that we couldn't hear the movie, so we decided to lower the canopy in hopes of reducing the effects of the wind. To our dismay and utter surprise, seconds after we had lowered the walls, a massive gust of wind hit the canopy, snapping the guy lines and throwing off our roof, exposing almost everything we own to the tempest! Jess and I grabbed everything we could (especially our two computers, which of course were in the canopy instead of the truck, where they usually live, and ran for the car. By the time we had made two trips, we were both drenched and miserable, and our newish home was destroyed... After lengthy discussions about what to do, we headed for our tent, which was still fairly dry, and tried to get some sleep.

This morning, when we woke up, we were happy to find that the canopy was somewhat salvagable, and we have spent most of the day cleaning up the mess, reinforcing the canopy, and starting over. The weather forecast is pretty bad for tonight and tomorrow, so we may head into Lexington for a night in a real bed...

On the lighter side of things, Saturday was a great day for climbing! Jess and I sampled three new crags, two of which were EXCELLENT! Near the end of the day, I got on the BEST .12a I have ever been on, and one of the best routes overall. The route's name is Dogleg, and it is at the Bob Marley crag, home to some beautiful and difficult lines in the Pendergrass-Murray Reserve. The route is comprised of a series of GIGANTIC moves to large, incut holds, with a thinner crux in the middle. Each time you set up for a throw, you pray that the next hold is big, then, after some hestiation, you go for it with all you have, and are rewarded with a GREAT hold! You then clip a bolt, bring your feet up and do it all again, at least 4 times... AMAZING!