Epic Journey to Boone, NC

So the 4 day trip to boone ended up to be quite a bit more entertaining then we thought..


The rig after getting rearended by a bitch goin 60


Chatt'n


The new rig

Also if that wasn't enough i ended up sick, and could hardly talk for the whole weekend.. The trip seemed to be cursed...

The First night I climbed a couple cool boulders though: Don Johnson v11, and Senderella Sit V12.

The next day we went to Grandmother with not much of an agenda. The day turned out really nice and we all did some cool problems. Drolet did Raw Meat v7, and Nate climbed the Masochist, v10. Also i was able to flash Teamwork, v10.

Day 3 was a bit slow at first due to some random ass rain! But afternoon rolled around and the sun came out renewing the syke! We packed up our shit and headed to the Linville Gorge to camp out and climb on the sickest river boulders in the states!
We arrived around 3 and quickly got to work. I made a couple cool Fa's including a sick highball arete I called Footloose Disaster v8. I then was pointed in the direction of a sick boulder called the v10 boulder. This thing has several projects littered across it, and i got syked on trying the arete. It revolves around 4 back to back hard moves to gain a really good edge with your right hand, from there you finish a 4 move v9. I was able to do every move individually but linking the boulder proved to be quite difficult. The third move was the crux for sure. Stabbing off a right hand sloper to a half pad sidepull for the left. Leaving yourself FULLY spread out on a 45 wall. I gave a few decent efforts but the pain in my fingers was just too much. Quite Discouraged I became content with the fact that i might not send, and decided to give it one more go. Pulling off the ground i felt worse then any other go, and just knew i wouldnt send. I arrived at the crux move and heard nate scream "try hard!" This ringing in my mind i bit down and tried as hard as i absolutely could. Next thing i knew i had stuck the move! I threw up the heel and made the move to the good edge and cut the feet. At this point i was in the worst pain ever.. but knowing that i could send this beatiful project gave me the syke to push through and finish! I topped out and couldn't believe it. Sitting on top of the boulder i reflected on the send, and at that moment i really understood the meanding of "try hard". This problem being not only one of the best boulders ive ever climbed, but for sure the biggest learning experience i've had in my climbing. My mind now feels stronger then ever, and i will always remember no matter how bad it hurts, or how tired your body is, if the mind is strong, you can prevail.

Day 4 we were adventurous and did alot of hiking down the river. I saw many boulders, and still can't believe the quality of this area. Nate and I climbed 2 cool v8's called Yamaha Pit Viper, and Full Power Scram. I also fa'd two cool lines I called Left Handed, v6. and Purple Brush, v9. At the end of the day we came across a small roof project that got me really syked! I started trying it and immediately fell in love with the movement and difficulty. Its only 2 moves long and in the end i got shut down... A bit bummed, I then moved on to another project to the right. It climbs low on some cool pinches and ends on a super classic v4 called A Pleasant Surprise. I called it A shitty Gift, v9. After this we decided it was time to roll. We hiked back up to camp, gathered our shit, and hiked an hour up hill.

This trip was most definately epic as hell, but in the end i felt stronger then ever both physically and mentally. Can't wait to get to Colorado! 12 days and counting!


The Project..

Thanks to Nate Drolet for the pics

Enjoi