Home at last…

Yes, I am back after an epic journey to what felt like the far reaches of the universe, or Canada. Five days in Alberta, 20 in Squamish, five down in the Salty Load, and another week in the City of Squampton, but now I’m back! I definitely had a lot of fun on my trip, but the weather is so damn fickle in Squamish that there are long periods of time when it is impossible to climb. It will be super hot and humid for like five days straight, then it will rain for a few days without stopping, then it will be good for like four or five days, then get hot and shmarmy again… at least that’s how it goes in the summer. Anyone who has been to Squamish in the summer knows how hard it is even to do 5.11, let alone 5.14+ (I’ll be back for you Dream Catcher!) when it’s 90 degrees and 90% humidity. So in hindsight I should’ve left the day after I did the Bra, but I guess that’s why they say hindsight is 15/20… cuz it’s better than 20/20. Oh snap!

So Sanam (power to the Pejuhesh!) and I left Matty and Kevin in the rain to twittle their thumbs and booked it down hyw 99 to the border, when we missed our turn and ended up at the wrong border crossing, the one that takes an hour and a half, instead of five minutes. About 50 miles after the border our left rear tire exploded as I was sending a text message and Sanam calmly guided us onto the shoulder. We were shook up, but unhurt, thankfully, so we Jack BB (the name of Sanam’s ‘big blue’ van) up and installed the rusty, sketchy looking spare which fortunately got us all the way back to Sacramento in one piece. The Amtrak ride back to the bay was OK, except for the fact that some baggage handlers took the wheels off my MHW duffle (no they didn’t fall off, it’s Mountain Hardwear for god’s sake), so I have been forced to carry 85 liters of clothes and gear on my head, instead of casually rolling it behind me.

Anyway, now I’m back in SF, wheeling and dealing, scheming about my next trip. So many options, so little time… Oh the perils of being a professional climber!