Monday, September 14, 2009

Hannah destroys...Im working on it.

Hannah and I head to beautiful Lander to climb with a Bryan, Charlie, Carrie and Lea. We ended up climbing at Sinks because it would probably been too cold to climb at Wild Iris. Plus, I have been more psyched on the longer/less tweaky routes at Sinks. On Saturday, after a few warm-ups, and dispatched her 10d mini-proj first go of the day and third over all...Super psyched for her. Charlie worked on her 10b project, getting a few more moves worked out. She knows its all in her head and I am sure she will send next go. Bryan tested out his injured hand (wrecked on his curiser bike, great story) on by flashing the 10d and a 11a. Hannah tried a fun 5.11a called Powderfinger and had to lower because her feet hurt to bad. She is trying to break-in a new pair of shoes. Charlie lent Hannah her shoes that were a little big on here and sent the 11a second go! Mad props! We called it a day and headed to Gannett Grill for some food and drinks.
On Sunday I made a solo trip back to Lander to climb with Bryan and Victor B. I arrived at wolfs house around 10am and the weather was not looking all that great. VB called us from Killer cave sounding pretty optimistic and told us to sackup. So, with nothing better to do, Bryan, Carrie, Lea, and I hiked up to the crag in the rain to meet up with VB. As soon as we got the the cave it stopped raining and the sun came out. Vance and I warmed on on some 10s and 11s and headed into the cave. Bryan took the rest of the crew to a cool 5.8 and a new somewhat dirty 5.9. Vance took a lap on Bush Doctor 12a, Blue Moon 12a, Killer 12c, and ??? 12b that ends before the business in the high roofs. I followed up with a repeat of Blue Moon 12a and flashed the 12b. I was pretty psyched because I haven't climbed any 12s in almost a year and felt like I was getting back in shape after the surgery. We all ended the day on some moderates and headed back to the Grill for food and drinks. Great times.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Rest In Peace Casper


A few months ago I got a phone call from my parents in Colorado telling me that our beloved family dog Casper was not feeling too good. He was not really wanting to go on walks and kind of getting lazy. He has had problems with his liver and seizures in the past. Hannah and I saw him a few weeks ago and he seemed some-what normal....maybe a little Add Imagemore tired and not quite as social. I kept telling myself and my parents that he had a couple more years in him.
Yesterday, on my way home from climbing in Lander, I received a phone call from my dad with an update on his condition. He informed me that Casper wasn't doing too well and were planning on putting him down the following day. He said that he hasn't been eating and barely drinking. He would just lay in the shade by his favorite tree. They said that they spent their every minute with him.
Hannah and I decided to pack up and make the 4 1/2 hour drive to say our goodbyes to Casper. We were just getting out of town when my dad called back and said that we may be too late and that they were going to put Casper down within the next few hours. A few hours later I received a phone call that he had passed away. The vet came over and helped him along his way in his favorite little spot by the tree in the front yard.
Some would say that we were crazy for driving over 300 miles to say goodbye to a dog. But Casper was more than a dog, he was a friend. Casper will be deeply missed and I know that some things will never be the same with out him. My heart goes out to my parents and neighbors that were graced by Caspers friendliness and happiness. Some say he was the luckiest dog in the world....I think we were all lucky to have him. We love you Casper.