Party On!!
It's Monday and we have retreated to Mass. I have a good friend that I met in Colorado who I haven't seen in seven years, so Jay and I made our way to the coast yesterday. Her husband (who I actually introduced her to that last time I was here) is from Wisconsin like Jay. They are good men, and they treat Michelle, who is very pregnant, and I like the princesses we are not. We appreciate it even though maybe we do not always deserve it.
So, the Gunks on the weekend is MADNESS. We had been staying at a free camping are called the "DEC" (department of environmental conservation) and decided to try it on Friday night rather than camping in the parking lot of the climbing area which we had been told was pretty easy to do. We got in early and made dinner and went to bed. The party started around 11 or 12 and went ALL NIGHT LONG. I can appreciate partying. I went to The Ohio State University. I've drank my share of beers and maybe a few more, but for god's sake, do it somewhere else if you're going to do it til 6 am!! Thankfully there was a pretty talented guitar player, and he sang well even when (I'm sure) completely wasted. However, when the whole gang would break into "Happy Birthday" every hour or so, it was enough to break glass. Jay was all ready to deflate their tires. He was up and down and going to go out and say something, but he never got up enough nerve to deal with the drunken youths. I was sleeping enough that it wasn't worth the negative energy, but it was enough of a pain to teach me to NEVER camp at the DEC on the weekend again. Guess I'm officially getting old. Several years ago I would have taken my jug of Carlo Rossi out there and joined them.
Saturday we climbed with my friend Michael. We did some 9's and toproped a 10. I'm feeling pretty confident on all that, so hopefully next week we'll jump on more 10's on lead. It tried to rain a bit (while I was on lead of course) but it kept the temp a little lower and it was a good day to climb. There were tons of people at the cliff though and we even got carded for our gunks passes and told that we couldn't ride our bikes on the carriage roads without helmets. The weekdays are the time to be at the Gunks! That evening we went back to the house where Michael and his wife were house sitting, showered, and then went to a quaint little town called Rosendale for dinner. The times that Michael came to visit me in Colorado and I hooked him up with free skiing paid off in a "payback" of a great dinner and some of the best ice cream I may have ever eaten. Killer chocolate. Erica and I have a few things in common, we are both (sometimes) crazy petite blonds who occasionally binge on ice cream. I've enjoyed our conversation and I relate to her well. I'm glad that Michael married a woman I like, it makes it much easier to maintain a friendship. Jay and Michael talk on and on about climbing and kayaking and Erica and I talk about anything and everything else. I love it.
I realize I'm starting to ramble again. Sorry. Let me just try to catch you up to today... We woke up Sunday morning and headed to see my friends Michelle and Ryan Hansen in Salisbury Massachusetts. We really didn't leave their porch after getting here at 4 pm. Talked and talked and drank beers and ate a lot of food. Party, party!! (we were in bed by 10:30) Michelle and I always talk about books (she was a lit major and I minored in it and we met right after we had graduated from undergrad) and we got right back to it. She's reading a lot about pregnancy and what to do and not to do with your newborn, which she should have in about two weeks or less! It's great to see them and hang out. I'll expand more on Mass tomorrow. They have internet, so I'll try to get this thing up to date.
One thing-- for those of you reading with alpine/mountaineering experience... Jay and I had been planning on going to Patagonia for a few months. We're a little back and forth about it mostly due to my lack of experience and maybe wanting to go somewhere not so popular. Any suggestions? Jay is thinking about the Yukon or Iceland... I know nothing about these areas, so any suggestions/input from those who know me and my ability level would be helpful. Thanks!!
So, the Gunks on the weekend is MADNESS. We had been staying at a free camping are called the "DEC" (department of environmental conservation) and decided to try it on Friday night rather than camping in the parking lot of the climbing area which we had been told was pretty easy to do. We got in early and made dinner and went to bed. The party started around 11 or 12 and went ALL NIGHT LONG. I can appreciate partying. I went to The Ohio State University. I've drank my share of beers and maybe a few more, but for god's sake, do it somewhere else if you're going to do it til 6 am!! Thankfully there was a pretty talented guitar player, and he sang well even when (I'm sure) completely wasted. However, when the whole gang would break into "Happy Birthday" every hour or so, it was enough to break glass. Jay was all ready to deflate their tires. He was up and down and going to go out and say something, but he never got up enough nerve to deal with the drunken youths. I was sleeping enough that it wasn't worth the negative energy, but it was enough of a pain to teach me to NEVER camp at the DEC on the weekend again. Guess I'm officially getting old. Several years ago I would have taken my jug of Carlo Rossi out there and joined them.
Saturday we climbed with my friend Michael. We did some 9's and toproped a 10. I'm feeling pretty confident on all that, so hopefully next week we'll jump on more 10's on lead. It tried to rain a bit (while I was on lead of course) but it kept the temp a little lower and it was a good day to climb. There were tons of people at the cliff though and we even got carded for our gunks passes and told that we couldn't ride our bikes on the carriage roads without helmets. The weekdays are the time to be at the Gunks! That evening we went back to the house where Michael and his wife were house sitting, showered, and then went to a quaint little town called Rosendale for dinner. The times that Michael came to visit me in Colorado and I hooked him up with free skiing paid off in a "payback" of a great dinner and some of the best ice cream I may have ever eaten. Killer chocolate. Erica and I have a few things in common, we are both (sometimes) crazy petite blonds who occasionally binge on ice cream. I've enjoyed our conversation and I relate to her well. I'm glad that Michael married a woman I like, it makes it much easier to maintain a friendship. Jay and Michael talk on and on about climbing and kayaking and Erica and I talk about anything and everything else. I love it.
I realize I'm starting to ramble again. Sorry. Let me just try to catch you up to today... We woke up Sunday morning and headed to see my friends Michelle and Ryan Hansen in Salisbury Massachusetts. We really didn't leave their porch after getting here at 4 pm. Talked and talked and drank beers and ate a lot of food. Party, party!! (we were in bed by 10:30) Michelle and I always talk about books (she was a lit major and I minored in it and we met right after we had graduated from undergrad) and we got right back to it. She's reading a lot about pregnancy and what to do and not to do with your newborn, which she should have in about two weeks or less! It's great to see them and hang out. I'll expand more on Mass tomorrow. They have internet, so I'll try to get this thing up to date.
One thing-- for those of you reading with alpine/mountaineering experience... Jay and I had been planning on going to Patagonia for a few months. We're a little back and forth about it mostly due to my lack of experience and maybe wanting to go somewhere not so popular. Any suggestions? Jay is thinking about the Yukon or Iceland... I know nothing about these areas, so any suggestions/input from those who know me and my ability level would be helpful. Thanks!!
posted by torey at
6:00 AM
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