Just the Slew of Us!

Yesterday, July 9, Day 10, Kevin left us to go back to work. We were met by two dogs. Two dogs that his track-star and soon to be climber-sisters would love to meet, apparently! So he had me take a picture of him with the two dogs. We had a good laugh about it because the two dogs were tied together and couldn't stray far from one another at any point. We wondered if they had any long-term trade-off deals regarding who gets their pick of where to go. We decided that dogs didn't think that far ahead. They'd probably just tug and the big one would usually get its way!After saying goodbye to Kevin, I was done working Priest Draw boulders, and so was Alisa. Carnivore Direct would not yield to me this trip, but I thought about the route and its moves on the way back down the road(s) to The Pit. Click on the movie below the picture for a funny clip of a tired me failing to finish the route.
Alisa and I waited for a couple to get off of a route we had planned to do, but after waiting 15 minutes, we realized we weren't that big on waiting. Up we hopped on a route of unknown difficulty. Alisa thought she wouldn't have a chance. After leading the route messily, I belayed her from the anchors and coaxed her up this 30 meter route that overlooks the volcanic debris and trees in the canyon there. Alisa worked all the moves and greeted me at the top! Come to find out, this was the hardest route Alisa's worked! It's a 5.10d called Mordor! How nice! Unfortunately, there are only pictures of me from below since Alisa had the camera and did not bring it up with her! (I think she planned that!) But here it is:We walked back up the .4-mile trail to the campground that we parked just outside of (so we didn't have to pay $7/day parking fee to climb there!), and headed into town to visit our favorite coffee shop. But not before a pose atop our hike, overlooking The Pit:We get to the Campus Coffee Bean coffee shop, and plug into the outlets to charge our phones, our camera, our computers, and we start checking and writing e-mails, updating our blogs, and contacting people we haven't heard from or seen in awhile! It feels weird to plug back into society! We're so used to being on our own with a friend or two, looking for sources of water and good places to camp. We walk into the shop that also houses FREE WI-FI (internet). And not the kind that some places tout but require more than just a $1 purchase but, for instance, a Hilton hotel room for the HHonors network connection, or the AT&T pay-per-minute connection that places like McDonald's and other places we didn't want to go to for internet anyways house.
With that said, we snacked, wrote, got dinner, and returned to camp. What did we snack on? We've been snacking on peanut butter and bread and jelly sandwiches. This is weird because for an entire year growing up, I went to school every day with a bottle of water and a PB&J for lunch. After that year, I wouldn't touch a PB&J. 'Til now. Now I'm eatin' 'em up! Mom, you don't have to feel bad anymore: I'm over it! I grew up! I like PB&J's again! Mm..Mmm! Here's the proof:
In the morning, we were caught tenting in the parking lot and packing up by an entire summer camp for trail runners! What a laugh! Here they are, with their instructor taking a picture in front of some of the Priest Draw boulders and the Coconino National Forest sign, in front of our tent and car, which Alisa is seen packing up while I briefly snap a photo!On to more climbing?! Did Gabe Cisneros say Jack's Canyon? Did some random no-crash-pad Flagstaff locale say Paradise Forks? Did I say HECK YEAH?

I think so!

-Your thinkingso Landescaper, N8