One thing Buddhism has taught me is that I can turn a minor issue into a major one simply by dwelling on it long enough. Going over and over the same ground in my mind prolongs the hurt, whereas releasing it–clearing my mind–brings peace. It’s not always easy to clear my mind. The ego loves… Read more »
Posts By: Dawn
Uncertainty + Determination = Motivation
“I’ve decided to run the Maine race,” I tell my boyfriend Steve over dinner Friday night. “Oh-kaaay,” he says, in a tone that means something else. There Dawn goes again–setting her sights on some unlikely endeavor, trying to shortcut preparation and planning with one foolhardy, glorious push for the summit. The Pineland Farms Trail Race… Read more »
The Memory Game
“You can’t like that move,” I told Mike as I floated gently past the City Lights crux, “but you get so you can do it.” Smear right foot on polished white slab, throw left foot up to ear in pod, rock over. I used to call it improbable but now I’d call it familiar. On… Read more »
FINALLY!
I haven’t gone this long without touching real rock in the nearly nine years I’ve been climbing. After four straight weekends of personal and work obligations monopolizing the springtime weather I was bouncing off the walls in full withdrawal. “I need to get out!!!” So I didn’t care about the 30% chance of rain. A… Read more »
Is it really over?
Saturday was way cold. Way colder than it was supposed to be and way colder than I was prepared to handle. I didn’t have belay gloves, long underwear, or hand-warmers. And I didn’t have my suffering mentality on straight. I guess I didn’t believe the nice weather would ever end this year. So we did… Read more »
Climbing in the jungle with my boyfriend
OK, not really. He said that’s what I’d write because in the first few pitches we climbed Sunday I humped a whole forest full of trees. What stands out most though is that I climbed five pitches I’d never climbed before and led a pitch of 5.10 clean. Any day I lead 5.10 is a… Read more »
TRing at Pinnacle
With Steve: Third Crack, 5.7Tasmanian Devil, 10cEntertainer, 10bWild Kingdom, 11-
Good Things Happen
Steven is one of my oldest climbing partners and first mentors, so he’s taught me a lot. One of the most important things I ever learned from him is “Good things happen to those who at least try to get out.” That’s why when I emailed him on Friday I anticipated that, forecast for showers… Read more »
One fall, one hang
Today was my second try on Doubleissima. I’d like to believe that one more try will do it, but it depends on how soon I can get back on it and how brave I am that day. I was pleased that I started up it, pleased that I pushed through when I was pumped, pleased… Read more »
Still not a 12
OK, I wasn’t even trying. But if I had been, I wouldn’t have gotten close. Most of these routes were repeats but Milktoast, the hardest route I led and the only new one, took more than a little work. I wasn’t sure I was ever going to make it past that crux bolt and then,… Read more »