New Routing

The thing about being a multi-sport athlete is that you can't get fixated on one thing. The Tour, and the challenge, are still going. My first big race is just a week away and cycling has been taking up all of my free time lately. Yet fall is just around the corner. Climbing challenges await and it’s time to start training with those goals in mind as well. And with that, the Friday Psyche presents a vid about new routing in the Canyonlands.

My fall challenge (perhaps this year’s birthday challenge) is going to feature some new routes. I’ve scoped it out but before it gets announced I need to gain a lot more fitness to know that it’s at least feasible. So with Butte training nearly in the barn it’s time to taper, which is a good time to begin some foundation work for my upper body. This morning I’m heading out with Ben to jump on a couple of our fall climbing objectives to assess their feasibility and re-in vigor our psyche. Then we can tailor our training to what we know for certain we’re lacking.

This vid reminds me of my old climbing days when I had ample free time to roam around and look for cool new stuff. I especially like the part when he talks about finding things not only to do now, but for the future—-perhaps even future generations. Quite a few of my old endeavors had this in mind and, in fact, many of my old projects still have not been finished. Doing first ascents is a bit more like an art project than just a personal challenge. You’re looking for the latter, of course, but also always keeping in mind the canvas that is the history of the sport and your place in adding to something that is mainly for others. To me, that was the main driving force about the years I spent exploring for new routes.