Climbing with Exhibit A

So, I arrived Saturday just in time for dinner - having used many many forms of transportation. We had a nice dinner - me being punch drunk tired. Went back to his place, went to sleep, got up, and drove off climbing to a place that apparently not many people go to since there's a pretty hard hike up. It was a gorgeous Sunday and noone else was there. This is a view from the place we climbed. It's sport climbing, and gorgeous rock. Luther's Rock or Spire or something, by South Lake Tahoe.

On Monday he had jury duty, so we left after he finished- like 4:00. And went to Lover's Leap and did the first pitch of The Line. A climb that was rated in the top ten of some famous person's list of all time. Or at least the first pitch. I only did it because Exhibit A said he had gear we could leave behind. The climb is 3 pitches and we didn't have time for that! And it's also rated a 5.9, which I was nervous about.

Here's a picture of the climb and me on it. Damn him for photographing when he should have been belaying! Not really. I'm sure I was safe.


We didn't have to leave gear because there were bolts about 10 feet over to the right at the top of a sport climb. We were sitting there setting up the rappel and someone on the ground asked if we were ok, which I thought was very nice. It's very possible for people to get stuck on the rock. But we had two ropes and were ok. We didn't come down off the climb until it was almost dark. Pooped was I!

I'll just say again that I had a great time with him. His birthday is Sat and mine's tomorrow - two Leos would make for an interesting relationship! We had some emails back and forth since I left and he's pretty clear that long distance is not for him (quote: I hate long distance relationships) Given that I'm thinking about my life and I tend to always need/want a man in my life, I'm obsessing about him - or was at least today. I found a job that I'm going to apply for in Berkeley, which would be nice because I could envision a life there, even if he wasn't in it! But of course I freak out at the idea of moving, but maybe I need a change in my life. I don't know. It won't hurt to apply. And if I try to picture what the future will look like, it's always different than what I imagined. So, best not to fret.

I read a book: While I was Gone - Sue Miller. A quote reached out to me: We didn't know what would happen next: that was our great gift. The gift of youth. The thing we miss, it seems to me, no matter what we've made of our lives as we get older. When we do know what will happen next. And next and next and then last.

Now, that's not me and that's not my life. That was the character and her fear of same-ness. There's a little bit of that in me though. I want to not know what happens next. I want to be in positions that I don't know what will happen. You can argue that that is life all the time, but sometimes you have a better knowledge of that given your life than other times.

We'll see what happens in my 43rd year.