As mentioned, I went rock climbing yesterday. What an awesome time! I haven’t been in almost 4 years now and I’ve never climbed outside, at least not with the proper gear. The place we went was called Exit 38 and instead of the rock I posted yesterday, we climbed Gritscone on the Far Side. There are more routes than they show in the picture on that link, but here’s a pic of me climbing Pete’s Possum Palace:
For those of you not familiar with the 5.x rating system, take a look at the Yosemite Decimal System. I attempted a 5.9 as well and got about halfway up, but there was a slight overhang I couldn’t get past. Bummer…maybe next time. That’s what’s great about this climbing area, though, is that it’s only a half-hour outside of Seattle. So if I wake up and feel like climbing a rock, it’s no problem at all to just hop on the highway and head out into the woods. Not too bad, Pacific Northwest - you have taken my challenge and you are sidling up to the plate with ease. :)
Today, I need to hit up REI to get some new boots and other random gear. And if you clicked that link, yes folks this Seattle Flagship store is so big, it is actually denoted on Google Maps. It’s so big that it’s the second largest tourist attraction in Seattle, second only to the Market. It’s so big, it receives more visitors per year than the Space Needle. This, folks…is the Mother of all REI’s.