Monthly Archives: November 2009
El Potrero Chico
For the last ten days, I made my best effort to lose myself in Mexico. All-in-all, I’d say I was pretty successful. For those not in on the Twitter scene, on the 20th I took off to El Potrero Chico – a world class sport climbing destination about 45 minutes outside of Monterrey. I had a ton of vacation time to burn up, so my friend Rami and I decided to do the dirtbag climber thing, living on the cheap south of the border and climbing as much as possible. I could give my best stab at doing a day-by-day account, but I know I’d miss the good details. So I’m taking a little different approach, breaking this thing up into a few different focuses.
The logistics:
This was my first time traveling into Mexico, beyond a handful of border towns. Transportation to Mexico can be obtained fairly cheaply; Rami and I opted for the bus on the way down, $50 Austin to Monterrey. I was nervous about putting $1000+ worth of climbing equipment under the bus, but the ride down went without any issues. I speak a little broken Spanish/Portuguese fusion, and was able to get us from Monterrey to Potrero for $25 in a taxi. I seriously thought the trip would end quickly as our driver darted in and out of fast-moving traffic. We rolled into La Possada around 7:00pm, secured a place for the tents, and had dinner.
El Portero Chico is a circle of 1,500′ – 3,000′ limestone fins sticking up out of the ground. It’s about three miles up the road from the town of Hildalgo, a cute little rural Mexican town centered around a big cement plant. A small community has sprung up to accommodate climbers at Potrero. La Possada is one of about six establishments, offering cheap camping, a nice communal kitchen, hot showers, a few casasitas, and a small restaurant. $5/night gets you in, and from Possada you’re a 15 minute walk to the cliffs. It doesn’t get any better. I spent $10 on groceries in Hildago and cooked dinner most of the nights, but meals at the restaurant were only $5 if I didn’t want beans and rice. Definitely living on the cheap!
The rocks:
Since we rolled into Potrero after sunset, we couldn’t really see the climber’s playground waiting for us. The next morning, I was up right at sunrise, just in time to see the fresh sun hitting this stunning limestone cliff. I’ve seen a lot of cliffs in my life, but I’ve never seen anything as beautifully textured as these. And they were huge! A person could climb for decades here, and never touch the same rock twice. As you walk up the road into the canyon, a strong wind is always blowing, and the air is crisp. From the first day until the last, my toes would always tingle on the walk up…
Potrero is best known for it’s long multi-pitch sport routes – clipping bolts way, way off the deck. In Austin our climbs rarely venture over 15 meters, but in Potrero, like most places, the typical pitch is 30 – 35 meters. We knew we could get over our heads rather quickly…
The climbing:
We were up early our first day in Potrero, and wanted to do our first multi-pitch route ever. We picked an easy three pitch route to get used to the motions and learn what on earth we were doing up there… It all went surprisingly smooth. Rami led the first pitch, then brought me up. When I got to the anchors, I was briefly freaked out to see I was being belayed off an un-equalized death trap anchor set up. But nobody died, and a little lesson insured it wouldn’t happen again… We went up one more pitch, then rapped down. It was a good introduction. We filled the rest of the day with fun single pitch routes, and came back to camp exhausted.
Day two we did another three pitches of a very fun and challenging route, gradually taking us higher and higher off the deck. The nerves slowly started to die down, and I was actually enjoying myself three pitches up. The rock in Potrero is sharp, sharp, sharp; and on any given route, you can find good finger/hand cracks, gnarly dirty off-widths, or fun chimneys. Each day I felt like I learned a new technique. But talk about exhausting… The long routes, time spent learning, and route finding (I only climbed one route twice the entire trip) really took it’s toll on my poor muscles.
Thanksgiving morning, Rami and I hooked up with Chris and Kenley to climb Estrallita, a classic 12 pitch 5.10b. We went up in two teams, with Chris and I tied together. Chris is a super strong climber from Austin, and he led me up with a professionalism and technical experience I’ve never seen before. I was feeling strong coming off a leisurely rest-day, and did the entire route with one hang. The three 5.10 pitches were all hand/fist cracks, and the movements just clicked with me as I climbed up. Everything just flowed naturally. The view at the top was incredible. Chris and I talked about our recent accomplishment, and the commitment it takes to do what we just did. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt that alive.
I climbed a torturous off-width up the spires – a class Potrero rock formation near the end of the park. I projected on an awesome 5.11d with Karl, and literally climbed until I couldn’t climb anymore. So perfect.
The people:
As great as the climbing was, it’s the people I met in Potrero that’ll last with me the longest. In November, Mexico has some of the best climbing weather in the world, and, combined with great rock, attracts a decent international group of climbers. A lot of folks from Canada were there running from the cold, as well as a pretty sizable crowd from Europe. And, whether you climbed 5.10 or 5.14, we were all bound together by our passion for the rocks. In the evenings we had raging Uno games in the kitchen, fueled by cheap beer and tequila. Stories of epic climbs from around the world filled the air. The friendly vibe was so perfect for the moment.
And the Austin climbing community, visiting Potrero for the holiday, was so warming to have around. We even had a full-blown Thanksgiving feast on Thursday. We had our characters in the group too, providing constant entertainment. All-around great guys like Chris and Kenley led some of us up amazing routes we would otherwise have been too scared or weak to get on. Kenley had some good tales of his own too. One night, fueled by two bottles of tequila, he and Joel tackled the first five pitches of Yankee Clipper. If their nalgene would have been filled with water instead of tequila, they probably would have finished it…
I could spend hours more recounting each good moment, but you’ll just have to take the trip yourself to really see what I’m talking about. Potrero is an amazing place, and every climber in North America should experience it. I had a blast on my vacation, and I’m looking forward to starting the next chapter in my life on a very high note. Hit the link for pictures.
Zen-like Moments
I started re-reading my favorite book, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, a few days ago. It’s a book that hits me so, so deeply on a number of levels; I can honestly say it changed my outlook on life. What gets me most is how easily I identify with the author and his relationship to his son, as they travel across the country via motorcycle. I think about the time my dad and I took the Harley to White Sands, New Mexico; and especially the bike ride to Alaska.
For me, it’s an incredible interpretation of how I see the world. Early in the book, the author touches on the differences between traveling by car vs motorcycle. He compares the car to a television set – watching the world pass by outside through the same window frame. While on the motorcycle, you’re in it – getting hit by the air, the smells, inches away from pavement you can touch. Stimulating the senses with every moment.
I was riding my bike home from work yesterday evening, thinking about each raindrop hitting my face, and the feel of the water being kicked up from my tires onto my shins. At that one moment, I was only one of six billion people in the world, but I was so connected to it that my statistical insignificance didn’t matter. My moment was completely and totally unique to me. I strive for those moments every single day.
Existence is so incredibly simple. Most people are capable of realizing this, but I feel like fewer and fewer are able to actually put it into practice. It used to get me down, especially when people close to me would be stressed and unhappy. It frustrated me when others couldn’t just flip the switch in their mind, let go of their worries, and simply enjoy being alive. But lately I’ve realized my frustration is the result of overlooking one crucial part. I was overlooking the fact that my unique worldview is the result of my own experiences, combined with quite a few deeply introspective thoughts. It’s my own path, and it’s very, very difficult for others to walk on.
This realization has changed and will change a lot of things for me. I think I’ve always been reluctant to get really close to anyone, because eventually it would just end with that same nagging frustration when things would become complicated. I was looking for my exact counterpart, but I think I’m finally starting to see that person doesn’t exist. I think I should start looking for my compliment instead, someone who’s personality can productively mesh with my own.
Active
Austin, TX is probably the prettiest place to be in the world right now. 70 degrees, with never-ending sunshine and a gentle breeze. I”ve been spending as much time in it as possible. Tuesday and Wednesday were my mid-week weekend, and since I’m only working a half day today, I’ll use this part of it to catch you all up.
Work has been keeping me occupied quite a bit, but not the “going somewhere/doing something meaningful occupied.” More like “paying the bills/mind numbingly boring” kind of occupied. There’s nothing wrong with it – I’m never stressed, and I get to hang out with my friends all day, but I’m starting to get a little restless. The motivation to start up a new job search is certainly coming back to me. After I burn up my vacation hours on this 10 day trip to Mexico on the 20th, I’ll be jumping back into it full swing.
I took off on the road bike Tuesday. It’s been quite a while since I’ve done that, but the bike is always enthusiastic to take me back. My legs felt skinny and weak. Climbing has been working out my upper body with a vengeance, and I felt a strange imbalance my first hour on the road. I still have a pretty good base fitness from my everyday commute and hyperactive lifestyle, but I hope this winter I can add some quickness back to the legs.
Yesterday I went out to Reimers Ranch with a handful of good friends from REI. I really just wanted to get in a good workout on routes that were too difficult for me. The feeling in my hands and arms last night, and especially this morning, confirmed my objective was met. Lots of physical 5.10s and 5.11s. Ryan is climbing as good as I’ve ever seen him, redpointing some really stout climbs. As always, I’m glad he was around yesterday to exhaust me with cool routes.
Everything is happy right now, but I feel like I’m missing somehting. I know what it is, and why it is; I just wish I knew who it is. I thought I had it all figured out, but I was careless with my timing. Now I don’t know what to think.
The sunshine today is still incredibly beautiful though…
