I recently got a job. And I don’t mean that in the sense that I usually do when I have a “job”, I mean I sit at a desk for 40 hours a week and look at a computer until I go cross eyed. It is seasonal though, and I'm working for an AMAZING company, so don’t fret, there is hope for my survival. This came about because I want to live in my van and go rock climbing, which requires only a bit of money, but, of which I had none. More on this existential crisis in a coming post though.
Anyway, after all this sitting around, I thought, gosh, I really oughta go climbing next weekend. So it was decided that I would go up to Tahoe the following weekend and climb, probably just a day trip, but it would humanize me again and it would be wonderful. The problem with sitting around a lot is that the only thing it really motivates me to do is sit around some more. Does anyone else have that problem? Anyway, Saturday afternoon rolled around and I had still not left to go climbing. I alternated between sitting on the couch and thinking about gathering my things and leaving, and sitting on my bed and thinking about gathering my things and leaving. Eventually I decided I needed fuel and that fuel needed to be in the form of sugar. I roused the dogs and we walked to Walgreen’s. I carefully chose my snacks- peanut butter M&Ms (conceptually, the same thing as Reese’s Pieces, oddly, so much better. Which is why I need three bags), Haribo Peaches (if real peaches were coated in sugar, I would eat them by the handful too), dark chocolate granola bars (I needed something healthy, duh). At the checkstand a Lindt truffle caught my eye so I added that to my stash. I had also grabbed a tube of toothpaste, because I was out, and it wasn’t until I saw all my items together on the counter that I laughed and realized that I had about two month’s worth of sugar intake (that I was planning on consuming in the next three hours) and toothpaste. At least I’m a responsible sugar addict?
Now properly loaded with an arsenal of health food, I mustered up the motivation to get in the car and start driving. I love climbing. I love Tahoe. But for some reason, I had spent the entire day not wanting to go climbing. I think it had a lot to do with laziness and not wanting to drive, but it was a weird sensation- actively not wanting to go climbing. I went into autopilot mode, stuffed my face with candy, and soon enough I was pulling into the Donner rest stop where I planned to sleep (because there’s a bathroom there, which can be nice). However, my friend Eric texted me and told me that one of our friends, Ryan, was sleeping in his Sprinter in a much more pleasant place, so I headed over there, only to find he was already asleep. I didn’t have Ryan’s number so I really hoped he wouldn’t be creeped out if he heard me outside. I let the dogs run around for a bit, then climbed in the car for bed. I realized how much I missed sleeping in my car, and fell asleep happy. 
The next day dawned quite a bit more warmly than I had expected, so the dogs and I rolled out of the car and played a bit of frisbee. I heard some rustling from the Sprinter, and shortly thereafter Ryan emerged. I hadn’t seen Ryan in years, but he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and asked “Lo Pat!?”
It was great catching up with Ryan, and we decided to walk from where we were out to the Saddle Boulders. You used to be able to easily drive to the Saddles by going through the train tunnels above Donner Lake. Unfortunately, the gate at the entrance to the tunnels is now locked so getting there is a little more tricky. We decided just to hoof it. It was a beautiful day and we were psyched. We grabbed our gear, put the dogs’ packs on, I stuff granola bar 1 of the day in my face, and we were off.
The day was glorious, the scenery was beautiful, the weather was warm, and the company was good. Just being in the fresh air had done wonders for my psych and I felt happy and fulfilled just walking to the boulders. The walk was flat, but considerably longer than a normal bouldering approach, so by the time we got to the rocks I was ready for granola bar 2. We had an awesome time climbing. We didn’t see anyone else the whole day, and we had enough shade to be comfortable. Ryan sent Midnight Train, a super classic, and we worked on the Sombrero traverse. I worked harder on my box of granola bars. Eventually we grew tired, and began the trek out. The sun had seemed to intensify on the walk and it beat down on us as we looked longingly at the distant Donner Lake. By the time we reached our vehicles we had walked 7 miles total with our heavy crash pads. We beelined for the lake and jumped in. The water was cold, but refreshing. We climbed back out, said goodbye and went our separate ways. I got in the car, ate my last granola bar, and drove back to the Bay Area, feeling rejuvenated and excited, because soon enough, I’ll be back on the road.
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