viva mexico :)

Well, the 42-hour drive was actually a 52-hour drive after a kazillion pee breaks and a brutal ice storm in Arkansas. But the perfect climbing weather, cold cervezas, and huge routes made it completely worthwhile.

The first couple days we spent just cragging as a group so that we could get used to the rock. On the very first day, I easily soared up a 5.10 that had left me frustrated the last time I was in the Potrero. It was awesome to deal with the unfinished business and gave me enough of a confidence boost to get me through the whole week down there.

On the second day, Rob ditched me in favor of a stronger partner to try one of the Potrero's big routes, a 12-pitcher called Estrellita. Not to be outdone, Jojo and I teamed up a couple days later and easily repeated the same route. It was the first time that I've really climbed with another chick and it was great - it really felt like we climbed as a team, and not like I had to follow some guy up the hardest pitches. In fact, we each lead our very first 5.10b's on that route - 10 pitches off the ground! Of course, we celebrated with a few caguama's that night.

Evenings were spent slacklining, eating a rediculous amount of homemade guacamole and chips, and drinking cool caguamas (a caguama is a litre of beer and costs the equivalent of a $1.50).

Here are the pics:

Ochos locos gringos.


Approach? What approach? The climbing is an easy 5-minute walk down the road from the campground!


Any meal of the day, nothing beats 25 cent tacos.


Nik at the top of the world on Estrellita.


Jojo gettin' high on Estrellita.


Twelve pitches up - the highest I've ever climbed.


Happy climbers after a big day

Dos cervezas por favor!

Yo voy a Mexico!!!

They say that once you've been to Potrero Chico, you'll always go back. I guess they're right. Rob and I and 8 friends from Montreal are piling into our cars this weekend for a marathon 42-hour drive due south to Mexico's famed sport-climbing destination, El Potrero Chico. We've got 1 week to conquor as many of the Potrero's huge multi-pitch climbs and consume as many cheap cervezas as possible.

Arriba! Arriba!

Canada through my windshield

All of these pictures were taken from the driver's seat, at highway speed. Yes, it is perfectly safe to fiddle with your camera while driving in the prairies. It got a little sketchy in BC and Ontario.

My brand new ice tools were screaming out for me to stop and climb this, but alas, I had no partner :(


Pretty prairie sunset


My only source of sun on most days


Happy me in my new car. This is obviously in BC or Alberta because I look like I'm still having fun


Glad I'm not that guy. In northern Ontario, I saw 5 cars off the road in a 100km stretch. And the roads weren't even that bad!


Amish crossing

how NOT to drive across Canada

1. time your trip so that you hit snowstorms in every province (except the prairies, but there really isn't much to see in the prairies anyway)

BC:

Alberta:

Ontario:


2. Let 'destination fever' take over you completely and refuse to stop for picture-taking, food, or pee breaks until you are out of gas.

3. Drive with the 'check engine' light on for 3000km because no one can fix it in a day. Stress out about it and let your imagination run wild with images of your new car exploding on the highway.

4. Have your CD player in the trunk under all of your gear so that you never bother to take the time to change the CDs. Listen to the same 6 CDs the entire way across Canada. Memorize them. Love them. Hate them. Swear that you will never listen to them again. But keep on singing them until you are hoarse and can barely talk.

5. Sleep in the back of your car, wedged between your skis and guitar, in -20 weather. To save money to make up for all the cash that you spent in the gear shops in Canmore.