Rocking in Flagstaff

This morning at 7 AM Dave and I went to "The Pit" climbing area just 10 minutes outside downtown.  It was cool and green and deserted.  Dave's climbing partner was injured so I got to step in as his belay partner.  I'm still a bit freaked out about the idea of catching his fall from a cliff face.  Today Dave wanted me to get comfortable with the idea of catching his falls.  The idea was that he would intentionally take big falls without warning.  Okay! So off we go hiking into the canyon filled with pine trees.  Here Dave is on the path.

We hiked down into the tree-filled canyon in the chilly morning air.  The days have been so hot and dry and windy, the early morning dew was wonderful.  Once at the crag (the base of the climbing walls) Dave unloads the rope and harnesses and we get ready.  The responsibilities of the belayer are to feed out the rope as the climber goes up clipping draws into bolts then clipping the rope into the draws.  There has to be enough slack to allow the climber to move freely but not so much that his fall would be long.  When the climber gets to the top, I take up the slack and he drops his weight into his harness and I slowly lower him.  In the event that he falls, I am jerked up off the ground several feet to catch his fall.  Then I lower myself, get footing and help him get back to the rock to continue climbing.  Here you see Dave hanging in the harness.  I am well below him on a large rock landing as I belay.  When he did his big fall, I went up 10 feet.  My squeal echoed through the canyon, but I did good.  It was actually thrilling and I am proud of being able to catch my partner when he falls.

There are elements we each need to have around us to be happy to feel empowered.  For Dave it is rock to climb on and people to play music with.  For me it is yoga community and water.  I need to be near ocean or lake or river... to feel the presence of the water element.  The expansiveness of a large body of water and its flow are so soothing to me.

The flow of connection that develops between yogis is also something that feeds my soul.  I am only now realizing the preciousness of all those after-yoga talks at the Kula 200 studio.  I am so grateful for those memories and hope you are continuing the unity.  I am loving daily yoga classes and the teachers are just lovely.  The studio is on the third floor of an old building in historic downtown.  Just below is The Wine Loft where Dave and I went to a wine tasting and shared wonderful wine, cheese and conversation.  It was one of the most romantic evenings ever.  Tonight we return to see a Gypsy Jazz band.

Flagstaff is great for biking too.  Bike paths everywhere.  When the hot windy weather stops we will go on long rides.  For now we ride around town and leave the big truck parked in the shade.  This Friday evening there is an event called "The Art Walk" where all downtown businesses transform into art galleries showing local art and offering wine and pupus.  Dave and I will join the buzz.  The weather is set to shift to cool rains in July and we plan to take a day trip to Sedona and Cottonwood for wine tasting, farm tours and stunning nature.  We've been resourceful in dealing with the dryness here. We bought a humidifier for our room and we are drinking lots of aloe vera juice.  Our bodies are adjusting, but we look forward to being near lakes and rivers in Colorado and Idaho.