Melissa i
Strong

From Estes Park to Hueco to Chattanooga!

 

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From Colorado to Hueco

It is always difficult for me to leave my home in Colorado, but once I wake up and see this view of Hueco—I am home again.  It was a whirlwind leaving, as it usually is—trying to tie up so many loose ends, and unfortunately, we were hit hard by the flu, first me, then Adam.  But despite the flu and flat tire along the way, we made it!  We made it to sunny warm Hueco!  We were welcomed by beach weather the first few weeks, which thankfully has finally relented to some cooler temperatures.
We arrived the day before Thanksgiving and began the season, opening our doors to friends we hadn't seen in a while and having a Thanksgiving potluck.  I was eager to test my idea of Thanksgiving pizza out on the group; sautéed garlic, sage, and thyme was the sauce topped with caramelized onions, roasted butternut squash, sage-rubbed roasted chicken, and sprinkled with stuffing!  It was well received!
It's been one of the quietest Hueco seasons I have seen in a long time but familiar faces and friends fill the valley.  It is terrific being reunited with friends, having time to climb, a social life, and not running off to work all the time.

Besides climbing a ton and enjoying friends, I am spending most of my free time organizing the 20th Hueco Rock Rodeo.  I am organizing/helping the American Alpine Club host their first Hueco Rock Rodeo on February 15th-17th at their newly purchased property – the Hueco Rock Ranch!  It is gearing up to be a great event with tons of challenging climbing, slide shows, a movie premier, a dyno contest, food, beer, music, top athletes competing, conducting clinics, and hanging out, including the one and only Fred Nicole who will be there flipping flapjacks, cook breakfast Rodeo morning!!!  It has been an enriching experience being more involved in this event, getting sponsors, advertising, attempting to grow the event, introducing cultural aspects, getting athletes on board and local organization—wow, there is a lot involved from beginning to end. It also is time-consuming adding to my growing list of jobs (bartending/managing at the Dunraven, owning and operating Wagon Wheel Co-opt, wagonwheelcoopt.com, bookkeeper for Adam's Tree Service and writer on occasion) but a great fun learning experience.

The serenity that I spoke of in Hueco has abruptly come to an end with the passing of Christmas.  Set free from family commitments, people begin their migration, flocking to the gates of Hueco Tanks, where they are stopped, waiting to enter.  The report was 44 people waiting to get onto North Mountain yesterday and almost a full backcountry.  Currently, by default, our guiding service, Wagon Wheel Co-opt, is the only operating guiding service in Hueco Tanks. That will change since new concessions were recommended this year, but until they get their insurance, radios, and guides—it is wagonwheelcoopt.com!  We will be happy to share the brunt of the clients, but until then, we are proud we have been able to help climbers gain access to Hueco Tanks for the past seven years! We have several eager guides vying for clients—you can arrange a tour at wagonwheelcoopt.com!
Since we knew everyone was in good hands, we decided to take a break from the busy season in Hueco this year. After celebrating Christmas with friends, we packed up the truck with myself, Adam, our good friend Mike Wickwire, two dogs, and a cat and headed to Chattanooga, TN!  We met up with Keith Allen Peters halfway to Tennessee, which gave us a lot more room in the truck when Mike and his dog Bran switched cars.  A long journey greeted us with rain, but we were able to get a few days in climbing on the amazing southern sandstone. The locals and great friends, including our good buddy Cletus, toured us around. We celebrated New Year's Eve in the city.  The forecast looks promising so hopefully there will be a lot more pictures to come.  We are really lucky to have Hueco and Rocky Mountain National Park at our doorsteps, but after so many years of the same thing, I am really excited to be trying some new boulders!