Melissa i
Strong

We left our home, friends, and jobs in Estes Park, CO, on November 21st for the warmth of the desert.  We have been fortunate to do this annually since 2005-2006.  Every year, it is difficult for me to leave my home and the community I have grown so close with, but once the bitter cold steals away the pleasantness of fall, the urge to flock to warmer rocks takes over--I feel ready for the change.  Adam has been spending his winters in the Hueco Valley far longer than I have.  He took one year off after we first met. We stayed in Estes Park 2004/2005 winter to "save up" to go to South Africa in the spring (quite a difficult task to do in the off-season).  After that brief break, we returned to Hueco Tanks for my first season, newly married to Adam Strong.  We stayed on a friend's of Adam's land and finished the season on our newly purchased parcel of desert.  Getting used to life in Hueco Tanks, the rules and regulations of The Park, and meeting tons of new people made my first year….interesting.   I guess I hadn't realized it yet, but Ana Burgos, who soon became a great friend, informed me that I was married to a "climbing legend."  People would come up and introduce themselves to me, saying they wanted to meet the girl Adam Strong married."It was intimidating, yet I was welcomed at the same time. 

 

Not too long after I first met Adam, we were out climbing, and I saw him execute a toe hook (wrapping your food around a feature in a rock and using the top of your foot to create tension)…not having much behind my belt at the time, but RMNP bouldering, I responded, "That's sick!" In return, Adam asked in astonishment, "What, the toe hook?"  This lesson was helpful as I found myself in the land of roofs with jugs, toe hooks, and knee bars!  Crazy.  There were so many new people to meet, a new climbing style to learn, and getting used to married life--there was a lot to absorb. 

 

Our first season flew by!  Over the following seasons, we settled into our land, upgrading campers, establishing a solar power source, and acquiring a water tank--we have made a comfy home away from home.  A community of climbers grew in this desert. We are surrounded by great friends who are also neighbors.  Over the years, I have continuously learned many life lessons while living in the east El Paso desert. I am grateful to be part of a community of unique people living within a few miles of each other on the land surrounding the greatness of Hueco Tanks.  The rock art, mortar holes, and pottery shards remind us daily of those who dwelled in the Hueco Valley before us.