It’s official.  The Ahoskie Inn may, in fact, be the foulest place in North Carolina, if not the entire country.  We made it back but not unharmed.  Both of our psychological health remains questionable.  The 3 weeks took a huge tole on our sanity.  As we pointed the truck westward, with the Ahoskie Inn at our back, our smiles were that of pure happiness or a little psychotic…I’m still not sure.  However, the final blow struck hard on Joey a few days after we returned.  An unknown virus, bacteria, or parasite sent him straight to the hospital for almost 3 days.  If anyone knows Joey, they know he NEVER goes to the doctor.  Honestly, after puking and dry heaving for hours followed by troubled breathing…..who wouldn’t race to to hospital??  This episode sparked this final rant.  I was going to leave it in the past, but now I must give a little follow up to the last days in Ahoskie.  That place had to be the source of the sickness!!

The days seemed to drag on for years.  We continued to keep ourselves entertained by taking photos and short videos of all the countless disgusting or crazy things we saw.  This sparked fear in the girls working at the front desk.  They seemed a little too paranoid.  Asked us if we were private investigators and to please not bust them and only hassle the patrons.  They even called our room one night and asked us not to look out of our own window.  Yes, I know…crazy people.  They did tell us the pool was filled in because two children drowned  at different times.  This sparked the rumors of hauntings created by the Ahoskie locals.  I must admit, I was still more worried about diseases than ghosts.  However, the two hour chanting, screaming, and throwing holy fastballs session, just below our room, almost pushed me the other direction.  I took a video of it with my iPhone, but it is too reminiscent of the Blair Witch Project to show here.  And, it still kinda scares me.  I couldn’t bring myself to photograph the toe-nail found in my bed, but I’ll leave you with a few other classic photos from this amazing Inn….

Don’t want anyone stealing the fake trees in the smoking hallway…yep, they have a smoking hallway.

This is actually inside….but clearly not the smoking hallway.

Please plunge my toilet.  then set the plunger on the mop so you can clean my floor with fecal matter.  YES!!

Popcorn explosion that stayed in the floor for a week.

Even their flag is beat up….

To all the Nucor readers:  It was a pleasure training you guys and I hope to be back….just not gonna stay at the Ahoskie Inn.

Cheers.

I have just settled in for a 2 1/2 week stint working in North Carolina.  I have many part-time gigs but this one seems to keep me the busiest, thus making me the most money.  Plus I get to work/hangout with my good friend, Joey.  For the last few years, business has been slow in the summer and winter.  On average, I would work about 6 months a year.  Summers are reserved for big trips like Rocklands and winters give way to shorter trips closer to home.  This winter, Whitney and I decided against our trip out west in hopes to save extra money for a bigger trip this summer.  I was guessing I had another good month before work would really get going, but as luck would have it, I’m going to be busy until summer.  Honestly, the money will be good and needed, but the weather was just getting right.  I feel like our climbing season in the South was sub-par this year.  Unfavorably warm.  And wet.  Knowing my climbing would take a huge hit once work started, I put intense pressure on myself the week before I left.  ’I have to send’ was continuously repeated in my head.  And of course, this perpetuated the situation.  Each day got worse until I finally gave up.  On that day, I sent.  Well, at least one of the boulder problems on my massive list.  The psych of the send would hopefully get me through our 11 hour drive to North Carolina before the depression set in.

So here I am.  A couple of hours from any interstate.  A flat landscape littered with patches of pine trees, farms, dilapidated barns and trailers.  Cofield, North Carolina.  Small towns would swallow this place.  The worst of it is the complete lack of cell phone service.  Not even one bar!  iPhones are virtually pointless without supporting cell towers.  It’s not all loss.  I found some WiFi.  Yes, an outlet to the world and a means to let Whitney know when she can call me at our ghetto hotel.  There is some beauty here, but it is hard to see through eyes that yearn for mountains with boulders scattered under cliffbands.  Regardless, we are here to teach High-angle and Confined Space Rope Rescue at a Nucor Steel Plant.  Their plant is very impressive, but not nearly as impressive as the caliber of people we have worked with thus far.  The people are really motivated, smart, and work hard for us.  This definitely makes our time much more enjoyable.  But I’m not writing to bore you with work details, or my current state of mind.  The utter fail of our hotel is far more enticing to vent about.  And honestly, I have nothing better to do.

Let me first clarify, the hotel is not in Cofield.  I would not want to disservice the humble community by leading you to believe they house this atrocity.  Furthermore, Cofield does not even have a hotel I am aware of.  We are having to stay about 30 minutes away in Ahoskie.  According to iPhone and Droid, there were 4 accommodations to choose from.  A pricey Bed and Breakfast, The Chief, The Tomahawk, and the Ahoskie Inn.  Horrible reviews were posted about the Native American themed places, so the Ahoskie Inn was the logical choice.

Being here has brought on a fear and worry I haven’t felt since my stint in India.  At least that was India.  Comon son, this is North Carolina.  I am constantly trying not to dwell on my surroundings that have been infected by years of hourly rate patrons.  But what can you do?  I was debating how exactly to help you visualize my experience, and decided photos would be the best choice.  Instead of going on and on about the unique smells, countless coarse black hairs found woven in our towels, the cigarette butt that took 5 days for the maid service to vacuum, and the numerous special people who grace this place with their presence (one of which smoked a telephone pole while speeding through the parking lot), the iPhone will be much easier.  These are just a few photos I captured within the first 5 minutes of our arrival.  There is so much more, but I figured this would turn into a novel instead of a blog post if I brought every fail into view.  Hope you can find the humor in this….believe me, it is the only thing keeping me from going crazy.

Doorstop…fail.

Wiring…fail.

Screw straight into the frame…nice picture hanging technique…fail.

Wall patch…fail.

Bottle opener in bathroom….not sure what to think about this.

Cigarette butts in non-smoking room…fail.  Maid service….fail.

Showerhead height….fail.  Fluxuating water temp from scalding to freezing…fail.

And I could go on and on, but I don’t want to be too negative.  On the contrary, I do have a sweet workout set up.  Given that the hotel doesn’t have a gym, I brought my own (thanks Patrick!).  Hopefully I will keep a little finger strength while I’m away.  The eating situation is not much better, so I solved that too…almost like camping, except my tent is probably a little cleaner.

Definitely ready to come home, but I still have some time here.  Praying the weather will be good in March…still have some boulders I wanna send before I’m stuck on a rope and in the gym.  See ya just now.

Not much has been happening in the ways of news or eventful things I feel motivated to blog about.  The winter trip out west has been thwarted by bank balances and work.  We forged through the holidays and have been in Chattanooga chilling ever since.  I could blab on about my current projects or sends, weather forecasts, work, or life….but it all seems so mundane when compared to traveling periods in my life.  Not that things are going bad.  On the contrary, life is good.  I’m psyched.  No drama.  I guess that could be something to write about or at least be grateful for.  So here is a bombardment of photos (although just a select few) Whitney and I have taken over the last couple months.  Hope you Enjoy.

A few weeks ago, I was having a normal conversation with a friend.  What about?  No idea.  I am sure climbing, travel and work were all thrown in at some point.  However, I clearly remember constantly referring to ‘last year.’  At this, my friend would question or correct me.  It finally occurred to me that I have a completely skewed view of when the new year actually starts.  For climbers, especially in the South, the new year starts in October.  Anything prior to that is considered last year.  As spring brings in the warm weather, and the miserable southern summer is closing in, you can only hope to finish up your project before the last days of questionable friction are gone.  If you fail, there is always next year…. which is only a few months away.

Having spent the last several months injured, The New Year has brought in new motivation. As the leaves began to turn, my fingers have slowly healed up.  I couldn’t ask for better timing.  I’m excited to see how the year turns out.

The photos are just a few shots taken over the last month.  I hope to stay motivated with the camera and continue posting new ones.  I have been completely overwhelmed with the amount of photos needing to be sorted from Rocklands, so I have not been very productive at posting new stuff.  Hopefully that will change.

I heard a car slowly pull up.  It was early.  Maybe 9 am.  I said to come by around 9 or 10.  In my mind this meant 10:30.  I’m perpetually late.  This irritates most people, but I seem to be on schedule when it’s South African time.  Sandra is South African, so I can’t figure out why they are here already.

I quickly clambered out of my tent.  The kids looked psyched, but Sandra had a slightly different look.  I quickly realized, that the climbing guide, who will be in charge of her kids, just strode out of his tent looking very responsible.  A role model, if you will.  Clad with sandals, rolled up dirty jeans, no shirt, and down jacket, I was something to aspire to.  Balancing a rollie between my lips, I gave her a big smile.

I promised breakfast for the kids so I quickly got the first course prepared.  I handed them a slightly clean knife and a partially eaten loaf of banana bread.  They cautiously accepted it, but then dug in.  This kept them busy while I drank a cup of coffee.  Course two:  another dirty knife and fresh passion fruit.  They opted against the knife but crushed the fruit.  The kids must have been famished by the way they ripped into the skins if the fruit.  Now for the main course.  I saved the best for last.  I handed them an emu egg and asked them if they had ever eaten one.  They looked worried as their eyes met the large green egg.  I tossed over the egg and told them I’d scramble it as soon as they cracked it.  The egg was not devoured as quickly as the first two courses.  The eggs taste strange compared to standard chicken eggs.  A bit meaty.  I didn’t hold it against them.

photo credit: Chris Kelk

After a second cup of coffee, we were headed towards the Plateau Boulders.  I explained spotting, pad placement, and basic technique.  I submerged my hands in some chalk and we all started wrestling with the boulders.  We climbed all afternoon.  You couldn’t wear them out.  I tried.  They have way too much energy.  I don’t think I was ready for that.  I tried to show them how to lounge and chill during a bouldering session but they wanted none of it.  They pulled, crimped, sloped, jumped, and sent until they had no skin left.  They actually did really well.  I was impressed.  Tired but impressed.

Godbee joined us about halfway through our session.  It was nice to have another set of eyes on the kids.  Chris made an appearance soon after Godbee, and he brought lunch.  Perfect timing.  Food was about the only thing to slow them down.  We climbed a bit longer after lunch but in the end, skin conditions always end days early.  We hiked out and piled into the old Land Rover Chris had driven over.  The day was perfect.  No injuries.  Everyone had fun.  At this point, the only thing that could ruin the day would be to wreck the Land Rover.  Chris took care of that for us as we turned into the entrance to Thys’ house.  Bam!  We slammed right into the rock pillar.  No injuries except for Chris’ pride.  I managed not to laugh too much at first.  This instantly turned into the highlight of the day for everyone.  Well, Chris wasn’t so happy…

Just before we plowed into the column

Motivation has been at an all time low.  I basically have not climbed in over 3 weeks.  Just before Rockstock, the annual Rocklands climber party, I tried to finish up a problem on my tick list.  Having fallen off the finish jug a few weeks prior, I figured it was in the bag.  I’ve been dealing with a slight finger tweak, but always managed to climb through it.  Excessive tape and vitamin I usually helped, but not that day.  After a few painful tries up the crimpy face, I realized my finger was proper tweaked.  I ripped off the tape and sulked.  I tried to be outwardly positive, but inside I was brewing.  It was still July, I could take a week or two off to heal up and be back on top the last 3 or 4 weeks before I leave…right??  So that was the plan.  I’ll take some time to heal meanwhile do some cross-training to stay fit for the return.

First thing first, ice and massage the finger.  I knew this.  Everyone told me to do this.  I hate icing but hated not climbing more.  My friend Steve lent me an apparently really good ice pack.  It slid perfectly over your finger.  It was so much easier than an ice bath.  Plus, ice is not the most common thing in a campground…regardless of having a fully stocked bar.  T.I.A.  In all honesty, I probably had the ice pack on for maybe 15 minutes.  I did not do everything Steve said.  For example, put a cloth between the pack and skin or continuously rotate the pack.  What can I say?  I was working the bar.  I had many a drink to pour.  Turns out, I gave myself frostbite.  Yes, FROSTBITE!  I think I am the first person to ever get frostbite in South Africa.  The night it happened, the temperature was in the 60s.  Now I was definitely locked in to taking a week or two off.  I just can’t help the healing process via ice or massage.  Time to cross train…

just before it started turning black

The frostbite has almost completely healed up and the cross training seems to be working.  I feel the best I’ve felt the entire trip.  I just can’t climb.  Taping my hand up in what we’ve dubbed “the claw” allows me to do really easy stuff.  That gets old quick.  I still have hope though.  I got just over 2 weeks left.  Maybe I’ll be able to climb a little before I leave.

Since climbing is out, I’ve been trying to take advantage of where I am.  Doing all the other things besides climbing.  It’s hard sometimes.  When the main purpose of a trip is torn away, it is difficult to motivate to do other things.  I’m trying to spend as much time with my camera and out of the campsite as I can.  Even though it is torturous, I continue to go out with people climbing.  Thys hooked us up with a quick trip to Cape Town.  It was a nice change from Rocklands.  Bed.  Shower.  Kitchen.  I even laid on the floor and made snow angles.  It was clean.  It was perfect.

Anyways.  Enjoy the photos.  Just a select few from the last few weeks as a non-climber…

…was a complete success.  Thys Kruger and Marc Botha, owner/operators of De Pakhuys, organized an amazing event.  The idea was to just do something fun for all the climbers.  It not only brought the climbing community together, but it did wonders for the continuation of our relationship with Clanwilliam locals.  The tournament was set up as an American Scramble with a four man team.  Organizing climbers to invade a golf course was a little tricky.  Dress code, golf clubs, and memberships all stood in the way.  Thys had this all under control.  The teams would be made up of three climbers and one local club member.  This was huge.  Somehow, Thys was able to persuade locals to, not only volunteer their time to play with us, but to let us use their clubs.  The Club manager agreed to pull the dress code for the day and welcomed us with open arms.

Thys drove into the campsite around 12:30 in the old sweet potato truck.  His farm, until this year, was a working farm.  Citrus, grapes, olives, sweet potatoes, and Rooibos tea were all grown here.  Because of  the growth of tourism in this area, Thys and his partner Marc are attempting to stay afloat solely on travelers.  This is a meaningful step in regards to future climbing access in Rocklands.  Thys is a business man at heart, but he has a soft spot for climbers.  After a few minutes of rounding people up, everyone was loaded in the back, wearing huge smiles from all the laughter.

Once we arrived at the Clanwilliam Golf Club, everyone was quickly organized in their teams with a token local.  The bad swings, lost balls, trash talking, and tequilla shots continued most the afternoon.

Everyone, including the locals, had a blast.  We ended the day with an awards ceremony and a spit braai.  All the funny team names made handing out the awards a lot more entertaining.  Bros With Buffalos, The Swords (pronounced in a dutch accent: Shwards), The A-Team (featuring Scott as Mr.T) where some of my favorites.  The Rockland Rangers, consisting of Thys, Godbee, Chris, and myself, brought in the big 5th place.  We’ll do better next time.

Not sure what time it was when we got back to camp, but I was beat.  The sun, drinks, and ungodly amount of lamb drained all my energy.  Luckily, Godbee and I got to open the bar for the late night party.  How these people did not want to go to bed, I will never understand.

We golfed.  We ate.  We drank.  Not a bad rest day.  Thanks Thys.

Little things add up.  After a few weeks, the number grows.  You either blow up, constructively persevere, or you retreat.  I opted for the later.  Just at the tipping point, my French friends saved my sanity with a trip to the beach.  Within 100 kilometers due west you can relax on a beautiful beach in Lamberts Bay.  At some point, in everyones time at the campground, you need a little getaway.  Not that living in Rocklands gets wearisome, but it is nice to take a restday, not just from climbing but also from “camplife.”

Normally I am not very excited about the beach.  Maybe it is the fact that I hate getting sandy.  Could also be I’m not a fan of being wet….not sure why I’m a riverguide.  Bump salt water.  However, this day I was ready.  I sat in wet sand, with my jeans on, for hours.  I loved it.  Nothing else happened.  Just sat in the sand and took in the ocean.  It literally revived me.

self-portrait

…and two to go!  Time has gone by really fast.  We’ve already had a few departures this week.  Phil, Nikki, Marlon, Jon (the campsite Ging), and Jay just to name a few.  I guess that is what happens when you are here for the long haul.  I’m already dreading saying good bye to everyone else.  When the time comes, it will be rough, but I’m also looking forward to coming home to someone.

Climbing brings about a whole other realm of mixed emotions.  A constant internal struggle.  Is there enough time to do all my projects?  Maybe I have plenty of time?  This usually results in climbing everyday it doesn’t rain.  It starts to catch up to you though.  I think it finally hit me.  My body is De-Stroyed right now.  I think I’ve only taken about 5 or 6 rest days in a month.  I’m going to force myself to rest for two or three days.  Today and tomorrow will be easy because of the rain.  Monday may get hard to resist the urge.  Must stay strong.  In the end I think it will be for the best.  I keep failing miserably on the last move on multiple boulder problems…even if it is the easy move.  Next week is looking like prime conditions, so with some needed rest I may actually send some rock climbs.

We had an epic approach to the Sassies this week.  Apparently team Norway didn’t get the memo that the road is almost impossible in a car.  As we are heading up the sandy dirt road, we notice cars strung about everywhere.  I must admit, we had a few cars in our caravan as well, but we also had two four wheel drives to tow them through the rough spot.  We pass 5 shirtless Norweegans pushing a car through the sand up hill.  We knew this was going to be bad…they hadn’t even made it to the bad spot.  This slowed our caravan down to a complete stop.  As our token french friends burried their car in the sand, Rick walked by shaking his head.  In between drags from his rolled Golden Virginia, in a proper souther draw, he said “damn, aren’t these Frenchies from Font?  They should know how to drive in the sand.  Shit.”  All the cars were stuck.  After an hour of towing and digging out cars, we finally got everyone up the road.  It must have been a good warm-up because a sending onslaught ensued immediately as we arrived.

afternoon ciesta at road crew

Storm heading towards Thys's house.

…happening on my side.  Things around Rocklands have been per usual.  Besides the random rain day, I’ve been climbing non-stop.  I guess this could account for the two tweeked fingers to add on the pulled hamstring.  Still going at it though…just no left heel hooks and a lot of tape.  Because I was feeling a bit broken, I actually broke down and did the unthinkable.  Yes, I went sport climbing in Rocklands.  Almost blasphemy, but actually, it is pretty bad-ass.  We didn’t get on anything hard but had an amazing time pulling on jugs and getting pumped.  We did a few pitches in the Roadside area that are all a must do.  Super fun.  If you want more, you can top out the routes and take a victory whip by jumping off the top.

The campground is full and the bar has been pumping.  I kinda miss the smaller numbers…a little more chill when not many people are here.  Everyone is psyched, so it is not too bad in the boulder fields.  A short rain spell has brought us some good conditions for the next few days.  I’m sure everyone will be out early waiting for the sun and sending.

That’s all I got.  I’ll leave you with a few photos from the last few days.  Cheers.