Several weeks ago Jill and I made plans with the once famed drummer of “The Firebird 4000 Project” from the Denver, CO; no other then the boy-genius Matt Montemore, aka “Matty Mo!!!”…”Matt Attack!!”..a man of many names. These plans happened to follow several very cold days at home waiting for Xcel to come turn our natural gas back on. Let me just say, thank god we have a neighbor who repairs furnaces for a living or we would still be waiting (nice customer service Xcel) for the heat to turn on; even as I type we would be pushing 53 hours without heat…but I digress. So, what were these fabulous plans with the famous Matty Mo?
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So we are 4 months into training for our various climbing goals and one HUGE thing I have learned is how hard 5.13a really is. When climbing this hard, you do not simply move from one hand/foot-hold to the next, because the holds for your hands and feet are simply much too small and/or located in odd positions…too far away or too close. Climbing this hard can be described as painful; the holds are so small (or non-existent), very sharp, and you need to hold/press/grab with your hands and your feet in awkward, dynamic contortionist-type positions, trying to keep your balance and upward momentum at the same time. One thing I (Jake) have been very good at over the years is adjusting my training for what my body needs. Sounds simple enough but there is a lot of trial and error and when something “feels right”, you just have to listen to your body and follow what it tells you.

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Happy Almost Halloween!! It seems that most of you are already in the full swing of of the Halloween / Fall season. Jilly and I certainly are. We thought it would be fun if we played our own version of “Iron Chef” and use Pumpkin as the secret ingredient. In other words, have a whole meal where every dish has pumpkin in it. Read more →