Third Vipassana
In early December, Ivan, Janel and I all decided to sit a 10-day course simultaneously at the Southern California Vipassana Center (aka Dhamma Veddhana) near Twentynine Palms, CA. This would be my third 10-day course and I was anticipating some changes, but I wasn't really sure what to expect.
***Check for Vipassana Summary***
By the end of the course I felt more grounded in the technique than ever, and I felt certain in my heart that no experience is meant to be denied to any being. I felt deeply grounded and was able to connect freely and easily with other meditators and servers. Talking to Ivan again was a wonderful experience. He had a wonderfully productive course and was full of gratitude for me once it was over. I also felt that a profound shift had taken place within him. Janel likewise had a more positive course (her second) and was in great spirits. After leaving the center we scrambled around in the Indian Cove area of Joshua Tree for an hour or so. We then went to the Integratron for some nice sound bathing before dropping by Pioneertown on our way back to Idyllwild amidst a beautiful sunset. Later that evening some friends from Vipassana dropped in, including Sean, Liz, Max and Julie:
They brought some great energy to the house with them and we had a great day with them the following day around town and at the county park.
Christmas Time in Idyllwild!
This year I decided to stay in Idyllwild for Christmas instead of returning to Rochester. This would be the second year ever that I'd not celebrated Christmas with my family (the first was during my first Vipassana Course). Janel and I worked hard to prepare the house for the festive holiday. A few days after returning from Vipassana we put up a bunch of christmas lights that we had purchased in a garage sale:
We then went down the hill to a Christmas Tree farm. We hoped to find one where we could trek around and find a nice tree, a la Oregon/New York, but the trees that grew down there were ugly and so we ended up purchasing a nice douglas fir that was trucked in from Oregon. It was a great tree, though, and we decorated it nicely! Here's what it looked like after decoration:
And now with presents!
Just before Christmas we were blessed with some snow and this really helped the holiday vibes:
It was only an inch or so but it did the trick!
***Pics from other people's cameras for christmas***
New Years 2014
After Christmas I continued to work on the Greenhouse much of the time. Finishing the roof was really challenging and involved long arduous hours of work. For New Years we decided to head down to San Diego to celebrate with Mike and Diep. We ended up going to a really cool place called the World Beat Center which was near Balboa Park. The event was focused around the celebrations of many cultures around the world, all showcased in one night. Here's a look at the interior of this very interesting building:
There was Native American Tribal Dancing, Kirtan, Qi Gong, and a very large drum circle that we all got to participate in! Here's the drum circle:
Later in the evening I decided to step outside for a bit and I found a group of people huddled near a campfire. They were singing and telling stories and it was a really magical thing to witness. Probably 20 of us were humming along while a couple people delivered some beautiful impromptu lyrics. This part of the evening really made the event for me and it was one of my favorite new years' ever!
The Vampire
On January 4th, Ivan and I decided to make use of the warm weather to attempt a winter climb of one of SoCal's most classic rock climbs, the Vampire, on Tahquitz. Clocking in at solid 5.11a, the Vampire would be my boldest and most difficult trad climb to date. I personally had seen several parties bail from the Vampire and knew that it was very difficult, so I wasn't optimistic about our chances. We decided to warm up on some nearby short routes to see how strong we felt and then decide whether to go for it or not. We climbed Jam Crack (5.8) and Manwich (5.11a) on TR and although they went pretty well, I still wasn't 100% sure about the Vampire. We had to solo the 5.4 beginning of the Trough to get to the start, which was pretty exciting. We decided to climb the extension of the Bat Crack (11a) to start the Vampire, which is the most legitimate way of doing it. I was going to lead the Bat Crack, and I was super excited because it looked so splitter. I found the crack to be pretty flaring and insecure, but really fun to climb. I almost completed the direct start without a single take, but ended up taking once just before a nice rest (shucks!). This happened two more times further up the crack. I felt very safe and if I had been just slightly stronger or more fit, I would have gotten the entire pitch clean. The finishing move of the first pitch is a scary mantle to the anchors. It took me some time to figure out the sequence but once I did, I executed well and didn't feel that the move deserved its notorious reputation. The next pitch was Ivan's to lead. The crux of the pitch was immediately off the anchors and involved getting to the undercling flake that wanders up and left across the West Face Bulge of Tahquitz. The sequence was thin and bouldery and it took Ivan a couple of tries to get it. I caught his falls without any issues and before long he was making progress up the flakes. When he finished the pitch it was my turn to attempt this bouldery sequence. I had seen Ivan's beta and attempted to reproduce it. On my first try I didn't feel solid and I reversed my moves back to the anchor without falling. On my second try I committed to the sequence, which felt really insecure and hard, but managed to pull it off and made it to the flake! The rest of the pitch was a joy! The exposure was incredible but the climbing couldn't have been harder than 5.9/10a so it was really a joy. The third pitch is considered the crux of the entire route. The sequence where you leave the flakes to go over a bulge with a bolt is very bouldery and insecure. My feet were cold and my shoes didn't have much purchase on the smears. I fell several times attempting the move, and it was really really nervewracking with the exposure. Fortunately the bolt made me feel pretty safe. Eventually, with the sun setting and my nerves shot, I decided to step on the bolt and cheat my way through the crux. I wasn't happy about doing this, but I know that with better temps and bouldering shoes, I can definitely make this move the next time around. I eventually made it to the anchors for the next pitch and Ivan followed. It was getting dark and he ended up pulling on gear through the crux as well. He led the final moderate pitch with a headlamp and I followed by moonlight, which was really cool! Although we didn't climb the entire route clean, it was still an amazing accomplishment to finish the route and we were both super stoked! On the hike down from the summit I slipped at some point and managed to tweak something in my right ring finger. This was pretty frustrating since it didn't even happen while climbing!***Incorporate Vampire Pics***
Idyllwild Film Festival
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