Pivots and Pockets

Every trip has a plan. Hueco requires one. Permits, guides, a place to stay—each arranged in advance. When you travel to Hueco you have a kind of order. You know your rest days. You know your days on North Mountain.

We had a plan. Then the heat came. It was not unexpected. Late season, the desert. Ninety degrees by midday. There is no climbing in that heat. Not even the, just for fun climbing. We could go, but we would only have the idea of the place. We would have nothing in our hands.

So we left Hueco before we even arrived. Drove to Flagstaff without much of a plan. One road. A stop in the Most Patriotic Small Town in America. We arrived with no tick list, no rehearsed and memorized beta videos. Just a plan to explore and place to stay.

Our trip was now Flagstaff and Sedona. Limestone and sandstone. Pockets and flat trails. Quiet sunshine.

The days changed shape. Without the plan, there was nothing to measure against. It felt easier to see what was there.

I thought less about the office. Or maybe I just noticed its absence. The separation felt cleaner.

The canyons were grand in the way they are. The roofs required strength. Both left an impression on my mind and body.

After 9 days we ran out of tuna. Ran out of peanut butter. It seemed like time to go home.

We left some things undone. There are always a few. It’s how you know you’ll be back.