Utah-Italy 2001 (4)

Ho Fame! That means I'm hungry, and I ain't lyin'. So, here's a quickie! Thank you thank you so much for all the messages! You guys are makin' my days and I'm not homesick at all!! Although, could you see the view I have, you'd know why! So.... the girls set out to do some rock climbin! We had originally planned to do the 11-pitcher, but the clouds moved in yesterday and started to thunder and make rain, so we changed plans and decided to do these towers. Several routes, 4 pitches long. Get this.. you take a ski lift to the top of the mountain and then take a 5 minute walk to the base! Ha Ha! What a life! So, we packed up and planned on sleeping in until 8am or so.. and did, cause the lift wouldn't run until 9am anyway... Well, somewhere after dark, we fell asleep after many trips to the big kids tent to make threats, promises, bribes, and deals of all types to get Todd, the toddler to settle down and sleep.... In the morning, oh the birds, they were a singin' and the sun was shining and everything was perfect, so us girls make a quick change of plans.. big climb, here we come. We only had to make one change... not one 60m rope, but 2 70m's instead. So, we slam back our coffees, shove a banana and some bread down our throats and into our empty stomachs and head out in the souped up auto we rented... (Guess who gets to drive! Me! Tim and I are the authorized drivers! I'm becoming a pro Euro driver. Zoom Zoom. Watch out Mario!) We get to the trail at 9am, the base at 9:45am and on the rock at 10am. Susan took the first pitch... Cruiser with barely any gear... just a few tie offs...threads. Then I come up with pack on back.. Oh, those shoes they do weigh somethin' fierce. We make the quick hand off, discuss the impending cloud action and I cruise ahead.. Bustin' out some real moves on vertical rock fifteen feet over a shitty thread with an inch of limestone as my pro! Susan takes the next pitch, an awesome chimney! Then, it's me on the crux. Fantabulous stemming on an overhanging dihedral, a bitch for Susan to follow with the pack! Thank god I got the lead! Hee Hee. Then at the next ledge, just as we're wetting our lips with acqua and sucking down some nectarine, what should come from behind our mountain.... Hail!! So much hail in our face, on our head, in our mouths, down our pants! Yikes! Luckily, we were at a ledge with a little overhang.. We take shelter and as soon as the ramp above us becomes a waterfall, we decide to rap. Luckily for us, that was an option. The day before, Susan and Tim were on a route that they couldn't have rapped cause of the wanderingness of it. So, we rapped off cemented bolts! Yeehaw. We were doused and cold, but with the 70m ropes (lucky) we were down in three raps and no ropes got stuck! Someone was watching over us... I'll say it was mother Venus, today. Once down, we ingested some Milk Chocolate...yes.. milk! Man, I tell you what. We've been on some crazy ass starvation diet in this country. Not really on purpose, but for some reasons, the meals are small and they come just in time.. probably cause we have to prep for the kids and by the time they're done eating, we are just starting. Seconds are not a big option. Someone (or all) is having to break up a quarrell or satiate another hunger of the kiddos! But- I tell you what friends. I love these kids more and more everyday! They are just little blessings. Megan loves me so much. She always takes my hand, my lap, my clothes. And the way she talks.. ouch, that's too cute! Hilary- she can't say her [k] or [g] sound. She only says [t] and [d]. So, when we talk about tyrannasaurus Rex.. their favorite monster, she says... I tit dum an I wuh tase dum in duh mount'n. Oh, god she kills me! (I kick them and I would chase them in the mountain) Well, more later. Must go eat some bread and drinksome water.. ;) love, loyalty and friendship to all.