A New Beginning—Indian Creek, Utah

Well, I’ve officially started a phase of life that I will refer to as the “Dirtbag Years” from here on. No job. No “home.” No stress. No worries. Pursuing my passions. Finally, a sense of overwhelming peace is present in my life. 

My buddy Alex and I headed out to Indian Creek, Utah last Monday and spent about five days there exploring the world-class crack climbing. This proved to be a somewhat arduous task for me as I’ve only climbed rocks twice before—neither really being much of a crack climbing experience. So, I was faced with the task of simultaneously learning crack climbing technique and developing fitness. Easy? No. Fun and exciting? YES! Hopefully when I return to The Creek on Tuesday (or Wednesday?) the climbing will come a bit easier and I won’t spend 30-45 minutes flailing up the routes. We’ll see…

So, without too much useless babbling, here are some photos from the first days in The Creek. 

Welcoming the warmth of the sun

Flat and easy 8-mile run as the heat of the day started to set in

Alex cleaning up a route

Nice route to shimmy up

The Creek sure is beautiful

Home for about five days

Sunset view from our campsite

Another sunset view

PBR in The Creek

Words and photos don't seem to do much justice to the scenery

Alex getting ready to lead Wavy Gravy

Alex still getting ready for Wavy Gravy

View from the Crag

Relaxing in the shade with a PBR in hand

Pretty much sums it all up

My first off-width climb with a bit of a tricky finishing move

Paradise :)

The desert can be particularly brutal. These little bastards hurt to fall on. Trust me...

Stopping to admire the view on a little run in Canyonlands NP

Sunset in Canyonlands NP

Stopping for a breather during a run

This is what happens when you forget to tape up while crack climbing