Time2Climb

With all the trips I have taken, none have been specifically geared towards any particular hobby of mine; I always want to see as much as possible. Being that I backpacked through Australia and New Zealand, I left my diving and climbing gear at home; too much to lug around. I always try to arrange my schedule so I can accommodate hobbies of mine, but with having such limited time in any given location, I sometimes I miss my window of opportunity due to a variety of reasons.

In Thailand, I had miscommunication issues; I allotted myself two days to climb and unfortunately due to language barriers, I was booked for a top rope climb rather than a deep water soloing trip (climbing over the ocean). Deep water soloing is rather unique and I ended up missing out. Shit happens, oh well.

While in Australia, I had a problem with the weather. With the few days that I had scheduled to climb, it turned out to be Australia's hottest November (100 degrees) in the last 80 years. There was one local climber who advised me to wait a week for the weather to cool but I couldn't afford to do that as I had only 4 days to get to Port Lincoln to dive with the Great White Sharks.

In contrast, everyone staying in the Grampians National Park hostel had planned to spend a significant amount of time in the area just to climb. So, the goal for me was to track down a crash pad, climbing partners and to avoid hiring a guide for $350.

While the Grampians and Mt. Arapiles offer world renowned climbing, the climbing community is still very small. There isn't much information available on-line aside from a few 90's looking websites, books and word of mouth. I found that through word of the mouth was the most effective way which I think is pretty remarkable and lucky.

Here is how I tracked down a climbing pad and found a community of climbers--

While I was in Melbourne, I was talking to a guy named 'Stu Balls' about heading to the Grampians to do some climbing. He recommended that I stay at 'Tim's Place'; the owner is a climber and that's where many climbers stay as well. A step in the right direction...

Once I rented a car and checked into Tim's place, I met Chris, an older gentlemen who was staying in the hostel. Chris is local to the area and during the 1970's, he was one of the pioneers of the Australian climbing movement. He now owns a company where he teaches students how to climb. I mentioned to him that I was looking to rent a crash pad, if possible. Since the climbing community is very small, Chris put me in touch with his friend Phil. Phil owns the only climbing shop in the area.

From Chris' mobile, I spoke with Phil. I explained to Phil that I was a backpacker passing through the Grampians and was looking for some climbing gear. Phil explained that he normally doesn't rent crash pads but he would make an exception and rent a pad out for 25 dollars since many people have asked in the past.

The only issue was working out logistics. I'd have to drive an hour and a half to pick up the pad and boulder in the Mt. Arapiles the next morning. The next thing Phil and I had to work out was the drop off schedule. Phil was going to be out of town for a few days. I agreed to drop it off 2 days later at the shop next door to his, a milk bar (general store).

Meanwhile, back at the hostel I met some wonderful climbing friends. Sabine from Austria and Arnuad from France. They had gear but no car to get them to the mountains. Arnaud was working in the town and using his days off to climb and Sabine was just passing through. Since I had a car and they had gear, things worked out nicely. We decided to climb

The first day of climbing by myself was absolutely brutal. I drove an hour and a half to Mt. Arapiles, picked up the pad then by 12:00pm I was climbing. I only lasted an hour in the 100 degree heat. I must also mention how annoying the Australia flies are. At least ten flies will swarm around your head and follow you wherever you go. Nothing keeps them away, aside from having to constantly swat at them. Some call this the Aussie salute.

The day after, I went climbing with Sabine and Arnaud. We awoke at 6:00am to beat the heat. It turned out to be a 15 hour day of climbing, hiking and abseiling. They even taught me how to trad. climb, something I've never done before. The next day I said goodbye and drove 5 hours to Adelaide.

Gateways

I am currently sitting in the shade of a tree at the Royal Botanical Gardens of Melbourne. I am still reading Henry Miller’s, “Stand still like the hummingbird.”. It’s such an inspiring thought provoking read that I find myself relating to the majority of concepts he discusses in his essays.



He got me thinking about education and how we raise our children, with the following quote:

“No parent, or instructor, can possibly foresee which book or books, which sentence, which thought, which phrase sometimes it may be that will open the doors of vision for the child. We are given so much learned, pompous talk about reading for instruction, reading for inspiration, reading for a purpose and so on. What we learn, of value, we get indirectly , largely unconsciously.”

The gateway that led me to where I am today is music. That was my tool for discovery. That’s what opened the world to me. It allowed me to explore outside my religion, outside my country and outside of what I was taught in school. I never cared for history, politics or any other subject for that matter. Sure, I did the work, but it never full capture my interest. It’s dangerous to assume that every child will find inspiration through recycled stale curriculum.

In my opinion, creativity and experience is what’s missing from the equation. We tell children what they are supposed to learn but give no reason for why they should learn it. We don’t let them discover their own motivation, their own vehicle for thought aside for the excuse “this is what you are supposed to do.”

Children should learn how to think instead of being taught what to think. Why indoctrinate a young child into a set of religious principles at such a young age? Why should children be fed just one perspective of how the world should work? Let them find their own truth, rather than living with the fear that if you do not guide someone, they will not find their way.

Small World.

When I was waiting to board my flight from San Francisco to Sydney, I noticed a fellow passenger wearing an underdog t-shirt (an obscure hardcore band from New Jersey) along with camo shorts and a full leg of tattoos. As I watched him board the plane, I assumed he must be from South Jersey and thought he was headed to Australia to do some surfing.



A few days later in Melbourne, I went to see trapped under ice, a small hardcore band from Baltimore who are currently doing a string of shows down under. Always wanting to check out a hardcore show abroad, I went.

While checking out the bands merchandise tables, I noticed the guy from my flight sitting behind one of the tables. As I introduced myself he mentioned that he recognized me as the guy wearing the Reign Supreme hoody on the San Fran flight. It turns out his name was Dave and he plays in the Philly band Blacklisted (currently one of my favorite bands.) He explained that he was in Australia earlier in the year with Blacklisted and he had returned to come hang out for the TUI shows.

I am surprised I didn’t make the connection earlier; that the one guy wearing a hardcore shirt on the plane would be at the only hardcore show in Melbourne. Regardless, I look forward to seeing Blacklisted in NYC in January, now having ran into the bass player.

As for the show itself, it’s fascinating to see how much hardcore has spread over the years; to South Africa , Australia, Korea and Malaysia. The fact that a small, young hardcore band such as TUI can tour the world is nothing short of amazing. It’s also funny to witness America’s influence on the rest of the world, even within the hardcore scene. Everyone now wears the same outfit across the globe…

Stranded in San Fran.

I write this from a park bench in the neighborhood of Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Last night I missed my connecting flight to Sydney and spent the night in the airport. With the ridiculous prices that hotels charge just to rest your head, I'd much rather have a free and somewhat uncomfortable nights sleep at Gate 68 in the airport.

Our Vice President Joe Biden was the cause for dozens of delayed flights out of Newark last night. Apparently air traffic control clears the air ways for presidential travel. Too good for amtrak now, Joe?

In my downtime, I started Henry Miller's book, "Stand Still Like The Hummingbird." It's a collection of essays that focus on his philosophy of life. I got into Henry Miller's work through the lead singer of the band Vision of Disorder. I noticed he listed Miller as his favorite author and I felt inclined to check out his work.

In his essay "Hour of Man", he discusses the consequences of man's narrow mindedness; our inability to view the world from different perspectives other than our own. It's our arrogance and stubbornness that will ultimately halt forward thinking. We need to look beyond ourselves and the situations we find ourselves in; to find something more than what is presented at face value.

With that said, travel breeds patience. It gives us the ability to accept and look past situations that are out of our control. Instead of viewing my delayed flight as a misfortune or lost day in Australia, I now have the chance to relax under the California sun. Sure, I have to spend 10 hours on the streets, wear the same clothes and forgo showering for a day, but that's life!