On New Experiences

My experience in life has shown me that change and growth is very important. Without development and growth, organisms tend to stagnate and fail. And even those that seek homeostasis often do not find it, instead finding that change is forced on them. This gives us the opportunity to either embrace change and find a way to grow or to fight it.

Ange embracing "The Alignment" (5.10c/d).

In the past few months I've been going through a lot of changes, some of which have been very good, and others very unpleasant. The unique thing about embracing change (on any level, large or small) is that it give you the ability to have new experiences. New experiences (coupled with the correct attitude) lead to growth. And growth (coupled with the correct attitude) leads to improvement and happiness.

From my own life: I never thought I would be single again, but now I am and embracing this change allows me to live in ways I once thought impossible. I now have the opportunity to do yoga weekly, and even though I'm extremely un-flexable and not very good at it, I enjoy it. Had I allowed my fear of change, new things, or looking goofy intervene, I would be extremely unhappy and missing out on amazing new opportunities.

One motto I've been living by (and I don't know if I came up with this or heard it somewhere) is: "Accept what you cannot change and change what you cannot accept." It sounds like a contradiction, but if you dig deeper you realize there is a powerful sentiment involved. For me, getting divorced was something I couldn't change, hence my acceptance. I couldn't live in Texas any longer, hence my push for change. The philosophy involves the use of resistance and flow, something you see in nature and the universe if you look at its underlying structure. I think this is some type of elemental truth and is very powerful.

View from the top of Pancake Rock.

Anyway, back to new experiences. Apart from the divorce and yoga, the biggest new experience I've been having is making a lot of new friends. Aside from the fact that I've typically not had that many friends, the newness of this situation is that many of these new friends are females. Combine the fact I started dating Nikki when I was 16 and that I was a shy, homeschooled kid at the time and the result was that I've really never made many female friends. Sure, I was friends with Nikki's girl friends, but that is not the same. It's different when you have people who like you for who you are, not who you're dating/married to. At any rate, I'm extremely happy to have become friends with so many really amazing people, both male and female. It has made this Colorado experience all the sweeter.

So, don't be too afraid of change or new experiences. Allow yourself to experience life from as many angles and vantages as possible. Take in the good and use it for positive growth in your life. Learn from the bad and find ways to incorporate the lessons you learn from it. Beware stagnation and homeostasis. Most importantly, LIVE!

Love life,

Wahrer of the Worlds

It's Been Awhile, But Now I'm Back!

Eben is "Almost Gothic" (5.11d).

It's been a long time since I wrote my last blog post. A quarter of a year to be exact! Not really proud of that, but my motivation to work on Wahrer of the Worlds during that time was non-existent. A lot has been going on in my life (of which I'm about to update you), and just experiencing it was hard enough and/or time consuming enough that I didn't have the energy to share it. That has changed, however, and I'm excited to be back!

First off, the biggest news is that Nikki and I are getting a divorce. All the paperwork is filed and everything will be finalized soon. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty here, but generally speaking, the conflict stems from my Atheism and passion for climbing. If you'd like to know more, feel free to talk with me directly. I'm pretty bummed about the whole thing, but I look forward to the future here in Colorado and abroad. I've made the decision not to become depressed or suicidal like I have in the past over these types of issues and I feel like my attitude and positive outlook will carry me though to better times. Were it not for amazing friends and supportive family, I would be in a much worse place than I am now. I think I'm doing the best I can given the situation, which I think says a lot about the people that are supporting me.

Ange getting down with
"Almost Gothic" (5.11d).

On a more exciting note, I had the pleasure of setting for ABS National Citizens Comp and the Colorado High School Finals Comp. It was a very exciting two weeks leading up to these events, with a very frenetic pace of setting and forerunning. I really enjoy the high energy and charged atmosphere that is competition routesetting and having these two major comps on the same weekend doubled the enjoyment. Both comps went well and it seemed like almost everyone was stoked on the problems and routes that our hard working team put together!

My personal climbing has continued to make great improvements in the past 3 months as well. In sport climbing I bumped my onsight grade up to 5.11c (Fantasia), my flash and hardest grade ever climbed up to 5.11d (Almost Gothic), and last week I managed to onsight two 5.11b's in a day! I've also started projecting a 5.12a (Almost French) and got the one hang on that this past week. The 12a seems sooooooo much harder than the 11d, but considering the 11d was my style and the 12a is not, I guess it makes sense. Ok, enough with the spray fest!

Me onsighting Fantasia (5.11c).

One thing I'm really stoked on about living in Colorado is the vast array of outdoor adventure opportunities that exist here. I've gone cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and ice climbing (LOL, if you consider a baby waterfall ice climbing) within the past few months and I've barely scratched the surface. Thanks to my friends who made all these adventures possible by the way! At any rate, I'm much more happy here than in TX!

I have a lot more to share, but since this post is getting lengthy, I'll save it all for later. I promise not to leave such a big lapse in updates in the future! Look for more WotW soon!

Love life,
Wahrer of the Worlds

A Month's Worth Of Updates

Feet cutting loose on the roof of
"Number 1 Super Guy" at Shelf Road.

So it's been an extremely long time since I posted any type of update, and for that I am sorry! Things have been super hectic for me here in the great state of Colorado! Between the move, my new job, and getting my new life squared away, I haven't had much free time.

A brief recap:

The move went really well. The drive from TX to CO was pretty much uneventful and we found an apartment in Colorado Springs relatively quickly and got moved in. The view from our apartment is of the Front Range and Pikes Peak, a tremendous upgrade from the cow supply store we had as a view in TX.

Nikki on "Zia" at Shelf Road.

Nikki got a job at Sports Authority and is enjoying it. My job at City Rock is amazing and I'm definitely loving what I do, the people I work with, and being in a climbing centered environment every day. I've been putting up quite a few routes and boulder problems and have been getting a lot of good feedback. It's really exciting for me to be doing such a creative job in a field I love so much.


We've been doing a decent amount of outdoor climbing as well and either Colorado grades are softer than Texas grades or I've been getting stronger. I don't really know which it is, but I also don't really care as the important thing is that the routes are amazing and very close by. Two of my hardest and favorite leads to date here in the Centennial State are Regroovable (5.11b sport, onsight) and Steppenwolf (5.9 trad, onsight). Needless to say, I'm still stoked on these climbs and look forward to getting on more classics in the next few months as weather permits.

Leading "Steppenwolf" at Turkey Rocks.

I've also made a lot of good friends here in the Springs so far. People have been incredibly good to Nikki and I and it's really great to meet so many awesome people in such a short time. The contrast of my life in Texas and my new life here in Colorado astonishes me at times. It truly is amazing what you can do when you try your best to reach a goal.

So what's next? It's hard to say right now as things are still pretty busy and up in the air at times, but I hope to get back to working on my next novel manuscript and maybe produce some new music. I know Nikki really wants to get her dog training business up and running here in Colorado, so maybe I'll be able to help with that too. The possibilities definitely seem pretty broad. Right now I'm just living one day at a time, which is probably how life is always meant to be.

Love life,
Wahrer of the Worlds

Less Than A Week Left In TX!!!

I haven't had much time to write lately, and as a consequence, Wahrer of the Worlds has been left on the back burner. I keep wanting to get a post out, but I haven't had much of an opportunity. This one won't be very long, but I'd like to get an update out there as we're on the cusp of the move and I'm sure I'll be even more busy here in the near future.

This past week was week one of my two weeks notice for my job here in TX and I've been training a couple replacements. They are the eighth or ninth people that I've trained how to tie halters, so I know the process pretty well at this point. This time is somewhat complicated by a language barrier, but these guys are really nice and are super hard workers, so we are figuring a way around it.

The two weeks prior to that we were in Ohio / Kentucky to visit family and climb. The visiting went well as did the climbing. Nikki worked on leading her project (27 Years of Climbing, 5.8) and got it with a hang or two. She also managed her hardest ever toprope with one hang (The King Lives On, 5.10b). I onsighted an 85 foot 5.10d (Return of Manimal) which was definitely my longest/hardest onsight to date. I also sent my project from last year (Johnny B. Good, 5.11a), which I am still stoked on! I almost drove us off a cliff trying to avoid some gigantic whoop-de-doos on a switchback, so that lead to some tense moments and level 2 fun which I probably won't forget any time soon.

So now we have 5 days left in Texas, then we're off to Colorado Springs. We pick up the rental truck later this week, pack, winterize our house, and then hit the road on early Saturday morning. I'm incredibly excited that a goal we've been working on for over 2 years is finally coming to pass. So stoked to be in Colorado, have a job I'll enjoy, and be totally immersed in climbing and creative pursuits!

Love life,
Wahrer of the Worlds

On "The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals" by Michael Pollan

Leading Cave Crack (5.6) last weekend.
Finally getting back into trad!

I finished this excellent book last week and I must say that it is definitely a mental model changer! Great read if you are at all interested in where your food comes from, the ethics of Big Food, and why America is so obese. It takes a very pragmatic view on vegetarianism and the organic movement. It also brought up many topics and issues relating to food that I'd never even thought of before. Very well written, interesting, and extremely relevant in our age of morbid obesity, epidemic health issues related to diet, and ignorance of where one of the most important parts of our lives is fed from.

Michael Pollan's page about the book.
Omnivore's Dilemma on Amazon.

Love Life,
Wahrer of the Worlds

On the Risk/Reward Relationship

Life and all our actions though out it are based in a risk/reward relationship. "I don't want to go to work today." Risk: If I don't, I may get fired, but if I do, I'll be bored. Reward: If I don't go, I can spend my time doing something I enjoy, but if I do go I get paid and can buy food. Usually this type of dialog is subconscious, but sometimes it comes to the surface when working your way through the decision making process. It's a good way to make decisions, although at times it can get hard to quantify the risks and rewards.

Rod setting up for the dyno on "Afterburn"
earlier this summer. He didn't break his
leg when he fell, yet Sam did...

This type of risk/reward thinking is a fundamental part of of the process of evolution. We tend to shy away from high risk / low reward situations and gravitate towards those that are low risk / high reward. Obviously, from an evolutionary standpoint, this makes total sense.

What isn't quite as apparent though, is why some people do venture into high risk / seemingly low reward situations. Rock climbing is a prime example. Many aspects of rock climbing are fairly low risk, but there are definitely ways to turn it into high risk very quickly (free soloing, highball bouldering, X and R rated routes, etc). Even the "low risk" situations can turn out badly. The risk, whether perceived or real, is definitely inherent.

Take my friend Sam for example. Climbing last weekend she was doing a fairly lowball problem, "Afterburn" V1. She hucks a dyno, misses the jug, falls awkward, and breaks her tibia and fibula (the "shin bones") in half. She fell 2 feet, landed on her feet, and her right leg bent 90 degrees right above the ankle like it was made out of rubber. Bad luck.

This was the room they put her in at the
hospital. Apparently they were a little
late... Oh the irony! 

So obviously the risk/reward relationship fell (haha, pun intended) on the risk side in this particular situation. Not much reward to breaking your leg. It seemed like low risk, but it was definitely an inherently dangerous situation that she willing put herself into. 

Why then do we, as humans, pursue risky endeavors such as rock climbing, that have little to no evolutionary benefit or reward? If she would have topped out the problem rather than falling, she wouldn't get anything other than good feeling and maybe slightly better fitness. The risk of breaking your leg or sustaining other serious injury doesn't seem to be anywhere near those paltry rewards.

Since we are the products of evolution, it appears counter intuitive that we pursue risky endeavors with little reward attached. I have a hypothesis, though.

In humanity's past, when getting your next meal was a little more dangerous than driving your car down to the supermarket, those who took risks to get that food were rewarded. Those who were less fit and took those risks died, while those who succeeded were rewarded with more food and more opportunity to pass on their genes. Those genes where the ones that were wired for taking risks. Therefore, we are evolved to take risks. Since society's main purpose is to reduce risk, most of the high risk / high reward situations have been made "safe" and are now low risk. We still feel the need to go out and take risks however (even if it is misdirected), and that manifests itself as a desire to climb rocks, ride motorcycles, BASE jump, ski, fight in wars, etc.

So the next time you go to solo that route, double the speed limit while on your motorcycle, bomb that steep run, or do any other number of high risk / low reward activities, just thank your ancestors for your desire to live on the edge!

Love life,
Wahrer of the Worlds

On Stress and the Pursuit of Happiness

So, if you are friends with me on Facebook you probably already know this, but... I GOT THE JOB!! I'll be starting as a routesetter at CityRock climbing gym in Colorado Springs, CO the beginning of November. This is pretty much everything Nikki and myself have hoped for, with one small, itsy-bitsy minor exception.

Which is... the House.

We've had our house up for sale since April of this year, and we've had a few people look at it so far, but no offers yet. I realize its a slow time and a buyer's market here in the USA at this point, so we've done all we can to move this thing. We've lowered the price (to well below appraised value), redid the kitchen floor, and pestered the realtor as much as possible.

The good news is that we still have 2 full months to sell before we have to leave, and even if it doesn't sell before then, it looks like we will be able to afford paying rent on a place in the Springs and still have enough to keep paying our mortgage. Overall, the situation is looking pretty good. It would be a lot less stressful if we sold the house sooner rather than later, but we are pursing our dreams and I don't think that is ever an easy or comfortable thing to do.

Nikki TR'ing "The Arrowhead" at the Red in 2010.

Thankfully we have really supportive family who have given and offered tons of help. I've always had a hard time accepting help from others as I'm extremely independent and self-reliant. While I highly value these traits within myself, I think being able to accept help without feeling tremendous guilt is probably a good thing. I haven't gotten over that guilt completely, but I'm working on it!

The next few months are going to be pretty busy. Lots of logistics to figure out, stuff to sell/give away (I'm actually looking forward to going from a ~1500 square foot house to a ~500 square foot apartment), and a family visit / climbing trip back to Ohio and the Red River Gorge in KY. Lots to do, but a lot of process to enjoy and anticipate. I'm really excited for it all! Time to hop in the river and go with the flow!

Love life,
Wahrer of the Worlds