Driving from Tahoe took us from an enormous and beautifully blue lake surrounded by dense green trees, to a slow fade of scenery where vast fields and faraway rocky mountain ranges populated few barns, and even fewer people.

Warm air flooding the car as we cruised with the windows down led to already dirty feet hanging out the window, listening to Jack Johnson, and letting the warmth pour in. The long roads with sweeping turns took us through emptiness, and nothing could have been more perfect.

The lazy drive was full of mellow music, minimal words, and subtle smiling as we looked out around us. Stops along the way consisted of a few pictures snapped of the Sierra Buttes from Garbage Pit Rd.,

and a quick stop on the state-line of California and Oregon at a small junk and antique store called ‘Just Stuff,’ labeled with a peace sign. The brick shown through the faded paint, and all kinds of treasures lay strewn about the soon-to-be-condemned building like a moat. We tinkered around, finding all sorts of neat trinkets and rusted objects, thinking constantly as to when the last time we had that tetanus shot. We were a bummed to find that the door was locked to go inside, but figured it may have been for the best.

Moving past the desolate town that teetered on the state-line left us on an open highway, where we both realized that we truly were, ‘on the open road.’ Rolling hills complimented by vast fields absorbed heat from the cloudless sky, and the worn road made for mirage-like visions in the distance. We were stopped by road construction in the middle of nowhere, where a large bearded man wearing a reflector vest, that was much too tight, held the imfamous ‘stop’ sign; he looked at the road ahead longingly, for something to fill some seeming emptiness.

A quick twist to the volume made the bass hit hard as we ‘repped the bay’ music and threw out our best ‘thiz face’ dancing in our seats while stopped on the road. Getting out of the car a couple times to dance alongside the hot pavement made for a few laughs from the cars both in front and back of us. As we started to move again, we kept the beat going as we passed the bearded road enforcer. . .we got him to smile, hopefully adding something to that emptiness :)

Trees began to line the sides of the road as we moved closer towards Oregon. We both noticed the hills increasing vertically, exposing rock walls near the tops of the hills. Miles and miles later we were in awe at the amount of rocky terraces that lay strewn across the backdrop out of the car window. There is an unreal amount of untouched rock that is just calling to be climbed. Not even knowing where to start, we simply snapped as many pictures of the endless enormous rock walls just off of the road. I wonder when climbers will develop these areas; it is going to be an incredible undertaking!

Looking out the window at one of the many cliffs, Alex’s hat caught the wind and flew out on the road. A quick turnaround to retrieve the necessary Clif Bar hat allowed an even more detailed perspective on the rocks and scenery. A dry lake bed created an endless ‘infinity pool’ effect, inducing an even more removed feeling on the winding road.

We watched closely to the ever teasing gas gauge as we neared Hwy 97 that would take us to Smith Rock. The handy GPS (named Karen) gave us the directions to the closest gas station 43 miles ahead; the Australian accent from Karen made it sound comfortably closer :) A nervous giggle got us repeating, “well this is a road trip, and what we be a road trip if we didn’t run out of gas and have to push the car.” Luckily the Mazda knew what needed to happen, and got us to the gas station, plenty of miles to spare.

As we pulled up to the pump of this tiny road-side gas station, we were immediately greeted by a gas attendant. ‘Ah yes, it is illegal to pump your own gas in Oregon’… sweet. An extremely nice lady sold us some ice cream sandwiches (much needed from the dry open road) and asked “What part of California are you boys from?” Realizing the obviousness of where we were coming from due to the shorts, sandals, baseball hats, and lack of shirts, we told her of our adventure. She loved it, and immediately began telling stories of Smith Rock and the climbing in Oregon; a perfect representation of the amazing people we were soon to meet throughout ‘The Beaver State.’

Driving along the highway as Smith comes into view is of overwhelming feelings for climbers. Blood immediately starts pumping to the fingers, as the massive rocks in the distance stand proud, just asking to be climbed. “Summer Overture” by the Kronos Quartet from the movie ‘Requiem for a Dream’ plays in the background, to make the journey towards the rock even more intense.

Pulling into Smith Rock State Park is a very happy time for any climber. The area is one of the most historic and dense areas of sport and trad climbing in the world. The guidebook for Smith Rock, which lists all of the routes in detail, contains over 1800 sport, trad, and boulder routes. An impressive amount of climbing, and yet the area is still not completely developed!

Smith Rock is literally an amusement park for climbers as my friend Ryan so perfectly put it when we were here a few months ago. The park is incredibly nice overall. There are plenty of developed parking lots for the many many daily visitors. A small amount of $5 per day allows day-use visitors to chill on the grassy areas that overlook into the canyon of rock, take hikes along the river that cuts the canyon of the towering rock, and of course, climb!

A small bivouac camping area houses those who are down to camp in tents, naturally where we would find ourselves. The camping area is unique in that you park, camp, and eat in designated areas, due to wilderness preservation. The cooking, which is done in a roped off area in the middle of the dirt parking lot allows for the perfect way to mingle with climbers, which the camp consists of mainly.

We made our way to the camping area where tents lay strewn about. Dirty climbers who smelled so wonderfully of B.O. and ‘natural cigarettes’ passed as we made our way through the area. Dread locks and chalky clothing usually gives away any climber, and the phrase of, ‘what crag are you pulling on’ is a consistent conversation starter amongst complete strangers, and soon to be climbing partners. Again, the community of climbers makes up some of the best people in the world!

The campground stops (thankfully) on the edge of a cliff :) Alex and I naturally posted lounge chairs on the edge that overlooked the beautiful canyon below. Deep orange and red contrast against pale yellow within the rock formations cut out by the river below. In the distance, we watched climbers litter the endless walls well into the night, their silhouettes replaced with headlamps as the night took over.

Excited to climb, we packed our things the next morning and headed to the crag. A long trail leads climbers along the cliff, where the walls on the other side of the canyon persuade any climber to hurry the half mile jaunt to the bottom of the canyon, across the only bridge, and to the perfectly laid-out trails that press up against the vertical walls.

Chalk covers the rock, creating natural maps of routes pressed tightly against one another. The rock varies incredibly, with numerous types of rock, and a large variation of height and steepness. The coolest thing to me is to see world famous routes; routes that have been in videos, have been climbed and worked by famous climbers, and are routes that helped revolutionize rock climbing! Of the most significant routes is the famous ‘To Bolt or Not to Be.’ Towering on an obvious, slightly overhanging face, the route is known as the first 5.14 in the U.S.! A difficult grade revolutionized the complexity and stamina within a climb, and stops some of the best climbers in their tracks due to the technicality of the route. Standing below such a historic and incredible route is not only intimidating, but inspiring. I have to try it at least once before we leave here!

Alex and I started out on ‘Five Gallon Buckets,’ an ultra-classic route rated at only 5.9, that contains giant hueco holds up the entire 80ft route. Usually the route has a line of people waiting to climb the easy route, and as we soon realized that we were climbing in one-hundred degree heat, we understood the reason for lack of people on the wall. We climbed a couple more routes, including the "best route in Smith," Chain Reaction. We were shut down due to the extreme technical nature of the route, but we are stoked to get on it again! Climbing only a couple more routes, and sucking down six Nalgenes of water, we succumbed to the heat and headed out of the canyon.

We made our way back to the camp exhausted. We watched as the smarter climbers started down the canyon for their day of climbing as the sun set and the walls became covered in shade. We quickly learned to follow the trend of climbing times during the day. As the air cooled immensely, we strolled over and met the park rangers who were chilling under some trees near their site. We shared stories and were told some life experiences of three awesome rangers, simply loving where they were. We laughed at funny stories and thanked them for their genuine acknowledgment and excitement of our trip, and who we were as individuals. These park rangers keep up a beautiful park with great attitudes. We look forward to hanging out with them again sometime soon!

The second day in Smith consisted of a slower morning, where we took our time to make breakfast and explore the park as the sun beamed overhead. We went into town to do a little grocery shopping, meeting again, some genuinely nice people. Everyone in Oregon seems to just want to simply talk about life, are curious as to who you are, and just want to exchange some laughs. Different from the usual hustle of the California lifestyle, I was thrown off when I was asked about our climbing trip by the elderly cashier who wanted details of the trip, and the others who were in line who seemed to care less how long I took to tell the story, and that they too wanted to listen in! There seems to be much more of a calm feeling in the minimal parts of Oregon, a neat experience that forces you to take life at a slower, more necessary pace. It is really neat to simply stop what you are doing and talk with a stranger, as opposed to the quick eye glance.

Once the sun set, we made our way into the canyon for some more effective climbing. We got on a bunch of routes, and were rejected by many others. Before we left the canyon for the night we met a couple, Jenna and Jib, who were climbing nearby. We talked of climbing (of course), and of life. We found out that they were from Portland, OR and were excited about our trip! We are planning to climb in the Portland area for a few days, hopefully with Jenna and Jib. They were looking for a long, easy route to climb, so we suggested they join us the following morning on one of the most classic multi-pitch climbs in the area. They were stoked to come along!

The next morning we met early with Jenna and Jib who cruised in on their classic motorcycle, amped on the climb! We made our way to the bottom of the route known as ‘Wherever I May Roam;’ an easy 5.9 route that takes you up five pitches of climbing, about 850 ft straight up! I was excited, as I had already climbed this route when I was in Smith months before with my buddies Kent, Ryan and Courtney (aka bloody tips), and I knew the crew I was climbing with would love it too. The first pitch leads up a knobby rock that looks like a huge pile of undigested poo haha. As I belayed Alex to the top of this first pitch I taught him some basic anchoring techniques, a much needed skill when multi-pitch climbing. Jenna and Jib soon followed suit, and more techniques were shared. As we made our way up each pitch we got to know Jib and Jenna better (kinda have to since you share ledges that are two feet wide haha). They are super cool individuals who love climbing, and are just enjoying life. We sat at the top of the route about four hours later, and looked out. Distant farms and rock outcroppings cover the surrounding area, while Smith seemed like a giant island of rock, protected by its own moat that carves out the rock.

It is so peaceful to sit up high, deleted from society. We shared comments as to how fortunate we were to be sitting above the world. The route we had climbed was well traveled, but in the light of things, was seen by so few. As climbers, we were able to sit somewhere where so many people would never get to. The perspective of where we were was unique to so many, and again we appreciated the life we are living.

We looked out in the distance at the famous Monkey Face rock. The spire of rock quite literally looks like a monkey’s head, with a giant rock for a nose, sunken divots for eyes, and an in-cut shelf for a mouth. The spire is climbed by many people, but is technical enough to shy away any climber who can’t handle the exposure of the high-in-the-sky face.

We set up rappels to make our way down the rock, and were soon to the ground again. We headed back, stoked on the climb! We departed ways with Jenna and Jib, hopefully to meet up again in Portland.

Alex and I decided to make a lazy day of the heat once we were out of the canyon. We set up shop on a grassy area that overlooked the canyon. Strategic rope between a few trees made for perfect hangings of hammocks. We read and napped as the wind rocked us through the afternoon in our respective hammocks.

We awoke to a sprinkler watering a dead section of the lawn. I ran around in the sprinkler, because that is just what needs to be done! We set up our lounge chairs on the grass, facing the rock, shirts off, feet rubbing on the grass. This is the life. We wrote, read, and stared off into space just to feel what it was like to do nothing. Joyce (the park ranger) came by and told us about an event the next morning that consisted of a 5K, 10K, and half marathon around the park! We met the main park ranger, Scott, who was excited about our trip, and who was just a great guy to talk to. He and a few others were preparing for the event in the morning. We also met another guy named Scott who seemed to be in charge of the event. He chatted with us, and he ended up knowing all about Cal Poly, since he employed engineers from there. That was pretty cool! Once the sun settled down we headed out to the crag again and played around on rocks :)

The next morning we were treated to delicious breakfast burritos and over 800 runners! We strolled around, but eventually decided to find internet access, and drove into town.

Deschutes Oregon not only has amazing breweries, but an awesome little downtown. We found the perfect coffee shop called Green Plow Coffee! This coffee shop reminded us of SLO, the perfect setting to sip a cup o’ jo and use wireless. The coffee shop hosts a bunch of local music, and has perfect relaxing setting to hang out in. The owners, Pat and Mandy, are a couple of the greatest people we have met on this trip, who are humble, down-to-earth people that climb, run the coffee shop, and have a great family! Their love philosophy is "Love: our kiddos 3, canoeing, climbing, gardening, a big old dog, God, peace, Quakers, good music & lots of color!" So naturally, we loved this place, and these people immediately!

All of the baristas are awesome and friendly, especially when it comes to us dirty bums chillin in the shop all day haha! We look forward to coming here as much as we can while we are in town, as we already feel like family. Plus, the drinks are amazing! Check out their site at http://www.greenplowcoffee.com/Green_Plow_Coffee_Roasters/Welcome.html. After a relaxing day in comfy chairs and the coffee aroma stirring, we moved back to climbing and finished the night off with climbing, where we both climbed the amazing route ‘Heinous Cling.’

The next day we met a local climber, Joel. Joel is well known in the area, and I recognized him from when I was in Smith previously, as he free-soloed the Monkey Face! He is a fun guy who is down to talk climbing and just have a great time. He knows the area probably better than anyone else in the park as he pretty much lives there. He was more than helpful with offering tons of information about Smith Rock, especially anything that had to do with the Monkey Face. We would meet up with him later at a local café called the Terrebonne Depot about a mile from the park.

We headed to the depot to eat some food and watch the world cup! During the game we met pretty much everyone around us, as we were all getting excited about the game, and we were all climbers! It was exciting to get to know everyone and just have a great time hanging out, while eating amazing food! Afterward we hung out at an awesome climbing store called Redpoint where we did some more internet surfing with local climbers.

That evening at the crag, Alex and I began our Project, ‘Churning in the Wake.’ This route is a 5.13a, and is known as one of the best routes for its grade. Small pockets, sharp crimps, high feet, and no rests make an amazing line up a just-past-vertical wall, where endurance and pain tolerance are well-tested. We were immediately wrecked by the route, but made our way slowly to the top and got more excited than ever to have a route we really have to work for! The idea behind ‘sending’ a route, or climbing a route ‘clean’ is to do the whole route from the bottom up without falling, thus known as the ‘redpoint send’. We will be working this route, as it is aesthetic, challenging, and really exciting! Pushing to the 5.13 grade is a great step for Alex and I as climbers, and are excited for this route to be redpointed!

And finally we found a rest day, a rest day for our fingers, our physical state, and most importantly, our mental state. We woke slowly and made our way to the same grassy hammock area where we made too many banana pancakes :) After, we headed back to the Green Plow Coffee café, where we sat in comfortable chairs, sipped on some sort of coffee creation, writing, reading, playing chess, and giving our fingers a break all day long.

I am so thankful to be in such a wonderful place, with breathtaking climbing. It would be so easy to stay here for the remainder of our summer due to the simplistic lifestyle and amazing rock that Smith Rock has to offer, but am so excited to visit Portland and the future climbing spots we are to visit! I look forward to the many more climbers and locals that we meet near Smith Rock, and to hear their stories.

Sitting quietly in the humming cafe, I look around at the setting sun, smell fresh coffee and various pastries, and observe a large group of women chatting loudly over the spinning of their crochet and sewing needles. Simple talks of summer movies, inside jokes, and relationships are separated by small silences and smiles within this group of women. It is neat to watch generations of women ranging in ages from early teens to late seventies share stories of past and current times. The younger women share their latest loves for ‘Edward and Jacob’ from the Twilight series, and the older women talk about the past. The talks of pasts and presents collide so respectfully between each other, as they all share a common love for the art of needle and thread.

Staying until the cafe closed, we made our way back to camp, stopping only for the necessary cheap steaks and salads for our 'epic relaxation day.' We poured a delicious sierra-cup of Biale Vineyard wine and enjoyed our amazing dinner!

Climbers slowly poured into the dinner area, stoves and lanterns kicking on with the low hiss of fuel burning away. The dirty, clothes tattered, taped finger-tipped individuals shared stories of their day in the crag, and the latest projects they were cruising on. Joel approached, being the outgoing individual he is, and asked us what we were adding to 'Raffle Monday.'

We found out that Raffle Monday was an awesome and creative way to join the community of climbers even more. The idea is that every climber goes into their packed in, beaten down, and dirty cars to find an object that they didn't really use anymore, and therefore didn't really need. Once you had that item, and it was approved by Joel (the creator of Raffle Monday), you were good to go! Alex decided to throw in a bottle of 'Hill Climber' wine donated from Biale Vineyards. Instant Ooos and Ahhhs spread through the climbers when the nice bottle of wine graced the table. I decided to throw in some Clif Bars, causing some stomaches to crave loudly at the delicious Clifs.

Raffle Monday started out with a gathering of all the climbers in the area to crowd close together around the designated item table. Items consisted of our wine and Clif bars, a thermos and a beer, a harness, a carabiner and canteen, an old egg-crate pad rolled up with a leather belt and complimented with an enormous onion, a mulit-tool and a beer, a Prana beanie, a faded-pink blanket, non-working watch, sandal cleaner,classic Swiss Army knife, a Petzl headlamp, another harness and free trip up the monkey face, another bottle of wine, trail mix, a sling with a carabiner, and a large magnifying glass if I remember it all correctly.

Everyone's name was thrown in the hat who had contributed to the raffle, and Joel began with an opening toast! "This is the fourth annual Raffle Monday, which means, since there is no time out here, the fourth week of Raffle Monday!" Small cheers and chatters scattered through the group as the excitement began to build as everyone started to eye certain items on the table. I looked around at the crazy climbers that we are, all from different areas, all sharing in the excitement! Joel started things off, speaking tactically through a burning cigarette chillin in his mouth, "First up we'll start with the thermos and beer, because someone needs to drink this." This is going to be awesome. Item after item was picked up by Joel, followed by a quick story of the object from the individual who threw it in; and laughs and excitement jittered in the small crowd of climbers.

We all got to know each other better as we snapped shots of everyone with their 'prize.' As everyone walked away with a new item to take back to their loaded cars, we asked Joel of the history of Raffle Monday. Simply put, the man loves Smith Rock and the community of climbers that add love to the area. He started Raffle Monday to take the community of climbers and "bring everyone even closer; to get to know one another and share some laughs." It was as simple as that. And it was one of the best moments of happiness I have experienced.

Being in Smith for a while more, sipping on the great climbing and simple relaxing days could easily be a lifelong place of enjoyment, and I can see how Joel loves living where he does.

The next morning we met up with some friends of my aunt Heidi, Rachel and Eric. They are traveling through the area on a road trip, and decided to crush some rocks while in Smith. We headed down the trail with them and their dog, Kahlua. We made our way to the shaded wall and cruised up some routes while we shared good stories and got to know them better. Rachel by the way, crushes! It was impressive to watch! Alex and I immediately loved hanging out with them, as they are such genuinely nice people, and great to hang out with!

Another day at the coffee shops to add topos, read, write, etc is as peaceful as ever. We sat and smiled at a younger guy strumming the guitar to classic and modern acoustic songs, his voice soothing the air. And older gentleman accompanied him and showed off his skills. Two generations again, sharing the same love.

Alex and I continue to find new climbs in this seemingly endless amount of rock, each one of us taking turns on harder and more challenging routes. Alex, being the more burly climber, excels on powerful movement and large, open-hand holds. Watching him climb makes you feel strong, and that no matter the movement, and whether or not your feet stay on, anything can be climbed. Growls at the rock cause it to tremble as Alex pierces at every hold. It is inspiring and powerful to experience. Screaming movement.

I am the antithesis to Alex's climbing style. I look for the smallest holds, the highest foot-hold, crouched movement, sneaking up on each hold,the slow and balanced attack. Whisper movement.

Despite our different styles, and as you all well know by now, our love for the purity of climbing melts together flawlessly. The current project for us both, 'Churning in the Wake' contains unique opportunity for us to experience each other's strengths and weaknesses. The route contains small holds and awkward movements for myself, splattered with strength and powerful movements for Alex. After working the route for about two days now, we reflected on the beauty of the route.

It is simply amazing that nature has offered such a perfect sequence along this beautiful rock. That we can climb up over 90ft of slightly overhanging rock, each hold in its perfect spot to allow a foot to step on, and a hand to reach to. Looking out over Smith Rock we though about the thousands of years it took to carve the routes we know today, and what the rock will be like thousands of years from now. Will these beautiful routes be changed? Will future climbers not even know of the classic routes, or get a chance to climb them?

Volcanic activity formed Smith Rock, every piece of hardened ash helped construct the climbing at one point in time. Little chips of rock break selectively while rolling down a rock face and create masterpiece routes such as Midnight Lightning. How cool is that!? Holds chipped and formed with perfect strategy and finesse. That maybe mother nature long ago looked into our present and gifted us with the vision to see these holds, to feel the balance, to control the breathing, to send the impossible.

We are all discovering our own vertical dance; and it is beautiful.

peace and love. pick up your needle and thread.

-Drew