July-23-2005

Word of the Day
attenzione: 1: care 2: What JenFu is thankful for in an unfamiliar land…friendships new and old.

Sometimes sport climbing is too convenient. This may have been the case today when we visited Nago, a very famous crag near Arco and it was completely quiet. It may have been that the locals find that it is so easy to get to this crag and countless others that they decide to leave climbing to another day when conditions aren’t perfect.

Living in New Jersey, this luxury is not a reality. If the crag is blisteringly hot, humid, or infested with flesh-eating insects, we have to get out since it is never clear when there will be another opportunity.

Anyway, I was extremely happy that we had a wonderful day at Nago with the company of perhaps 3 other parties and a quiet breeze. We climbed some moderate as well as some challenging routes. I did discover that I was willing to down-climb 5.7 for a good photo (hopefully a good photo). There was no rain, sleet, hail, or swarms of stinging insects so it made sense.

No day of cragging is complete in Italy without a walk and a drive through a vineyard. What peace…no urgency, no rush. There was no stress on the one-way roads. If a large farm vehicle comes down the road ahead, just throw your car into reverse, back-up to the nearest turn or shoulder and let the larger vehicle pass. We’ll ultimately make it to your destination. I was finally close to being at peace.