It is actually happening…

So many things go through my mind. As I get pushed into my seat and the plane takes off from the Belgian soil, I take a deep breath and let my mind go over things again.

There were no more working hours for me as a teacher this year, so I only had a part time job at the university left… Should I have looked into a new job in Gent?

I see the houses under me becoming smaller and smaller.

I wanted to move out of Belgium anyway… So no, I would look out for a job abroad. Norway maybe? France? But how would that work out?

Belgian disappears under a blanket of clouds as we fly towards the sun.

Then again, the weirdest thing happened that summer when I was in the US preparing for a trip to the Bugaboos… I fell in love with a girl… In Boulder…

Should I just pursue my dream of climbing for a year and travel around the world with her?

The ‘fasten seatbelt’-sign gets switched off with a loud ping as a flight attendant announces when food and drinks will be served.

I don’t hear what he has to say. I am doing this. I’m giving up my former life to dedicate it a full year to climbing and travelling! And yeah: to being with my girlfriend!

It’s been a week now, and I slowly start to get used to the lack of worries. It’s really strange how your mind has withdrawals from responsibilities and worries. At first it seemed like I was constantly looking for something or someone to be worried about.

Luckily there is climbing to soothe troubles inside my head.

 An alpine day-trip with Kurt Ross took us to the Mt. Evans region. Although the 3 hour approach and ‘deproach’ was a bit too much for a route that was still really dry (and a smidge hard for a ‘first-of-the-season’) it was a fun day out in the mountains!
(I’m sorry, but I only have sh*tty phone-pictures, forgot the camera)

Last weekend the CU Alpine club organized a trip to Indian Creek. Endless walls of sandstone with perfect cracks to finally learn how to properly “jam them hands and fingers” (or whole body?) in there!

Too bad we could only climb for a day and a half, though my hands and forearms do not complain about that (I did not master the technique to the fullest yet so, yes, there are bruises… a whole bunch of them). 

But this is only the beginning! Winter is coming, and a trip North of the wall, in search of Canadian ice, is being planned as we speak. Some backcountry skiing, some sport climbing as a change, alpine cruising in Rocky Mountain National Park, maybe even a trip to Yosemite? Who knows! 

Be sure to keep an eye on the blog, because I’ll definitely try to keep you guys posted with stories and pictures!

May the psych be with us all!