alone camping and a few days with ben and justin

so, i successfully rented that crash pad thingy. it's pretty nice but a little awkward to carry around because it has no strap... all in all, i'm satisfied to have something to catch me when i fall. let's see, so here's my most recent adventures:

i drove up to castle hill and pitched a tent by this lake about 15 min drive past the climbing... free camping!! yay! here's my sweet setup:

and here's my beer cooler:

and i'm a happy camper:

the weather was good for the first couple of days, so i spent all my time climbing different exciting boulders at spittle hill and quantum field... sorry no climbing photos... i was out there all alone... here's one of my hair having a sweet day:

oh and here's some scenic shots from the road:


then the weather took a turn and rained like there was no tomorrow :( so i was stuck in the car for hours the one afternoon...

i read:

i drank tea:

but it had powdered milk... not as good:

and i sat there and listened to music (and obviously took funny pictures of me...):

but pretty much i felt like this:

so when i woke the next morning and it was still raining, i packed up and drove to town to see if i could entertain myself there... when i got in, i got a text from ben saying that the plans had changed and him and justin wanted to come and play with me asap. yay! i drove up and hung out for the night then we left the next afternoon (after mustering the hoggets off the valley) and headed to chc. we went climbing at the roxx that evening and drove out to the lake and camped out. the next day, we went climbing at castle hill. it was sooo fun. the boys did really well with their new shoes. we all climbed a bunch of V0, VI, and VIIs. justin even got 2 VIIIs. it was awesome! here's a shot of me:

hehe... i'm really just laying on a rock... and here's a shot of the sweet VII crack we all did... it was really good... a bit sharp without tape...

and here's ben on a really fun VII slab:

then we went back to town and swam in the town pools/spas. the weather was really nice the next day, but we were all a bit tired/sore from all the climbing, so we went to sumner beach and walked around and got ice cream. the next day, the weather wasn't as nice, so we climbed all day at the roxx. then on saturday, we went to hamner springs and played mini golf... here's justin:

and swam in the hot pools all afternoon. then the boys had to go back to the farm to muster all the sheep for crutching... (shaving around their butts so they don't get maggots...hehe... i bet they look hilarious after that)

so now i'm back in christchurch. the plan is to spend some time researching stuff to do in australia and book some things. then if the weather is nice, i'll spend some more time at castle hill. then hopefully i'll go to this fun little french town thing that has nice beaches and hang out there. then i might go up to swim with dolphins and go to the farm for one last night and then i'll be off for australia... crazy!! i only have a week and a couple of days left... ahhhh! i don't want to leave at all, but i do miss you all. why can't you guys all just move out here? that'd be perfect ;) anyway, i love you. xoxoxo


mmm, yes. replies:

erin: that's sweet that the comp will be on st. patty's day! i am soo excited to see everyone! i'm definitely not going to be in shape for competing, so i hope you guys want some help setting!!! ;) i hope you're enjoying the winter and still have some time for climbing between all the business of school! almost done, right?

stella: i'm trying my hardest to stay cool ;) you can tell me if it worked when i get home. you guys are going to have such a sweet time out at j tree for break. holy crap. that'll really be sweet. i bet you're climbing so strong now. i just got this feeling about it. i don't think i'll make it out there if the comp is when i get home. i'm going to stick around for it and then i think that the vegas trip is a go, so i leave for that on the following friday... but i'll keep thinking about it because i love you so much. anyway, you should cut your hair to this length. it's soo easy. and i haven't washed it in weeks! but i don't know what your hair looks like now... maybe i'll have to check facebook... i bet it's really long now. and totally sexy. hehe. i miss you girl. kisses!

nancy: you are crazy as per usual. but i love you, too.

caitlin: solo traveling is sweet... and scary and quiet, but mostly sweet. i've really been enjoying it so far with the car. it's really best to have a car or to have a bus booked or something. i've met tons of people who are traveling solo, like me... and lots of them are hitch hikers. (well all the hitchers are boys... but it's still cool). anyway i had a hard time licking myself on the face from the one you sent back... so i just spit on my hand and rubbed it on my cheek ;) hehehe. sorry to hear you're not in school. but at least you have more free time now ;) i'm glad you've been enjoying kendall. i miss it so much, but not as much as i miss you.

jessi: you and i have a lot in common. and i like that. i still miss you, too. but i'll see you sooo soon. and it'll be sweet!!! :) i'm also into smiley faces today... hmmm. keep an eye on steve... the trouble maker... hehe

steve: i hope this one was short enough for your liking... i'm glad nara's teets are doing well. oh, and her puppies, too. ;) my right eye just watered because my contact is drying out... and it looked like i was crying... and a tour group of asian people walked by and stared at me... it was excellent. i miss you, too.