cord

      I chose an easy solo of ptarmigan finger #3 on the north face of Flattop as my birthday present to myself. The half smile in the picture below pretty much sums up my feelings for the day. I don't know if it wasn't challenging enough, or if I was looking for a different experience entirely. It seems like it is really hard to hit that sweet spot of challenging and rewarding yet not mind bendingly terrifying, especially when soloing. The climbing was pretty gross, granulated sugar snow on top of loose rock. The kind of climbing that is fun because of where you are, not because the moves are classic. I guess that attribute makes it hard to really stay in the moment, exactly the headspace we seek. Maybe that is the cause for the half smile.

Where I really should have been... with a partner.